We know from experience that dance studio owners are some of the hardest working business owners out there! But sometimes, it’s about working smarter, not harder. That’s where our team comes in! When we work with clients, we share our proven marketing framework to to help them grow their business… so they can focus on what they love the most.
In our latest podcast series, we set out to give you 5 simple tasks that you can do today to grow your dance studio. Tip #1 is all about planning your dance studio calendar for ultimate, year-round success.
Year-Round Enrollment
In our experience, studios that have the most success in growing their business offer opportunities to enroll all year-round. Yes, we are talking about all year-round! During every month and season, there should be something that a prospective student can sign up for. You might be thinking, “how do I offer enrollment all year if the kids need to prepare for recital and we run on a school year calendar?” We’re here to break it down.
Why?
If you’re closing your class enrollment in November, you’re left with only a narrow window to secure your revenue for the rest of the school year. Even if you wait until the winter (January or February) you still have a few months of downtime before summer enrollment ramps up. So what happens? Anyone who is interested in your studio during this gap is turned away and ready to sign up for an activity elsewhere… and who knows if they will ever return.
Beyond the immediate loss of potential students, enrollment lulls also cause time inefficiencies and wasted marketing expenditures. Running continuous campaigns, investing in paid advertisements, and allocating staff resources for social media promotion becomes significantly less effective if there’s nothing for students to actively enroll in. Giving people something to sign up for year-round lets you keep your marketing efforts running consistently, instead of stopping and starting them only during busy seasons. This helps you get the most out of your time, money, and overall strategy.
How?
So what should your studio consider to boost enrollment all year-round? Here’s our month-to-month guide with suggested enrollment opportunities. You’ll notice there is some overlap where some months have multiple enrollment openings – this is great! The more the better!
- June – February: School Year Classes*
- November – January: Winter Session Classes (These can run January-June for students starting in the middle of the year. This is a great way to make new students feel like they aren’t behind and welcome to join.)
- February – March: Spring Break Camp, Parents Night Out Events, Competition Team Prep Clinics, Spring Session Classes (These can Run March-June and not participate in recital. You can do an in-studio showing at the end of the session!)
- April – July: Daytime Summer Camps and Evening Summer Classes
- Year-Round: Trial Classes
* If you’re worried about students being unprepared for Recital or getting pushback from teachers, we’ve got you covered below!
Tips for Keeping Recital Enrollment Open
From a business standpoint, prioritizing revenue means moving to recital enrollment that stays open as long as possible. In our opinion, if you can still order them a costume, you should try your best to get them enrolled (within reason).
As former teachers and studio owners, we know that it can make things difficult on teachers trying to prepare their routines. But the truth is, most of the time, the kids will adapt just fine.
If you’re getting pushback from teachers, remind them of the overarching goals of the business. Keeping enrollment open leads to more revenue, which ultimately trickles down to the teachers getting paid more, receiving bonuses, and job security in the long term!
Other strategies for keeping recital enrollment open:
- Allow a non-recital enrollment option
- Allow the student to enroll in a lower level so they have a better chance to succeed
- Require teacher approval after their trial class (teachers should prioritize safety and student overwhelm, not perfection, when evaluating the student)
- Offer private lessons to help the student catch up
- Express gratitude to your teachers for accommodating the new student and offer strategies for getting the student up to speed. This can greatly help your rapport with your teachers!
So… what can YOU add to your studio’s calendar to help new students say YES all year round? Whether its a short-term session or a summer camp, we hope this blog inspires you to prioritize new students… and new revenue!
If you found this blog helpful, there’s more we offer! Check out our services below:
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