The Beginner's Guide to Instagram for Language Schools and Tutoring Businesses
Small and medium businesses such as language schools and tutors are getting a lot of mixed messages on the internet. When it comes to Instagram marketing advice, you might be confused or overwhelmed with the amount of information. Plus, the number of content people tell you to create can give you a headache! 🤦♀️
But we’re here to tell you: Instagram isn’t necessarily a crucial platform for every school! But it still can be a powerful tool to use to showcase your business and increase your sales. There are just some things you need to think about before you decide whether it’s a good choice for you and how to go about it!
Shortcuts:
Introduction: What is Instagram, How Does It Work, and Should You Start Using it?
Client Journey: How Do People Interact with Your School & How Use Your Instagram Accordingly?
How to Get Connected with Other Users and Groups on Instagram
Conclusion: Is Instagram an Important Tool for Your Language School?
Get access to our library of free marketing guides, trackers, and templates for expat language schools:
Introduction: What is Instagram, How Does It Work, and Should You Start Using it?
Let’s be honest, you’ve definitely heard about Instagram. It’s a huge social media platform, that initially was meant for simply sharing photos with friends. Now it offers many additional features like:
posting videos,
doing a live broadcast
and creating stories, where you can upload pictures shown as a slide show for 24h.
It’s also very popular to use Stories Highlights for keeping archived stories on your profile. As a social platform, Instagram also has typical functions for interactions between users such as:
direct messaging,
liking,
saving your favorite or interesting posts to folders,
and commenting on other people’s posts.
Instagram can be used just for a private profile to connect with friends, to share a hobby, or to be creative, but it is also used by many companies to promote their business. It is important to remember that different platforms work best for different industries and different types of clients.
For example, if you decided to sell handmade pottery in a cottagecore aesthetic then Instagram could be your main source of sales for sure. If you’re a content creator (someone that creates entertaining or educational content) or an influencer (someone that is popular enough to influence others via social media by recommending a product or a service) then having engagement is all you think about because that’s what gets you money. But if you’re running a language school… Instagram might not be worth the hassle!
When deciding if you should start using Instagram for your language school, you need to first think about how and where people look for language schools before they sign up for classes. Can Instagram play a role in how you market yourself?
The visual and short forms of content used on Instagram may be a great tool to convince your potential customers you’re a good choice for them. But to know what kind of content to post you need to understand at which stage of their journey your potential clients will check out your Instagram profile.
Client Journey: How Do People Interact with Your School & How to Use Your Instagram Accordingly?
You’re offering the usual ‘on-site’ language courses? (exclusively or in addition to the online ones?)
Here's something that might blow your mind: you will NOT fill up your classes through Instagram!
That’s simply because Instagram is not a place where people look for such services! The reality is most of the time people find language schools and tutors through recommendations or Google.
So, should you forget about Instagram at all? Not exactly. Very often after becoming aware of a certain school, people will go to check their social channels to see what they're all about. And that means that you need to use Instagram in a strategic way! Views, likes, and engagement shouldn’t concern you. Even your current students will rarely follow your profile 🤷♀️ What matters is that you use this platform to showcase your expertise and convince people who are already on the market, that you are a better choice than your competitors.
Let’s consider your sales funnel – it’s a model, separated by stages, representing the journey that a potential student goes through before buying your courses.
Here’s a simplified version of a sales funnel:
Awareness – they find out that your school exists (usually via Google or recommendation).
Consideration – they are considering whether they want to/ can/ should sign up for a language course at this point in time (they’re still checking out your social channels and website).
Decision – they are comparing different offers, making final financial and time decisions (here’s where your social channels and website – especially sales pages - play a crucial role).THIS is where you finally see the money (they reach out to you).
Instagram is often confused by many inexperienced marketers as an awareness channel, while for most educational businesses it places itself between consideration and decision.
That’s why your main goal with your Instagram content is not to attract new people, but to persuade those who are already interested or considering your classes. Simply, show them you’re the best!
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facing creative blocks
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So if you want a crystal clear and predictable roadmap to help you get more students, look no further!
Benefits of Having a Company Instagram Account
Instagram can be a great and fun tool to present your advantages to potential students. You can be creative with your content and use different features to highlight your offer. Since Instagram is centered around visual forms and has a simple layout, it’s easy to create a profile that grabs the viewer’s attention and is fast to scan through.
However, before you prepare your content, you might want to consider your client avatar. Not every type of school will have its ideal student be a fan of this platform. So, consider whether that is the right choice of a social media platform for YOUR clients.
Spend some time getting to know your students and which different platforms they go for different needs or questions and find that sweet spot where their needs meet your goals.
Et voilà: you know which platforms to focus on! After talking to your current students (be it face to face or via surveys), it is time to see what your website is telling you! Check the statistics and see where your traffic is coming from. Follow the information provided both by your students and by your website. Those sources give you the most valuable information! You can learn more about how to decide on the best platforms for you, here.
Instagram Trends and Updates
Instagram is always evolving and coming up with new features. Probably most of them won’t be useful for you because they’re addressed mostly towards influencers, shops, or regular users to keep them longer on the platform.
However, it’s always good to see what’s new these days that you could use. Especially, if you’re trying to appeal to a younger audience. Here are 4 main ways language schools can use Instagram marketing to their advantage:
1. Use Stories
Stories are a very popular Instagram feature. It’s basically a slide show that incorporates videos and photos with added filters, stickers, etc., and is available for 24h. This year, Instagram is considering adding an option of 60-second videos in stories. There’s also a link sticker – if you create a story that presents your offer you can add a sticker with a link to your website to direct viewers to a sign-up form.
2. Stories Highlights
Don’t feel like it makes much sense to put your time and energy into Stories that will be gone in 24 hours? It’s still a popular solution to save stories as Stories Highlights. They will be shown at the top of your profile so it’s a great idea to use these to sum up the most relevant things such as your offer, pricing, FAQ, etc.
3. Reels
Instagram launched a feature for creating 15-60 second videos, influenced by the popularity of TikTok videos. You might consider trying these out, especially if you’re not sure about using TikTok yet, but you think this type of content would be appealing to your ideal student.
4. Quality Content
Even though the platform is adding many new forms, it is still a platform centered around content. Focus on posting high-quality photos, graphics, or videos with well-written captions. Keep in mind that authenticity is the biggest trend, so try to appear genuine.
Get access to our library of free marketing guides, trackers, and templates for expat language schools:
How to Find Your Voice on Instagram
Overwhelmed by all the types of content available? Remember, Instagram is a tool, not a job. You don’t have to use every feature and post every popular type of content. Find your voice and focus on what works for you.
Here are some tips on how to get started:
1. Find your niche
Choosing one specific group of people to address defines the ways in which you communicate with your prospective students and how you make them perceive your school as a perfect fit for people like them.
2. Create a cohesive feed
Decide on a few topics you want to discuss and stick to them. They will be your content pillars. Try to use cohesive graphic design and style of writing to create an appealing and believable impression of your brand. Careful branding will help you present yourself as trustworthy and well-suited for your niche.
3. Engage with other users
Respond to comments under your posts. Like and comment on other people’s posts that are related to you or your industry. Follow or interact with other accounts that fit well with your brand.
4. Be consistent
With social media, it is important to post regularly. People like to see that your profile is up to date, and it will also help your posts be shown to more users outside of your profile. Keep in mind that consistency doesn’t necessarily mean posting every day. If you don’t have the time, you can just post once every two weeks. If you have trouble with consistency, you might want to try content batching.
5. Don't be afraid to experiment
Instagram is the best place to be creative. Don’t hesitate to try a new graphic style or a new type of content. Trends are always evolving, and people are always interested to see new things. If you feel like you have a great idea for a video, even though you’ve never made one before, go for it! 💪
How to Get Connected with Other Users and Groups on Instagram
You don’t need to hide on your profile when using Instagram. After all, it is a social platform, and you should try to socialize even as a brand! A good start would be to like and comment on other people’s posts.
But which people? Choose brands or profiles that share an audience with you or find things that are relevant to you and your industry. If you don’t know where to start, check out hashtags that your ideal client would find entertaining. Try to check out profiles based on location so that you find profiles and viewers in your local area.
What should you comment on? Try to keep your interactions natural. Say things that are actually related to the post, don’t just talk about yourself, and don’t be pushy with promoting your business. And if you’re planning to be bolder with your interactions, don’t forget to read the room before you type! A cheerful comment under a post about a serious or sad issue? That’s a big no-no! 😬 When starting out, approach things with initiative and enthusiasm, but keep the growth more organic, like you were trying to make new work friends. Don’t try to overdo it. Growing popularity by following and unfollowing other profiles isn’t a good look.
Conclusion: Is Instagram an Important Tool for Your Language School?
Most people will not find your school via Instagram.
And a big percentage of your current students probably won't even follow you there.
And chasing engagement on this platform doesn't make much sense for most language schools, as engagement does not usually mean more sales...
But - knowing your customer journey - you can use your Instagram profile in a smart way. More probably than not - people who will find your school via Google or hear about it from friends WILL check your social profiles.
This is why you should use your profile wisely - as a sales tool, a place where all the questions are answered, where you remove any objections they might have before enrolling, where you show them how and why you are better than other schools and learning solutions.
Good luck and don’t forget to say hello to us over on Instagram! 🙃
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