marketing Archives - Music Studio Startup

Episode 020 – Cindy Hsu on Concert Production and Developing an Audience

October 24, 2018

advertising, concert production, entrepreneurship, marketing, online marketing, social media

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music, or wherever you get podcasts! Summary Cindy Hsu is from a slightly different category of entrepreneur than my usual guests, but she has such a great sense of hustle and so many insights to share on building an audience. I know I picked up some gems to apply to my business…

Episode 018 – Molly Marshall on Instagram Marketing for Local Music Studios

October 10, 2018

advertising, digital marketing, Facebook ads, instagram, local business, marketing, online marketing, paid ads, social media

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music, or wherever you get podcasts! Summary Last week we heard from Jolene Madewell, who used Instagram and other social media to build her online flute studio, so I thought talking to a full-time digital marketer would be a great follow-up. Today I’m talking to Molly Marshall about how local businesses like…

Quick and Easy Halloween Studio Promo

October 8, 2018

advertising, Halloween, holiday, marketing

Halloween is just around the corner. For some (present company included) this means dressing up and enjoying a bonfire in the driveway with neighbors while passing out candy. For others it means turning off the porch light and going to bed early. And for the most disciplined among us, it means teaching the night away,…

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,…

Episode 013 – Ashley Danyew on Creating and Marketing Online Courses

September 5, 2018

church music, entrepreneurship, increasing income, marketing, online courses, online marketing, Podia, technology

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music, or wherever you get podcasts! Summary Ashley’s own journey as a church musician led her to start a blog and create resources for others who have found themselves in similar roles. Last year she began to monetize her blog by creating and launching two online courses. In our conversation, Ashley shares…

Using a Sales Funnel for Music Studio Diagnostics

September 3, 2018

advertising, marketing, online marketing, promotion, studio management, systems, time management

If you’re not sure why you’re not getting new students, the sales funnel might be just the diagnostic tool you need. It can show us a lot, including how we can improve our processes to get more students. What is a Sales Funnel? The sales funnel is the path people follow to become customers. At…

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 011 – Aaron Garner of Piano Marvel on Starting a Software Company When You’re Not a Developer

August 22, 2018

entrepreneurship, goals, marketing, music majors, networking, productivity, systems, technology

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music, or wherever you get podcasts! Summary Aaron Garner is a piano teacher and champion for innovation in music education. Like other teachers I’ve interviewed, Aaron’s business idea came from an inefficiency he noticed in his piano studio. The solution he came up with led him to raise $600k in…

Episode 009 – Sean Murphy on Managing an In-School Studio of 100+ Students

July 25, 2018

in-school lessons, increasing income, marketing, organization, saxophone teacher, studio management, summer, systems, time management

Summary Sean Murphy is a saxophone teacher who managed to teach 112 students on a weekly basis by teaching in schools, during the school hours. In our interview, Sean shares his scheduling strategies, communication tips, and how he keeps his income up in leaner summer months. Takeaways Starting out Sean’s personal network led him to…

Episode 007 – Tara O’Brien on Manufacturing and Marketing a New Teaching Tool

July 11, 2018

Kickstarter, manufacturing, marketing, Note Match

Summary Today you’re going to hear from a piano teacher who noticed a problem and decided to do something about it. Tara O’Brien tells us the story of how developed a tool called Note Match to help her students learn to read music faster. Tara’s first Note Match prototype was hand-drawn on a piece of…

Episode 005 – Emilee-Mae Feely

June 27, 2018

Facebook groups, marketing, multi-teacher studio, online marketing, startup, travel teaching

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts! Summary Emilee-Mae is an entrepreneur and piano teacher. We could have talked for hours about all of the music-related businesses she runs, but we limited our discussion to her travel piano school, Plume Piano. She’s only been running the business for a…

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…