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

What do you do when you need to fill your classes with new Students? You announce your schedule and type of classes on your website, social media, FB ads, word of mouth and hope for the best.

Let me ask this question: do you truly know who you are going after and how to attract them?
In other words, do you know your Ideal Customer?

This is something you’ve probably heard about 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, sort of.
The problem with that approach is that other Art Studios are telling the same message to their customers, so you do not stand out from the crowd. You might also say things that is not convincing enough for your customers to sign up to your classes.

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 cared only 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 more than just a 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. Is their ideal customer those who have enough money to buy their cars? Yes, but they narrow it down even further to the customer who not only has the money but wants to show off and a fast car, “the ultimate driving machine”. So, they are focusing on those people, because they know others will not listen.  

Now, back to your Ideal Customer. As an Art Studio Owner, if you offer classes to kids, you are in a quite unique situation compared to other businesses. You have 2 customers: the Student and is the Parent. So you need to define two ideal customers… for each Class! For adult classes, you focus only on the Student.

I am going show you how to define your Ideal Customer.

#1.  What class do I 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 the Student
Write done what other characteristic the Student has in addition to showing up regularly, having no attitude and being a team player. For example, your ideal Student is a shy girl, an only child who needs more interaction with other kids, very talented and opens up when she is painting.  List 10-15 qualities for the Ideal Student for that class.

Characteristics:

• 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
  
  

If you have Teachers, consult with them to come up with the list.  Once you narrowed it down, give a name to your Ideal Customer (Avatar), for example Little Sue.

3. Describe the ideal qualities of the Parent
Now, we need to come up with the ideal Parent for that age group. The general qualities would be: they drop of the child on time pays regularly, no hassle, no drama, they trust you and support your decisions.
Write down 10-15 qualities for your ideal Parent too. For example, the Parent for your Thursday afternoon paint class for 6-8 year old is a working mother (2 household income), married, Christian, and a millennial. Once you defined her, give her a name, say Jennifer. Naming your Avatar is a very clever marketing tactic because it is easier to find and talk to a “specific person”.

And now the details:

• 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 they are with your Art Studio

In our example above, when we combine our 2 Ideal Customers, Little Sue and her mom Jennifer, we can find them on Instagram and church community. We can tell Jennifer that little Sue will blossom in our classes and will learn to feel comfortable with other kids. We can also charge a higher price and offer childcare before and after the class, as both parents work, bringing more income but have less free time. You see 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 take your classes. 

We are here to help you grow your Art Studio with less effort by giving Actionable Business Tips and Strategies you can implement right away.
Sign up for our Newsletter to be the first to know about them. 

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