Word of mouth can and should be a significant source of new students for your tutoring business. Great service will organically produce buzz about your company. But this doesn’t mean you should sit by idly, hoping and waiting for this to happen.
Here are 5 actionable ways to create word of mouth for your tutoring business.
1. Give out branded schwag
Everyone loves free stuff. And if it’s cool or useful enough, people will gladly carry it around with them, even if it’s brandished with your logo.
Don’t neglect business cards either. I’ve had students put my business card in their school binders without even thinking about it, unknowingly promoting my business to all of their classmates.
Check out the ePromos column on The Tutor Report for an abundance of promotional product ideas.
2. Capture testimonials
Not every happy customer has a megaphone. Lend them yours.
Set up your website to not only display testimonials but also capture them. Create a simple form on your website to allow parents to gloat about how much their son or daughter has improved.
Consider using Yelp or your Facebook page to store testimonials as well.
3. Give them results their friends will envy
We’re all competitive, especially about our kids. If you heard that your neighbor’s kid had a tutor that helped them increase their SAT score by 200 points, you’d want to make sure your kid got the same advantage.
Focus on producing measurable results that others can instantly relate to. Administering diagnostic tests at the beginning of every tutoring relationship is essential for creating a before and after comparison. Oases Online data management for tutoring companies has built in features to measure before and after results and display these gains for reporting and marketing purposes.
4. Give generous referral discounts
Incentivize word of mouth by offering your customers discounts for referring friends. A generous referral policy can encourage parents to actively share your business information with everyone they know. This kind of “advertising” is worth the cost of the discount many times over. Oases Online has built in functions for capturing referrals and tracking any free tutoring or gifts given to say Thank You!
5. Treat your tutors right
Don’t forget about your tutors; they know people, too. If you compensate them fairly and make them feel valued, they will speak highly of you and your company.
Also consider offering incentives to tutors for bringing in new students, or for bringing in other tutors if you are recruiting.
Get to it
These are just some of many measures you can take right now to start creating word of mouth for your tutoring business. So what are you waiting for?
About the Author: Jared Rand, founder of The Knowledge Roundtable, is passionate about the advancement of knowledge. He has a B.S. in astronomy and physics, has experience writing interactive math problems and solutions, and is now a professional tutor and entrepreneur. His company connects tutors with students through an online marketplace, and runs SAT prep classes and education-related workshops in NH.
If you are interested in seeing how Oases Online manages tutoring and the marketing items mentioned above then please request a demonstration or just book yourself in using the link below.
