New Business Help - summer school

littlestar15

Hi

I am opening a one week performing arts summer school for 6 - 16 year olds. I have carried out a leaflet drop around local houses and schools and held a promtional stall in the local shopping centre. I have had some interest but these have failed to convery into sign ups. Could anyone offer advice about turning interest into a sale.

I have recently made a website and am having equal difficulty in promoting this.

All advice would be gratefully received.

lincroft1710

A few random thoughts.

As a last resort try and find someone who is doing this successfully in another part of the country (so you wouldn't be a competitor) and ask them how they made it a success.

If it is just one week in the summer, as opposed to several one week courses over the summer, you may have picked a popular holiday week.

Your fees may be more than people can afford or think it's worth.

Nobody is really that interested.

easyhost

lincroft1710 wrote: »

A few random thoughts.

As a last resort try and find someone who is doing this successfully in another part of the country (so you wouldn't be a competitor) and ask them how they made it a success.

If it is just one week in the summer, as opposed to several one week courses over the summer, you may have picked a popular holiday week.

Your fees may be more than people can afford or think it's worth.

Nobody is really that interested.

just being their for a single week could be a turn off as

who is this?
what happens after the week?
i have paid and then they have vanished?
my kids getting used to this and now after a week their is no more.

maybe you should try running this over a few weekends to build up trust and a clientbase, so kids and parents don't feel done over

Savvy_Sue

having run some out of school childcare in my time, I'd say that it will always take time to become known as available and more importantly reliable. Parents won't stop using something which has 'worked' for them in the past just because there is something new and exciting on offer.

steve1980

Why don't you post your website in your profile under homepage . We can then give you some feedback .

paddyrg

How about a group discount and try to get whole gangs of girls? 6-16 is a very broad range of maturities and abilities - is a 15 year old going to want to spend a week away from her usual friends in a shopping centre food court to hand out with y year olds for a week? Maybe you just need to focus it a lot tighter and make it easy for friends to egg each other on.

How about promoting it with an 'audition' for a free place? (and everyone who auditions gets a 25% off voucher?) Kids have seen tat like X-factor and think auditions are exciting, and it is something to create a bit of buzz.

Or maybe x-factor and its clones have misrepresented the industry so much the kids don't understand it takes any decent actor/dancer/singer a lot of work to hone their craft, not just 'go on telly' for instant fame and stardom :-(

littlestar15

Thanks so much for all your advice what great ideas. I am currently offering a 10% off early bird offer but think that the group discount would be a great idea.

I currently work in a very succesful independent theatre school (in a different county to where I am setting up my own) and the lady who runs this is giving me advice, however lots of her children were built up through word of mouth and since I am new to the area I do not have this advantage.

I have posted my website under homepage and would appreciate any advice!

Thanks again for all your valuable advice!

paddyrg

Will your mentor lady allow you to use her school name in your literature...

"...<my school> is an independent offshoot of the well-respected xyz school in anothertown. 'littlestar15 has brought so much to our school we are truly excited to endorse her bringing the same opportunities to the up-and-coming performers of thistown' (Mrs xyz, xyz theatre school xyztehatreschool.org.uk)"

lincroft1710

Your website font is difficult to read and there are one or two inconsistencies in the text.

hunnie

Hi,
I also think that the font is very hard to read which makes it annoying. Apart from that the website is informative, bright and attractive.
The price of your summer school might be a bit off putting.
I help run a dance school and our biggest problem is the very cheap or even free summer activities run by local councils. Perhaps with cut backs this might change?

Is there a local publication that goes to all schools in your chosen area? Maybe you could advertise in that?
Good Luck,
Hunnie

jexygirl

I liked the site, and font lol! However - despite it being a relatively "cheap" childminding service per hour in the scheme of things - it is very expensive imo -if I had the average of 3 kids - £120 each - £360 no way I would do that for a 5 day, 6 hours a day thing ( im guessing you don't provide lunch or anything either so thats extra to parents).
I would, in all honesty think about halving the cost if not more - £50 is way more appealing and more achievable for most parents.
Would you rather have 10 kids at £120, or 50 at £50?
I realise you need to make money from it and pay other tutors and room hire /show costs whatever, and with more kids the tutor costs increase, but, particularly in the climate (and I don't have kids!) I wouldn't pay that amount for a 5 day "summer school".
I also agree that the "one week only" isnt doing you any favours.
Most parents / families that i know, co ordinate their holidays to kid swap - 6 mums/dads, 6 individual week holidays off from their respective work, each mum/dad takes a week of 6 lots of kids - no child care costs - just lots of headache tablet costs! and tho I do know that some parents do pay for these sort of things (I subsidise my god sons drama school classes and have done for 10 years!) a 5 day one, at that cost - that is what I pay per term for my god son. And they provide all show costumes etc - but we buy tickets. In this climate cost > everything else - particularly non essentials.
GL
Jex