Social media is an important part of the music industry, and many performers utilize it. Just as social media can advertise for you as a performer, it can also boost visibility for your teaching studio. All of the following social platforms are free, so think of it as free advertising! You can use these outlets to advertise as well as involve students and parents. However, if you would like to share pictures or videos of students, be sure to have written permission from the students and parents first. Finally, keep your private and your business social medias separate to stay professional. Below are the platforms with ways you can use social media to advertise and enhance your business.
Facebook is the largest social media outlet, so why not use it? It’s free to open a business page, and you can pay to advertise on Facebook if you choose. If you are interested in how to best put your advertising dollars to use, be sure to create the audience you hope to reach on the advertising page. If you would like to teach elementary aged students, try targeting their parents: 30- to 40-year-old adults. If you’re looking for high school students, target slightly older adults as well as 14- to 18-year-olds. Be sure to look into Facebook Business as well if you're looking for something more elaborate.
Facebook is also a great place to share videos of yourself or students performing. Share pictures of students in lessons, pictures of your studio, or anything else you think might interest your potential audience. You can also create events, such as recitals or other studio performances. Though Facebook now skews to a more adult crowd, parents and older students enjoy the online interaction to feel a part of a music community.
Instagram is an impactful site for promoting businesses. Since Instagram is a primary outlet for teenagers and young adults, you may have success connecting with younger students through this platform. Share pictures and videos of performances and use plenty of music-related hashtags.
One fun way to use this source is to try posting fun music theory games on your account. Post a video of you singing an interval and have students comment with their guesses. Post a picture of a chord and see who can correctly name it first. You can engage directly with your followers in Instagram stories with polls and Q&A's. Instagram is supposed to be a fun and easy way to connect people of common interests, so celebrate it by promoting your studio in an enjoyable way.
Yelp
Yelp may not be the first site you think of for social media, but it is a valuable resource that connects the community. You can create a business on Yelp for free, and you can also purchase ads. When setting up your account include pictures and information that lead to your website. Ask current or former students to review your business on Yelp. You can even choose to offer an incentive for posting a Yelp review. Yelp is one of the first places people turn to when looking for a music teacher when they don’t know where else to look. The more stellar reviews you have, the higher your business will appear on the search results list.
YouTube
YouTube can be a musician’s best friend. Create a YouTube account for your business and start sharing videos. One of the best ways to promote your teaching is to share videos of your students or yourself performing. Some teachers take it to the next step and post tutorial videos. You could create a basic warm-up video for different voice types, a video discussing how the vocal mechanism functions, or even a video on performing tips. The possibilities are endless. YouTube is another source that the younger generation loves, so target them!
Twitter is still used by many as a way to get a quick blurb out there. Use Twitter in a similar way you use Instagram: have fun with it. You can post pictures or type up a musical question to post. Students and parents can interact with you by replying to your posts or even retweeting them. If you ever want to link to videos on your YouTube account, articles, or any other outlet that has a long URL, try a URL shortener like bit.ly or goo.gl.
Each of the above social media outlets have places for you to link to your teaching website, so be sure to list it. Your teaching website should provide more detailed information including what types of lessons you teach, your teaching philosophy, and other pertinent information. Other social media outlets you can use include Google Maps, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Snapchat. Social media is not only a great advertising source, but it’s a way to bring together your musical community. By creating a fun and interactive learning environment, everybody wins!