Actionable steps to get tutoring clients for your business (with expert advice)
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Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash
If you want to get into the online tutoring market, now is the best time. The market was valued at USD 7.69 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14.9% by 2030.
But it's not easy for newcomers to get high-paying clients and find their way around this promising industry.
With years of hands-on experience and regular interactions with other tutors, the Workee team has gained valuable insights into how to attract and retain exceptional clients. The Workee team has distilled this knowledge into a comprehensive guide that will equip you with tips/advice to successfully navigate this niche to get and retain clients for your tutoring business.
1. Take baby steps
Starting modestly is usually the wiser option since there is no quick road to success. Consider this time to be a learning experience. This time should be spent experimenting with different marketing strategies and learning precisely what your customers want.
One mistake business owners make is resorting to paid advertising. This isn't ideal since it can be costly and not deliver the intended outcomes. More effective strategies are to attract your first tutoring clients without draining your account on paid ads. We recommend focusing on these strategies if you're seeking to advertise your tutor business.
These approaches are risk-free, low-cost, and enable you to understand what works and doesn't without spending much money.
2. Establish a strong online presence
One of the major challenges online tutors and teachers confront is validating their business. In the past, they would have a physical office where potential clients could visit and review brochures, portfolios, and testimonials. However, with technology advancements, a virtual office can be just as good, if not better. In today's business environment, having a strong online presence is crucial. It is essential to have a platform where prospective customers can learn about your company and reach out for additional information. How do you establish an online presence?
A business website is a must.
When someone wants to learn about a business, the first thing that comes to mind is, "Do they have a website?"
With a website, finding where to post and advertise tutoring services is much simpler, more efficient, and time-saving for you and potential customers.
Creating a website no longer requires coding skills or a big budget. Website builders are available with affordable pricing plans that simplify the process and make it more accessible.
A good example is Workee. Workee is an all-in-one solution that provides tutors and teachers with the necessary features to quickly create a strong online presence. The platform offers a website builder with professional templates to enhance your brand, custom SEO to boost organic traffic and a smart dashboard for work management.
Workee also includes a booking system to share availability and schedule classes, an AI-powered assistant for generating lesson plans and notes, a finance management hub for creating and sending invoices, handling payments, and managing taxes, and integration with favorite work tools.
Expert Advice from Joanne Kaminski
Joanne Kaminski, a former teacher, author, and founder of the Online Tutor Coach, a platform that helps tutors who are great at tutoring but struggle with attracting students, says that:
“Google My Business " is a key way to get more clients. To get this set up, you need to establish a website. Do not create a website using Google Websites. You have very little control using this tool, and you cannot create a blog. Instead, use website builders.
Developing a personal brand can help with creating a successful business. However, adding value to the people you wish to serve is more important than creating a brand. So many tutors focus on creating a business name and logo. As independent tutors, we have the amazing opportunity to stand out from big companies. When tutors try to replicate big companies and put on their website About Us instead of About Joanne or About Me, they look bigger than they are and do not connect with their ideal students.
The main mistake tutors make when developing their business is looking at their marketing from a ''me'' perspective vs. their ideal client's problems. They say things like, "Looking for a math tutor, I can help." Instead, they need to look at the main problem of the student they want to work with. For example, "Does math feel like a foreign language? Maybe you think you are not math-minded. I help kids like you who feel they're not math-minded understand the language of math so you can graduate, get into your dream school, and have a career you love.”
Take your tutoring business to the next level with Workee!
Kick off a blog or launch a YouTube channel
According to Joanne, blogs and videos on YouTube are another great way to have people worldwide learn more about you and hire you.
Putting in the time and effort to share your knowledge through video content is a powerful strategy for spotlighting your tutoring skills and attracting clients. Whether you're penning down thoughts on a blog, starting a YouTube series, or even dabbling in short video platforms like TikTok, you're opening doors to resonate with potential clients.
Not only does this amplify your presence, but it also paints you as a tutor who goes the extra mile. After all, folks are always looking for passionate professionals who are truly invested in their craft.
Leverage social media
Social media is a great tool to advertise your services and discover tutoring clients.
Each social media platform has its audience and content. Research the best fit, then create a profile to attract clients.
Your social media pages should contain all the information:
Current and relevant content- Look for keywords that prospective customers use to find people offering tutoring services, then utilize those terms to generate content. It should benefit the user and include everything needed to turn a visitor into a possible customer. Remember that consistency is key.
Interesting content- These days, visuals get more love than text content, so try incorporating appealing visuals, infographics, and animations. Also, using memes or funny content that is entertaining and relatable.
Website URL: Include a link to your website to provide your tutoring clients with ample information about your business.
Include a call/email click: This encourages prospective clients to inquire.
Include a book now button: We've all heard about the power of a call to action. The Book Now button is a strong call to action that may assist in generating a feeling of urgency.
Offers and discounts: Everybody loves a good offer. You may offer specials or discounts for your services.
Use hashtags: To increase your company's reach, use relevant and popular hashtags.
Be responsive: Interacting with others might be an excellent method to encourage more individuals to use your tutoring services. Make a point of responding to any comments or messages you get on these networks.
4. Spread the word about your business
Your next step should be to network with colleagues and prospective customers. This can be done in the following ways:
Through personal contacts
If you're looking for how to advertise yourself as a tutor, a nice place to start is through your personal connections. You may ask colleagues, friends, family, and even current clients to help promote your knowledge (happy clients are more likely to refer you to others). Trust is built by word of mouth.
It will not only assist you in establishing an initial tutoring customer base, but it will also assist you in expanding your clientele with little work from your current consumers.
Try local marketing
Local marketing is always good practice. Create and print business cards, flyers, and pamphlets for your brand.
Distribute them to individuals and post them everywhere: businesses, restaurants, nearby schools, etc., to maximize your reach. This allows you to reach a larger section of the local audience.
Don't forget to add booking links to enhance conversion rates!
Join online forums
Locate online communities and groups where your target audience is active to uncover leads and convert them into customers. Be attentive to the conversations that take place in the community.
Find out what your prospective customers' challenges are. Use this chance to interact with them, answer their questions, and provide value to their lives by solving their issues. This is an excellent method for establishing trust and trustworthiness.
Workee recently launched a Facebook Workee Community and Workee Space where you can interact and collaborate with other tutors, get expert advice, find potential customers, sell your services, and attract new clients.
5. Convert more prospects into paying clients
Once you start getting leads, it is time to convert them! As we mentioned, you can do this by building their trust in you or providing irresistible offers.
You can offer a free consultation.
Offer a free trial of your services with a demo class.
Provide enticing deals and discounts your audience can't resist.
6. Collect as much feedback as possible
Reviews and feedback help your business flourish. Once you get tutoring clients, ask them to provide feedback on your services.
Client evaluations assist you in acquiring honest feedback from your clients and majorly affect future clients' purchasing choices. Most people rely on real-time online feedback to make decisions.
Expert Advice from Tim Gascoigne
Tim Gascoigne, an online tutor and founder of onlineteacherdude, a platform that helps teachers build their own online teaching business through courses and coaching, says:
“Building a stable flow of tutoring clients takes time and is more of a journey than a sprint. Building knowledge, like, and trust with potential students is important regardless of your business or offer. There are many strategies for getting tutoring clients. But the most effective one is giving away a lot of free content and value to your ideal students to build relationships and authority in your teaching or tutoring niche.
When someone is looking to take online classes with a teacher, they like to get to know the teacher online and get a feel for the type of teacher you are and how you can best help them in their learning journey.
Some might call this building a personal brand, and while this takes time, it is something that all tutors should be working on in their business. Social media is a fantastic way to find your ideal students and create free content to help them learn, as well as help them learn about you as a teacher or tutor.
One practical thing tutors can do to get more clients is build a referral program with their current students. This is a great way to grow your tutoring business. You can offer a free class or a discounted package to students who refer other students to your business.
Many tutors and online teachers make the mistake of focusing on the classes and selling first before providing value and building a relationship with their students. Additionally, a lot of tutors feel the need to teach everyone that comes along and, while this might seem like a good idea, in the long run, it is better to focus on teaching those whom you have the most expertise with and where you can get the best results.”
More advice from an expert
We asked another expert about the most common mistakes online tutors make when onboarding new clients and scaling the online tutoring business.
Lisa Tran, the founder of Tutorboss, says:
''After starting my own tutoring business and then going on to coach other tutors to begin their businesses, I've noticed two common mistakes tutors often make when trying to scale (these are also mistakes I've made while growing my business to generate over 1 million dollars in revenue).
First, tutors don't often charge their worth. They get stuck in feeling guilty about asking for price increases. Still, it's important to remember that to scale a business. You need to charge what's correct to account for your time outside teaching (preparation, buying resources, etc.
Second, many tutors think that getting more students is the answer to building their businesses, but what they need to be thinking of, too, is the student retention rate. Just because students come in the door doesn't mean they stay. The best tutors are the ones who can attract and retain students for the long-term so that they can build a stable foundation in their business.”
Conclusion
By following the steps outlined earlier, leveraging expert advice, and utilizing the proper tools like Workee, you'll draw in your target clientele.
With Workee, you can easily create a professional website with SEO to boost your credibility instantly, schedule and book calls with your students, receive payments, connect with professionals, and promote your tutoring business all in one place. Workee serves as that personal assistant you need to attract and retain clients.
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