Creative Communication
For those of you who have read my columns over the years, you know that I feel very strongly that it is the responsibility of the studio to get the “word out” to all studio parents. It is part of the job description of a studio director to keep the parents informed.
Your Part, Their Part
It is our job as directors to get the facts out there and it is the job of the parents to read it. When one side or the other drops the ball…the project fails. I have always held up my end of the deal, but after 40 years I am still searching for an absolute answer on how to get all the parents to read the information we give them.
While many parents are astute about reading the information, there are still too many that do not even glance at any communiqué they receive. While standing in front of you complaining about something they missed, you tell them it was sent, given or provided for them, and they tell you outright, “Oh I don’t read anything I get from the studio.” What do you do?
Timing Isn’t Everything
We give out a printed studio calendar for the entire year to each person when they register for classes, so that they know months ahead of time when events will occur. There are some who still question and complain. Others get arrogant when you remind them that you provided all the information for them at the beginning of the session to transfer to their own family calendar, pocket reminder or blackberry. I have heard every explanation in the book as to why they don’t have time and most are empty excuses.
Methods of Communication: What Works Best
Let’s look at a short list of ways to communicate:
Printed Handouts only work when they are given directly to parents, as the students lose them or leave them in the bathroom.
Phone Calls are too labor intensive and the “right time” to call is always an issue. Vocal messages are most often misconstrued or misunderstood. Voice mails are often not retrieved.
Mailed Letters are expensive with the constant rising postal costs and if not expected or easily recognized can possibly get trashed with junk mail.
E-mails have become quite common and are a great way to communicate with many at one time and at one sitting. You can send regular e-mails, or try one of the numerous inexpensive e-mail marketing services that allow you to create, send and track e-mail newsletters. (Check out www.icontact.com or www.constantcontact.com or just do a quick search.)
Websites are a great way to post current events and announcements and are easy for people to check at their leisure to get updated. Be sure you have staff that will keep the site current. We still have to educate parents to check the studio site. Most will not do it on their own unless they are searching for specific information.
Last but not least: Believe it or not, Face to Face Conversation is still a way to communicate! But, many parents do not come into the studio on a weekly basis so it is hard to snag them to speak.
There are many options, and all are valid. If you impart some of the information verbally, that is great, but you will still want to have a printed, e-mail or online version of a newsletter to bring the message home. Here are some tips on how to pull readers in.
Creating Interest
Just as male dancers use their strength to pull their partners to them during a routine, you too need to find your strength in how to get your audience to read your publication.
Personalize the Ploy
I think the best way to entice anyone is with a personal touch or special recognition. Are you familiar with the “hidden object puzzle”? Take that concept and find ways to create a game, puzzle or even an article that has students’ names in the middle of the text, totally out of context. Ask the parents to search for their child’s name. Make it fun and keep it light.
Give a Reward
Award a prize for the first three or four parents who bring in the column or page with their child’s name highlighted. The prize can be as simple as an inexpensive t-shirt imprinted with “I Am the Secret Student of the Month at Unlimited Dance.” The students love the shirt and it gives the studio some extra walking PR at the same time.
Play the Numbers
You can incorporate the same concept using numbers instead of names. If each student has his or her own account number, create a numerical puzzle with some individual account numbers spread throughout. Everyone loves a challenge…children and adults alike.
Have a Contest
There are zillions of ways to have a contest. Base yours around dance or the arts. One of the easiest is a coloring or art contest. You can have a new contest each month to recognize a holiday or special occurrence such as National Dance Week, National Tap Day, the circus or a production coming to town. Post the art at the studio and announce the winners in the newsletter. Hopefully parents will look to see if their child’s name is there.
Eye Candy
Take some candid photos of classes each week and insert them into the newsletter. Not only will this appeal to parents, they just might send it on to all their friends and family. Perhaps it will spark some additional interest in the studio and increase enrollment.
Creative Changes
Move things around with each edition. Do not keep things in the same place and let the readers get complacent. Make your readers search for certain things that interest them and—with a bit of luck—they will stop to read the other material on their way.
Final Thoughts
Creating a newsletter and composing the articles and content is really not a difficult task. You do not have to be an accomplished writer to get the message out there. The real challenge with this endeavor lies in getting the parents to read your message and appreciate its worth. I have tried many ways to provide mass communication within the studio. As time and technology have progressed, so have I. Change is not my enemy; I welcome it as long as it brings positive results.
Questions and Answers
Here are my questions…and I’d like you to provide the answers.
1. What is your preferred way to communicate en mass?
2. Have you found the secret to get parents to read the information you send?
3. If so, will you share it with us?
Until next time…Thanks for chatting. Contact me at daniebeck@dance.com.