Actionable steps to take to get tutoring clients for your business (with expert advice)
Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash
As of 2020, the global online tutoring services market was worth USD 5.61 billion and is predicted to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.6 percent between 2021 and 2028. Online tutoring can be rewarding, but it's tricky finding customers, particularly as a beginning online tutor.
Workee professionals have compiled all the necessary information in this post to help you with this challenging endeavor if you're wondering how to get tutoring clients. In addition, we've gathered expert advice to help you through this process.
With these tips/advice, we guarantee that you'll successfully navigate this niche on your own to get and retain clients for your tutoring business.
Take baby steps
In most cases, starting modest is always 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 how to advertise your tutoring business.
These approaches are risk-free, low-cost, and enable you to understand what works and doesn't without spending much money.
Establish a strong online presence
One of the major challenges tutors confront is validating their business.
Normally, you'd have a walk-in office where clients can visit and check out your brochures, portfolios, testimonials, etc. Thanks to technological improvements, you can now have a virtual workplace as good as or better than a physical office. And, let's be honest, having a strong online presence is a must in today's business environment! It's very important to have a platform where prospective customers can learn about your company and contact you for further information.
How do you establish an online presence?
1. 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 tutoring services and how to advertise tutoring is much simpler, more efficient, and time-saving for you and potential customers.
Nowadays, you don't need coding knowledge or a large budget to create a suitable website. There are currently website builders available that make your job much easier.
Workee is an all-in-one solution for tutors that allows you to establish a solid online presence for little or no cost. You can create a website with credentials, testimonials, and a detailed explanation of your services. Aside from website creation, this platform provides several additional features for professionals.
The platform includes powerful integrations that streamline receiving payments, invoicing, meetings, and tax payments.
Workee ensures you manage work-related tasks in one location with a few clicks.
Expert Advice from Joanne Kaminski
Joanne Kaminski is a former teacher and founder of the Online Tutor Coach, where she helps other tutors who are great at tutoring but struggle with attracting students. Here's what she has to say:
“Google my business is one of the key ways to get more clients. To get this set up, you need to establish a website. Do not create a website using google websites. There is very little control you have using this tool, and you do not have the ability to create a blog. Instead, use a website service like Wix. Blogs and videos on YouTube are another great way to have people from all over the world learn more about you and hire you.
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 student.
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 what is 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.”
Joanne Kaminski is a former teacher, and Reading Specialist turned online reading tutor. She has created courses and videos exploring powerful tools for effective tutoring and marketing. She is the author of How to Start an Online Tutoring Business Making 4-5 Figures a Month.
2. Social media networking
If you're searching for where to advertise tutoring services, social media can be a useful tool for discovering and engaging tutoring clients.
There are many social media platforms, each with its audience and content. Do your research to determine which will be most beneficial for your area, and then you can construct a compelling profile to pique prospective clients' interests.
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 are 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 make enquires.
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.
Spread the word about your business
Your next step should be to contact prospective customers. This can be done in the following ways:
1. 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 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.
2. Go local
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, e.t.c 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!
3. 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.
Convert more prospects into paying clients
Once you start getting leads, it is time to convert them! As we mentioned earlier, you can do this by building their trust in you or providing them with 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.
Collect as much feedback as possible
Reviews and feedback help your business flourish. Once you start getting tutoring clients, start asking 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, who currently 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 your 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.
Some practical thing that tutors can do to get more clients is to build a referral program with their current students. This is a really 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 that you have the most expertise with and where you can get the best results.”
Tim is an online teacher and has worked with several online ESL companies over the years. You can find more about Tim on his YouTube channel or his website.
More advice from an expert
We decided to ask another expert about the most common mistakes online tutors make when it comes to onboarding new clients and scaling the online tutoring business.
Lisa Tran, the founder of Tutorboss, said:
After starting my own tutoring business and then going on to coach other tutors to begin their own businesses, I've noticed 3 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 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 be charging what's correct to account for your time outside tutoring (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 they can build a stable foundation in their business.”
If you're interested in discovering more, we recommend you sign up for the free masterclass designed for tutors by Lisa - ‘The 4-Step Framework to a 6-Figure Tutoring Career’.
Conclusion
To ensure that you offer tutoring services effectively while also saving time to give a tailored tutoring experience to all of your customers, it is critical that you automate your manual procedures and reduce administrative work. This allows you to manage your time well.
Online scheduling apps make it easier to take bookings for your lessons. It will also streamline the work process, enabling you to focus on your lessons.
Workee is an all-in-one solution that may assist you in doing this and provide some very useful features that can help you schedule, get paid, and run your company smoothly.
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