New to this forum, and glad I found it.

My business is not exactly a new idea...we've been up and running for about a year, but with minimal success. And the over-all idea is very much like "The Learning Annex" which has been around for at least 20 years. I'm posting here because I think I need a fresh pair of eyes to take a look at it. Please look at the website to get the overall idea. Please note: There is an awkward interface on the website to a piece of software that handles our registration. To see the actual classes, you have to click on "Browse Classes", and it puts you into the software, which doesn't have the same look-and-feel. I have little control over how that looks, but am trying to get some changes made. Here are the problems I'm having:

I have tons of people interested in teaching...lots of classes, and can always get more. And I manage to get one or two people enrolled in some of the classes, but only a few fill to capacity...our photography classes, and our salsa classes come to mind. It is not worth while for the instructors (who are all independent contractors) to teach just one or two people, and the students are looking for social interaction too, so can be dissapointed when the class is just two people.

Everyone I talk to says what a great idea. They also say new ideas take a while to catch on in Charlotte, and to hang in there. Well....I'm hanging...by a thread! And if I have to keep cancelling classes and refunding money due to low enrollment, I'll get a bad rep (not to mention no $$$).

I'm looking for some creative ideas as to how to gain more of a presence in Charlotte. I'm paying for a full page ad each week in a free publication used by so many people in Charlotte (Creative Loafing) that lists all our classes. Each week, my stats grow, but I'm running out of money...the ads aren't paying for themselves yet (just started this tactic one month ago). I need creative, and FREE ways to get more notice. Any ideas???

Thanks in advance.

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Lynn St. Laurent
Carolinas Creative Learning
www.carolinascreativelearning.org

A couple of thoughts:

1. Because you do not have a problem getting instructors. I would make sure that they know that this is a new effort and you will commit to them if they commit to you. The most important way to get additional business is word of mouth. I would still go ahead and do the class even if you have a handful of people and explain to the instructor this is partnership and part of the partnership is to help build class enrollment.

2. Consider a promotion that enroll in one class get the second class for 50% off.

3. Consider alternate (less expensive) venues to keep down rental expenses.

I hope this helps.

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Improve your professional image - quickly and inexpensively at logosmax

We attended the Boston Center for ***** Education a few times and were very impressed with their organization. Because they do not compete in your market and vice versa, I think you will find that they maybe amenable to having a discussion about the industry and maybe able to help you. I think it is worth a try

Thanks so much for your reply. As to the instructors, I've done most of that, but think I need to stress it again. Your response prompted another idea. I think I will take the time to create a flier for each instructor's class in a file format that they can then print and post anywhere they want...enlist them in the marketing process. I may also create a banner for them to post anywhere they can on the internet. This won't take me much time, since I can just cut and paste their class info into a template I made already.

re: class space, we get *very* creative with that! We use the atrium of a small business/retail complex for our Salsa classes (free with the owner's blessings...everyone loves to watch!) and a bakery for many lecture classes, again, free...the owner gets to sell some pastry.

We do offer promotions, but again, your reply inspired me. I'm going to contact the major employers here and see about getting a promotion for their employees listed in their internal newsletter/website...something like a 25% discount. The software I use allows for a promotion code, so I can create one for each company.

The thing about the promotions that I find disturbing is that at one point, in order to evaluate the makeup of my catalog of classes, I asked visitors to take a very short survey and receive a credit of $60 toward a class. I had very few people take advantage of it. Then recently, I offered the first class in a 15 week Jazz Lecture series for free, and not one person took advantage of it.

I've also decided to give my instructors the opportunity to have their class video taped, then put on DVD's. We could offer the DVD on our site...another possible revenue stream for us as well as the instructors. While not all classes will lend themselves to this, most will.

So thanks a lot for the inspiration!
Cheers.

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Lynn St. Laurent
Carolinas Creative Learning
www.carolinascreativelearning.org

Along with your poster idea for promotion I am sure you could get a free ebook on PR and you could give it to the instructors you could write your portion of the PR and give them examples of what there portion would look like. This is often done with artist for example who have a show at a gallery

-its free.

Another idea:

You may want to have a written ad that has a teaser: Find out more how to win a free class at www....... and have a contest which they have to subscribe to for free class

Another idea:

If instructors are any good they probably have done this type of thing before they may have their own list of email contacts which you could use