Dance School Advertising – Get more students using video ads

Dance School Advertising | Why video ads?

Before I answer this question, let me explain how social media platforms work: have you ever noticed that sometimes when you make a post on social media… Some posts get lots of comments, shares, and views, while others don't? Have you ever thought about why that happens?

It has to do with something called:

THE ALGORITHM

Don't worry - I’m going to keep it simple.

“The algorithm” is a formula that decides what people see, and what they don’t see. Every social media platform has an algorithm. While the algorithm formula may be complicated, its purpose is really simple: to keep people engaged on social media.

Facebook, for examples wants to keep people ENGAGED on Facebook. Youtube wants to keep people ENGAGED on Youtube, and so on. This is how it works:

Whenever you make a Facebook post, Facebook runs a small test.

The ENGAGEMENT Test...

Each time you post something, Facebook shows it to only a few of your followers first. This allows Facebook to test how many people engage with your post. If the engagement is high, meaning a lot of likes, shares and comments, Facebook will run a bigger test. Subsequently showing it to MORE people, and so on...

However, if you make a post and fail this initial engagement test - meaning the first few people don't engage with your post, Facebook won't show it to many more. 

Now, you might be thinking “That’s great, but…” 

What does all of this have to do with dance school advertising?

Well, because of these test, Facebook has actually proven that people engage more with videos than with pictures. So if you can create an advertisement that more people will engage with, Facebook will reward it over something that’s has been proven to be less engaging.

What that means for you is that your ad costs will go down, and the ad will get to be seen by more people. Ultimately, you end up getting better results for less money, which is a WIN for you!

This is why I believe that video ads are one of the most powerful tools when it comes to your dance school advertising.

Another benefit of running video ads, is that people get to see your face and become familiar with you (assuming that you’re the person being filmed).

Above all, you also give people a chance to see your personality. They get to see your dance classes and get to see how people are having FUN, when they join your studio.

Video can be extremely POWERFUL for promoting your dance studio if done right!

Different Types Of Ads You Can Film 

One of the mentors who I have learned online marketing from, ran a test to see which one of the two types of ads did better. The cellphone video ads with minimal editing or the ads filmed with a professional camera, and professional editing?

In his results, he found that the majority of the time, cellphone ads with minimal editing do better than the professionally done videos. This means that the ads that did better got more leads and made more sales. 

When it comes to social media ads, the more you can make your ad look “native”, the better! “Native content” is content that people are used to or expect seeing on a particular platform. 

Let me give you a few examples of native content on various platforms:

Native content on Facebook:

• Pictures of family
• Long written posts
• Selfie videos

Native content on Instagram:

• Pictures of vacations 
• Pictures/videos of food
• Fashion pictures

It’s important to make your ads “blend in” and not feel like an advertisement. Why? Because, people are not on social to be sold to. In other words, they're there to browse around, not shop. If you have an ad that blatantly looks like an ad, people will just skip over it, ignore it, and you won’t see any good results.

With all of that said, here are a few examples of different styles of ads that you can film!

SELFIE VIDEOS

Selfie videos work well because they feel really organic, authentic, and again, they are very native. People expect to see selfie videos on Facebook, so your ads would blend in. Another big benefit is that they are really simple to film, since you don’t need any equipment other than your phone.

And finally, besides memorizing your script, you don’t need much preparation for them.

First, try to film them by yourself. This way, you have unlimited tries and can mess up as many times as you want. You can do it at your own pace and not embarrass yourself in front of other people!

You can film it alone in your studio, with the mirrors in the background or even better if you can get a dance class taking place in the background. Get creative, make it funny, and ask your students to participate in it.

Because of how fast you can make these types of ads, I recommend that you start with a selfie video as the first type of video ad you try!

VIDEOS WITH A FAMOUS LANDMARK OF YOUR CITY IN THE BACKGROUND

Filming ads in a known landmark from your city is an easy way to get people to pay attention to your ads. It doesn’t have to be anything historical...any recognizable place to your city will work. It could be a popular mall, or filming with a famous bridge in the background.

Anything that gets people to stop and say “Wait a minute… I know that place, that’s right here!” will work!

When we implemented this idea in our dance studio, I invited all of our students to join us and be part of the ad! We did a dance class at a popular beach near our studio, and filmed it. Additionally, I asked the students (on camera), what their experience with our dance studio was, so that they could share a testimonial!

As part of this ad, we also gave people an offer to come try our studio for free for one full week!

VIDEOS OF YOUR DANCE CLASSES or DANCING WITHOUT TALKING

This is the type of ad where you let the dancing do the talking for you. It’s a very simple ad worth trying. If you read the previous blog posts, I talked about the difference between good ad images and bad ad images.

The same concepts apply here to video ads.

Ensure the video looks FUN! Show student's smiling faces, get good lighting, and make the colors pop. If you can get synchronized movement, like a fun choreography, even better.

Most importantly, think about your ideal client. If your dance video looks too complicated, and your ideal client is a beginner, they will most likely feel intimidated to step into studio. Therefore, you can show intermediate to advanced students that look good dancing, but remember to keep it 'attainable' for the beginner.

For dance studios that focus on kids, don’t use competition videos. Even though it might look great, your average parent is not looking for their kid to become a competitive dancer.

If you’re a dance studio who only focuses on competitive dancing, a video from a competition may work for you.

SCRIPT FOR VIDEO ADS | Dance School Advertising

Hopefully, by now you have a few ideas about what type of ad you want to film. And You’re probably thinking “What do I need to say on these ads?”

To find the detailed answer to this question please read my previous blog post called “Dance Studio Ad: Recipes For Writing Your Dance School Advertisement”. However, I will give you a brief recap of this article below.

Anytime you write an advertising message - whether it’s a written ad, or a script for your video ad, there are 7 “ingredients” you have to include. These 7 ingredients are the key to a successful ad, so that you can attract lots of new students.

1. The “Avatar” 

Ask yourself this main question: Who is your ad for?

When I speak about the avatar, I am referring to your ideal client. For example, think about what type of dance students are you trying to get? Is it 4-7 year old kids or adults who want to do something fun after work? 

Who is your ideal client you’re trying to attract? 

2. The “Hook”

The hook refers to the first few lines that you have in your ad, that are meant to catch your “avatar’s” attention.

Notice I said that it has to catch your “avatar’s” attention and hook them in to keep reading or listening to what you have to say! 

Here’s a hook example:

“Hey Dallas! Do you have a kid at home who can’t stop dancing when the music comes on?”

See, in this case you’re a studio in Dallas trying to attract more kids, but your avatars are parents in Dallas who have young children who love to dance.

Now, think of your “hook” like the literal fishing bait on a hook you use for fishing. If you go fishing in a big lake with hundreds of different kinds of fish, and you’re trying to catch a trout, you will need to right use bait that will attract this type of fish.

On the other hand, if you’re trying to to catch a bass fish, then you need to switch the bait to what the bass fish likes, given you won’t catch a bass using trout bait. Following the same analogy…

Social media is like the big lake, and the people in it are like the hundreds of different fish in the lake. If you want to attract a certain person or “avatar”, you need to have a hook that’s designed to catch that person’s attention! 

3. The “Offer”

The offer is what you’re going to entice people with, to take action and come to your studio. You need to give people a reason to get up from their couch, and drive to your studio. That’s the role of the offer!

4. “Objections”

These are the reasons people tell themselves when they see your ad and your offer, that prevent them from taking action. Think about it as this little internal voice that says “hmmm that sounds cool, BUT you don’t have a dance partner… Don’t waste your time”.

Objections can also be concerns your avatar may have. For instance: “Dance classes for my kid could be fun, but what if she gets placed in a class with children that are much older? She won't feel comfortable. I don't think this is right for her!”

As you can see from those 2 examples, you need to ensure that you address people’s concerns in your ad, so that you get great results.

5. “Benefits”

These are the positive reasons why people should take you up on your offer!

For example:

“Dancing helps with shyness, which means after only a few dance classes, your kid will gain more confidence and make lots of new friends!”

“Dancing is a great activity that helps your child become more social, develop focus, and coordination!”

“This upbeat dance class burns 500 calories, but you won’t even know you’re getting a great workout because you’ll be having a blast dancing to your favorite songs!”

Make sure that every ad you write includes a few powerful benefits that your “avatar” is interested in!

6. “Pain Points”

These are the negative things that your “avatar” wants to avoid.

For instance:

• A woman may be tired of going to the gym because it’s boring.
• Parents want their kid to stop playing video games, and engage with other kids.
• A man may feel awkward at a party because he doesn’t know how to dance.

The pain points are a great motivator if you manage to communicate to your avatar that, by coming to your studio, they can get rid of their pain points.

For example:

• “In just a few classes you will gain more confidence, and STOP WORRYING ABOUT LOOKING LIKE A FOOL ON THE DANCE FLOOR…”
• “Dancing is a great way to get your kids to STOP SPENDING THEIR WHOLE AFTERNOONS SITTING IN FRONT OF THE COUCH PLAYING VIDEO GAMES… and instead do something fun and healthy!”

The trick is to find a way to make your dance classes the solution to their pain points. Subsequently, your ad will be much stronger if you can do that!

7. The “Call To Action”

The call to action is the final part of the ad where you invite people to take the action you want them to take.

For example:

• “Click the button below to get your 1 week free pass!”
• “Click the link below to learn more about our studio”

Usually, when people are on social media, they are distracted. They may not process information well because of how social medial is designed to constantly grab their attention.  Therefore, you have to remind them of what they have to do, to get what you’re offering! It’s really that simple!

Always add a call to action at the end of your ad.

How To Put The Ingredients Together For Your Dance School Advertising!

Now that you have all the “ingredients” you need to include in your dance school advertising message, it’s time to put them together. Think of it as baking a cake. There’s a particular order in which you have to mix in the ingredients together to get the cake that you want.

It’s the same thing when you write ads…

As you write your ads, you’ll have to use the ingredients in a specific logical way, so that you get the results you want -  which is getting more students!

As I mentioned earlier, to read about this ad 'recipe' and its ingredients in a lot more detail, please read this blog.

How Long Should The Video Be?

There’s no time limit on the videos, and you can make it as long as you'd like. 

However, as a start, keep the first couple of ads that you shoot between 30 seconds and 2 minutes because there are certain social media ad platforms (such as Instagram) that don’t allow you to have more than 2 minute ads (Facebook does).

Other than that, you shouldn’t worry too much about time. You would probably be surprised to know that there are 30 minute and one hour long ads that perform really well on Facebook. The same applies to many 30 second ads. 

What’s important here is that your ad includes all the “ingredients” we talked about above, regardless of the time.

How To Film the Video | Dance School Advertising

This depends on what type of ad you’re filming. For example, you can shoot selfie videos or you can shoot videos of you classes.

Here is a tip to make this process easier. Watch some engaging videos from the platform you want to advertise on. If you can mimic some of the elements that grab your attention, you're most likely very close to having an engaging video!

Video Ads Misconceptions

The number one misconception that people have about video ads is, that they think it has to be professionally filmed and edited. To shoot a successful ad video, you do not need fancy professional cameras and lenses, nor do you need a perfectly edited video with multiple transitions, and all the bells and whistles. 

The truth is that the more organic and real videos are, the better they perform on social media as an advertisement. The reason for this is that people connect with content that looks real, raw, unedited, that portrays reality. Therefore, selfie videos filmed with a simple cellphone and minimal editing can do really well.

When filming your dance studio ad, think “NATURAL”, think “ORGANIC”, think “REAL” and “AUTHENTIC”.

DON’T think “POLISHED”, “PROFESSIONAL”, “TV COMMERCIAL”

Here’s some DO’s and DON'Ts for video ads…

DO’S

• Ensure the sound is clear: People have to clearly understand what you’re saying.
• Make sure you speak loud enough.
• Ensure there’s enough lighting: brighter videos are best.
• Use high energy!

DON’Ts

• Don't stand near a fan and make a video with a bunch of wind noise…
• Avoid playing loud music in the background, as you try to talk over it.
• Do not whisper in the video.
• Don’t YELL.
• Although adding some professional lights can help, you don’t need them.
• Avoid filming in the dark.
• Don’t make it monotone

IMPORTANT: I am not saying that the only type of ads that work are selfie videos, because it’s not true. Professional videos work as well. However, as dance studio owners and artist, we tend to be perfectionists! I want to give you permission to not be perfect.

You don’t need to sound like a TV host on your video ad nor do you need to be perfect to have a great ad that brings in students. Don't let the need for perfection prevent you from putting an imperfect video out there that can make you more money.

Examples Of Videos Ads for Dance School Advertising (that have brought me a lot of new students)