This is a podcast episode titled "Be the Face of Your Brand: How to Connect with Clients and Grow Your Studio - No Bulls#$t Business Tips 38" from August 22, 2024. It features Amanda Barr and her business partner Bec discussing marketing strategies for dance studios, emphasizing authentic and relatable social media content over perfect, posed photos to better connect with potential clients and grow their studios.
Hi, friends. Welcome to no Bullshit Business Tips by the Dance Principals United team. Each week we're dropping short, actionable tips for you to grow the studio of your dreams. You can find this video on our free Facebook group at Dance Principles United or check out here on the podcast as a bonus episode every week. Hope you love it. Hey, friends, Amanda and Bec here, back with more no bullshit business tips and things that we want you to take action on in your studio right now. Now to grow that studio.
Okay, now this is a really good one, guys. And I really want you to self reflect on this, because I had to really self reflect on this when a business coach said to me, you know, your photos and your Instagram is not sellable.
Absolutely. And I think that as creatives, as perfectionists, we all like to see that perfect dance photo, the perfect dance video with, you know, the child that's our most talented student, whose toes are beautiful. They have these beautiful pointed feet. All of that stuff nailing that trick. Exactly. And that's all we want to see.
Right. But is that what a parent, a new parent coming to your studio, which is what your Instagram should be about?
Absolutely.
Is that parent going to actually look at that and think, wow, that's so amazing. I want my child to do that? Or most likely, are they going to look at that and go, actually, that looks a bit scary. And I think it's way too full on. And I'm just looking for something fun and friendly for my child to do.
Absolutely. And that's what we really need to think about is what do our new clients want? Most of our new clients definitely have younger children. And so, you know, I think sometimes studio owners get a bit confused because they want their Instagram, their grid to look very aspirational, which, you know, there's a place for that too. But people want to see themselves reflected, so they want to see those fun photos of kids having fun in class. They want to see what their child will actually look like. Not just the perfect, you know, posed photos with those incredibly talented kids.
And like, Amanda, how many times do we see this as a block for studio owners where they're like, we've looked at their Instagram. They've got two photos up in the last two months. And we're like, why aren't you posting more? Oh, their foot wasn't pointed correctly.
Oh, the hair was out of place.
Oh, yeah, their hair was out of place. Their fingers weren't in the right. Like, there's so many things that you can nitpick but no one else is looking at that. Absolutely. And just getting stuff out there is the key.
Absolutely. And you know, we live in a very like real world. That's why we love reality television. And it's meant to be about people like looking real, not looking posed, not looking too overdone. And, you know, it's really important to be thinking about that in everything you're putting out in terms of your marketing.
I'll tell you what's been interesting with this now. Amanda's husband, Nathan is amazing at Facebook marketing and all the things. Right. And he has tested this out before and the photos that do the best with his Facebook marketing, and I'm talking like they're getting like 10, 20 trials in a week at their studio. Was the fun, friendly, arms around each other, looking cute in their uniform. That is the stuff that gets the most traction. Not the crazy kid doing the amazing leg and, you know, so beautiful. That stuff doesn't get so much traction. And when you start really looking into that, when you start playing around with that, you'll see that what we're saying is absolute key.
Absolutely. So today we want you to ditch those perfect photos. It doesn't matter if the kid's hair is out of place. It doesn't matter if there's one kid in the back that's uniform isn't quite right today. Whatever, just put it out there, put content on. It doesn't matter what it is, but get it out there and make it a real behind the scenes. Look into your studio, an actual, real one, not that perfect posed photo look 100%.
And if this scares you a little bit, do every third pose, every third picture. You're perfect person.
Absolutely.
But then make sure that you've got that fun, friendly stuff in the mix of it.
Absolutely. We want you to take action on this today, so be brave. Post a photo that you've been looking at going, not sure that that's quite right. And let us know below. We'd love to hear about it.
