Article: "Friends, Fans, & Followers"

Christina Hall, author, wrote a nice 4 page article introducing Rhee Gold readers to social networking media outlets and what they can do for you. I won’t reproduce it here for obvious reasons but here’s a brief play-by-play. [Update 7-15-10: original article here]

She leads off with some Facebook material, which as we know has more than 400 MILLION active users to date, and how it can work for your studio. She interviews a few dance studio owners with a Facebook presence about their experience so far. They’ve both had different experiences but both positive. The studios share a few tips they’ve learned about dealing with social networks like Twitter, Facebook & YouTube.

Next, she has a few quotes from Yours Truly on to monitor negative comments about you and your studio online without doing any extra work on your part.

The article goes into video hosting social sites like YouTube and the one we use on the RDDW system, Blip.tv. Kids & parents LOVE seeing themselves online and it can really do wonders if you work it right. She quote another studio owner who using for good measure.

The article wraps up talking about the RDDW system, how we build social media right into it and how social media can work for your studio. We talk a little bit how to participate in these various social media networks without it being a time sink.

In my opinion, really, it’s just how people are communicating these days and you just HAVE to be there or you’re missing out.

Great little article getting people used to social media with interspersed tips from real world studio owners. All in all, yet another great piece of writing from this magazine. You’re already a subscriber, right?

(Secret link about Facebook)

Image via Wikipedia

I’ve been a little behind in updating my site here and what I’d doing that’s working with dance studios but I’m really close sharing. Facebook has some really big stats going on and it’s only getting bigger. If you’d like to learn more about this type of stuff, head on over to this other site I created and sign up on the early bird list.

http://www.FacebookForDance.com

PS If there’s anything you’d like to learn about using Facebook to grow you dance business, post a comment below and let me know. I can try to work it in that way.

First of all, this is a very “slice of life” type interview. He didn’t even really know I was recording and it’s not because I tricked him. It’s just because we were talking, I thought it was cool, and then just hit the Record button so you’d get to be on the ‘inside’ of our conversation. Basically, he was talking to me about it, I thought it was super cool, and wanted to pass it along. Hence, the quick record interview below:

Click here to check it out >>

Dance.com

Dance.com did an article on dancing and social media, specifically Twitter. It’s on the heels of a New York Times article with ballerinas and Twitter. The article profiles a few tech savvy ballerinas but then turns the corner and shows how other dancers and studio owners are using Twitter for success. They interviewed me and a few high profile Tweeters in the dance world like @metroDance.  Here’s a quote from me:

According to online marketing expert Chad Lawson, owner of Real Deal Dance Marketing, Twitter is all about maintaining relationships, creating new ones and getting people interested in your work. “It’s like going to a party, being yourself, relaxed, cool, whatever, and have people get interested in you,” he says. “Eventually, they’ll ask, ‘What do you do?’” Lawson contends that it’s different from walking into a party and simply handing someone your business card—on Twitter, it’s all about the social interaction.

And, here’s a nice quote from MetroDance:

Kristie Wyler, artistic director of Metro Dance in Plymouth, MI, is an avid tweeter. With nearly 800 followers and over 1,000 tweets, Wyler is one of the most popular teachers on the site. She uses Twitter not only to spread awareness about general dance related issues, but also to stay connected with her students and students’ parents. For Wyler, who goes under the handle MetroDance (http://www.twitter.com/MetroDance), Twitter is a great way to keep her studio connected to the broader dance community. It’s also a way for the dance community to feel connected to her.

All in all, great little article that you should check out in full.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter if you’re not already. @danceMarketing

Ok. So I made a quick little video about what we can learn as dance studio owners from iPad marketing from Apple. It’s a *great* skill to learn and will really take your marketing to the next level.

Secret Confession: Ok. So I started shooting and was opening the box and then  I got a notice that my camera was out of space. Whoops!  So, I figured I’d roll again and try “re-create” opening my box up. The only thing, it looks kinda silly ’cause you can totally see that the box is already open. lol! Anyway, I figured it was more entertaining this way watching me try to fake opening a box and that’s not really the point of the message anyway, right?! 

Click here to check out her site now >>>

“But as my belly dancing instructor has taught me, you don’t have to build a personal brand on being an egomaniac. You can build your brand on simply being human. Or better yet, you can build your brand on being your favorite version of yourself.

….

Trying to teach everything would undermine what she’s about and the tribe she’s looking to attract. She sticks to what she does better than anyone else.”

Original article here

Make sure to read the whole article on Copyblogger’s site. It’s a nice intro to niche marketing, which is really what owning a dance studio is all about whether you know it or now. Good advice on stressing you ‘unique selling proposition’ (adspeak for what you do that other studios don’t or why you’re better.)