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S.T.E.P. Your Way To Social Media Success

Suzanne Gerety — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:20:56 +0000

Dance Advantage is very happy to announce Suzanne Blake Gerety’s new column Studio Bizwax! To wax lyrical means “to talk about in an enthusiastic and effusive way.” I can’t think of a better description for the way Suzanne fulfills her role in the dance community. Not only is she the Vice President of her her mom’s very successful dance studio but she is the co-founder of DanceStudioOwner.com, a wonderful site for those who are exploring, starting, or growing their dance studio business. I am an affiliate for DSO because I have witnessed first-hand the care Suzanne has taken to make the site a a truly useful support for studio owners. I’ve found her to be a wonderful resource and she’s been a great friend as well so I am thrilled that she’ll be sharing her knowledge with Dance Advantage readers bimonthly.

-Nichelle

You probably already know that social media is revolutionizing the way that businesses interact with their current and potential customers. I have the privilege of both running and consulting with hundreds of dance studios across the world. These dance studios are facing, in many ways, a major crossroads with the inherent transparency of social media.

Here’s how you can S.T.E.P. your way to social media success!

: Image by felipe_gabaldon via Flickr

S.hare
T.each
E.ngage
P.romote

#1. Share

Retweet other people’s posts, quote and link to great blog posts by others, share what you are reading, let people know information that could benefit from.

Be a connector.

Social media is about making connections. One of the things we do with our dance studio fan page is to post about local theatre productions and community events. Why? Because we know that the hours of dance lessons that our young dancers have has a potential impact on local theater. We want to spread goodwill to our sister arts organizations. See yourself as part of the thread woven between your arts community.

#2. Teach

Post favorite quotes, share your expertise, add value, be generous with your knowledge it does make a difference.

A crossroads for dance studios. Many dance studios today are still very protective, not only their class schedules, but tuition fees, competition schedules, studio policies and more. It’s the fear that the studio across town will take or steal information that would cause that studio to lose students. I completely understand the worry.

Here’s the reality. I also represent a demographic I like to call ‘busy mom’. I’m the target market for many dance studios, I have two young kids. First thing in the morning, I don’t read the local paper. But I do read the newsfeed on Facebook and I certainly check trending topics and updates on Twitter. Text messaging is the best way to reach me.

How will you serve this demographic by decreasing your presence, hiding a class schedule, or making registering for classes a challenge? Dance studios want more students; they want their current students to be loyal raving fans. Social media is a great way to achieve this if done well.

#3. Engage

Talk to people! Reply to them, help them, connect people, be social, have fun. Be yourself, let your personality shine through.

Take it one step at a time. Social media is not a race with a winner crowned at the end. You’re missing the point if your approach to social media for your business is all about getting more followers as fast as you can. Soon enough it will become commonplace for every business and brand to have some sort of social media outlet to connect with their clients, customers, and students. We all started with one fan or one follower.

Be just as appropriate behind social media that you would be in person. If you were invited to a party with real people at someone’s house you wouldn’t just barge in the front door, run up to everyone you see and start selling them something. Nor would you just haphazardly repeat yourself ten times. No way, you’d be ‘that person’ everyone would want to avoid. Don’t be that person in a virtual setting either! I personally know, do business with, employ, recommend, and have met many of the faces behind twitter ID’s and Facebook fan pages. Best thing to do – be YOU.

#4. Promote

After you take time to share, teach, and engage…then you can sprinkle in some ‘promote’. Ask yourself, ‘what’s in it for them’ before you hit send tweet or post it. Promoting on social media makes sense and is appropriate when incorporated into a balanced approach.

More Social Media Tips

Consistency is key to seeing results.

This can be a big stumbling block for people. Either the novelty wears off for social media, it starts to eat up too much time or they report ‘no impact’ on their bottom line. Your updates do not have to be complex. Just be consistent. Give a compliment, connect with someone, be generous. Here’s the catch, you may never be able to truly measure the impact of your social media presence in terms of dollars and students. But you can build your brand, make it easy for people to find you, and position yourself as an expert in your training and offering.

Be open to what is possible with social media

: Image by woodleywonderworks via Flickr

A little background. In early 2008, I started tweeting. Very few people at that time were using Twitter, so you can imagine how excited I was to finally meet a friend – that’s when Nichelle and I connected. Since February is the month in which we celebrate love, I wanted this first post to reflect the love I have for social media and the good that it can create. I certainly don’t have all the answers – by a long shot – but I have seen people come and go, have observed great techniques in using social media as a business tool and I’ve also cringed behind my computer seeing tactics that are big mistakes.

Leave a legacy

Google indexes much of what you post online. Be mindful of this. You’re representing your brand, your image, your legacy. Who do you want to be known for? What do you want your social media reputation to be? There are simple ways to separate your dance business social media presence from your personal life. I would encourage any dance studio owner and teacher to direct their social media relations with students and parents to a public fan page or twitter account that is strictly professional. It is a win-win for everyone.

Thank you for all that you do to keep dance education alive in the world!

If you’d like to see how our dance studio is using a Facebook Fan Page to connect with our current and potential students visit www.facebook.com/KathyBlakeDanceStudios

Connect with me on Twitter @SuzanneGerety or Facebook: www.facebook.com/DanceStudioOwner

Click here to download an example page and see the full product description

Coloring Pages Giveaway!

To celebrate Suzanne’s new column she’s offered to give away some of the Dance Coloring Pages CDs available at DanceStudioOwner.com!

26 printable coloring pages designed by dance teachers that you can print from the CD. They feature girls & boys, tap, ballet, recital and more. http://www.dancestudioowner.com/products/item9.cfm

Enter to win by placing a comment (name and email is a must!) on this post! Tell us why you love social media (or what is keeping you from trying it).

Suzanne is offering two CDs to give away here on the blog. Winners will be randomly selected from these entries and contacted by email. At this time I will ask for your mailing address so we can get the CD out to you. Any information provided will be used solely for the purposes of this contest. We do not sell or share and you will not be added to a mailing list.

The contest will close Friday at midnight EST. If you are contacted you will have 72 hours to respond or I will move on to the next name drawn. This Contest is Closed but your comments are still welcome on the article! Winners were selected using the random integer selector at RANDOM.ORG. Congrats to commenter #4 (Maria) and #2 (Vivette).

If you are a studio owner (or are going to be), I highly recommend Dance Studio Owner. It’s membership includes studio owners from 44 of the United States and countries all over the world including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, People’s Republic of China, and Norway.

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DanceStudioOwner.com Offers Real-Life Experience, Support, and a Personal Touch

Nichelle (admin) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:29:12 +0000

Dance studio owners have a unique job.

They wear many hats, requiring skills as an instructor, mentor, administrator, production manager, choreographer, entrepreneur, business manager, “boss” and more. I have never owned a studio but have taught at many throughout the years, and have observed this juggling act which owners perform every season. It can be a lonely job in that you are constantly between two worlds – the business and the artistic, the worker bee and the queen bee, the motivator and the disciplinarian.

Relationships with others who share these experiences can reduce the everyday stress of a being a studio owner. Not only can owners learn from one another, they can be a sounding board or a listening ear when these are most needed.

Photo by Bob Jagendorf

A Beacon for Dance Studio Owners

Throughout my journey in the online dance community, I’ve been fortunate to meet some wonderful and giving people. I have been freely offered support, encouragement, answers, and information from those who have a passion for dance and seek to share this passion with others. From my very first interaction with Suzanne Blake Gerety, I found her to be a sincere and generous person. This first impression has lasted as I’ve continued to chat with her through Twitter and emails. Therefore, I feel confident in sharing her website, DanceStudioOwner.com, with my readers. I truly feel that this website provides a unique service for those who are or are seeking to become studio owners.

While there are other places online in which dance studio owners can gather, Suzanne, her mom, Kathy, and other site contributors are offering something special with DanceStudioOwner. Its resources alone make the site valuable to any studio administrator. However, in addition to the information and networking opportunities available, this website is facilitated by actual studio owners who cherish the joys and challenges of running a studio after 35 years in the business.

Kathy Blake began her studio with a dream not unlike that of many studio owners. She has weathered ups and downs and currently operates a performing arts studio with over 1,000 students. Now, with the help of her daughter, Suzanne, she is supporting other studio owners with the goal of sharing her success with others. I have witnessed first-hand the generosity and sincerity with which this mother-daughter team make themselves available to the members of their site.

I recently spoke with Suzanne about DanceStudioOwner, its content, and what’s next for the site. Her words illustrate the spirit of collaboration that is behind the mission of this ever-expanding resource.

Your mother’s success as a dance studio owner inspired you to pass on her legacy, knowledge, and passion through DanceStudioOwner.com. If possible, sum up the keys to her success in just a few words.

Kathy and Suzanne

Dedication, Determination, and Enthusiasm. My mom’s success has been guided by those words during the times when situations have been challenging or when it seemed impossible to grow. She’s always been in love with the art of dance and she loves her business, it’s a beautiful combination and I believe it is what makes her a success and also just a great person to be with. My mom is a lot of fun and she loves to help people find their greatness.

Your website is an online community and resource for studio owners. Why do you think it is important for studio owners to interact with other studio owners, and how does technology facilitate this interaction?

I am a firm believer that studio owners can collaborate together to help encourage each other to build their unique brand – whether they are across town or on another continent – you can be in a conversation of abundance. Studio owners often stretch themselves very thin with the thousands of details it takes to run a studio, our website functions as a collaborative space for them to reduce their time spent on certain tasks, get answers from other owners who are dealing with many of the same challenges, and to get the coaching or support they need to stay focused on keeping their passion for dance alive as they run and grow their studio.

The site explores topics from classroom management to business management and includes a forum where members can post questions and share ideas. What have you seen as the primary concerns of today’s studio owners?

Today’s studio owners are concerned with keeping up with the latest technology available to them to help keep their studio running smoothly. They are also concerned about the economic situation we are in and what impact it may have on their school. Lastly, with the popularity of the many dance shows on TV, many worry that the foundations of proper dance technique are being forgotten because young dancers see these shows yet they don’t see the many years of training it takes to lead up to that level of dance. Studio owners are working to find the balance of offering the popular classes while staying dedicated to the art of dance to maintain a steady foundation of dancers at their schools – student retention.

You have an active group of members. Are these members from all over the U.S.?

Yes, the wonderful thing about being on the web is that our members already represent from over 24 states in the U.S. and also Australia and Scotland. (DA Notes: These figures continue to increase. As of Feb 2010, the site’s membership represents 44 out of the 50 United States. And over 15% of the active membership includes studio
owners from the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Greece, France, Kuait, French Guiana, Mexico, Hong Kong, Antigua & Barbados, Montserrat, South Africa, People’s Republic of China, and Norway)

Our members are our number one priority and what I know from the many conversations I’ve had no matter where they are located; studio owners face many of the same challenges. Having launched our site in the spring of 2008, we are thrilled at the positive response, and that studio owners know that our site is a resource for them no matter where they are located. The information is available to them 24/7/365.

The site offers articles, downloads, monthly teleconferencing, and more to its members. What’s next for the site? What other features can members look forward to?

We are so excited about the content we are working on for DanceStudioOwner.com. You’ll see more video clips and video coaching added. Plus, look for podcasts in the future! I am going to keep bringing the latest trends in social networking and technology to studio owners. I do believe that many of these trends are going to change the way that business has been run in the past. My number one goal is to always listen to what our members need and want – they’ve loved our custom coloring sheets and we will add more resources for teachers as well. Plus our network of contributors continues to grow: experts who can make a difference for how studio owners start and grow their business.

For more information about DanceStudioOwner.com, the subscription page lists member benefits. Or, try their free tip of the week mailing.

My Contribution

I have contributed two articles to the DanceStudioOwner technology department about, (what else), blogging. As always, I write what I know and am increasingly certain that a studio blog is a valuable tool for dance studios. In these posts I explain a little bit about why. Suzanne has kindly made these articles available to my readers via the following links:

Why Consider a Studio Blog?

Blogs Have the Potential to Boost Your Business

Update: My Relationship With DanceStudioOwner.com

Since the original posting of this article, I have received compensation from DanceStudioOwner.com as both a ghost writer of articles for the site and as a result of an affiliate relationship. If you are referred to Dance Studio Owner via a Dance Advantage link and decide to make a purchase there, I am compensated for this referral. I’m a huge fan of Suzanne, Kathy, and their website and would rave about them anyway. That they’ve been generous enough to offer something for my efforts is icing on the cake.

If you own a dance studio, are thinking about owning one, or if you are a teacher that operates your own dance program, I hope you’ll check out what the site has to offer. Learn more about subscribing here.

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