The #1 mistake you can make when it comes to attracting new Students

Do you want to fill your activities with new Students? Where can you reach them and what your message should be?
In other words, do you know your Ideal Customer?

This is a questions you’ve probably heard before and you can answer right away: my Ideal Customer is a Student who shows up regularly, has no attitude, is a team player, focuses on lessons and is a certain age. And when you market to them you tell them they will have fun in your classes while learning the medium you are offering.  And you are right...sometimes.
The first problem with that approach is that other Art Teaching Businesses are telling the same thing to their Customers, so you do not stand out from the crowd. The second problem is that your might say things that are not convincing enough for your Customers to sign up with your activities.

A general overview is not enough,
you need to go much deeper and in detail to define your
Ideal Customer.

Think about a car. Why do you really need a car? To have a reliable transportation to go from point A to point B the cheapest way possible. If people only cared about that, everyone would buy the cheapest, simplest car and keep it as long as it would run. Right?

But that is not the case. People buy a car for much beyond just commodity. In addition to going from point A to point B, they also buy status and lifestyle. Think about BMW, do they go after everyone? No. Their Ideal Customer the person who has enough money to buy their cars and wants to show that to the word. The person who wants “the ultimate driving machine”. So, they are focusing on those people, because they know others will not listen.  

Now, back to your Ideal Customer. In your Art Teaching Business your Ideal Customer might not even be your Student: if you offer activities for kids, your main Customer is the Parent, then secondarily the Student. For Adults it is the actual Student. For Teenagers, equally the Parent and the Student. For Mobile Art Studios, it can be the decision maker of the Venue where you book your activities.

How can you define your Ideal Customer?

#1.  Decide what activity do you you want to fill? 
If you are saying, all of them and will have a blanket marketing, that would be a mistake. BMW does not go after everyone. They go after people who want a status, a fast car and can pay. So, let’s be specific for you too.  
For example, you want to fill a Thursday afternoon paint class for 6-8 year-old kids.


#2. Describe the ideal qualities of your Customer

The Student:
List 10-15 characteristics for the Ideal Student for that class.

Characteristics of Students in your Thursday's Paint class:

• Gender
• Siblings
• School (private, public, home school)
• Personality (shy, outgoing)
• Challenges (focusing issues, special needs)
• Knowledge in your medium (first time, advanced)
• Have they taken classes/activities with you before?
• What other activities they attend
  
  

For example, kids in that class are mainly girls who go to private schools, with no or max. one sibling. They have a very structured schedule and come from an upper middle class. They are looking for an activity in a relaxed environment away from their rigorous academics.   Once you narrowed it down, create an Avatar and name her, for example Little Sue.

This way you will always have a picture in your head of who you are going after and what problem you are solving: a relaxed environment, where they can let their creativity flow. You focus on personal attention and can charge a higher price.

The Parent
The general qualities would be: they drop off the child on time, pay regularly, create no hassle or drama, they trust you and support your decisions. But dig deeper.

More specific characteristics:

• Gender
• Relationship Status
• Occupation
• Number of kids
• Schooling for kids (private, public, home school)
• Religious affiliation
• Lifestyle (outdoorsy, home bodies, etc.)
• Their hobbies (craft, sport, etc.)
• How do they interact (social media, in person)
• Where do they shop?
• How familiar are they with your Art Teaching Business
  
  

For example, the typical Parent for Little Sue is a working Mother (2 household income and limited free time), Married, Christian, and a Millennial. She wants her child to feel more conformable around other kids and let herself go with the flow in her creativity. Once you defined her, create an Avatar and name her, say, Jennifer. 

Why is knowing your Ideal Customer is so important?

In our example above we can find the mom, Jennifer Instagram and church community. We can solve her worry about Little Sue being too shy by telling her that little Sue will blossom in our classes and will learn to easily interact with other kids. We can also charge a higher price and offer childcare before and after the class, as both parents work, have higher income but have less free time. You see how it works?

Create Ideal Customers for each class you want to fill online and in person. I know this seems a lot and
defining your Ideal Customer might feel like a small piece of the puzzle, but it is the foundation for anything you will do in your Marketing.
The more specific you are the better you will know where to find and how to attract them so they will sign up for your activities. 

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Let me know in the comments what challenges do you have in your Marketing.