Make Holidays Work For You
It’s not unusual for the holidays to be a “down time” for studios. Here are some ideas that might turn these otherwise quiet days into positive energy and help build your business.
Consider this blog posting “timely,” since the the holiday break for schools is rapidly approaching. There may be an opportunity to implement some of these in the next couple of weeks.
These thoughts fall into five key areas. Each can be customized for your studio, but the general principles apply across a lot of environments.
Scheduling:
With Studio Helper, you can align schedules across the studio. That avoids the issue of teachers taking off different times (meaning you never get well deserved time off). It can even help cut utility costs if you’re in a space where you are paying directly for heat and lighting.
It does make sense, though, to coordinate holiday scheduling with student schedules for school break (over the end of December in particular).
This sort of thinking can also affect scheduling decisions you make around typical summer vacation periods (4th of July). It’s not uncommon for parents to take 4 days of vacation when there’s a holiday in the week (think Thanksgiving). Think “when will parents be away, affecting student availability?”
With Studio Helper’s calendar tools, it’s easy to block time off and to send reminder emails before the holiday. It’s great to send reminders before lessons/classes start up again. Avoid confusion, inform!
Marketing:
If your schedule falls into blocks (8 week, quarter, etc.) decided partly by holidays, that’s an ideal time to offer “refer a friend” discounts.
Pick up new students when existing students are planning their return to the studio. Send the discount message to parents. It reminds them that classes are starting up again and gives them a reason to ask “Hey, doesn’t Johnny play sax in the school band? Do you think he’d like to take lessons too?” How about “You and Amy like doing things together. Do you think she’d want to join your ballet class?”
Calendar:
Rough in your calendar at least a year ahead. That lets you “establish the base” from which adjustments can be made. Maybe your performance date for next January conflicts with something in the local schools (exams?)… by having a target in mind, you can ask for schedules from other groups and coordinate more effectively. This avoids those surprises that drop events on top of each other.
You can use calendar planning and coordination as a great reason to get in touch with those “feeder contacts” where you pick up new students. It might be other studios, school programs, community groups. Every time you reach out in a positive way, there is a chance to pick up new students and reinforce your studio’s connection within the community.
Restart:
Be sure to plan for the “first day” of class or lessons after any semester/quarter/section break. This means making sure new students get help finding their way around, sharing any information with parents, and checking to make sure all the students “got the word” and show up at their assigned time.
In so many teaching situations, it’s easy for students to “fall off the radar” for a week or two. They also fall off the financial books for those lessons, so it’s to your advantage to ensure everyone is cued to return to classes/lessons.
Planning:
It makes a lot of sense to use the break offered by holidays to catch your breath. This means giving yourself permission to take time away and recharge the batteries.
It also offers the perfect opportunity to brainstorm, to come up with fresh ideas and approaches for your studio. It might mean looking at new classes or marketing tactics. It may also mean looking over your current studio practices and assessing where the weaker points might be. Choosing to address concerns in a positive way helps your studio show what’s called in the business world “continuous improvement.” Thinking leads to positive change!
Use your holiday breaks wisely and they can work for you. Remember:
- Scheduling
- Marketing
- Calendar
- Restart
- Planning
