I am the owner/director of a limited company offering one-to-one English tutoring to mainly younger people in the UK, China, Hong Kong and the Middle East. My business turns over approximately £70K each year. I’ve been established for over 5 years. I am a Doctor of English educated in the UK.
How my business currently works
Initially, I built the business from a UK based ‘in person’ tutoring model into a 100% online business. This happened pre-pandemic but the move towards and acceptance of online education over the past couple of years has strengthened my business.
Now, I predominantly teach the UK schools English curriculum to students for whom English is not a first language.
My clients tend to fall into one of the following groups. China or Hong-Kong based families:
i. looking/planning to apply to a UK school ii. with children already at a British or international school in their country iii. with children already in a UK school but who need extra support with the UK schools English curriculum. iv. looking for support with English language exams preparation such as IELTS or TOEFL. v. looking for additional English language exposure and practice via tutoring sessions.
These clients are usually disposed to pay fees at the top end of the tutoring market (upwards of 450-500RMB or £50-60 per hour of teaching).
At times over the last 12 months up to 75% of my students or their families have been based in China/Hong Kong. Leads for students in China/HK are generated via agents working in China contacting me through UK tutoring platforms or by word of mouth (parents’ recommendations). However, because my knowledge of Mandarin is limited to a few basic phrases I am unable to reach out and find these kinds of clients myself.
A smaller proportion of my client base comes from the UK through UK tutoring sites such as MyTutor. I teach the full UK schools English curriculum from ages 7-18, 11+, private school entrance exams, undergraduate and postgraduate English. Occasionally I teach IB. My remaining clients are based in the Middle East and prepare for international versions of UK exam board qualifications such as GCSE and A Level.
Why do I want to develop a brand and website?
I would like to generate more leads directly with potential clients myself and expand my business in China (primarily) but potentially also into other overseas markets such as Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Middle East. I plan to use local translators in these markets to locate clients in exchange for a finder’s fee and to direct them to my services. To do this I need a brand and my own online presence. I would like to be less reliant on agents or agencies and create a higher value, more accessible client base through direct rather than commission-based service sales.
I plan to develop my social media presence particularly Facebook and Twitter which are the preferred sites for Chinese and Middle East parents (using VPN in China). The new identity will need to work across these platforms.
Key brand values
Academic and professional excellence - highly experienced and educated to the highest level - there are a lot of young students currently picking up tutoring in the online space - I have many years experience and a PhD. I want to position myself at the very top of this market.
Heritage - play to preconceptions of the English education system being the best through visual look and feel - present a traditional academic look and feel
Goal orientated - I am practised at working with parents and students to establish and meet specific goals
Patient, supportive style - my speciality is helping young people with low confidence to reach their potential through feeling better about their academic achievements and progress
In the Middle East for female students preference is towards female online tutors (with softer accent and no webcam involved in teaching) so targeting the parents of boys might be more fruitful. .
Specific deliverables
A logo that I can utilize across my online presence - website, social media etc A Facebook and Twitter header graphic Source/suggest domain name and build a simple Wordpress-style website that has been SEO-optimised for the international market including:
Landing page About me Testimonials Enquiry form Calendar tool for booking 15 minute intro chat
I’d like to create some simple colourways and a visual toolkit that I can use for my core online presence but also potentially on content publishing platforms too so it would be useful to see how my brand could be adapted.
I will provide all the written content and copy but please suggest royalty-free images.
Budget and timescales
Budget: Please quote for complete project Timescales: I would like to launch my new identity and website in September 2022
Boost Sales with Facebook Marketing Category: Facebook Marketing, Google Plus, Internet Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Twitter Budget: $30 - $250 USD
