Every summer my tutoring center runs a robotics program and this year we did things a little differently.
For one, we weren't as prepared as usual because I wasn't sure if we wanted to run the program this year...
And two...Our programs are normally 4 weeks long but this time we ran it for 2 days only! (And we charged the same price as our 4 week program, highly recommended)
When my centers right hand man and myself decided we were going to be running this program we threw it together as quickly as we could and started marketing it 4 days before the start.
And we still had a good turn out. We had parents RSVP for 8 kids in total, out of those 8 kids 7 kids showed up and paid for the 2-day robotics camp.
So, how were we able to get this summer camp, up, running and profitable in only 4 days?
I will explain my marketing process and the importance of having an email and SMS marketing list. This all works regardless of what programs or tutoring you are selling. So let's dive into it....
Sending out my first SMS text
On Monday, I didn't have any marketing material ready but I wanted to get people excited about the program as soon as I could. Without anywhere to send people...I wanted to come up with a CTA (Call to action) that would still allow me to get people interested.
This is what I sent my SMS list using SmartTutor (I always preach about having a list and this is why!)
Simply asking someone to respond with more 'info' did the trick! You don't always have to be super fancy and have all these bells and whistles to make things work...Sometimes keeping it simple is the way to go!
Within 5-10 minutes I had two phone calls and a few text messages like this...
The program began to fill up.
Creating a Facebook event and RSVP sign-up form
After that initial text I went onto my Facebook page and created a Facebook event.
If you don't know how to create a Facebook event...It's really easy, a simple google search will help you with setting that up.
This was the description I used in the event...
After my event was set up I went on and created a form where parents could RSVP using the SmartTutor landing page builder...
It was a super simple one page website with a form that allowed them to save their spot.
This is what it looked like...
This page allowed for the more serious parents to save their child's spots and once the form was submitted I was able to open up conversation with them.
They would automatically be sent a text asking them what form of payment would work best for them as well as giving them the dates, times and address of the camp.
Creating the Facebook advertisement
The next step was to create a Facebook ad to get a little local buzz about the program.
People love fun activities that are also educational.
I wanted to keep things simple so I just ran a video ad where the only goal was to get event responses. (Get people interested in the event)
I had a video ad made years ago using simple 3 second clips of a previous robotics camp. This video cost me $100 to get made and it's well worth every penny! I always suggest investing in quality.
Here is what the ad looked like...
Very simple with a call to action.
I let this ad run until 12pm on the day of the event.
Below I will share with you the metrics of the Facebook ad, so you can see for yourself.
Email marketing
In conjunction with the SMS, the Facebook ad, the event and everything else going on....You cannot forget the fundamentals of marketing...Email marketing.
I sent out an email blast to my list of parents that I've been growing over the last few years...(Again, if you don't have an email marketing list you need one!)
I sent one email the day I sent the SMS and then I sent one more the day before the camp began.
Here is one of the exact emails I sent using the email marketing system within SmartTutor...
You want to market to people using every tool you have!
SMS (Texting: But do NOT abuse this).
Emails.
Paid advertising.
Etc...
The Day before the camp began: One last text!
The day before the robotics program I wanted to send out one more text to try and get a few more sign-ups using FOMO (fear of missing out).
I sent out this text below sending them to the event page that I created on Facebook.
Once this message was sent I received 1 more call and 2 more text messages bringing the program to a total of 8 spots saved for the robotics program, pretty cool huh?
Keeping track of everything
The last thing I'd like to touch on is how I kept track of everyone who signed up and called me.
1. Everyone who called me was tracked inside of the SmartTutor system.
2. I made a simple spread sheet using google sheets.
It's important to keep track of everything you do! This way you can make smart changes and be constantly improving the things you do.
Now go out there and get a jammed pack summer program for your tutoring business!!
If you'd like the capability to grow your tutoring business, claim a 14-day free trial of SmartTutor today. The system that has allowed me to grow my tutoring business from 0 to multiple 6-figures. What do you have to lose? Cancel within the 14-days and you won't be charged!
