Simpedia

Laurie Richards, Nebraska

I don’t know how many of you are trying to grow your studios, but I wanted to share a few things that have been successful for us here in our area. I also wanted to share about how the teachers here work together.

There are four of us in the area – Two of us have been with SM for a few years, and two are relatively new. We all meet once or twice a month. We discuss advertising, share ideas that have worked well in our own studios, ask for insight from one another about anything, and whatever else comes up. Last week we did a mock FIS – it’s amazing what you can learn from another teacher’s approach. Janita came up with a great idea -we are going to start taking turns “teaching” a song to the others during each meeting, starting with Foundation Level 1, just to see others’ approach to the song, and to get more practice ourselves. It’s really great to have the local support network and camaraderie.

I wanted to share some successful and inexpensive advertising we’ve done recently. Janita has built her studio to 80-some students, I am up to almost 50 and the calls are still coming in. I can’t take credit for all of these advertising ideas, because they mostly came from Janita.

Neil posted information about this a while back, but last summer Janita called a local TV station and offered free lessons if they would do a news segment on Simply Music. They said yes and sent the consumer reporter to her for 12 weeks of lessons. They filmed periodically at his lesson, interviewed parents and students and Janita, and did a two-part news segment. Wow. Was that good for business!

Janita also recommended advertising or trying to get a story in several small news publications, like some neighborhood newspapers, a Christian publication and a
newspaper for seniors. She had a story published in her suburb’s newspaper, and I had one done last week and have gotten a lot of contacts from that. We’ve been donating gift certificates for one free month plus materials to organizations like the ABWA, an adoption agency that is holding an auction, and others
that are escaping me right now. Janita gave one for a drawing at a music event that was held at a library.

I distributed flyers to Catholic schools in my area. Not all of them would allow flyers, but some did, and I’ve gotten several students that way. I used nice color copies on good quality paper. Sometimes public schools will distribute them with their weekly newsletters.

We’ve gotten a lot of students by putting up signs – the 18″ x 24″ (46 x 60 cm) yard signs that are on a frame you stick in the ground. They often disappear, but not before I get several students from them. The signs say only “Play Piano”, “Ages 7 – 107” and my phone number and web address. I paid $15 each for the signs. They have paid for themselves many, many times over. I did have one caller say, “I’m 108. Can I still take lessons?”

We have also advertised in home school newsletters and yearbooks and set up a booth at a home school resource night.

I wish you all as many students as you can handle. I want to share Simply Music with everyone!