Publicity

I am off to hang posters today advertising fall classes. This is the third round of poster hanging I've done for the studio: the first was for the open house, and was wildly successful, the second was for sumemr camps, and now the beginning of the school year. I have to admit I'm a little burned out on poster hanging.

One of the issues is that Greene County's business are all spread out, so it takes a lot of driving and in/out of the car to accomplish the task, where in another area I could park and walk in a few locations. Another is that it takes a big chunk of time that I would rather spend choreographing or putting the finishing touches on the studio or being at the farm. Also, if I take my kids they get over being in the car pretty quick, but if I don't take them then I miss out on hanging out with them.

From talking to other studio owners, they feel like visibilty and word-of-mouth are the number one things that build a student base. Most say posters and flyers are the way to go. And everyone says that newspaper advertising isn't worth the cost (which is pretty pricey) for the number of students who respond. But I would like another method besides hanging posters myself to get the word out.

As a consumer, what attracts you to a small business? Are there any advertising techniques that you've seen that have absolutely sucked you in? Do you think it's a matter of one really great method, or just constant visibility (like branding)? Tell me your thoughts!