Whether you are starting a tutoring business or wondering how to market yourself as a tutor, creating an Instagram should definitely be on part of your tutoring business plan.
By now, you’ve seen the power of Instagram. From customer complaints to a product going viral, the platform offers many features for small businesses. But because it’s been around for a while, there’s loads of information available to you on how brands can use it. In this instagram tutorial for tutors, we break down why you should have an Instagram for your Tutoring business, how to properly set up and optimize your profile, and how to successfully use Instagram to market your tutoring services.
Why you should have an Instagram for your Tutoring Business
According to Instagram's own study, 81% of it's users stated that Instagram helps them research products and services. That includes YOUR potential customers. You don't want to miss out on a whole set of customers just because you're not active on Instagram. Having a profile on Instagram has many benefits. Here are just a few:
- The Ability to Find You. Oftentimes, users search Instagram to explore services they're looking for. They might search for you specifically by your tutoring company name, or by hashtags relating to tutoring in your location. Not coming up in a search for tutors in the area or even your own company name can be a big mistake. You don’t want a search to come up empty – or, even worse, lead them to ma competitor.
- Grow Your Email List. With quality content and effective lead magnets, having an active Instagram account can help you grow your email list.
- Online Brand Management. Your Instagram profile gives you the opportunity to tell your story and gain trust from prospective customers. When they see what you have to offer, people engaging with your content, glowing testimonials, etc., they may feel more comfortable hiring you.
- The Ability to Advertise. In order to advertise on Instagram (that has a MASSIVE network of prospective clients), you must have an Instagram profile.
- Networking. Networking may look different over the last few years, but it is still important. You can like, comment and send messages to other like-minded businesses or individuals and form a relationship with them. This may open up opportunities for your tutoring company, such as partnerships or collaborative programs. Getting your name out there and earning people's trust is never a bad thing.
Let's get started. We'll show you how to setup an Instagram, and how you should use it to grow your tutoring business.
How to Create an Instagram Account
- Download the Instagram app from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play Store (Android).
- Once the app is installed, tap the Instagram app to open it.
- Tap Sign Up With Email or Phone Number (Android) or Create New Account (iPhone), then enter your email address or phone number and tap Next. You can also tap Log in with Facebook to sign up with your Facebook account.
- If you register with your email or phone number, create a username and password, fill out your profile info and then tap Next. If you register with Facebook, you'll be prompted to log into your Facebook account if you're currently logged out.
⭐ TIP FOR CREATING A USERNAME FOR YOUR TUTORING INSTAGRAM: If the name of your business is available, great! If it isn't, try something creative that makes it clear what you offer, such as SacramentoTutors or WeHelpWithMath. You want it to be simple and easy to find.
How to Create a Professional Business Account for your Tutoring Business
As we've covered, having an Instagram page specifically for your tutoring services is a good idea. It is important, however, that you make sure it is setup as a Professional Account. So, if you already created an Instagram, but need to switch it over to a professional one, here's how you do that:
- In settings ⚙, find Account 👤 and tap Switch to Professional Account.
- Pick a category that best describes your business, then select Business.
- Tap Next.
- Add Contact details and tap Next. Or tap Don’t use my contact info to skip this step. You can always change this later.
- If you'd like, you can follow the steps to connect your business account to a Facebook Page associated with your business. This will allow you to publish posts to both your Instagram Page and your Facebook Page in one step which is prettty convenient, it also allows you to run ads across both platforms. This step is optional, and will make it easier to use all of the features available for businesses on Facebook and Instagram.
- Tap X on the top right corner to get back to your profile.
- Now complete your profile using the tips below.
How to Setup an Instagram Profile for Your Tutoring Business
We created a sample tutoring business Instagram account for "Be Smart Tutoring Company". Here are the steps we took to setup the profile.
- Click Edit Profile
- Upload Profile Photo - This can be an image of you or your logo. Have fun with it but it should definitely convey what you do!
- Name - Put your company name. Or, if your username is your company name, you can get a little creative here such as "The best Tutors in Atlanta"
- Website - Put in your webpage or link to your lead magnet.
- Bio - Your chance to share what you do! Include a call to action such as "call us today for a free assessment"
- Public Business Information - This is where you can connect your Facebook page to your Instagram account. I would suggest doing so because it allows you to post on both pages at once and to run ads across both platforms.
- Contact Options - fill in with whichever contact information you have available. If you're using SmartTutor's lead generation system, you can use your generated phone number, chat widget or contact forms so that any leads go right into your lead generation funnel.
- Action Buttons - If you use one of the affiliated softwares listed, you can connect it. However, we suggest leaving this alone at first and simply having prospective tutoring clients contact you directly.
Tips to Optimize Your Tutoring Company Instagram Profile
Your bio and profile picture, along with contact information now look great! Here are some of the Instagram features you can use next to optimize your tutoring Instagram profile.
- Create Posts - To create a post, click the + in th box att the top right corner and select post. Publish a few right away so that your profile isn't empty. Some ideas include Testimonials, Your Workspace/Tutoring center, a photo of you or team member, even jokes or trivia related to your subjects. Share facts that are fun, eye catching and positive.
- Create Stories - Stories are images or videos that are available for 24 hours. Followers will see them in their stories feed Its a great quick way to get in front of your audience with an update, a fun fact about tutoring or a testimonial you want to share.
- Add Highlights - When you save a story as a highlight, it is available indefinitely rather than disappearing after a day. You can create categories for your highlights such as testimonials, who we are, our process, etc. Every time you post testimonial as a story, for example, it will save to the "testimonials" highlight. Then when anyone visits your page, they can click "testimonials" and see all that you have posted. Such a great tool to gain trust and show off your success to prospective tutoring clients.
- Follow People - Use the search feature (click the magnifying glass at the bottom) to find people to follow. Here are some good ones to start with: Current Clients, Friends and Family, Other Local Businesses you support and would like to support you. Hopefully, some follow back and might even tag you!
Your Profile Looks Great, Now What?
Hopefully you now see the value in having an Instagram for your tutoring business and have set one up. Here are some additional tips to help you manage it effectively and in a way that will attract prospective clients!
How Often To Post
1 to 3 times per day is ideal so that you can stay in your followers' news feeds and so that your profile is up to date with current news! When followers or potential clients visit your Instagram and see that you're actively posting, there are no doubts that you are in business and ready to help them! If you're not used to publishing content regularly, this task can seem daunting. But posting on Instagram can be done in just a couple of minutes! Snap a picture or quick video, write a few words and hit post!
What to Post
The sky is really the limit with what you can post, but here are just a few ideas:
- Testimonials/Success Stories - whether a quick recorded video of your client or parent, or an image of a review they sent you. Another great post is a simple screen shot of a thank-you or success story a client sent you!
- Your Workspace - showcase your work space. If you tutor in person, this could be your tutoring center or if you do online, snap a selfie of your workspace (as long as it's aesthetic and positive!)
- Study Tips - Share tips for learning your particular subjects!
- Giveaways - Learn how to use giveaways to generate leads for your tutoring business here
- Showcase Your Team - Share a picture or video introducing you or your tutors and why you/they love working with students!
- Interactive Posts- You want people engaging (liking..commenting) with your content. Try posts that encourage a response back such as a riddle or joke they have to guess the answer to. Or maybe it's a questions such as "Parents: What is your biggest hurdle when it comes to helping your child with homework?"
OR, Grab 6-months of Done-For-You Social Media posts that will help you engage and sell your audience through story telling with as little as 1 minute of work a day. Get 6 Month of ready to post social media content, here!
No matter what you post, you want to always finish with a call-to-action. For example, if you share a study tip, finish with something like "This is just one of many useful techniques when it comes to mastering multiplication! At Be Smart Tutoring, we teach our students the simplest ways to learn math fast! Let us help your child master multiplication, call us at 555-555-5555 to schedule a complimentary assessment."
Use Hashtags
A hashtag is a combination of letters, numbers, and/or emoji preceded by the # symbol (e.g., #TutorLife). They are used to categorize content and make it more discoverable. Hashtags are clickable. Many Instagram users browse content via hashtags, like a search tool. For example, a mom may type in #AtlantaTutor to discover tutors in her area and browse content they have posted. Some ideas of hashtags to include in your posts: #YourCity #YourCitySmallBusiness #OnlineTutor #YourCityTutor
Interact
Take a few minutes daily or as much as possible and interact with your followers, local businesses and potential customers. This includes commenting, liking and messaging. For example, say you follow your local office of education and they post an after school program they are starting. You might comment something like "Wow! This looks like a great program. We are always in support of student's personal development!" A parent may see that comment and be inspired to visit your page and see what you have to offer. Remember, it is social NETWORKING. Build those relationships and share valuable content.
Where to Create Images and Graphics
We really like to use Canva for creating graphics and content. They have a ton of great templates and ideas for posts. It's easy to use and has both computer and phone app options. The 6 Months of Done For You Social Content for Tutors includes completely customizable graphics. You can upload your logo and add it to the images or change up the colors to better match your own brand.
How to Turn Instagram Profile Visitors Into Paying Clients
So you've put in the work to have a good-looking, informative and active Instagram profile. If you're doing all of the above, you'll likely be gaining some traffic to your Instagram. But, how do you convert Instagram profile visitors into PAYING tutoring clients. The answer is a proven, lead generation and nurturing system. Traditionally, this meant hoping the lead visit's your website or calls you, nurturing that lead manually with phone calls, texts and emails and then ultimately scheduling a session with them. Now, there is SmartTutor.
SmartTutor follows up for you. Once a lead comes in via a specially generated link on your Instagram profile, SmartTutor gets to work. It uses pre-built features like email and text follow-up sequences designed specifically to help you book more students. You can try SmartTutor for FREE for 14 days and see how it works FOR you to nurture leads and book students.
Here are Additional Blog Posts You May Be Interested In To Help You Grow Your Tutoring Business
7 Creative Ways To Get More Students For Your Tutoring Business
Learn The Strategy I Use To Get 10-30 High-Paying Tutoring Customers
5 Reasons Why Hundreds of Tutors are Using SmartTutor to Grow Their Business
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