Marketing your music program can help make sure that parents and administrators can see the value of your program, build community relationships (including with local businesses), and improve your fundraising efforts. Whether your motivation is to show everyone why music education matters, or to simply improve your relationship with your administration, marketing is a vital part of your role.
That said, not every music educator feels comfortable with marketing.
Kathleen Heuer has mastered music education marketing. In her work with schools and companies across the country (including Music For All), she shows music educators how to become better marketers. I’m thrilled she joined me for this episode of the podcast. We talk about everything from Facebook profiles to building a logo for your ensemble
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In This Episode, You’ll Learn How To:
- Leverage existing materials to better market your program.
- Create a strong social media presence for better communication with parents and your community.
- Build a logo to successfully brand your program.
- Assemble the materials to build a great website.
Free “Marketing Your Music Program” Checklist
Kathleen and I built a checklist for you to use as you create email lists, websites, social media profiles, and begin to do more in-person marketing. Download it for free so that you don’t forget anything!
Three Key Takeaways
“You can’t say the same thing to every audience.”
Kathleen recommends identifying “stakeholders” – people with an investment in your program. Students, parents, administrators, school board members, and local business all have some kind of an attachment to your program, but these attachments are different. Think about who you’re speaking to when marketing your program and adjust your message accordingly. Students care about very different things than school board members; both are critical for your success.
“Performances are one of the most front-facing ways to reach your community.”
Use the performance as a marketing opportunity. Creating a hashtag and encouraging parents to share pictures and videos of the performance to social media builds community and shows the impact of your program. You can also consider live-streaming the concert (though be sure to check copyright laws).
“Use Facebook for reminders, announcing fundraisers, and promoting events… a Facebook page is great for public facing information and a Facebook group is for internal stuff.”
Facebook is an incredibly powerful, free tool for marketing your program – and one that your parents are likely already using. Be sure to use Facebook in the most effective way. A Facebook page (originally designed for businesses) is ideal for making public announcements about fundraisers and concerts. In contrast, a Facebook group is a more engaging community. Use a group to remind parents to send in a permission slip or that black socks are required for proper concert attire! You can also link a group to a page so that everyone knows both belong to your program.