How to Promote your Coaching Center for a Little to nothing
How on earth do you stand out of a crowd that’s part of an industry that pumps out $35 billion?
With a sudden spurt of competitive examinations to enroll for the various fields, students have helped build an industry that didn’t seem to be a necessity a few decades ago. As the competition to excel in such examinations rises at an exponential scale, coaching institutes are embedding themselves into a student’s life as a daily routine.
Let’s talk numbers!
Kota has definitely grabbed a serious amount of attention, just over the past two years. With an annual turnover of Rs.1500 crore, the All India Ranks (AIR) have been declaring this coaching hub as the place to prepare for examinations like the IIT-JEE, the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) and other medical exams. The number of students who gave the NEET-UG for the year 2019 had increased by 14.4% from the numbers that had applied for the exam last year. And this was just for the NEET-UG. Setting up a business that caters to the field of education in India requires a little more thought, followed by a lot more action.
So, where do you start of?
- Using the power of Social Media. As an upcoming coaching institute, it is important that you utilize the most popular resources on the internet. Social media allows you to connect to a multitude of prospective clients, so putting up an advertisement about the same would greatly benefit you. Creating Facebook and Twitter pages are starters. YouTube invites as many as 1.9 billion people who watch videos on their platform on an average worldwide every month. Hosting your coaching institute’s advertisement on a website that brings in the highest amount of traffic, is one of the smartest ways to get your coaching institute out in the open. Staying connected by posting regular updates about the institute on such platforms would definitely reap financial rewards.
- The Wonders of the Internet. This is definitely an extension of the above point, but they are not the same. Social media marketing is a component of internet marketing. You could turn the biggest virtual resource to be your biggest asset, by putting up your coaching center on google maps and setting up your advertisements for a little to no cost on Google using Google Adwords in a few easy steps. Advertising on websites with a large outreach can be great for your brand exposure, and it gives you the chance to convert prospects into customers. You can also list your coaching centre on websites like OLX and Quikr, as these are online marketplaces that provide you with a guaranteed, free visibility.
- Amazing content, at zero cost. Even if your coaching center is just at the beginning of its journey, free is the word that best sells in the market. Whether it’s blog posts, consultation calls or detailed guides, the quality of free content that you offer to your prospective clients will determine how much they’re willing to pay for the same. Conducting free seminars would also help promote your cause, which could be followed by free giveaways. This would also be a good time to distribute pamphlets along with the giveaways you’re distributing, as this would create a mark in the minds of your potential customers, giving you the upper hand.
“But setting up a business and letting the neighborhood know about your coaching centre requires some physical effort too...”
Why go old school?
With an increased number of banners posted every corner you go, everything starts to blend in, and you go temporarily blind. You should research where you would want to put your banner up, ensuring that there is a high turnaround in the area that you put it up in. Experiences of the student’s currently studying at your centre could be great phrases to use on such banners.
How do you deal with pamphlet distribution?
It’s easy! Put the target audience in mind when designing your pamphlet, and ensure that the there is some research done on the demographic of your campaign. The only downfall: you don’t leave the venue until you’ve cleared the area of your fallen leaflets.
Brownies anyone?
Alright, so here’s a list of free brownie points I’ve compiled to help you gain the most out of this experience. These are tried and tested, so no worries. You’re in the clear here.
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Differentiate yourself from the rest as much as you can. Something that could be helpful for you is the Strategy Chart.
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Tripwires can be used with regards to converting prospects into customers. What is a tripwire? Go by the naming: it’s a super-low, risk-free offer that helps “trip” a visitor to fall into the category of a customer.
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Once you’re in the clear, it’s okay to charge more. Yes, you read right. Raising them will not only aid you in growing your business, but will attract more clients to work with you.
At the end, the best method of advertising is how your teaching methods have reflected on your students education. The results of a student are what speaks more than the advertisements you print, as these won’t just be talked about extensively in the parent community, but will also reach the ears of the local press.
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