So you want to start teaching the cooking class. Maybe you learned a couple of lessons here and there and know what you want to learn. You know that your class is good, and there are people who want to take your class. The task is to find and find these people. How? Here are some of the tips I learned while promoting my sushi cooking classes.
The class concerns who YOU HAVE
First of all, people come to your class, and not for food or a recipe that you can offer, they come to your class because they want to meet you. This is who you are as a staff instructor / chef / cook who really joins those who will attend.
So the qualifying class that you are proposing should be about who you are. I mean the following: you are the only person in the whole world who can offer a class. It must be so unique.
How can I do it?
I tell stories - the stories are interesting and unique to me.
I tell my stories about how I became a professional sushi chef with no culinary experience.
I tell my story about where and how I get sustainable and local fish.
I share my original recipes and how I came up with them.
The story tells how you can share who you are and connect with the listeners.
Determine your client's demographics
What the hell is customer demographics, you might wonder? Customer demographics consist of age, gender, income, occupation, and area of residence (or zip code). You need to determine who your target audience is and their customer demographics first.
Why is this so important?
For example, the demographic characteristic of a client for a cooking class of $ 25 differs from the one that costs $ 250. The most obvious may be the level of income and zip code.
So the very first thing you need to decide is who you want to come to class.
Collect great photos
The picture speaks a thousand words. There is no doubt about it. People will be attracted to food photos, especially great ones.
Naturally, if you have great photos of your food (beautiful layout, some mouth-watering colors of green, red, yellow, etc.), People will automatically think that you can teach a class. You want to create such an emotional connection.
Another great photo is you or the participants with a big smile on their face. They contribute to the "fun" aspect of our class. (everyone wants to attend a class that is interesting and educational).
If you do not have a photo, you can purchase some photos on the Internet. Some free pics.
Online and offline promotion
Now you have collected all your materials, and you are ready to start the promotion.
There are many online platforms available.
Some may work, and some may not.
The most important thing is to keep trying (and finding) what works for you.
Each platform has a different audience. That is, when your client demographics come into play.
Craigslist readers are different from group subscribers.
- Craigslist - Free registration in the "event gigs" section.
- Eventbrite - Create your list, advertise and purchase a ticket for participants.
- Yelp - you can send your class to the "event" section for free.
- Online classification - many local newspapers and magazines offer a free online event list.
- Facebook, Google+ - Publish and promote on the Facebook page, communities and local Google+ communities. On Facebook, you can “increase” your post by paying a small fee, starting at $ 5, to reach 1,000–10,000+ audiences depending on your budget.
- Groupon - you can negotiate with them about holding a promotion without a discount. On the face, I sold more tickets without a discount than with a discount. So, I suppose that my target audience wants a full-fledged sushi class than a discounted class that can create the impression of “cheap.” They also just started testing a new platform with a small discount (minimum of $ 10) with a lower commission rate.
- Living Social - Like Groupon, Living Social offers discounts on products and services. They have an “event” section where you can promote your culinary class.
- Gilt City. Like Groupon and Living Social, Gilt offers more “complex" products, services and events.
- SideTour - Sidetour offers experience-based promotions such as local tours. They also have cooking classes.
- Verlocal - Like SideTour, Verlocal offers “local experiences,” such as local tours, art and craft classes, and of course, cooking classes.
- Kitchit - Custom chefs private website offering private dining and cooking courses. Currently available in some cities - San Francisco, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.
- Cozymeal - Like Kitchit, Cozymal is a new platform in which private chefs offer cooking classes and private visitors. At first they focus on culinary classes, and then private visitors.
Offline
All my ticket sales came from online promotions. However, offline promotions are still available and a good way. Flyers at local supermarkets and cafes are a good way to attract the attention of your potential class members.
