Indrė Kupčinskaitė-Mikulė • November 15, 2024

Want to Grow Your Club? Here’s How to Get Started

Growth

Growing an after-school club or studio can be a complex task, especially for leaders who manage it all—from running sessions to handling client communication and payments. This blog is here to offer clear, practical steps for overcoming these challenges, helping you take the first steps to structured growth, even if you’re feeling unsure where to begin. Drawing from our experience working with non-formal education organizations, we’ll walk you through strategies that can streamline processes, and support sustainable expansion.

Start by Tracking Data

To kick off your growth strategy, begin by tracking the occupancy levels of your groups or locations. For larger educational organizations with multiple sites, we recommend focusing on location-level analysis, while smaller organizations with a single location may benefit more from focusing on individual groups.

Start by analyzing the number of students per group this year. If you have multiple locations, break this down by each one. With this information, you’ll clearly see which groups or locations have lower attendance and where to focus efforts. This insight enables you to plan targeted actions to boost numbers where they’re needed most, whether through tailored promotions, increased outreach, or enhanced client engagement strategies.

The simplest way to track student numbers is by using an enrollment management system, which streamlines data tracking and makes it easy to monitor occupancy levels across groups or locations. However, if you’re not yet using such a system, you can still effectively manage this process with spreadsheets.

Leverage Communication Channels to Attract New Students

Start by assessing the communication methods you currently have to attract new students to groups with low attendance. If you have a contact list of former clients, that’s a great place to start. Reaching out to them can remind them of your offerings and invite them to rejoin this season. Consider crafting a personalized email that highlights any new features, classes, or benefits to re-engage their interest. For former community members, you could even include a discount code as an added incentive to encourage their return and make them feel valued.

For more effective email communication, we recommend using a newsletter platform like MailerLite, Omnify, or Mailchimp. These platforms allow you to create visually appealing emails with minimal effort and even schedule them for later. They also provide analytics, so you can track open rates, click-throughs, and engagement, giving you valuable insights into which messages resonate with your audience.

In addition to emails, make the most of social media by posting on your profiles and in relevant community groups to reach potential students. Share updates about your classes, special offers, or behind-the-scenes moments to showcase the value of your programs. Engaging with local groups or community pages is also a great way to introduce your offerings to a wider audience and increase the chances of filling your classes with eager participants.

We recommend keeping records of all clients—both active and inactive—in one place. This helps you easily access, filter, and analyze data to enhance your outreach efforts. A student management system is ideal for this purpose, as it allows you to keep everything organized and filter data with ease. However, if you’re not yet using a system, you can still gather and manage this information with spreadsheets, which will provide a solid starting point for your data organization and client outreach.

Effective Paid Advertising Strategies

Paid Digital Advertising

Once you’ve established your organic communication channels, consider enhancing your reach with paid advertising. Digital ads, especially those with eye-catching visuals or engaging videos, can be incredibly effective for reaching a broad audience. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Google Ads allow you to target specific demographics, interests, and geographic areas. For example, a fun video on TikTok might attract younger audiences, while Google Ads can help you reach people actively searching for local classes. Experimenting with different platforms and ad formats can give you insight into which channels drive the best results for your group.

Partnering with Influencers

Influencer partnerships can bring credibility and visibility to your organization, especially if they’re trusted in your community. Start by identifying influencers who align well with your activity group’s mission and audience. Think about which types of influencers would be the best fit to promote your group and consider how likely it is that your potential clients would follow or engage with their content. For instance, a local parent influencer may be ideal for children’s classes, while a fitness or lifestyle influencer could be effective for adult fitness programs.

Once you’ve chosen the right influencers, offer them a free class or limited membership in exchange for promoting your group. To track the effectiveness of their outreach, create a unique discount code or referral link for them to share with their followers. This not only allows you to measure the direct impact of the influencer’s promotion but also provides new clients with an extra incentive to join. Whether working with local influencers or niche creators on social media, this strategy can boost enrollment while fostering a sense of community.

The easiest way to track discount code usage is by using an enrollment platform, where clients can enter the discount code directly at checkout, and you can monitor real-time usage in the system. If you’re not yet using a platform, you can still track code usage by recording it in notes or spreadsheets to keep an eye on the success of each campaign.

Posters and Flyers

While digital marketing is powerful, traditional methods like posters and flyers still work well, especially for local outreach. If your classes are for children, consider partnering with nearby play centers, kindergartens, or schools. Ask if they’d be willing to display your materials, or propose a mutual promotion agreement where you each promote each other’s services.

For classes targeting adults, think about where your potential clients might gather—coffee shops, gyms, community centers, or libraries could be great spots. Offering an attractive poster or flyer can catch the attention of those already interested in group activities or personal development.

Each of these approaches contributes to building a well-rounded marketing strategy. Combining digital ads, influencer partnerships, and traditional outreach allows you to reach a diverse audience and increase enrollment in a structured, effective way.

Additional Growth Strategies

Hosting Events to Attract New Students

Another powerful way to attract potential students is by organizing events such as open-door days, where attendees can try your activity for free. These events provide a hands-on experience, allowing newcomers to see the value of your program in action. By creating a welcoming and engaging environment, you give potential clients the chance to explore your offerings and interact with instructors, making it easier for them to envision themselves as part of your community.

To make the most of an open-door day, consider adding some structured activities, like short trial sessions, interactive demonstrations, or Q&A segments where participants can ask about your classes. If you work with children, inviting parents to observe and participate in some way can also strengthen their connection to your program.

For adult-focused activities, offering light refreshments or hosting a short networking session can create an inviting atmosphere. Additionally, providing attendees with a small takeaway, such as a brochure or a discount code for their first class, can help turn interest into immediate action.

Events like these not only build trust but also generate excitement about your program. When planned well, they can serve as a springboard for attracting new members and fostering long-term relationships with your audience. Don’t forget to capture the moment—photos and videos from the event can be shared on your social media to reach even more potential clients who couldn’t attend.

Consider a “Bring a Friend” Program

A referral program can be a great way to encourage current students to bring in new members. Offer rewards not only to the new participant but also to the referring student, creating a win-win situation that motivates both parties. For example, if the newcomer continues with the classes, you could offer the referring student a discount, a small gift, or even a free session.

To make the program even more engaging, consider offering cumulative rewards: the more referrals a student brings, the greater the rewards. For instance, after three successful referrals, a student could receive a larger discount or exclusive class access. This approach not only incentivizes students to bring in friends but also fosters a stronger sense of community within your group, as students bring in people they know and enjoy spending time with.

Think About Engaging Ambassadors

Consider if a parent (if you work with children) or a student could become an ambassador in exchange for a discount. They could share their experience in their social media account as an influencer or moderate a community group by posting updates, sharing memorable moments, and encouraging others to join.

This ambassador role could also involve helping with open houses or demo sessions, answering questions from prospective clients, or sharing helpful tips and positive experiences in local social media groups or forums. By having someone who’s passionate about your program as a visible advocate, you not only increase your reach but also build trust with potential clients. An ambassador’s authentic voice can make newcomers feel welcomed and excited to become part of your community, creating a positive and inspiring environment that helps attract new members.

What’s Next?

As attendance grows, the next challenge is keeping clients engaged and elevating your organization to the next level. Knowing why clients stay or leave is essential to making data-driven improvements, and tracking these insights can help you identify areas for growth. While you could manage all this manually with notes or spreadsheets, there’s a simpler, smarter way. Exoclass is more than just club management or registration software—it’s a complete solution for client management and retention that evolves with your organization.

With Exoclass, you gain a partner with years of expertise to help you streamline operations, strengthen client relationships, and foster steady, sustainable growth. Our system gives you a clear view of client engagement, allowing you to analyze trends, understand retention factors, and make strategic adjustments. Let’s make growth easier and more rewarding—together.

Join the Exoclass community, where we don’t just offer software—we share insights, strategies, and best practices from the educational field to help organizations like yours flourish. Let’s make growth simple, impactful, and rewarding.