An engaging online presence for your studio or school necessarily includes regular posts complete with visual content. And while you’re at it, we think it’s in your best interest to create your own. Okay, we get it: You’re not a marketer or a computer person, no less a professional photographer or a graphic designer. We get that. And you don’t have to be. Really. Hang on and check out these easy-to-implement ideas, and you’ll be creating rockin’ visual content in no time!
1. Learn how to take a decent photo on your smart phone.
2. Be sure to have parents of your students sign a standard photo release form before posting any face shots online or using them for other marketing materials.
3. Download an app that allows you to edit your photos on your phone and add text to them. Some popular ones are reviewed here, and a few even offer free versions (check out PicMonkey and Canva). Some apps even offer formats that allow you to easily crop photos to the standard sizes needed for use as Facebook banners and posts as well as for other social media outlets such as Twitter and Instagram.
On a side note, we highly recommend adding an Instagram account if you’re up for adding one more social media outlet — after Facebook, of course — for your studio or school. Considering the fact that compared to 33% of those in the 30-49 age bracket utilize that social media outlet, a whopping 59% of the 18-29 crowd is on Instagram, it definitely seems like the up-and-coming social media option favored by many younger parents. Check out the numbers for Pinterest and other platforms, and we’re pretty sure you’ll agree with our recommendation.
4. Incorporate various types of text into your infographics — ranging from practical studio-specific details to broader inspiration that relates to your area of expertise. Information might be geared toward parents — registration and class schedules, for instance — or share-worthy invitations to performances and other events open to the public. Alternatively, you could include inspirational quotes or relevant statistics.
Depending on your personality, you might also want to consider creating some snarky memes with an app like this one.
5. Promote engagement by leading with a question related to the image. For instance, you could ask, “What was your most challenging day at the gym (or pool or studio), and why?” or make a suggestion like “Share if you can relate.” You could also further encourage interaction by dangling a carrot out there, as a reward for those who interact most, but we’ll discuss ideas for Facebook contests in another post.
When you incorporate questions or other engagement-encouraging text into the visual content itself, you’ll be more than 3 times as likely to receive the response you desire. One set of directions you’ll definitely want to consider making into an infographic are the simple steps needed in order to complete registration and online payment with the user-friendly Jackrabbitclass web-based tools.
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