Online tutoring is a superb student support solution that can bolster your existing in-person tutoring program or be an effective stand-alone solution.

Getting students to adopt online tutoring, however, can prove more difficult. Many K-12 students are new to online tutoring—they haven't had the chance to experience it before and may be reluctant to dive straight in.

If you want to get your students excited about tutoring, effectively promoting your online tutoring services to your students is key to your program's success.

To help you get some inspiration for developing your promotional campaign, here are a few proven strategies to increase K-12 tutoring motivation and student tutor adoption.

Advertise your online tutoring program on your website

Your website likely already receives a great deal of traffic from students and parents alike. If you want students to adopt online tutoring, this is the ideal medium for promoting vital support services.

Announce the tutoring program on:

• Your homepage
• Your student support services page (if applicable)
• Its own unique page, where students and parents can get a better look at exactly what the program has to offer

Make information about your online tutoring program highly accessible and convenient. Students are more likely to show their interest in the program when they have the chance to learn about it ahead of time.

Promote your online tutoring services on social media

Students are very active on social media platforms. Leverage your social media presence to connect with them where they spend the most time.  

Traditional posts and photo albums

On Facebook, try using traditional posts about the program and photo albums that highlight what it might actually look like to encourage students to try checking out the online services you have to offer.

Use simple, eye-catching images and copy

You want your posts about your online tutoring program to catch the eye and encourage students to check out everything you have to offer. Keep copy short and descriptive, link to your website, and use relevant hashtags to help connect to other information.

Develop a multi-post campaign to share information

Any time you're selling a service, you should assume that potential users will need multiple contacts with your brand to make a decision—and that applies to tutoring, too.

If you want to encourage students to adopt online tutoring, create a campaign that helps walk them through potential options and guides them through the journey to choosing online tutoring.

 You may, for example, offer these posts:

• An announcement
• A deeper dive into details about the program (including several potential posts, with each one highlighting a feature that parents and students want to know about)
• A testimonial, or several testimonials, from students, parents, and teachers
• Reminders ("If you haven't used TutorMe yet, check it out!")

A steady stream of content related to your tutoring program can steadily increase awareness of the options available to your students and encourage them to check it out when they have a genuine need for those services.

Launch an email campaign to market your online tutoring program

An email campaign is a great way to spread the word about your exciting new online tutoring program. Emails are ideal for delivering all the additional details that parents might need to determine whether online tutoring is the right option for their children.

Target high school students and their parents. Students are often the drive behind the decision to get tutoring help, especially if they're excited about tutoring or have a lot of motivation to try out those tutoring options.

Offer an email sequence that fits your target audience's needs

As with your social campaign, you’ll want a logical sequence of emails, such as:

• Your announcement
• More details about the program
• Testimonials
• Reminders

Keep it concise and engaging

While emails are often longer-format communications than social media posts, you still want to keep that information concise. Keep in mind that, on average, recipients will spend just ten seconds reading branded emails. That means you may have limited time to share that critical information with your students and their parents.

Create flyers promoting online tutoring to your students

Flyers are a visually appealing way to increase student awareness of your online tutoring program.

They're suitable for students of all ages, from kindergarten or first grade through high school, and they're a great way to make your program very visible throughout your school.

Distribute the flyers around campus, particularly in areas with high student traffic, like cafeterias and hallways.

Tailor content to make it age-appropriate for students

Copy may need to be simple for younger students, focusing on how TutorMe is user-friendly, filled with knowledgeable tutors, and offers an interactive Lesson Space that makes learning fun.

Expand the copy for older students, focusing on user-friendliness and the convenience of 24/7 availability. You may also want to highlight the excellent digital learning tools available on the platform or mention the vast array of tutoring subjects.  

Use word-of-mouth marketing to increase student awareness

Don't forget the importance of word-of-mouth marketing when promoting tutoring services!

Have a meeting with your faculty where you educate them about the vital features of TutorMe and how it can benefit your students.

Encourage teachers to promote the program in class, during office hours, or other opportunities where they connect with students.

When faculty members buy into your new program, students will be more likely to get excited about it and embrace it.

If you have an existing on-campus tutoring program, you may also want to talk to your current tutors to let them know about the advantages provided by online tutoring. For example, online tutoring is available for extra support when that in-person option might not be available.

Effectively utilizing all your communication channels to promote your online tutoring program is essential to getting your students to adopt these services. With these strategies, you can begin to craft your own targeted promotional campaign.

Upon partnering with TutorMe, all schools and districts are assigned a customer success manager to help them drive usage and adoption strategies.

If you're ready to partner with TutorMe to help your students achieve academic success, contact us today!