Online learning is booming.
Recent studies reveal that the e-learning space will be worth a staggering $325 billion by the end of 2025.
COVID-19 is, of course, one reason that e-learning is now one of the most significantly growing markets worldwide.
But guidelines on social distancing have also helped illustrate what many in the ed-tech space have known for years.
Remote learning has the potential to transform education.
Online platforms can redefine how we learn by making education more accessible, more flexible, and more inclusive by using technology to give everyone access to world-class teachers and resources, regardless of location.
Perhaps you’re planning to play a part in helping solve some of the problems we face in education by developing your online tutoring platform?
If so, the success of your future business will depend largely on your ability to attract high-quality tutors.
Maybe you’re already invested in online learning?
In which case, you probably know how vital tutors are but might need help getting more of them on board.
Managing the effective recruitment and selection of online tutors is crucial to your chances of long-term success.
A lot of your income will depend on schools, students, and parents getting a return on their investment.
At Teach Away, we have decades of experience in recruiting outstanding teachers for schools worldwide.
We’re also the proud creators of Skooli, a trailblazer in e-learning and still one of the most successful online learning platforms.
It’s fair to say, we know a few things about converting potential tutors for your business into signups who will help grow your brand.
And we’d like to share some of what we’ve learned.
Here are our five top tips that will help you hire outstanding educators for your online learning space.
1. Develop a solid social media strategy
Although more than 90 percent of U.S. businesses have a social media presence, many are not using social media effectively.
Simply dumping your content online without a consistent strategy is not going to help you attract signups for your online tutoring platform.
Social media is a gold mine for attracting potential tutors to your platform, and what’s more, you can also market your business at a low cost, which is perfect if you’re just getting started.
Here’s a comprehensive guide that will help you begin to develop, or if necessary, rethink your content strategy.
Below are the three key points that are true for any successful marketing strategy.
1. Know your target audience
Creating clickable content that is relevant to potential prospects is crucial.
We all know about major social media networks like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, but what if you’re looking to attract candidates in a particular niche?
This helpful resource will help you narrow down your target audience.
2. Market yourself as an expert
Solving problems for your audience should be an everyday part of your social media strategy.
This is what will help establish you as an authority in your field.
Figuring out what questions need solving often involves keyword research.
Taking the time to respond to inquiries in your social media feed will also help show off your credentials.
3. Have an active business blog
A lot of companies do not realize how valuable a business blog can be for content marketing purposes.
Businesses that blog regularly enjoy 55 percent more traffic to their websites.
A blog is a great, low-cost way of keeping people updated about your business, and if you post timely, well-crafted content, it will help you convert leads into signups.
2. Create a safe and user-friendly application system
Some online tutoring platforms struggle to hire new tutors because their application system is vague or overly complex.
Visitors to your platform must be able to grasp quickly how your signup process works.
Have a look at our tutor section on Skooli.
You can see that we take potential prospects on a short journey that covers the essentials for getting started as an online tutor.
We’re clear about what qualifications and ID are required to register on our platform.
There’s helpful info on how our onboarding process works and advice on the tools you’ll need to familiarize yourself with before you start tutoring.
It’s all clear and concise.
You’ll also notice that we emphasize safety.
Tutors must pass a criminal record check before they can register on Skooli, with the safety of both our teachers and students being core components of our business model.
Being clear on this is vital.
Unfortunately, some tutoring platforms do not adequately vet their tutors, and if they do, this does not always come across on their website, and they’re losing out on potential signups.
And what if your platform operates as both a job board and a tutoring space?
Posting an unclear and generic job ad that doesn’t convey all the essential aspects of a particular role will not increase your signup rate.
Look at this detailed job ad from our Teach Away job board.
Not only does it look inviting, but it also includes essential information on the hourly rate, the contract length, the number of vacancies, eligibility, how much experience is required, and a personalized job description.
Suppose you are planning to connect a job board to your tutoring platform.
You will need to communicate efficiently with the companies you’re recruiting for and establish strong business ties.
3. Showcase the tools you use on your website.
There is such a thing as too much technology.
If your tutors need to use too many online tools to manage their schedule, teach their classes and communicate with both the platform and their students, they will quickly look elsewhere.
Likewise, if it’s not clear how tutors should conduct their classes on your platform, you’ll have difficulty converting visitors into signups.
Investing in a digital classroom that works seamlessly for both your teachers and your students will help you attract and retain new users.
However, we know full well that fully customizable classroom management software can be expensive, especially for many start-ups.
Fortunately, the surge in demand for online learning has resulted in a whole host of low-cost options that can easily integrate with your existing technology.
Remember, tutors prioritize platforms that make their lives easier.
If you are using a digital classroom, be very clear about the benefits and how it can simplify the job.
4. Establish yourself as a business that can be trusted.
Another great way of attracting new teachers to your tutoring platform is to make it clear that others have benefitted from using your services.
Collecting testimonials that you can place on your site is an effective way of establishing your credentials.
Testimonials are essentially a form of social proof that demonstrate your ability to deliver on the promises you’ve made.
Third-party review sites can also play an important role in establishing trust between your platform and potential signups.
Once enough reviews of your platform have been collected, you might be able to start posting them on your site alongside your testimonials.
As a long-term strategy, it’s also a good idea to develop strategic business partnerships with other companies that operate in the same niche.
This will help you promote your own content on different platforms, with the knock-on effect being access to new markets, increased visibility, and more signups to your services.
Developing valuable strategic relationships takes time and patience.
Here are some valuable tips on how to go about approaching businesses so you can develop mutually beneficial partnerships.
Trust often stems from shared values. That’s why it’s important to emphasize what you stand for.
If you don’t have a mission statement or a clear goal you are striving towards, your business will lack impetus, and you’re going to find it difficult to get potential customers to buy into your vision.
Who wants to connect with a company that has no apparent purpose?
At Teach Away, our goal is to help students experience the power of a great teacher.
It’s the bedrock of our business, and it’s ingrained across all our platforms.
5. Use a transparent and fair payment system.
Potential tutors for your website must understand how they will be compensated and how you will calculate a fair rate for their services.
Some platforms allow teachers to set their own hourly rates, but this method complicates the application process for teachers who then need to waste time deciding what their services are worth.
Remember, the secret to success is streamlining your application process, not adding additional hurdles.
By taking control of your payment method and by being clear about how it works, you’ll free your tutors up to do what they do best.
Plus, you can also create a more equitable payment system that is fairer and more objective.
Qualifications and experience are the best metrics to use when setting your hourly rates for new teachers.
Build a platform your tutors will love.
Qualified tutors who are passionate about teaching will be of enormous benefit to your company.
Not only will they help establish your business as an industry leader, but they can also use their knowledge to enrich the lives of students who will need your tutoring platform to refine the skills they’re learning in school.
By taking the time to market your platform online and by creating a safe space for tutors and students that’s purpose-based and user-friendly, you’ll soon start attracting outstanding teachers to your site.
Learn more about how we’re helping teachers, students and schools overcome the challenges we face today in education.