Plum’s Free Website Giveaway for Teachers (Plus 9 Tips to Advertise Your Online Tutoring Services)
Written by John Kennedy on August 24, 2020
The summer is coming to a close and many schools are making the decision to go back to in-person learning. Teachers, students, and parents alike are feeling nervous about the return. A new national poll of teachers from NPR/Ipsos revealed that 82% of K-12 teachers are concerned about returning to in-person teaching, and two-thirds would prefer to teach remotely. Yet, the CDC, Trump administration, and most state governments are pushing aggressively to reopen schools and get students back in the classrooms.
For some teachers, coming back to school just isn’t a safe or responsible choice. Those who have children at home and aren’t able to use daycare services because they are either closed or full, those who live with at-risk individuals, and those who are at-risk themselves due to age or medical condition may be feeling like they have no choice but to stay home.
For many, the intuitive pivot is to start offering online tutoring services until they feel it is safe to return to in-person teaching jobs. This can be a scary transition, and uncertainty about their ability to produce a steady income through tutoring has educators caught in a difficult situation.
We understand and support the decision for teachers in these situations to prioritize the health of their loved ones, their communities, and themselves over their jobs.
Plum wants to do our part to help these teachers with their transition to online tutoring. For this reason, we are going to be giving away a free custom website for two K-12 teachers who want to stay at home and offer remote tutoring services this fall!
The websites will:
- Give them a place to show off their credentials
- Allow students/parents to schedule and pay for their tutoring sessions online
- Help them to be found by students/parents searching for tutors online
How to Enter to Win a Free Website from Plum
We will also be announcing this giveaway on our social media channels. In order to enter for a chance to win a free website, all you have to do is leave a comment on one of our social media posts announcing the contest. You can find those posts by clicking the links below:
Plum’s Facebook – Plum’s Instagram – Plum’s LinkedIn
Each time you leave a comment on any of these social accounts, that counts as additional entries. You may submit additional entries by tagging your teacher friends in the comments. Each friend that you tag equals one additional entry, and there is no limit to how many entries you can submit.
The only requirements to enter are:
- You must be a working teacher who has been asked to return to the classroom this fall
- You must have a valid reason to not return to the classroom (not just that you want to skip 2020)
The drawing will be completely random, and we will be announcing the two winners on Monday, August 31.
Plum is excited to help these two lucky teachers continue to educate our youth in a way that is safe for them. While we wish we could provide free marketing services for everyone who is need during the pandemic, what we can do for teachers who don’t win the giveaway is offer some tips on how to start offering tutoring services online!
If you want to start making money as a tutor, but don’t know where to start, read our 9 helpful tips below:
How to Advertise Your Online Tutoring Services
- Advertise locally using professionally-made flyers, direct mail postcards, and business cards.
- Post about your services on your personal social media accounts and encourage friends to share.
- Post about your services in national Facebook groups for parents. There are groups for homeschooling children, groups for parents in your local community, groups for pods, and more!
- Create a Google My Business listing and list your business on other online directories, such as Gumtree.
- Sign up for an online tutoring agency such as Skooli, Wyzant, eTutorWorld, or Tutor.com (note that most tutoring agencies charge a commission on your services, so you should explore your options and find the one that works for you).
- Build a website that shows off your resume and gives your business credibility. Companies like Wix and Squarespace have easy, almost out-of-the-box sites you can set up yourself.
- Hook your online calendar up to your site. Companies like Acuity or Calendly will integrate with your Google calendar.
- Set up a PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, or Cash App for easy payment options.
- Lastly, do NOT undersell yourself; know your worth. If your average hourly came out to $50/hour, charge $75/hour. You are doing a one-on-one lesson now.
Let Us Help You Get Started
While we can’t offer everyone a free website, our marketing specialists are always available to offer free advice. Give us a call to discuss your situation with a marketing expert and find out how we can help you get your online tutoring business started so that you can keep your family safe and still have an income you can rely on.
