Launching A New Class?
Here at KalliKids we often get asked "what is the best way to launch a new class?"
Although we deal with a wide variety of different Children’s Activities and Services, the promotional methods to launch a class are all similar and can be applied to most activity or service. So what is the best way to promote a new class? Well when faced with this question, the first thing I suggest is to create a promotional plan.
To help you create a promotional plan, I have outline the key points to include below.
- Identify your class
- Choose a home for your information
- Select methods of promotion
- Create promotion materials
- Map out your plan
Identify Your Class
Before creating anything new, whether it’s a new class or the launch a new branch of your business, it’s important to identify what it is you want to create and whom you are creating it for, and writing all of this down in your plan.
To start, it’s useful to layout a summary of the most basic fundamentals of your class as shown below:
- A description of your new class
- Your timetable for the class
- Your class teachers
- Location of the class
- Cost of the class (both to you as a business and your students as customers)
With the summary outlined, you can now start identifying who your target market will be for your class:
- Age group
- Location of students
- Skill set
- Interests
Determining the essential elements of your class is key to creating a plan and is usually completed in the first instance of planning.
Choosing a home for your class information
The next stage is to plan where you want to host all of your information. It’s important to have a home for all of your class details somewhere people can go to find out more about your class, understand how to get in touch with you and give them the chance to do so in their own time.
This can be a dedicated page on your website. A page you can link all of your online promotional messages and images too. You can also use your KalliKids profile, your Facebook profile or a combination of them all!
Writing down a summary of where you want your main source of information located is important as all of your promotional messages will aim to drive traffic there.
Selecting your methods of promotion
The next part of the process is to identify what methods you have available to reach your target audience.
Each of the methods open to you qualify for an article in themselves, so I will just briefly highlight the main one’s below:
- Blog posts
- Advertisement flyers
- Event attendance
- Parenting groups
The list above gives you an idea of the types of promotion or the platforms of promotion open to you. And these are only a few, there are always new and creative ways to engage with your customers, the trick is to work out what works for you.
KalliKids can help you with each of these 9 methods listed above. Our service enables you to maximize your reach, increase you ROI, and open you up to a dedicated audience of KalliKids parent members, all looking for activities and services throughout the UK.
Creating promotional Materials
Once you have identified the methods of promotion you would like to use, you can now start to plan your promotional materials.
The idea behind your promotional materials is to create a range of different advertising posts that you can use within your chosen promotion method. Ideally they should be visually engaging, informative, and concise. You want to catch the viewer’s attention with the layout and get across your “call to action” as quick as possible.
Define how you will create your promotional materials and be specific about what tools you will use to create them.
To help you create professional marketing materials, I suggest you use a free online tool called Canva. Canva enables you to create some great, visually appealing marketing images in a variety of pre-designed sizes.
Mapping out your plan
Once you have your marketing materials plan ready, you are able to start mapping out your promotion. To do this go back to your original summary and confirm a date for your grand opening. I suggest giving yourself as much time as possible to allow for your pre launch promotion’s to take effect. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you only get one shot at a launch. With a date written down, you can begin to start populating your pre-launch calendar.
The idea behind your pre launch promotion is to get maximum awareness of your new class to existing as well as new customers, and get as many people as possible signed up before you begin. To ensure that you have done this I recommend scheduling your marking messages in on a calendar, so you have a visual representation of what you want to promote, and when you want to do so.
Now is also a good time to get in touch with the KalliKids team to arrange the logistics behind your schedule, and organize any social sharing opportunities. Take a look at what we can do for you on social media.
If you are using social media as a promotional platform, you can schedule in your posts either directly through your business page, or via a social media scheduling platform like Hootesuite. Scheduling in beforehand is a great way to make your promotion launch seamlessly without you having to be there to post every time.
With your launch plan mapped out on a calendar, you are now ready to begin executing your plan and generating excitement around your new class.
Good luck!
