What Are Your Unique Selling Points as an Online Tutor?
USPs, or Unique Selling Points, help something stand out from everything around it. People look for them when shopping for a car, comparing hotel rooms, and even (surprise!) choosing a language tutor.
When presenting yourself to students, remember to consider the other tutors in the same position as you. Are you a fluent English speaker with lots of teaching experience? That's great, but how many other tutors can say the same thing?
Instead, ask yourself what you have that others may not. If you were a student, would your profile catch your eye?
In this article, we'll provide some tips on things you can do both before and during a lesson to stand out from the pack.
Things to Consider When Identifying UPSs
Profile and Tags
Let's begin with your profile. To give it a unique flair, focus on your specialities and interests. Things like certifications and special training are good to mention, but you don't have to stick to academic skills.
Take advantage of the tag system to highlight your hobbies. Are you a chef? Do you love visiting World Heritage Sites? Do you have every line of dialogue from the Harry Potter movies memorized? Share it! You never know how many students may share your passion and book a lesson with you because of it.
Miscellaneous Points
Aside from special skills and interests, there are even more places to uncover USPs.
Some students may choose tutors because of their easy-to-understand pronunciation. Some may enjoy a sense of humor, while others look for more business-like lessons with less small talk. Even speaking with an uncommon accent can help you to attract students.
In other words, it's not only about fancy qualifications — anything that makes you unique can help you as a tutor. Pay attention to the feedback and compliments you get from your students. What you hear from them may help you to discover USPs you may not have been aware of.
Introductions and Videos
Next up, there's your self-introduction.
It may be tempting to overshare and give details on everything you think students want to hear, but you should resist that urge; simple is usually better. Just like a pop song that stays in your head, aim for an introduction that's punchy and memorable. This also applies to your introductory video.
By the way, make sure both your video and profile picture are updated and accurate. While a refresh every year or so is a good idea, updates are especially important if your appearance has changed significantly from what's on the site.
Basically, ensure students have a clear idea of who they're meeting when booking your lesson. Surprises can be nice, but online lessons usually aren't the best place for them!
Be Consistent
So far we've covered things you can do before a lesson to stand out. Now, let's briefly mention what you can do in the lessons themselves.
Consistency is a powerful tool for attracting regular customers in any industry, and online tutoring is no different. Even if a student has one fantastic lesson with you, it will be hard for them to get excited about regular lessons if the next one is totally different.
Like a popular chain restaurant or your favorite hairstylist, people feel comfortable when they know what to expect. So it's important to conduct each of your lessons with the same amount of energy, focus and professionalism, whether it's the first one of the day or the last.
This is obviously easier said than done, especially for long shifts or double-bookings. Feedback from students, however, tells us this is noticed and very much appreciated.
Wrap-up
Rather than trying to compete directly with every other tutor for attention, a better strategy is to identify your unique traits and highlight them. After all, no one else has the exact same experience, interests, background and perspective that you have.
Combine that unique mixture with a consistent level of quality lessons and you have a strong foundation for success as an online tutor.
If you're curious about ways to become an even more marketable tutor, check out this article for tips.
