Grow Your Program
What’s Hot for Fall? 2024 Marketing Trends to Fill Your Classes
Glassblowing is big right now. So is stained glass. Sustainability and shopping local also continue to be popular. As you’re creating your fall classes, it’s good to keep a pulse on consumer marketing trends so you can offer courses that match what learners are interested in now.
Fall will be here before you know it, and students of all ages will be buzzing with “back to school” energy. They’ll be looking to enroll themselves and their kids in art classes, afterschool enrichment activities, and other community education programs. Can your organization capitalize on any of these trends for Fall 2024?
How Consumer Marketing Can Influence Your Class Offerings
Whether we’re talking about Pantone’s color of the year (Peach Fuzz, FYI) or wide-leg jeans replacing skinny jeans, people care about current trends. Knowing what’s trending can work to your advantage when planning and marketing classes. If you know what’s hot and what’s not, you have a better idea of what’s likely to grab students’ attention.
Keeping a pulse on current trends can work to your advantage when planning and marketing classes.
Consumer marketing trends are a good place to start when considering what people care about now. In 2024, consumer trends center around consumer values and needs. People want to do business with brands, including education providers, that value sustainability and community. Luckily, that’s right in many arts nonprofits’ wheelhouse.
Searches related to sustainability are surging
Reduce, reuse, recycle. Environmental impact has become a serious issue for many consumers over the last few years. The youngest generations are most concerned, with 75% of Gen Z shoppers (those born between 1997 and 2010) saying sustainability is more important than brand names. You can see it in the trends toward electric cars and minimal product packaging. Plastic bags are out, DIY projects using repurposed materials are in.
Searches for “small scrap wood projects” are up 1,200%, according to Pinterest Predicts, a report that shares emerging trends for the coming year, based on what people are searching for and pinning on the popular platform. “Zero waste sewing patterns” is up 80%.
Do you offer art classes using upcycled materials? How about sewing T-shirt quilts or making rag rugs? If not, this fall may be a great time to jump on the sustainability trend with some new eco-friendly classes.
Support of local businesses is still trending
The “shop local” trend is still going strong and has even risen post-Covid. It doesn’t just apply to retailers, either: 64% of Americans are actively seeking to support local businesses, according to 2024 data. That includes searching for art classes, noncredit courses, and enrichment activities near them.
Most arts and community education providers focus on providing educational opportunities to people in a specific city, region, or state. Good ways to target your offerings to your local community and help people find your classes is by partnering with a local business and by optimizing your website for “near me” searches.
People are craving connection and better quality of life
The 2024 Consumer Experience Trends Report from experience management company Qualtrics reveals that people are putting a higher value on human connection. Local education providers are uniquely qualified to give students a personalized experience. If you approach your classes as a way to build ongoing relationships with students, they are more likely to come back again and again and make referrals to your program.
Forging personal connections with your students and community is not only a smart business strategy, it also helps your education program stand out from others that treat classes like transactions or simply seats to fill. In general, Americans are overly stressed and feeling disconnected. Your classes may not directly solve these problems, but you can highlight the proven benefits of art, community, and lifelong learning. Highlighting the community aspect of your courses can be especially helpful if you offer creative aging programs. Many seniors are isolated and seeking connection and opportunities to build skills.
Trending Enrichment Classes for Kids
We know that afterschool enrichment programs are very popular in the fall. Art classes are the top after-school activity – especially since more schools are cutting art from the curriculum. So what specific kinds of art classes can you offer this fall that might appeal to kids?
Searches for “drawing classes for kids” are up 250%, according to Google Trends data. “Toddler art classes near me” is up 70%.
Google Trends is a useful tool to get specific, real-time data on what people are searching for online. You can explore what’s trending now, like the latest celebrity news or sports scores, or type in your own word or phrase to see related search terms. For example, a recent search for “art classes” revealed that searches for “drawing classes for kids” are up 250%. “Toddler art classes near me” is up 70%. Those can be clues for classes to add to your course catalog.
Since adults are the ones registering children for classes, you’ll want to keep them in mind with your marketing. We offer some tips in this post: How to Make Art Classes for Kids Appealing to Parents.
For a deeper dive into tools and strategies for finding cultural trends and trends in your community, read our blog post How Cultural Trends Can Help You Create Popular Classes.
Popular Fall Classes for Adults
Good news for arts organizations and makerspaces offering classes that build skills and teach trades: Google Trends data also revealed that among the top trending art classes are glass art classes, digital art classes, stained glass classes, and glassblowing classes.
As we mentioned above, Pinterest Predicts reports that searches for DIY projects using wood scraps and fabric scraps are trending upward. Another popular trend for Gen X and Millennials is “aquatic architecture.” Searches for “small aquarium design,” “turtle terrarium ideas,” and “planted fish bowl” are all growing. If you offer a class on terrariums or succulents, perhaps you can tweak it for fall to jump on this trend.
Other Trends in Continuing or Adult Ed
Of course, for many adults “back to school” means completing a degree, pursuing a job certificate program in preparation for a career change, or enrolling in other types of workforce training.
Interestingly, popular adult and community ed programs follow some of the same consumer trends highlighted above: training programs in sustainable fields like solar power and wind turbines are growing, and many programs are partnering with local businesses to fill regional needs.
Stay Informed of the Latest Marketing Trends
Here at CourseStorm, simplicity is part of our mission. We don’t want you to waste time scouring the internet for current marketing trends. You have more important things to do, like build student relationships and deliver quality courses.
That’s why we keep an eye on what’s working for arts education and other community ed programs, so we can share what you need to know.
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Abigail Green
Abby has overseen content development for higher education degree programs related to education, technology, business, and healthcare. One of her first jobs after college was working with children’s programs for the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. She is an experienced and versatile writer and editor whose work has been published by Johns Hopkins, the University of Baltimore Alumni Magazine, and The Chicago Tribune.