If you’re like many piano teachers, your personal Facebook page and your studio Facebook page are two very separate entities; studio news never shows up on your personal page, and personal news never shows up on your studio page.
But today I’m here to encourage you to blur the lines a little, and here’s why…
Number 1: Yes I Am A Real Person!
Take the time to share personal stories about you and your family on your studio page. Your clients want to know you as something more than a service provider; and when they know you on a deeper level, you build trust and gain their respect. When you have more respect and trust, studio families will stay with you longer and refer you to their friends more frequently.
Just be careful not to get carried away with what you share and how you share it! The best rule to follow is to make sure that all personal stories you share somehow connect to some piece of studio news or event that you are sharing.
Here’s an example of a “personal” Facebook post to your business page:
Just finished hanging the last decoration (a treble clef… of course!) on our Christmas Tree. You’ll get to see my decorating prowess on full display at next Friday’s Christmas Recital! 🙂
Number 2: Friends, Meet My Professional Life
The easiest way to grow your piano studio is to lean on your personal relationships. Instead of separating your professional life from your personal Facebook friends, let them in on what you do.
You don’t have to advertise or sell to them; instead, share a blog post every so often that talks about something exciting that is happening at your studio, or write an article that highlights the benefits of music education.
And then, when your friends comment, like, or share your Facebook post, their personal network will also get to know your studio.
My Facebook Promise To You
I promise… your friends will not be offended by a piano-related post on your personal Facebook page. It will probably be a very refreshing change from posts about what people had for dinner, the cute thing a three year old said… or a grumpy cat.
Similarly, your studio families will not be offended by a business post with a personal touch. If anything, they will like you even more than they already do!
Kathy G says
Oh heck, there’s that familiar reminder to create a studio Facebook page. Now where were those instructions on how to do that? I am in cyber-overwhelm right now, trying to put together the Facebook page, the YouTube channel and the website before school starts, along with all the usual beginning-of-the-school-year organizing and scheduling. Aieeee
Cheri says
I was just thinking the other day about creating a studio Facebook page, and also a website. Is there a way to have a website without having to pay a fee?
Colleen Branson says
Cheri, try joining one of the Facebook teacher groups’s. I started with The Art of Piano Pedagogy and I got so many helpful ideas from reading/following different threads on there.
Cheri says
Thanks Colleen! My Facebook account has actually been deactivated since Jan. 1 of this year, but I’m considering getting back on as a way to connect with students and their families. Thanks for letting me know about the teacher groups on FB. I’ll definitely check it out. 🙂
Kori says
Cheri, there are a lot of good free web hosting sites! I personally use Blogger to host my site, but bought my own domain name and customized the look with a template I found online. If that’s not your thing =), you can also check out Weebly.com, Wix.com, or Music Teacher’s Helper, which has a lot of services and includes a studio website feature. Hope this helps!
Cheri says
Thanks Kori! I’ll check out these sites. 🙂
Leon Whitesell says
great ideas!
Virginia Grissom says
Would you recommend a separate Face Book account for the studio or
a business page on my personal account?
Andrea says
Hi Virginia – I use a business page on my personal account – that way all my notifications come to one place (yet they are still separate and people can’t hop from one to the next if you don’t want them to).
Kathy Butterfield says
My Facebook page is soooo freakishly fun! Kids love it.. Parents love it…. I love it! Has been the best way for people to see who I am and what I do and how we roll at keys for kids! Check me out!
Benita says
Andrea! Your blog write ups are ALWAYS what I need right when I need them. I have added Music For Young Children to my studio this fall and am working like crazy to advertise. I have read so many of your “advertising” write ups and they have been encouraging and confirmed many things I have been doing. I have really opened by making my own webpage, fb page, etc. It’s been SOOO much work but I hope it will pay off. I have also really been trying to ask my studio families to spread the word. I hope they aren’t tired of all the emails I send out encouraging them to spread the word. Connecting my personal page with my studio fb is a new idea. I am a private person and have always wanted to keep my studio page and my personal page separate. So this is a new idea. But I see where you are coming from. The only “cross over” I have done is when I am posting a status on my studio page letting ppl know about MYC and that there is still spaces available in class, is the only time when I post that share that status on my personal page from my studio page. It’s a whole new business world for me. It’s tiring to always be on top of getting yourself out there but I’ve been enjoying the experience and all I have been learning.
Benita says
One question! I have been trying to get my music families to “like” my facebook page but no one does. I have invited all my friends on fb to like my studio page and many have, but how do I yet again encourage students and families to like my page? It’s through them and them sharing the page with their friends that I may get more feedback and new inquires then through my own friends. I also have a little pop-up in my website that directs ppl to my fb page and to “like” it. Nothing.