A Comprehensive Guide to Marketing Your Arts & Crafts Club

Imagine pouring hours into preparing your supplies, selecting the most amazing project for your first class, and planning how to create the best experience for your students. 

Then, after all your hard work and effort and pouring your soul into it, no one knows that you have launched your classes, and nobody signs up. That would be devastating, wouldn't it?

We’ll let you in on a little secret: We’ve learned the hard way that you can’t wait until you are 100% ready to launch before you start thinking about your marketing.

Attracting and engaging your ideal customers (months ahead of time!) so that you have an audience to launch to once you’re ready is sooo important. You have to build relationships before the big launch. Otherwise, you’ll have no one to invite once you’re up and running.

You’re probably thinking “Cool, gotcha. Let’s use ALL the marketing tactics to make super sure that I don’t end up with empty classes.” But it’s important to take a step back and realize that overloading yourself with tasks can lead to burnout. You don’t want to feel burnt out before you’ve even had a chance to run your first class.

Resist the urge to tackle every strategy at once. Instead, focus on one or two main marketing strategies at a time. Doing so enables you to put your full effort into each one and achieve better results.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll share valuable insights on marketing your club effectively without overwhelming yourself. Remember, simplicity and focus are key, so zone in on one or two of these tactics and save the others for later.

Ready? Grab your notebook, and let’s dive in.

 Marketing Tactic No. 1: Use your Existing Network 

Word of mouth is hands-down the most effective and reliable type of marketing for an arts & crafts club.

People trust recommendations from friends and family over any other type of advertising. So, begin with your closest network - friends and family, and build a loyal fan base.

Start by running a soft launch with your friends’ kids. A soft launch is the perfect way to test your ideas, kill those nerves of teaching (once you’ve taught one class, you’ll feel a lot more relaxed for the next one), or put your kit out for the first time. Another hot tip would be to take photos and videos during your soft launch that you can use to market your classes to a broader audience.

Encourage the kids attending your launch class to spread the word about your club to their friends at school, camp, soccer club, everywhere!

Happy and satisfied customers will naturally become vocal advocates for your classes, so building personal connections is key in any business. Remember this as you embark on your marketing journey: Be a HUMAN, not a robot.

People support and spend their money with people they know, like, and trust!

The goal is to start getting loyal repeat customers who will attend your classes every week. Running a business that allows you to build a repeat customer base is one of many reasons why a kids arts & crafts club is such a unique and great business. Because as soon as you have repeat customers, you will have guaranteed sustainable income, month after month.

 Marketing Tactic No. 2: Build Your Database 

Collect contact information from those who have attended your classes and those who have expressed interest in them, and form an email list. Send out emails regularly to keep everyone informed about your upcoming classes, events, and special promotions.

Almost everyone these days has an email account, and 99% of email users check their email every day, some as much as 20 times a day. It’s a great marketing opportunity!

In your newsletters, you can even include arts & crafts tips or fun ideas for them to try with their kids at home. The goal is to keep your audience engaged and position yourself as the go-to expert for all things arts & crafts related so that they'll know who to call when they're ready to sign up for a class, arty party, or event.

Showing up consistently to connect and communicate with those on your database is essential to attracting and retaining customers. Click here to read more about how consistency is key to running a successful kids arts & crafts club.

 Marketing Tactic No. 3: Target Schools 

Reaching out to schools is an excellent strategy to grow your club. 

Whether through newsletters, websites, or events, schools can help you reach a broad audience of parents with kids the right age who are always looking for fun ways to stimulate their kids after class.

You could even consider hosting your classes at the school if they are looking to offer after-school  activities for the kids on-site. Once you’re in, we've found that classes fill up very quickly as the kids are already there, and it’s convenient for parents to collect them a bit later.

 Marketing Tactic No. 4: Teach in Public Spaces 

Hosting your classes in a public venue like a library or community center can be beneficial in many ways. These locations are convenient and familiar for customers and are often already equipped with tables, chairs, parking, and amenities. 

You can also tap into the venue's existing audience and leverage their assistance in marketing your classes. Ask them to promote your classes on social media, email newsletters, and notice boards. Make it easy for them by providing ready-to-use promotional materials.

People need to hear about an event a few times before they decide if they want to come. It's essential, therefore, to start marketing 3 to 4 weeks before the class/workshop/event and tell customers about it often. Be sure to make this clear to the venue you are collaborating with and follow up to ensure they spread the word about your event as often as necessary.

Need more guidance on how to contact venues to set up a mobile craft club? Check out our blog post on 4 Simple Steps to Start a Mobile Craft Club.

Photo credit: CCC Academy members Somien and Allison

 Marketing Tactic No. 5: Collaborate with Local Businesses 

By collaborating with businesses that target the same ideal customer, you will grow much faster than trying to target customers on your own.

Here are a few examples:

• Coffee shops and kid-friendly restaurants: Go to your local restaurants and coffee shops and ask if you could put posters on their notice board or in their restroom. 
• Shared interest locations: Think of all the stores where you buy art supplies. Stick up a poster at their checkout register and ask them to share your flier on their online platforms.
• Pediatrician rooms and clinics: Ask if you could leave a few flyers at the reception counter or give them coloring flyers with a small bucket of crayons for kids to color while they wait for their appointment.
• Other after-school activity providers: Make a list of all the other after-school activities that children attend in your area; ballet and dance clubs, football, tennis, gymnastics, and so on. Collaborate with them and put a poster up at their venue, or ask them to share your flier on their online platforms. Be sure to return the favor by mentioning their club in your email newsletter or sticking their poster on your notice board (if you have a fixed studio). 

Photo credit: CCC Academy members Heleen and Camille

 Marketing Tactic No. 6: The Power of Photos and Videos 

Capture moments during your classes and share them with parents. A simple photo and a brief description of what their child learned can create a sense of pride and engagement. Parents often share such photos with their networks, providing social proof of your club's quality.

Before you know it, pictures of your club are spreading across social channels to your friends’ families, colleagues, community groups, and neighbors.

If you would like to share photos and videos of the kids directly on your social media page, get permission from the parents before posting. If you don’t have permission, use a simple editing tool to add a mask, sunglasses, or an emoji over the child’s face so that they are unrecognizable.

A hot tip would be to take the photos or videos from the top (above the child's head) so that you don’t show their face, only their little hands creating amazing, colorful art. Have a look at our Instagram page for inspiration.

Photo credit: CCC Academy members Heleen, Julie, Camille, Lee

 Marketing Tactic No. 7: Establish a Social Media Presence 

Establish a presence on platforms like Facebook and Instagram for your club. Provide detailed information about your offerings and share photos and videos from your classes to engage your audience. 

Encourage parents to leave reviews on your site to provide valuable insight and real-life testimonials. Genuine, positive reviews will build trust with prospective customers and make them feel more comfortable enrolling their children in your club.

Join local Facebook groups and spread the word about your club to their members. Just be sure to adhere to their group rules - many community groups only allow advertising on 1 or 2 days per week. Read up and ensure you’re posting your ads on the correct day/s so that you don’t risk having your posts removed or your page banned from the group.

Just a note of warning: Don’t expect to post one flier or invitation on social media and have kids flocking through your door. Social media algorithms often restrict the number of views your post will get. Social media should thus be an additional marketing tactic and not your only one.

 Marketing Tactic No. 8: Collaborate with an Influencer 

Identify local influencers, such as mommy bloggers or parenting influencers, who can help you reach a broader audience. Invite them to experience your classes and share their positive experiences with their followers. Collaboration with influencers who people already know, like, and trust can boost your credibility significantly.

 Let’s do a quick recap: 

Focus on one or two main marketing strategies at a time. Pick your favorites from this list and start marketing EARLY (months ahead of time!)

• Use your Existing Network
• Build Your Database
• Target Schools
• Teach in Public Spaces
• Collaborate with Local Businesses
• The Power of Photos & Videos
• Establish a Social Media Presence
• Collaborate with an Influencer

P.S. Now that you know what it takes to build a customer base, are you ready to get started with your club?

Discover an easy way to go from dreaming to LAUNCHING your arts & crafts club with our LIVE Get Started Workshop >> www.creativecraftingclub.com/gs-live-workshop-signup