Marketing for Music Teachers

Hi, I'm Jonathan Roberts, the founder and main author of Musiciative. In a world where anyone can hang up a shingle and legally call themselves a music teacher, marketing is more important than ever. But, we were never taught effective marketing in music school.

Even people who went to marketing school weren't taught effective marketing, for that matter.

Marketing is not about buying ad space. It's more than telling people what you do, where you went to school, and who you studied with.

It's about creating change, finding the people you seek to serve, and discovering what resonates with them.

It Starts With "Who Are You For?"

You can't be for everyone. When you market to the masses, no one hears you. You resonate with no one. Plus, working with students who aren't a proper fit for you is a disservice to you and the student. This is why plug-and-play marketing systems rarely work out.

So, the starting place in your marketing journey is figuring out who you are for.

Are you for students who want to compete internationally? Are you for students looking for the most convenient option? Are you for very young students looking for a positive, growth-oriented experience?

The more specific you are about who you are for, the easier your marketing becomes.

An Empathetic Approach

If the people who see your marketing knew what you know about your work, life would be easy. But, they don't. And so, we need to relentlessly practice empathy.

Lots of people confuse empathy with sympathy. They're not the same. Empathy is looking at the world through the eyes of the people you seek to serve. Trying to understand how they think, what they want, what they need, what resonates with them. 

And most importantly, having the humility to be wrong about how your marketing is perceived.

I thought I did a great job on the first version of my school's website. Until I discovered that to another person, it looked like a school for serious, competitive pianists. We're not; the polar opposite, actually.

It was a valuable lesson. I redesigned the website, and now it is perceived as the welcoming invitation I wanted it to be. Empathy wins the day, every time.

Marketing is a Practice of Testing

Modern marketers need to test constantly. Ideas, promotions, fonts, colors, words, offers, programs, webpages, and more. 

Music teachers understand the value of practicing, so this gives us an advantage. If we know that marketing is a practice to begin with, that is.

There is no one marketing tactic that works for everyone. Even if you find something that works, it may not work for long. And sometimes you need to test four dozen ideas before something works. 

Of course, this doesn't sound as exciting as the "sign up for my program and get 30 students per month enrolled on autopilot guaranteed" advertisements you've likely seen. As you likely know, these are BS.

But, that doesn't mean testing can't be interesting and fun. Because every time you test something, you learn. You learn about the people you want to work with. You learn about yourself. You discover the ideas you will never try again. You discover ideas you never would have discovered if you hadn't tested twenty other ideas first.

Test enough ideas, and you will inevitably find the idea that works.

The Path Forward

Marketing can feel overwhelming if you're just getting started. But, I've dedicated the past three years to learning everything I can on the subject and am excited to share what I've learned with you. 

Marketing has given me greater confidence in my work than ever before. It has helped me clarify who I want to work with, what resonates with them, and how my programming can support that. And most importantly, it has shown me what I want to do with my life and what I want my legacy to be. 

Marketing has changed my life in the most miraculous ways, and I know it can do the same for you.