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Giving Thanks Giveaway: Real Deal Dance Marketing

Nichelle (admin) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 18:00:34 +0000

This giveaway is now closed.

We’re back!

Today’s second giveaway is brought to you by Real Deal Dance Marketing.

This one should make the ears of studio owner’s perk up a little because Chad Michael Lawson, the guy behind Real Deal, offers direct response internet marketing for dance studios (and other dance business).

A’wha now?

Okay. Most people, 70% according to a recent survey, go to the Internet first to find, and find out about, businesses in their area.. If you’ve ever felt your studio might benefit from having more students, it’s important to recognize that though some will be referred by friends or relatives, a good portion of your paying customers are going to find out about you first online… if they can find you that is.

Since you’re here, I know that you use the Internet and can probably see that it’s a very crowded and noisy place. Becoming “visible” online is rarely as easy as it seems – trust me, it takes quite a bit of work. Gradually things started clicking here at Dance Advantage but it’s taken me a lot of time, trial, and error to teach myself what I didn’t even know I’d need to know (you know?). The self-teaching never really ends since there are always new things to learn. You didn’t know this online stuff could be so much like dance, did you?

Chad is the guy that’s staying on top of things so you don’t have to. He consults with dance studio owners who want to grow their business via online means but don’t know where to start, what is worth their energy, and don’t have the time, patience, or know-how to make it all click.

I met Chad in person at the Dance Teacher Summit this summer, and I’d say he’s a bit of a Renaissance man – lots of ideas, interests, and good-natured too. You can read a bit about him at his website but, in short, he’s a web development guy who is also an avid Lindy Hop and Swing dancer and competitor. He first stepped into online marketing for dance studios when he helped out a friend and studio owner who admitted to Chad he’d had trouble getting people in the door. Chad’s efforts got results and he found helping other studios was a great way to combine his passions.

So now that you kind of have a picture of what Chad does,

Here’s what you could win:

Chad wants to give ONE Dance Advantage reader access to Get Your Dance Studio Found in GoogleMaps/GooglePlaces (valued at $147).

This is a tested formula for getting your studio to show up in the map when a potential student (or parent) types in something like ‘dance studio [your town]‘. In other words, a top ranked GooglePlaces – GoogleMaps listing. And, it’s easy enough that even a technophobe can follow along and see results.

Chad says, “There isn’t anything like it out there right now and even the stuff that’s out there now for other markets, say.. plumbers, isn’t a formula. It’s just recommendations that may or may not work.” Chad is so sure it works, he guarantees it with your money back if it doesn’t.

I’m not a local business so I won’t claim that I’ve tested this formula. I have taken a peek at the program, and agree that Chad has laid out the process of getting to that top listing simply and straightforwardly; great for anyone that doesn’t have the time or knowledge to be messing around with this.

Chad has not yet released Get Your Dance Studio Found in GooglePlaces to the general public. The winner will be first to get their hands on this formula. And being first is the edge you need.

The cool thing is, you can get a taste of winner pie even if you don’t win. Chad wants to give Dance Advantage readers first dibs, releasing the formula to you a week before he releases it to everyone else. And he wants to knock $47 off the price, too!

Just email chad@realdealdancemarketing.com with the subject line “GooglePlaces Secret Discount.” Don’t worry – no e-mail list funny stuff. Chad is even now sharpening and perfecting this guide and wants to be able to shoot you an email with the special discount link the moment it is ready for it’s close-up.

Be one of the few studios who will know exactly which steps they need to take to get a top listing in GooglePlaces.

How to enter:

Leave a comment at this post, answering the question: What would it mean for your studio if you were listed at position A when someone typed in ‘dance studio’ for your town into Google?

This giveaway is open to readers worldwide and lasts until Saturday, November 13.

Best of luck! I hope you win.

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Taking Your Website into Your Own Hands — Danceregister Web Services

Nichelle (admin) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:00:02 +0000

Last week I posted an interview with Anthony LoCascio of Danceregister.com. We talked about the social network/community he has created there. However, Danceregister is a multi-faceted service, also providing tools and assistance for the creation of dance studio websites and blogs.

In short, Danceregister Web Services (also known as Dancerhost) does the website set-up, studios are then provided with a finished product which includes a “back-end” redesign, templates designed for the look or feel of a dance studio, up to three months of instruction on how to work with the WordPress software, and site hosting.

Did that seem like it was written in another language to you?

Breaking it down

If you already have a dance studio website, you probably have a registered domain name and your site’s files (it’s guts) are “hosted” somewhere. Since not many dance teachers have their own web server at home, you are probably paying an outside service for hosting your files (this may or may not be the company with which you register your domain). An individual or a company may handle all the set-up, design, updates, and maintenance of your site. If so, you may need to go directly to that person/entity whenever changes are to be made.

Dancerhost takes care of the set-up and hosting of your new website. However, they will then teach you (or studio personnel, or volunteers in charge of updating) how to handle administration tasks yourself.

Cutting Out the Middle-Man

Photo by Stefanos Kofopoulos

What many people don’t realize is that the administration or “back-end” aspect of websites has become more and more user-friendly. WordPress, a software for creating and administering blogs, has become popular for use in all kinds of websites (not just blogs). Some reasons for this…

Technical knowledge of computer coding is not needed to update the site.

Running a website on blogging software does not mean that the site has to look like a blog. Dancerhost.com is an example of this. This demonstration studio site, does not truly feature a blog (though the capability to do so is there.

The “template” or skin of a blog can be changed without changing the “back-end.” Much like changing clothes, the same body is beneath this new look. (WordPress was and is beneath Dance Advantage’s previous look and its current look)

Domains and hosting are still requisite expenses. WordPress software (which Dancerhost uses for all its clients) is free to download and use. Though there are other blogging platforms out there, WordPress is currently very popular for its user-friendliness, online community support, and adaptability.

Myself as an Example

Other than some basic HTML knowledge obtained in one college course, I do not have super technical computer knowledge (though I’ve learned a lot since beginning this blog). I do have a level of intuition when it comes to computers. Whether or not it is more than the average dance teacher, I couldn’t say.

Through online investigation, I have learned how to utilize WordPress to create this website. It takes time and energy to start as I did, with little knowledge of how the “back-end” of things work. I spoke with Anthony about this and more when I interviewed him.

Here is what he had to say about Danceregister Web Services…

Dance Advantage: I’ve done all of this behind-the-scenes stuff myself but I recognize that this path is not for everyone.

Anthony LoCascio: Exactly, anyone can set up these services themselves. However, the “back-end” or admin section of a site can easily confuse a user who lacks various computer skills and a certain understanding of the Internet. Dancerhost will set-up and host your site and we even teach you how to use all your new, fun, simple Internet goodies so that you can produce instant website updates and, best of all, gain independence from your “web guy.” We offer three months of instruction, which will soon include video tutorials, but the learning curve is small and has never taken more than a few weeks.

DA: How much does all of this cost?

AL: The typical price, if you use one of our templates, is a $250.00 charge for set-up and simple design corrections. There is no charge for the continued use of the WordPress package and the Google package we provide. There is the yearly hosting fee which is included the first year and is $24.95 each year after. If you own your domain name you must continue payment with that company, however we can easily provide you with a “.dancerhost.com” domain name free of charge.

DA: For those that may not know about WordPress, describe why this is a powerful tool for studio websites.

AL: Part of the idea of Danceregister is to expose the “mom and pop” dance industry to free software and open source software that large corporations are using to save hundreds of thousands of dollars. Maybe I can’t save a studio hundreds of thousands but I can help them save thousands. By using WordPress and a collection of Google apps, we provide a web site and online integrable office. This makes you more mobile, efficient and even environmentally active. It increases communication and makes your office work much more pliable.

Danceregister wants studio owners to see the power they have at their disposal when provided with just a small bit of guidance. The ultimate goal here is to expose people to what the Internet has become and not what they remember. Because of what WordPress and Google can each accomplish, not only individually but when used in tandem, the scope of what users may go on to investigate is limitless.

What Do I Think?

Obviously, I’m not a Dancerhost client. In talking with Anthony, however, I can tell you that he is passionate and wants to share his knowledge with other dance instructors. In our conversation, he mentions the quote “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.“

I appreciate that Anthony points out that WordPress, Google Aps, and other tools and templates he offers are free to use for those that know how. The service he is providing helps you to make use of these free and open source products, likely saving you some of the time it would take to teach yourself and reducing your dependence on others for the maintenance of your site. You may prefer to hire someone who will handle all aspects of your site (I have no experience with this – maybe others of you have thoughts on that process). Conversely, you may choose to utilize the above and/or other free tools without assistance. Danceregister Web Services is an alternative that lies somewhere between the two and it is offered by dance teachers for dance teachers. Investigate for yourself and decide if Dancerhost is right for you and your studio website!

Want to know more?

Contact Anthony

Follow Anthony on Twitter

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2009. | Permalink | Category: Blog, Dance Media, Dancethropology, Studio Admin, Teaching | Who's talking about this article?

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