Many people decide to set up tutoring businesses. If you have a talent, such as a foreign language or special skill you want to teach, experience as a teacher, or you just want to earn a little money teaching something you are passionate about, tutoring is a great option. You can do the job from your own home as long as you have a good broadband connection, and you are happy using a conferencing platform. It is flexible work, and it pays well too. No wonder it is becoming increasingly popular.
The popularity of tutoring has its downsides though. With more tutors competing for the same number of students, the industry is getting squeezed. It is no longer as easy as it used to be to find enough students to keep you busy and it is the tutors who know how to run a business as well as teach who are the most successful. If you need to review your business strategy, here are nine ways to market a tutoring business.
Resume
Create an impact with your resume. This is one of the first places a potential student will look so you have to make sure it is great. Highlight your relevant experience in the subject you want to teach, what grades you achieved yourself, how long you have been tutoring, and the grades that some of your previous students have achieved.
Don’t forget to list your practical experience as well as your qualifications. For example, if you want to teach modern languages and spent a year living in Europe you need to highlight this. Even if it was 20 years ago, it is still relevant and will attract students.
Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing offers a fantastic way to connect with potential clients. Everyone uses it these days and seeing an advert appear on Facebook can bring in a lot of business. It doesn’t have to cost you big bucks either as you can utilize student or teaching groups or groups that are local to your area. Once you have decided on a target market, the sky is your limit and some of this group advertising can be done for free.
Networking
Networking with local schools and teachers is a fantastic way to market a tutoring business. It is in the best interest of the school to make sure their students pass so if you can offer a little extra help that is going to make the school look good too. Networking can be done online or through local business events.
Ask for your company information to be listed on the school e-mail or newsletter so that parents can see what you are offering too. This should win you lots of new business, especially around exam time.
Build a Business Website
With so many people looking for tutors on the internet, it is imperative that you create an excellent website. To encourage browsers to become your new students, create a website with scheduling capability and make it mobile responsive. This way a potential student can book a class with you from anywhere. Keeping it simple is a great way to attract new business and prevent students from browsing elsewhere.
Transparent Pricing
Some people dislike talking about money and shy away from listing their pricing structure on their website. However, potential clients like to know what they are getting upfront so that there are no nasty surprises when the bill comes.
To encourage their interest a transparent pricing structure is important. Potential students know what they are getting and will trust your honesty. This will win you a lot more business than being shy about your charges will.
USP
All great companies need a USP and yours should be no exception. What is it that makes you stand out from all the other tutors and why should students want to learn from you rather than your competitors? You should not put your opposition down, rather make yourself look better than everyone else. For example, did you study the subject yourself under someone who is considered an expert in the subject? Have you had any books or papers published, or do you believe that you have a lot more experience than is standard? Any of these can be used to create a USP and help with your marketing strategy.
Blogging
Creating a tutoring blog is a terrific way to market your business as it means that people looking to connect with a tutor are more likely to come across you. This will then help to establish you as an authority on the subject and you can show off your expertise in the subject.
Blogging regularly will help you to boost your SEO. This means that your blog will rank higher in search engine listings and potential clients are more likely to click on your page. This can win you a lot of new students.
Provide Resources
Providing resources on your website or blog is a fantastic way to get your name and face known in the industry and attract new students to you. You do not have to do all your work for free but providing links to your demonstration videos or one of your podcasts will increase traffic to your site and provide students with valuable resources. You will win new students off the back of these. Don’t worry if you are unsure of how to create podcasts yet. Melonapp.com has high quality podcasting tools that you can use for your podcasts and you will become a pro in no time.
Reviews
Many consumers want to read reviews before they will engage with the provider so ask for some of these. If your students have had a positive experience, then ask them to post this on a review site or even on your own website. That way, potential students can see how other people have found working with you and what kind of difference it made to their grades.
The above are nine great tools you can use to market a tutoring business. Before you know it, you will be fully booked.