Kids need something to do between the time school lets out and their parents come home from work. And what better way to fill that time than by participating in an after-school club? According to research, over 10 million students participate in after-school clubs and programs across the U.S.
If you want to get more people to participate in your program, here are six tips to advertise your after-school club to students.
Hang flyers around the school
Where do students spend time? At school! So the best way to advertise your after-school club is to hang flyers around the school campus where there’s no way students could miss them. And remember, your flyers have to look fun! They’re a representation of your club, and if they look boring, your club might look boring — meaning nobody will sign up!
Since you’re busy organizing an after-school club, you probably don’t have time to design eye-catching flyers from scratch. The best way to create fun designs to encourage student participation is to use after school program flyer templates.
There are thousands of flyer templates available from websites like PosterMyWall. Simply find the one that best fits your club’s style, customize the information with the easy drag-and-drop editor, and you’re ready to print. Students will be signing up for your club left and right after catching a glimpse of your fun flyers.
Include your club in the morning announcements
Students listen to the morning announcements every single day. It’s where they get most of their school news. And what could be bigger news than a fun, new after-school club they can join!?
Work with the morning announcement crew to come up with a fun way to pitch your new club. The more fun you make it, the more likely students will sign up. And remember to include your club in the announcements regularly. Students don’t always pay attention, so it might take a couple tries to incite action.
Encourage word-of-mouth promotions
People don’t always like to listen to adults, morning announcements, or flyers. But they do listen to their friends. Encourage members already in your club to tell their friends how much fun the club is and get them to join.
Word-of-mouth advertising is one of the most powerful forms of marketing. Since it’s coming from a user (someone in your club) it’s seen as more authentic than a promotional flyer or announcement. By encouraging more word-of-mouth advertising, you can increase club sign ups exponentially!
Give classroom presentations
The key to any successful advertising campaign is to target your ideal audience where they spend their time. In the case of students, you can easily target your “ideal audience” by giving presentations in classrooms.
For example, if you want to start a new after-school sports club, giving a presentation in gym classes will most likely reach students interested in physical activity and sports. If you want to start a math club, present in a math class.
Naturally, make sure you get the teacher’s approval before you interrupt their class… But giving classroom presentations promoting your club is a powerful way to reach the exact students you want to join.
Start a social media page
It’s no surprise that students like to use social media. Studies have shown that 97% of students aged 13 to 17 years old use at least one social media platform regularly! With almost all students using social media, it’s a great way to advertise your after-school club.
Create social media pages for your club on various popular social media platforms and start posting content regularly. If you make your club look fun on social media, other students might see your content and want to sign up.
Social media is also a great way to interact with other users. Students who show an interest in your club can ask questions directly via social media to learn more and (hopefully) sign up.
Offer some freebies
Nobody can resist a freebie! If you really want to get more students to sign up for your after-school club, start offering goodies like snacks, candy, or trinkets like branded pins or bookmarks. Honestly, some students might sign up for your club just for the freebies. And once they join, they’ll see how fun the club really is and start to participate.
You can also set up a reward system to encourage your existing members to bring in new students. For example, they’ll get a better prize for each additional member they bring to the club.
Freebies might add slightly to your club budget, but there’s no better way to get more students to attend!
Make your after-school club the most popular
You know your after-school club is the best. Now it’s time to tell everyone else! When you’re ready to bring more students to your after-school club, start by hanging eye-catching flyers around campus, talk about your club in the morning announcements, encourage word-of-mouth promotions, give a few classroom presentations, start social media pages, and offer some freebies to new and existing members.
With a well-executed advertising campaign, there’s no way students will be able to resist joining your after-school club. It might even become the most popular in school!