Strategies to attract, keep and engage more students in your performing arts school
Searching for effective methods to boost student attraction, engagement, and retention in your performing arts school? Look no further.
Having worked with performing arts schools across the UK, we’ve learnt how to help them achieve exactly that. And we’re sharing that knowledge with you.
Keep reading to gain valuable insights and proven strategies to enhance student enrolment, boost engagement, and foster a sense of community that keeps students coming back.
Whether you’re starting out or looking to revitalise your existing performing arts class, these tips will help you create a vibrant learning environment that students will love to be a part of.
Tactics for attracting more students
Let’s start at the beginning, pulling in students to your performing arts school is your first step in creating a buzzing community. Here are some of our top tips on how to shine the spotlight on your school and attract new students.
Branding matters
Every interaction you have with potential students, from your emails to your social media posts and everything in between, should be tied together with consistent branding. It’s essential to ensure a unified theme, tone of voice and style across all touchpoints. This helps you to not only stand out from the competition but also looks more professional.
But don’t just limit your branding to just your social media and emails – every touchpoint needs to be carefully considered. Even when prospective students go to book a class on a website, their experience should feel connected to the rest of their journey.
Top tip: With a branded online shop, you can make sure your students have a professional and smooth experience, regardless of whether they are signing up for classes, buying merchandise or registering for events.
Create a social presence
Boosting your social media presence is crucial in attracting potential students to your school. Find the platforms most used by your target demographic and create engaging content that reflects your brand and showcases what you offer, such as behind-the-scenes footage or student testimonials. Get your online community started by sending out newsletters through the LoveAdmin system, where you can share insights into what you’re posting with links or attachments to the footage or testimonials – after all, your existing students are your biggest sales asset.
Then build engagement by responding to comments, hosting Q&A’s and running contests to build a sense of community.
Remember, if you’re sharing photos or videos of your students make sure you have consent from parents or guardians. You can automatically request photography consent when students register for a lesson via LoveAdmin.
Top tip: Want to get social media doing more for your school? Discover 4 proven ways to get more bookings from Instagram.
Tips for retaining and engaging students
Just as crucial as attracting new students is the art of keeping them captivated, engaged, and eager for more. In a world brimming with alternatives, your performing arts school must consistently showcase its unique value and foster a close-knit community that makes students feel right at home.
Here are some of our favourite tips.
Communication is key
Effective communication is needed to create a sense of community at your performing arts school. Regular updates about students’ progress, upcoming opportunities, and stage productions can be a great way to boost engagement. Plus, by seeing what is coming up it helps to keep the excitement and anticipation – helping to keep students sticking around. Share behind-the-scenes moments, celebrations of achievements and student spotlights to help them stay connected.
Top tip: Our performing arts software allows you to quickly send SMS announcements when roles have been given in the latest production or why not email monthly newsletters highlighting the latest achievements of students.
Diversify your offering
Diversity adds zest to life, and presenting a wide array of lessons and events can enrich your performing arts school and engage your students. Special holiday camps, events, workshops, 1-2-1 sessions, and even merchandise can effectively cater to your students’ developmental needs and help them stay connected. Our software helps to simplify the process of expanding your services. With a fully branded online shop, you can effortlessly setup and promote (via SMS and email) all these and so much more.
Top tip: Our software helps you to quickly send individual or group messages to promote your holiday camps, events and workshops, making it easy to put your communications centre stage.
Celebrate your students
Shine a spotlight on your students’ accomplishments with our built-in award schemes and development programs. Through our automated system, effortless share their triumphs with parents and guardians, creating a supportive network that fuels their love of the arts. By celebrating your students, you’ll make them feel proud to be a part of the community.
Top tip: Consider upsell opportunities to help fund your school. When students reach a certain milestone or achieve a specific level you could automatically invite them to buy level or show specific merchandise within your LoveAdmin online shop. This not only celebrates their progress but also deepens their engagement with your school.
Learn how Imagine That Performing Arts has transformed their payment and communication management for over 200 students with our performing arts management software. Read their story here.
