Social media is a vital part of your marketing if you run an activity for children. That’s why we’ve put together this essential guide to social media especially for class providers.
Someone who has heard about your classes is more than likely to head to your social media platforms to find out more. They will check out your socials to get a feel for what happens in your classes, how welcoming and inviting they look, what you are like as a class leader and to ultimately decide whether to book or not. Here’s how to make your social channels sing so you will be seen by parents who want to book your classes.
Which platforms should I use?
Really you want to be where your customers are. If there are busy Facebook groups with lots of parents in your area, then Facebook’s where you want to be. If you know lots of local mums and dads are on Instagram or Tik Tok, that’s the place for you too. Of course there’s also Twitter, Pinterest and Snapchat – to name just a few more!
It’s better to focus on one or two platforms and do them well than to spread yourself too thin and not have enough time to give lots of platforms much time and attention. So pick one or two and focus on those.
Nail the basics on your social media platforms
Make sure you have a nice clear and inviting profile picture and cover image on your social media pages. You might use your logo and/or photos of yourself or your class in action. Include a link to your website and an email address on Facebook and in the ‘About’ section let everyone know about your classes and how fab they are. Use some key words that people will search for in your ‘About’ section on Facebook and in your bio on Instagram. For example ‘Art classes for toddlers in YOUR AREA’. And, of course, make it very clear how people can book your classes too.
An easy way to create stunning posts
Now your profiles are all up to scratch it’s time to start thinking about your posts. Unless you’re a whizz with Photoshop our top tip is to use Canva. There’s a free option, which is fab. Canva is an easy way to add your logo to photos and to create every kind of post for socials in the right size and in your brand colours. This includes stories and reels too. Canva is pretty user friendly and easy to figure out. But if you get stuck there are loads of tutorials you can watch too.
Social media for class providers – How often do I need to post?
Often people think they have to post on social media every day. You really don’t have to. The main thing is to be consistent. Post regularly and make sure there’s always a new update. You can save time by creating a batch of posts at once and then schedule them in advance. Facebook has a free scheduling tool and Instagram are rolling one this function too – so it should be coming your way soon. There are several other scheduling tools (many of which you have to pay to use). But you can totally do it for free too. Do a bit of research and figure out what’s best for you. Scheduling a bunch of posts in advance saves you so much time. Which you can spend on all the other things you have to do to run your small business.
What sort of things should I post?
The biggie! It’s hard thinking up lots of ideas for your social media posts. Here are a few ideas for the sort of posts you can create on social media as a class provider:
- Photos/videos/reels of your class in action
- Photos/videos/reels of setting up your class all ready for the fun to begin
- A video of your venue/s with captions or commentary letting people know where they can enter, space to park buggies, where the toilets and baby change facilities are and any other key info – e.g. a cafe in the venue to buy snacks and drinks
- A post about why children will enjoy and learn key skills from your class
- A post about why adults will also enjoy your class
- A post about your theme for the week
- A post urging people to book as there’s only a few more spaces in your class
- A sneak peek behind the scenes (e.g. washing props, packing equipment, opening a delivery of new stickers)
- A post about a special class or event you’ve got coming up
- A post with a lovely comment from a review of someone who loved your class
- A competition to win a prize such as a free class or some merchandise
- A photo of you! With lots of info all about you
- A funny quote about parenting
- A question to engage your audience – e.g. a ‘This or that?’ question asking what they prefer
- Photos of the best place/s to go to grab a cuppa after class (tagging in the cafe so you are supporting local small businesses)
Want more ideas? Here’s 16 more Social Media ideas for your classes
What to write to go along with your images
When it comes to social media for you as a class providers remember words are just as important as pictures. You want people to engage with your posts and, ultimately you want them to book a class. So think carefully about what you write to go with each post. If, for example, you have a gorgeous photo of a child enjoying an activity in your class, write about how lovely it is to bring smiles to little ones’ faces. But also include a line or two to encourage people to check out the classes for themselves. Let them know when and where your next class will be and how they can book to join in. Pop the booking link in your text so it’s nice and clear. On Instagram make sure you also have a clear booking link in your bio.
You can ask people to tag a new parent who might be interested in coming along too.
Social media for class providers – Building a following and engagement
It’s hard to build engagement on social media nowadays, especially if you only have a small following. We know how crushing it can be when you’ve spent ages creating a lovely post and then it is hardly seen by anyone and gets little one no likes, shares and comments. Don’t despair. Keep going and slowly things will pick up. Here are a few tips to help build your engagement:
- Keep posting regularly. This is one of the most important ways to build a following and engagement. Make sure you are posting attractive and engaging content consistently. Your posts will start showing up in newsfeeds and attract new followers to your page.
- Don’t post and ghost! Be social. That’s what social media is all about at it’s heart. Always reply to any comments on your own posts. Follow local small businesses, any pages that list or write about local activities, any popular pages that you know parents in your area follow and make sure you like and comment on their posts regularly.
- Don’t just post images. One way to make the algorithms work in your favour is to use all/a lot of the features on each platform. Create stories and reels, post short videos or go ‘live’ to let everyone know about a special event or competition. Shake things up to make your social media pages really pop.
- Look at the figures. You can look at your insights on social media platforms to work out what is doing well (and not so well). This can help you figure out the best things to post and the best times to post them so they reach more of your customers.
Come and say hello on our socials
Pop over and say hi on our socials. You can find us on Instagram here and here’s where we are on Facebook. We also have a really lovely and supportive Facebook Group for class providers that we’d love you to join too.
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