Prepping your organization for January demand: 8 Proven Strategies for Organization Growth

January is fast approaching, bringing one of the busiest times of the year on Outschool. Families are recharged from the holidays and eager to dive into new learning adventures, making it an opportune moment to capture increased class demand.  Start preparing today to make January your most successful month yet!

A Data-Driven Opportunity

Recent trends from Outschool reveal powerful strategies organizations can use to unlock growth during January’s demand surge and beyond. Over the past months, we’ve worked tirelessly to uncover what drives organizational success. The verdict? Adaptability and a growth mindset are the cornerstones of growth. 

Let’s break down what we found in organization size, highlighting the key actionable steps we uncovered:

Small Organizations (<4 Teachers): Achieved significant month-over-month (MoM) growth by focusing on flexibility, such as introducing new classes, improving class funnels and optimizing listings.

Mid-Sized Organizations (6-15 Teachers): Experienced success by adopting data-driven strategies, expanding teaching teams, and diversifying class formats such as self-paced and ongoing courses.

Large Organizations (>15 Teachers): Streamlined operations by cutting low-performing classes, adding sections for popular ones, and converting ongoing classes to courses, while using innovative marketing to retain learners post-conversion.

While our findings are tailored to specific sizes—small, mid-sized, and large—they also serve as overarching principles for all organizations. Now, let’s dive into how you can set your organization up for sustained success and seize January as an opportunity to grow your business. 

Here are our 8 strategies for organizational growth.

1. Focus on Flexibility and Expansion

Organizations thrive when they stay adaptable, pivot quickly, and embrace experimentation. Even small changes can make a significant impact in preparing for January demand. We found our smaller organizations grew when focusing on expansion with a growth mindset. Here’s how they did it:

Add New Classes: Test niche topics or seasonal themes to attract a diverse range of learners.

Adjust Class Times: Align schedules with your popular booking patterns, such as evenings or weekends.

Refine Listings: Emphasize the educational outcomes of your classes in descriptions to capture attention and drive clicks to purchases.

2. Leverage Data and Scale Strategically

Mid-sized organizations can use their established momentum to scale further. With a proactive approach organizations can identify opportunities for growth solidifying their position in the marketplace. Here’s how:

Hire Additional Teachers: Adding 1-2 teachers helps build capacity to handle more bookings while maintaining quality.

Diversify Offerings: Introduce a new course format or bundle popular classes into a “learning path” for a streamlined, one-stop enrollment option.

Analyze Data: Track data closely and use historical trends to improve class offerings, pricing, and marketing strategies.

3. Balance Capacity with Innovation

Large organizations often need more time for strategic planning. We learned balancing capacity with innovation is crucial for large organizations looking to maintain momentum during peak demand. To stay competitive:

Delegate Administrative Tasks: Free up time for growth-focused initiatives by delegating non-teaching duties.

Make a Marketing Push: Launch a marketing push focused on innovative retention plans to engage and sustain your growing learner base through personalized communication and messaging.

4. Cultivate a Growth Mindset

Across all organization sizes, adaptability and a willingness to experiment are essential for success. To foster a growth mindset:

Host Brainstorming Sessions: Enjoy time together with your teachers to foster a collaborative mindset to generate new ideas and refine teaching stratagies. 

Celebrate Wins: Recognize progress to keep yourself and your team motivated. Organizations that embraced celebrations saw measurable improvements in reviews and parent feedback.

5. Engage to Retain Learners

Retention is just as important as attracting new learners. Retention-focused efforts not only improve learner outcomes but also contribute to long-term organizational growth. To keep families returning:

Enhance Communication: Send personalized welcome emails and updates to build trust. Offer follow-up courses or tutoring sessions to encourage ongoing enrollment.

Innovate your Teaching: Incorporate interactive tools like gamified quizzes, virtual field trips, collaborative projects, and role-playing activities to make online teaching dynamic and engaging.

6. Leverage Marketplace Insights

Understanding what works—and what doesn’t—gives you a competitive edge. Check out Outschool’s Insights page in the Educator Library for the latest enrollment, search, and class request data to grow your teaching business.

7. Monitor Metrics and Iterate

Performance metrics offer invaluable guidance for shaping your January strategy. Regularly reviewing your organization’s data allows you to stay ahead of the competition and respond to shifting trends. Here are the three key factors our research identified as most important:

Identify top-performing classes to replicate or expand.

Refine or remove underperforming offerings.

Adjust pricing, formats, or schedules based on booking patterns.

8. Invest in Your Organization

Finally, view January not just as a short-term opportunity but as a foundation for sustained growth. Dedicating time each week to focus on growth strategies pays off in the long run. According to our research, these are the most popular ways organizations invest in themselves:

Amazing Experience, Everytime: Train teachers to provide exceptional learning experiences, guided by our First Class Five principles for impactful and engaging education.

Begin Marketing Campaigns: Promote your classes more through broadcast messaging and stellar pre- and post-class communication. 

Go Global: Expand your reach by exploring new markets, such as Mexico or East Asia, to connect with a diverse and global learner base.

Conclusion

January’s demand surge offers a valuable opportunity for organizations to expand their reach and grow their business. Regardless of your organization’s size—small, mid-sized, or large—success depends on taking focused, strategic action to position your organization for growth.