I guess Groupon was right.
As the first Groupon deal comes to a close on December 6 (that's when the first six months coupon runs out), I'm seeing a marked increase in people enrolling in a Photo 101 class. Even so, I can't help but notice how many people still have not signed up for class! Groupon mentioned that I should see a lot of people sign up for classes right in the beginning, then a lull will happen in the middle months and just before the end of the coupon's time, a bunch of activity will happen again.
Still, I have to wonder how many people will simply let their coupon expire and never take the class. That's too bad because I really want everyone who has purchased a coupon to come in and take the class!
While the weekend classes are all filling up to the max, the weekday evening classes are still relatively sparse with students. Plenty of space for people to take the class! They just need to come in during the weekday evenings!
The Photography Boot Camp deal that ran on Amazonlocal.com also has a lot of people who have not yet redeemed their coupons. They have until sometime in March 2012 to take a class, so perhaps these student are doing a similar thing and just waiting for the expiration date.
According to both companies, a certain number of people will never redeem their coupons. I won't divulge their statistics, but it's a lot of people. I just have to wonder why someone would spend money and not use their coupons? I know I wouldn't want to do that!
Still, I'm grateful to those who have come to class and have told me that they have benefited from taking the class. A decent number of my students have also signed up for post production classes from Balanced Exposure. I'm so happy that these students have decided to further their photography education beyond just the first class. Many more have also told me that they plan to take my
DSLR ADVANCED class in 2012 too so that they can learn about the other features of their camera! That's a nice gauge for me to see if I'm doing a good job teaching. If someone is already telling me they are planning to come back, I must be doing something right!
Besides taking the class themselves, I've had a number of students recommend the class to their friends and relatives. These people simply buy the deal directly through Balanced Exposure. This has helped a lot to keep me in business! Thank you all for these referrals!
I shared this information with Groupon and Amazonlocal and they have told me that I'm doing a lot better in getting return business than some of their other advertisers. Many times, people use their coupons and never go back again. But in the case of Balanced Exposure, the return rate is well above the average for coupon company deals.
Because of this, Balanced Exposure will continue to work with companies like Groupon, Amazonlocal and LivingSocial to offer deals to photographers looking to learn about their cameras.
Thanks to everyone for their continued support of Balanced Exposure!
