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Advertisement tips and ideas wanted

Tanukisan

Registered
5 Dec 2016
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This request is intended for those who operate a private business, but more specifically people who have successfully started an Eikaiwa/language school.

Can anyone of you share some ideas on effective ways to advertise and recruit students/customers? There seems to be a consensus online that traditional ways such as pamphlets or posters are ineffective. Is there any truth in that?
 
There seems to be a consensus online that traditional ways such as pamphlets or posters are ineffective.

I'm not surprised those 20th century methods aren't very effective any more.

I don't have experience of these matters in Japan but I know that in most other countries having a strong online presence is one of the best ways of marketing a service or product:

- quality website
- quality online videos
- good SEO
- pay per click advertising
- strong social media
- integration of all of the above

Doesn't this work in Japan?
 
In Japan, few people use Facebook. LINE is the most popular social media. Not very conducive to advertising.
 
I think the internet in general and the low-cost online lessons from places such as the Philippines have to make it even more difficult to get started with a traditional school.
 
About 20% of my business came from my website, the rest came from contacts and referrals from those contacts.

You need to know the right people and you need to have a reputation with them that makes them want to send people to you.
 
At the present time I have 3 regulars. I started this a year ago and the request of several acquaintances from a local community centre where I did various volunteer activities. This year I moved to a space in a Juku owned and operated by another person from the community centre.

It is a private place, but my aim is to gather enough students to be able enventually get my own place. The juku owner and main teacher is very nice to let me use one of her classrooms, but the down side is having to work around the juku schedule. Everyone attending the juku is aware I teach there.
 
About 20% of my business came from my website

That's a not insignificant amount but could it have been more? Did you have WOW amazing website. Was your website designed for conversion - I mean, specifically designed to turn visitors into customers. Did you track your website visitors to see which pages they liked and, conversly, which pages they bailed? Did you write fresh content to keep them coming back and sharing (English teaching lends itself really well to this - English learning tips, word of the day, jokes, competitions etc etc)? Did you have really cool photos on your website and videos online showing your students having fun while learning? Did you link it all in to your social media accounts? You could offer free lessons or discounts for competitions and encourage sharing. Facebook is less popular here but still significant. Line and Instagram can support your business too. Pay-per-click advertising can be super-cheap if properly targeted.

Obviously I've never seen Wonko website so no criticism implied or intended. I'm simply using it as an example. It's just that I know from personal experience how amazingly effective and cost-effective these techniques can be.

At the present time I have 3 regulars.

From small acorns do large oak trees grow. Think outside the box. Think 21st century techniques. Don't want to labour the point but leafleting seems yesterday's marketing techniques (I remember having a part-time job doing this 30 years ago). Good luck.
 
That's a not insignificant amount but could it have been more? Did you have WOW amazing website. Was your website designed for conversion - I mean, specifically designed to turn visitors into customers. Did you track your website visitors to see which pages they liked and, conversly, which pages they bailed? Did you write fresh content to keep them coming back and sharing (English teaching lends itself really well to this - English learning tips, word of the day, jokes, competitions etc etc)? Did you have really cool photos on your website and videos online showing your students having fun while learning? Did you link it all in to your social media accounts? You could offer free lessons or discounts for competitions and encourage sharing. Facebook is less popular here but still significant. Line and Instagram can support your business too. Pay-per-click advertising can be super-cheap if properly targeted.

Obviously I've never seen Wonko website so no criticism implied or intended. I'm simply using it as an example. It's just that I know from personal experience how amazingly effective and cost-effective these techniques can be.



From small acorns do large oak trees grow. Think outside the box. Think 21st century techniques. Don't want to labour the point but leafleting seems yesterday's marketing techniques (I remember having a part-time job doing this 30 years ago). Good luck.
I'm not an English teacher and I had more business than I wanted. I turned down about 10 referrals a month because I didn't have time for the clients.
 
You could try real-world advertising with a prominent and easy-to-remember/easy-to-spell website name, and/or a Facebook account. People might see that and look it up on their phone or laptop.

I've seen several smaller eikaiwa schools with their own Facebook page.
 
Thank you all for the replies and good ideas. I was also thinking of having some sort of online presence, but didn't want to go through the painstaking work of creating and managing a full website. At least not for now.

The best option looks like it might be a simple page, like an virtual chirashi/poster with essential information. A Facebook or other similar networking account also sounds good, even though I am not a fan or user of social media.
 
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