How to Create the Perfect Online Tutor Profile
When you think of creating an online tutor profile, what comes first to your mind? LinkedIn, Craigslist, online job portals, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter? Right, but why is it so important to have your tutor profile out there on the internet?
Well, the internet is exploding, if you don’t have an online presence, you’re practically unreachable for your target market. There are, after all, 5 billion Google searches every day! Check out the facts now to know more.
Tutoring is – a passion that must be galvanized with business acumen. The starting point of any successful business today is a great, searchable, brief yet informative and engaging profile.
Also read: Make Money as a Private Tutor: Here’s How!
But before you start, make sure you clearly know your value proposition as a private tutor:
- What subject(s) are you going to teach?
- What classes are you going to teach? For example, complete high school or students from only the 9th and 10th grade.
- What will be your pricing – for tutoring at your centre, at the student’s home etc.?
- What will be your unique selling point – structured test series, printed handouts etc.?
Here we are, with a simple 7-point checklist to help you build the most perfect and comprehensive online tutor profile:
1. Prepare to be present everywhere: It’s not just Craigslist or LinkedIn anymore!
Today people look up for tutors on Craigslist and also on the local online classifieds. They surprisingly also lookout for good tutors on social media.
Being present on all popular platforms can be a daunting task. But, expanding your presence on social media and keeping the messaging uniform brings you more customers.
For example, research states that today 70% of YouTube viewers watch videos for “help with a problem” they’re having in their hobby, studies, or job. Presence on YouTube with tutorials or demo lectures or even sample mini-tests and solutions can help with building credibility.
So be on Facebook with a business page, on Instagram with interactive subject-related facts posts and on YouTube too!
2. Profile Picture: Take it seriously!
Children and parents are often quick to judge a tutor by their picture. Your profile picture must send out friendly yet professional vibes. You must look like a person who is confident about the subject but will not be angry or grumpy.
Here are a few things to make your profile picture stand out:
- Wear bright colours – children and their parents won’t like an all-black or an all-white shirt! Send out the fun vibe instead of the lawyer or doctor like vibe. But avoid wearing sequins or any heavily embellished garments
- Go easy on the prints – wearing solid or colour-blocked patterns often gives out a professional vibe
- Smile – a smile is what will make you look friendly and approachable. Don’t spread out all the teeth but try to smile in your most warm way. A smiling face is much more attractive than a deadpan face
- Choose a simple background – keep the picture background either white or grey. Go easy on the background colors. Avoid taking pictures with a garden or a busy shopping street or a restaurant in the background. At times, they can make you look frivolous.
3. Portfolio and resume: Be crisp yet comprehensive
A good resume is important to layout your credentials and qualifications in detail. But pay attention to the amount of detail.
For example, your resume must include:
- Your full name
- Subject(s) of expertise
- Details of professional courses (in ONLY the subject of expertise, rest everything is an unsolicited distraction)
- Professional experience as a private tutor – where and for how many years (or months) have you taught as a private tutor
- Awards and accolades – related to the subject of prowess (any key good results, SAT scores of students tutored can come in here)
- Professional experience in general (apart from tutoring, if applicable) – without too much detail
Anything beyond this must be covered in 4-5 lines at the most. These are the only details that students and their parents would be interested in. Rest all, will be dismissed as faff and will distract from your key achievements.
4. Pitch Smart: Make your mark in the video world
For the parents finding the right tutor is like finding a needle in the haystack. You can stand out by uploading an introductory video, using lots of tags and doing your SEO right.
Today’s world is a video world! Videos are one compelling way to build engagement and augment your business’s bottom line. A Forbes article states that ‘including a video on a landing page can increase conversion rates by 80% ‘.
Here’s how you can create a quick, effective video for your perfect online tutor profile:
- Keep your video short – an introduction should be only 40-60 seconds long
- Use cards or pictures – placement of informative cards or your social media handles can help you do more than just talking through the video
- Use multiple videos and transition features – don’t speak through a long video. Try to create very short clips that can transition from one to another
- Use interactive banners, tags, stickers – students love them, it will make you look more interesting and your pitch more friendly
Also read: The 5 Most Important Qualities of An Effective Tutor
5. Pin Call to Action Buttons – make contacting you easier!
Make it easy for your prospective clients to contact you. They should not have to scroll through a long page to find your email address. Create clickable links, call-to-action-buttons, phone call widgets, etc. if possible.
At least have your work phone number and e-mail address written right on the top section of your profile. Make sure that you respond to messages sent on online portals in time. Sometimes many of the prospects end up not being contacted in time because tutors tend to ignore direct messages. Set up alerts for all your social media inboxes.
6. Provide relevant links – reviews and sample lessons
Get yourself reviewed on websites like Yelp.com and link them to your online tutor profile. Linking your profile with reviews and demo videos is the step that makes it the perfect profile.
It should not be just one page of content and credentials. It should rather be a whole universe that a student can explore. If you have a blog or a website or a channel, make sure all the links are on your profile body.
Not linking everything can lead to lesser conversion rates. Those who in-link, are always at a greater probability of convincing a prospect of the seriousness of their work. This one thing can help you stand out as a thorough professional. Coming across as a thorough professional is important in tutoring because it is often viewed as a side hobby.
7. Post and participate regularly – engage your viewers
Only being present on social media is not enough. You must also be regular in posting content and in engaging with your audience. A dormant social media or an un-updated online profile can make you look out-of-business or casual.
Aggressively posting, on the other hand, can make you look too desperate as well. Strike the balance and make a post-timetable. For example, you can stick to a schedule of uploading a video tutorial every Wednesday and an Instagram Q&A every Saturday.
Regularity is what drives engagement and engagement is what drives success in most businesses today. Tutoring is no exception. There are many tutoring centres that have made it big just by being regular in posting on YouTube.
Now if you’re already planning to set up the perfect online tutor profile, here is the next step: Explore Talentnook to find tutoring opportunities with students in your vicinity. Talentnook connects students, parents, and tutors to bring in efficiency and ease. Visit us here to register as a tutor
