12 Referral Strategies For Music School

Music school owners often default to external marketing tactics such as Facebook/Instagram ads, Google SEO, and local radio ads. However, these methods can be hit or miss in terms of effectiveness and profitability.

While attracting new clients through ads is useful, using existing resources wisely is just as important. It's better to first focus on internal assets rather than trying out unfamiliar promotional methods.

But first while most music school owners understand how referral works, most don't know the different between internal referrals and external referrals.

Internal and External Referrals

Referrals typically involve getting endorsements from existing clients, but they can also come from external partnerships and affiliations.

A referral means encouraging people to recommend your business to their friends, family, colleagues, and clients. While internal referrals from current clients are important, external referrals from collaborations and community networks are also vital.

The goal is to position your music school software as the preferred choice for music professionals in your local market.

Got it so far?

Great! Now, let’s dive into 12 referral strategies to boost your music school software clientele.

1 Direct Solicitation

If you've given your students excellent service and earned their trust, don't hesitate to ask for referrals. Many music school owners avoid this due to fear or discomfort, which is understandable. However, if your clients are happy with your service, asking for referrals should come naturally.

This approach is especially effective in the early stages of your business, helping you steadily gain new clients.

Here's a simple script you can use:

You: Hi [Client Name], may I ask you a favor?

Client: Of course.

You: Have you found our music classes to be helpful?

Client: Absolutely, it's been great.

You: Do you think others could benefit from our music classes?

Client: Definitely, I have a friends who would be interesting in music classes

You: That's wonderful to hear. As you know, we do spend a lot of on marketing because we believe in giving value back to our customers. However, this means word of month become very important to us. Would you recommend us to your friends and family?

It's as simple as that: ask your current members if they can recommend your school to others. You might also consider implementing a referral program to incentivize the referrals.

2 Make It Obvious

If you're unable or unwilling to ask for referrals directly, you can still make it clear that you welcome them and offer rewards for doing so.

Create a simple notice stating that you have a referral program. Let your current students know that if they successfully refer new member to your music school, they will receive an incentive.

For example, you can write: "Help our music school grow by referring us to your friends and family. As a thank you, anyone who refers a new member who signs up for our courses will receive a $100 Amazon gift card."

Choose whatever incentive works best for your school. Place this notice in high-visibility areas, such as the washroom or waiting areas, where members and parents are sure to see it.

3 New Member Gifts

This strategy involves giving new members welcome gifts to encourage referrals.

You might wonder how welcome gifts help generate referrals. The key is that these gifts spark conversations. A well-designed T-shirt, a custom cap, extra guest passes, or a decorative item for the home can prompt questions like, "What's this music school?" or "Where did you get these?"

This gives new members a chance to talk about your music school and share why they joined.

Think of these welcome gifts as investments in attracting new clients, similar to traditional advertising costs. Generosity is key.

4 Use Gamification

Explore the world of gamification, where referrals become a fun and competitive activity. Create a referral leaderboard where members can compete for top spots and earn rewards for the number of referrals they make.

At Monstro, we use gamification to encourage referrals. Our Monstro Member Apps let clients earn points and rewards that they can redeem for various benefits. This boosts referrals and improves client retention and engagement.

Want to see how AI can enhance your referral program? Book a demo with us!

5 Birthday Parties

Many music school owners have tried hosting birthday parties to get more referrals. However, some music school owners find this challenging and often see little success.

The reality is that, like any marketing or referral tactic, it's a numbers game. Not everyone attending a birthday party at your school will sign up to your music classes. They're there to celebrate a friend's or family member's birthday, not to enroll.

In my opinion, birthday parties are a great way to start the referral process. However, it's important not to try to convert referrals during the party. Trying to pitch your classes at the event can be off-putting for guests.

Instead, use birthday parties to introduce your school, capture potential customers, and follow up later. You can do this by giving out gift bags with free trial passes or gift cards.

6 Complimentary Lesson Passes

Offering complimentary passes can help members feel more comfortable recommending your music school to friends and family. These passes should look like gift cards.

At Monstro, we provide schools with stylish pass templates that look like popular vouchers from companies like Starbucks or Amazon. This makes it easier for members to share them without feeling like they're asking for referrals.

7 Reciprocal Incentives

This strategy expands on the Complimentary Lesson Passes. While Lesson Passes make it easy for members to refer your music school, they don't offer any incentive to those who make the referrals.

Even though many of your members are happy to refer your school if they enjoy the classes, wouldn't it be better if they received something in return for a successful referral?

Of course, it would.

A great way to do this is to offer incentives to current members who successfully refer new members to your school. The challenge is tracking these referrals accurately, which can be a bit of work.

At Monstro, we simplify this by tracking all referrals, whether members use a Lesson Passes or mention you on social media. This way, your members are motivated to talk about your school, their friends and family benefit from the Lesson Passes, and you gain new members.

8 Concerts

Many music schools naturally host concerts to showcase their students' performances, but few leverage these events as opportunities to gain more referrals. It's great that you're hosting a concert, and you can use this opportunity to encourage members to invite additional friends and families.

While hosting a concert may incur additional costs, it presents a valuable opportunity to generate more referrals for your music school. Provide gift bags to all guests attending the concert, include a few complimentary lesson passes, and watch the referrals roll in.

9 Staff Referral Incentives

Let's remember your staff or teachers can be a valuable source of referrals. Just like your members, staffs can recommend your school, but with the advantage of knowing it inside and out.

While most members only see the class side of your school, staffs experience the behind-the-scenes operations. It's crucial to treat your staffs well and ensure they love your music school, as they can become your strongest advocates or detractors.

If your staffs are passionate advocates for your music school, it's wise to incentivize them to refer more people.

10 Local School Partnerships

Up until now, we've discussed only internal referral strategies. Now, let's delve into ways to harness external referrals through strategic partnerships.

Start by considering: who else has the attention and trust of my target customers? For a music school focused on children, local public and private schools are ideal candidates.

You can form partnerships by offering music classes as part of their after-school programs, at a discounted rate or even for free. This collaboration can introduce more children to your school and possibly generate referrals through your association with local schools.

11 Partner with Other Local Businesses

Alternatively, consider partnering with other local businesses such as toy stores, children's clothing shops, family restaurants, or other after-school programs like dance, swimming, math, and martial arts schools. Together, you can cross-promote services and classes, offering exclusive discounts to each other's customers.

This approach not only boosts referrals but also enhances your local SEO ranking. By forming multiple partnerships with other local businesses, you can agree to link to each other's websites, signaling to Google to rank you higher in local search results.

12 Hosting Community Events

Many music school owners have considered participating in community events like fairs, festivals, or charity events, where they set up booths to promote their school. This is undoubtedly effective for attracting and signing up new students.

But what if you hosted your own event instead?

The challenge with attending community events is that once interested individuals sign up or request more information, the interaction often ends there. There's typically no ongoing conversation or referrals.

However, if you host the community event yourself, everything changes. You become the event host, inviting the community to participate in an event you're organizing. This positions you not just as a booth participant but as a central figure providing an exciting experience for the community.

By making the event engaging or supporting a cause, you might even catch the attention of local news outlets, gaining coverage for your event. While you can still attract individuals at your booth, hosting the event itself generates exposure and encourages people to discuss your music school and the event you've organized.

Hosting such events can be expensive and may take time to establish. However, hosting them annually builds anticipation and keeps your music school a topic of ongoing discussion in the community.

In short, these 12 strategies give you a complete set of tools to grow your student base. If you're looking for a more automated option, check out Monstro's AI-powered referral solutions. Book a demo today!