Every activity business has a point when they wonder how to get more clients. How can you promote your dance classes, get more clients for your swimming lessons or which are the best ways to increase class registrations.
The general question of how to market your coaching business is valid. After all, clients are the most important thing for your work. That is why we have compiled a list of several ways to improve your sales and attract new clients as an activities business.
1. Website
A website is essential these days and is one of the straightforward ways to get new clients. A search engine (Google, mainly) is the first place most parents would go to find swim classes or ballet lessons in their area. If you have a website, you’d be on those results too.
Saying all this, although just having a website is an excellent place to start - we’d recommend investing time into making a good one. Your website is often the first impression your prospects will get of you, so it better be good.
It’s not only that but also, the better your site is – speed, usability, and the relevance of content and images, the better chances it has to be a first-page result.
A website also allows you to have an onsite booking system, leading us to our next point.
2. Booking system
A robust and easy-to-use booking system is a fantastic way to increase your sales quickly. Is prompting clients to reenroll, chasing payments and doing endless admin a considerable drag on your business? We are guessing it probably is. A sound booking system, like Signaclass, is a way to solve all of that. Signaclass lets you automatically re-enrol your existing students and auto charge them with online payment. Your booking system is an easy way to increase your payment collection and automate your sales immediately.
More than that, a booking system, like Signaclass, that lives on your website is the perfect way to capture customers then and there—advertising a new class on your Facebook page? Include the direct booking link in the post for easy sign-ups. Were you answering an enquiry from a potential new customer on WhatsApp? Send them a direct link to the booking system so they can quickly become your client. Is the client browsing your website? Please make sure a Book Now button or a menu item is visible so they can go directly to your schedule and seamlessly sign up for lessons.
In addition, it is worth noting that whilst a booking system like Signaclass makes your life easier, it also makes your clients’ lives easier – they can log in and manage their subscriptions quickly and easily. They can also track their child’s progress with our progress reports cards functionality and proudly look at their kid’s awards which you can assign to class attendants.
3. Local Community
Physical stores like big supermarkets, local churches or community centres are often places with free advertising boards where you could pin your marketing materials. Depending on your specific geographical location, you could think and develop your local ideas. Maybe there are coffee shops near the gym you rent space at or daycare centres that’d be happy to have some leaflets or even the local library which organises moms and pops group playdates or book readings. All these spaces where you can find parents are perfect places to distribute some flyers or a poster. They are also usually free, which is a great bonus.
4. Paid Ads
Paid advertising on social media, search engines, or even local publications that you know circulate amongst parents is an obvious one. We have left it for last because we think you should undertake it carefully despite being obvious. It can be a cheap and worthwhile way to get in front of new people. However, it is a good idea to think and plan how much budget you can put aside for advertising as it can very quickly get costly.
It is worth looking into Facebook ads which are an excellent way to target parents in a local area, as Facebook has a good way of letting you be very narrow in terms of who you want to see your advert. You can do various things – a more general advert or advertising a specific post you think would do well.
It’s also an idea to think about Google PPC (pay per click), which is a way of advertising with keywords so that when people in your area search “football classes in Birmingham,” your ad will appear as a search result on top or bottom of the page. PPC is a way to intercept a customer exactly when they are researching a specific service and are probably ready to buy, which is very convenient.
5. Your current customers
We can’t end this list without mentioning the linchpin of your business – your existing customers. Parents talk to other parents and are often very vocal (both online and offline) about good experiences. Treating them fairly, providing exemplary teaching, and providing excellent customer service are amongst the best ways to get more new clients from happy existing ones.
Another thing to be careful about is that people are even more likely to talk about bad experiences, which is why you should do your best to minimise unpleasant occurrences. We know things go wrong sometimes, and it’s impossible to please every parent, but be sure to address parental concerns quickly and do your best to sort out any arising problems swiftly. Clients that feel heard and listened to often don’t leave a negative review even if the outcome of your conversation hasn’t gone their way.
Word of mouth is still one of the most trusted sources of information for parents, which is why you should prioritise your clients. Turn every happy parent into your brand ambassador.
