For every youth activity center, the marketing strategy that works for your business differs. Over the years, the landscape has changed from print and word-of-mouth marketing to social media and paid advertising or more often, a combination of the two!

As we gradually get back to the new normal, businesses everywhere are getting a sense of normalcy back. This is especially true for businesses that cater to children and their parents, such as music schools. 

As parents feel more comfortable putting their children back in extracurricular activities, promoting your business is now more pertinent than ever. 

Whether it’s the location, times lessons are offered, or competition in the area, getting new students enrolled in music classes can be tricky.  This is where your marketing comes in to help you stand out from the crowd.

Here are some marketing ideas for music schools to help you get started. 

Marketing Ideas for Music Schools 

Determine Your Target Audience

The first step to a successful marketing campaign is identifying your target audience. Who are you trying to reach? As a music school owner, who does your business cater to? What does your ideal student base look like?

Many music school owners assume that their target audience is parents. And while parents are the ultimate decision-makers, remember that you are teaching children. Providing exciting materials that grab both parents’ and children’s attention is a great way to appeal to two audiences. Always remember the purchasing power of a younger crowd – the parents might choose the program they like, but if the child is not on board with this choice, they will not follow through. 

So, how do you get the ball rolling and strike a chord with a younger market? By meeting your target audience where they spend most of their time – on social media. (Here are 7 tips for staying in contact with prospective customers →)

Utilize Social Media

When you’re in public, look around and see how many people are looking at their phones. Both adults and children utilize mobile devices and social media at an astounding rate. A rate that increases year over year. 

Statistics show that three out of four children visit YouTube on a daily basis. More than 60% of children visit TikTok regularly throughout the day and 75% have their own Instagram accounts. For children, numbers drop for Facebook, but it is more prevalent in older teens and adults.

So, after you have identified your target audience, it’s time to determine what social media platforms they spend their time browsing. Once identified, decide what kind of content appeals to this audience. As a music school owner or employee, you have the opportunity to share video content – the most viewed type of content on all platforms.

Create videos of the music you and your students create and post it on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok to capture the attention of your target audience and highlight your music-teaching skills. Posts, reels, and stories will get you noticed by the crowd that matters.

Reach Out to Child-Focused Programs

Student-focused programs are a great way to showcase your music school to potential students and interested families. In addition, after-school programs, classrooms, church programs, and preschools are often looking for an alternative activity to offer their students. 

Volunteer your services and take advantage of the pool of potential clients these student-focused programs offer. Teach a lesson, introduce children to musical instruments, demonstrate your skills, and help children have fun doing something other than sports. 

Children will go home and excitedly tell their parents all about their fun new experiences and hopefully express interest in music lessons. Word of mouth is compelling, and nothing is more potent than hooked children eager to learn how to play the guitar, drums, or piano! After your event, hand out your business card or an informative flyer that kids can take home. 

Host an Open House

Parents are always looking for activities for their children. Moreover, spending a productive educational afternoon where kids can also have fun while learning is a win-win situation. 

So, why not host an open house? Parents will bring their kids to see if music lessons interest them. Children that would have never thought of taking up music lessons may become interested in them if they visit an open house. Having the opportunity to experiment with instruments to see what they like can only increase their excitement and your enrollment rate.

If you decide to host an open house, take note of the following tips: 

• Send invitations to schools and after-school programs
• Plan for drinks and snacks
• Have enough staff to greet your visitors and show them around 
• Provide a live demo of each musical instrument 

Offer a special New Year’s Deal or Promotion

There’s no time like the present and now is the perfect time to offer a special New Year’s deal or promotion! 

Attract new students by advertising private lessons, a free monthly trial, special discounts for siblings, or extra perks for students that renew their lessons for a limited time. 

Your promotion is up to you, but make sure to include eye-catching words like “special offer” or “New Year’s promotion,” and you will spike the interest of potential clients. 

Partner With Local Businesses 

Partnering with a local business will help with exposure and put your business at the forefront of parents’ attention. 

Find music-affiliated businesses and work on cross-promotion. Refer your students to buy or rent musical instruments from a specific music store. In return, the music store owners refer their clients back to you for music lessons. Arrange for your students to perform live at a local business or sponsor a local youth sports team.

Making community friends and partnering with them to promote your business can be extremely beneficial in bringing in a new pool of students. 

Prioritize Business Reviews 

If you are searching for the best way to market your business you can’t forget the impact of online business reviews. They can certainly make or break a business and are a very potent tool in any marketing effort. 

If you can, make a targeted effort to prioritize reviews for your business in 2023. Harness the power of positive reviews by asking your current students and their parents to post a review on Google, Yelp, Facebook, or another review platform. When someone searches for music schools in your area, these reviews could be one of the first things to pop up. 

Ready to Get Started?

As a music school owner, we hope you are doing what you love and loving what you do. However, with so many music schools out there, how do you even get started in attracting new students? 

Successfully marketing your music school in 2023 is the answer! Follow these simple marketing ideas for music schools: 

• Determine your target audience
• Utilize social media
• Reach out to student-focused programs
• Host an open house
• Offer a special new year’s deal or promotion
• Partner with a local business
• Prioritize business reviews 

Keep tabs on what is working and what isn’t, change what isn’t, and viola! You have a marketing strategy for 2023.

Let us know what you’re most looking forward to tackling in the New Year in the comments below!

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