If you’re starting a new swim school, you’ll have to market your business. Great marketing begins long before you launch. There can be a lot of planning and preparation that goes into it, which includes things like understanding who you’re competing with and how your customers buy swim lessons. We’ve focused this blog on small businesses and items we think everyone can and should do. Let’s start, however, with some don’ts.
Don’t focus on branding first…
It can be exciting starting any business! We get it. You want to decide on a name and a logo and be able to visualise your new business. You want to take ownership of the idea and make it yours. The problem is that these can be very time-consuming things and can take the budget away from more substantial items. We suggest waiting until you’ve completed some of the earlier steps in our checklist before embarking on branding.
Don’t underestimate word of mouth…
In 2022 it’s ubiquitous for people to focus on self-serve digital marketing. It’s very much essential to be online today, but your first and most reliable customers may be people you know or people who know people you know. Please make a list of people who might be ready to book your swim lessons, either because they have children of the right age or they’re adults who fit the bill. Decide how you’re going to introduce your services to them.
Don’t start without a marketing plan…
It can be very disheartening to start a business and then realise you have no way to meet customers. A lousy plan is better than no plan because it will have at least defined things that can fail. You can learn from it. Your marketing plan doesn’t have to be perfect, but you should decide to act deliberately and make notes as you try things out about what works and doesn’t work.
Our Marketing Check-List for Swim Schools
Okay, so the main don’ts out of the way, what should you do. Here’s our marketing checklist for swim schools and swim teachers, in order by how early we think you should do each.
Competitor Research
Competitor research, as we mean it here, basically means finding out about local swim schools in your area, if there are any, and understanding their practices, unique selling points and relative popularity. Your understanding of other swim schools in your area can help you structure your own.
[ ] Make a list of local competitors (use google, word of mouth, and local directories).
[ ] Collect their branding, pricing information, social media and website links, what locations they operate out of and if you know their staff.
[ ] Follow them on their marketing channels (social media, websites, blogs etc.).
[ ] Read their reviews and see what customers liked and didn’t like about them.
Customer research
Customer research doesn’t have to be intensive and formal, but you should know who can be your customer and what customers expect when planning your new swim school.
[ ] Find people you know who might be future customers (for example, they have children of the right age) - get their feedback on activity businesses they’ve used in the past and how they choose.
[ ] If it’s publicly available, look at how your competitors’ customers interact with them, what comments they leave, and what reviews they make.
[ ] Meet another swim teacher or swim school owner from another location (where you don’t compete) to understand how they work with their customers and what they’ve found is essential.
Branding, Website & Social Media Set-Up
Once you’ve got an idea of your competitors and spoken to some potential customers, you might then want to decide on your branding, website and social media pages.
[ ] Decide on a business name.
[ ] Decide on colours you think represent your swim school. If you choose a standard or common colour, we believe it’s a good idea also to select an additional accent colour (we think) that can inject some energy into your brand.
[ ] Get a logo. There are free logo makers online, you can pay someone to do it, or if you feel you have the skills, you can design one yourself.
[ ] Decide if you need a website, what content you want on your website, and what functions you want it to have.
[ ] Decide which social media you want to use. Swim schools often choose Facebook to reach parents, but some also have success on Instagram or even places like TikTok - it’s up to you what you can manage.
[ ] Decide if you’re going to deliver your website, social media, and graphics needs yourself or use a service / hire someone.
[ ] Prepare content. The content you should prepare includes social media cover photos (if you’ve decided to use social media) and website written content.
[ ] If you’ve decided on a website, come up with and buy a domain name.
[ ] If you’ve decided on a website, make sure you have “About”, “Contact” “Pricing” pages, a home page and viewable terms and conditions.
[ ] If you’ve decided on a website, make sure you link to your social media.
[ ] Make it as easy as possible for customers to signup, contact you and see your schedule. We’ve made an excellent system to make signups frictionless for swim school customers to link to on your social media and website.
[ ] Invite potential customers from your initial customer research to like your social media pages and view your website. Don’t be shy, but do be polite and unintrusive.
Public Relations
If you’re going to extend your customers beyond your circle, you’ll need to plan how to reach people you don’t know. Advertising is one way, but another way is through good PR work.
[ ] Do you know any people who operate local blogs, newspapers, or are influencers that can “speak for you” - make a list. Consider reaching out to them and asking how they can help you.
[ ] Prepare an initial press release to send to people to tell them you’re in business and describe why you’re an excellent choice for swim lessons.
[ ] Make a list of local small business news, bloggers, and journalists.
[ ] Send out the press release announcing you’re open once you’re open. You never know who might republish it.
Paid Marketing Channels
Some businesses have spent years building an audience that you can reach. These businesses charge a fee so that you can access their readers, viewers or users.
[ ] Decide if you have a budget to use paid marketing channels. If you don’t have the budget (and if you do), move on to the next section for free marketing channels.
[ ] Decide if you want to experiment with social, search or commission-based advertising platforms. If it doesn’t work for you, it’s okay. Avoid the temptation to overcommit to things like social media advertising without testing.
[ ] Decide if you want someone to help you manage your paid marketing and identify and price that help if you do.
[ ] Consider leafleting locations. For example, leaflets in facilities hosting the rooms you use to teach would be wise. Get a quote for these from a printer (or more!) and distribute them if affordable.
[ ] Consider sponsoring or advertising directly at events or publications your customers might attend. Consider the unconventional - even school newsletters can sell ads. List these opportunities and contact them.
Free Marketing Activities
Some ways you can market your business are free and cost only your time.
[ ] Plan to regularly post on your social media (after inviting people in the step above).
[ ] Write a blog to help people find you on search engines.
[ ] Run a competition in return for people taking an action that gives you exposure (for example, social media shares).
[ ] Make a list of directories of interest, such as websites promoting children’s sports or classes, and get yourself listed.
[ ] Make sure you’ve claimed and set up your business pages, for example, on Google My Business, Yell or Bing.
[ ] Speak to people about your business when you can. Never underestimate word of mouth.
[ ] Ask for recommendations and referrals from your existing customers.
[ ] Ask your existing customers for reviews.
[ ] Feature your existing customers to make them want to publicise your business (for example, through photography).
That’s it! Good luck.
If you’ve got any other ideas you think we should include in this list, we’d love to hear them and help more activity businesses succeed. And, if you found this list and it helped you start up, remember to tell us about it - we love hearing people’s success stories.
