branding Archives - Music Studio Startup

Guest Appearance on “Beyond the Music Lesson” Podcast

November 19, 2018

In October (right around the time my life got crazy prepping for the move!), I had the honor of being a guest on the Beyond the Music Lesson podcast. We talked about how having a cohesive studio brand isn’t just about having a logo and matching pencils. A really effective brand goes deep and impacts…

Episode 019 – Andrea “FluterScooter” Fisher on Starting a Woodwind Bag Company

October 17, 2018

branding, entrepreneurship, online marketing, product development

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music, or wherever you get podcasts! Summary A lot of entrepreneurial stories have meandering starts, often with setbacks and challenges that test a founder’s dedication and perseverance as much as the business idea itself. Today’s guest has one of those stories, but she stuck it out and made it to the other…

Episode 017 – Jolene Madewell on Building a Skype Flute Studio

October 3, 2018

blogging, branding, creativity, entrepreneurship, instagram, new students, online marketing, skype, summer lessons, virtual studio

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music, or wherever you get podcasts! Summary Lots of teachers transition in-person students to Skype students out of necessity when someone has to move, but today I’m talking to a flute teacher who has done the opposite. When Jolene’s local studio wasn’t gaining traction, she decided to focus on teaching virtually. She…

Episode 015 – Joel Pierson on Branding and Business Models for Music Book Publishing

September 19, 2018

branding, business model, crowdfunding, Kickstarter, marketing, music publisher, online marketing, publishing, self-publishing

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music, or wherever you get podcasts! Summary Dr. Joel Pierson, founder of Sadsap Music and creator of the “You Suck at Piano” series, gives us an honest, behind-the-scenes look at how he raised $85,000 in his first Kickstarter campaign. Joel tells us about the thought process behind setting a good Kickstarter budget,…

Writing a Better Welcome Message

August 27, 2018

branding, communication, customer service, goals, marketing, new students, student experience, student retention, studio management

Last week’s blog post spoke about the tremendous value that comes from communicating well with students and (especially) their families. Today’s blog is an example of how we can practice good communication at the beginning of a new term (or anytime a new student joins our studio), with a strategically-written welcome message! At first glance,…

Episode 006 – Wendy Racer on Designing a Studio for Profit

July 4, 2018

branding, studio decor, studio management, systems

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts! Summary Wendy Racer is an interior designer and the owner of Way Interiors. In this episode, she shares her five profit-boosting interior design tips for music teachers and studio owners! Takeaways 1. Keep the look of your website, business card, and studio…

Music Studio Branding Lessons from Magnolia Market

June 25, 2018

branding, customer service, marketing, student experience, student retention, systems

Full disclosure: I have never seen an episode of Fixer Upper and couldn’t tell you much about Chip and Joanna Gaines beyond their names. My sister, however, is a huge fan. When she heard I would be in Waco, TX last week to speak at the Texas Music Teachers Association Convention she insisted I go…

Episode 003 – Regina Ngo on Teacher Development and Accelerated Learning Programs

June 13, 2018

branding, marketing, multi-teacher studio, professional development

Apologies for the scratchy mic noises in this episode! (Still getting the hang of this podcasting thing. 🙂 ) Summary Regina Ngo is the owner of Regina’s Music Studio in South Pasadena, California. In our interview, Regina shares how she went from teaching at a music school to travel teaching to teaching from her home,…

Sizing Up the Competition

April 30, 2018

branding, competition, focus, marketing, niche

If you’re trying to start or grow your music studio in a crowded market, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the other teachers and music schools in your area (geographic or virtual). These are your competitors. In this post, I walk through how to do a competitive analysis AND how to use the insights you glean from it…

Studio Photos Checklist: Make Your Website Come Alive

February 19, 2018

branding, marketing, website

As a freelance web developer, I’ve set up a lot of websites for clients and the images and content always seem to be an afterthought. Eager to get started, the clients often want me to create the whole website and leave empty boxes for them to fill in later with their own studio photos. I…

Three Questions You MUST Answer Before Designing (or Redesigning) Your Studio Website

February 12, 2018

branding, focus, marketing, new students, website

There are two kinds of “bad” studio websites: the ones that are bad because of poor decisions (color scheme, typography, font size, etc.) and the ones that are bad because of indecision. The first is becoming less common since we have website builders and templates that take a lot of the guesswork out of the…

Using a Style Guide to Speed Up the Graphic Design Process

December 18, 2017

branding, graphic design, marketing, online marketing, systems

In the last blog post, I shared five SIMPLE ideas for marketing your studio to take advantage of the spike in students searching for lessons around the new year. Maybe you’ve already implemented some of the ideas (way to go, you!), or maybe you’re a perfectionist, like me, and you’re still trying to get that…