Running a CPR and First-Aid training business is hard work. You’re great at teaching life-saving skills, but finding new students and keeping track of them is overwhelming. The good news? You don’t need expensive software or tech skills to grow your business. In this article, we’ll explore two completely free tools that successful safety instructors use every day: Buffer for social media and HubSpot for managing your contacts.
These tools work like a team. Buffer helps people discover your training classes, while HubSpot helps you turn interested people into paying students. Best of all, you can start using both today without spending a penny.
Buffer: Your Social Media Assistant
Functionality
Think of Buffer as your personal social media assistant. Instead of logging into Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn multiple times a day to post updates, Buffer lets you schedule all your posts at once. You can plan a whole week’s worth of content in just 30 minutes on Sunday night.
Buffer’s free plan lets you connect three social media accounts and schedule up to 10 posts per account. That’s 30 posts ready to go without you lifting a finger. When someone sees your helpful safety tip on Tuesday morning, you might be teaching a class – but your social media is still working for you.
The best part? Buffer shows you exactly when your followers are most active online. Post when they’re scrolling, and more people will see your class announcements and safety tips.
How to Get Going
Getting started with Buffer takes about 10 minutes:
- Sign up at buffer.com using your email or Google account
- Connect your social accounts – Choose three from Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, or even Google Business Profile
- Create your first post – Click “Create Post” and type a simple message like “Did you know CPR can double someone’s chance of survival? Learn how in our next class!”
- Schedule it – Pick a date and time, or let Buffer choose the best time for you
- Add more posts – Build up a library of safety tips, class announcements, and student success stories
PRO TIP: Start by scheduling just three posts for your first week. Once you see how easy it is, you’ll want to plan further ahead.
Examples for Inspiration
Influence Media is a UK marketing agency that manages over 30 social channels for 10+ clients using Buffer. Their secret? They create all their video content in-house, then use Buffer to schedule it across multiple platforms. As founder Luke Thornton says, “Buffer makes business manageable for us. We can manage all posts in one place and it’s easy to use. It’s a real lifesaver.” Read the case study here.
Fortune Magazine has 10-15 editors all posting to social media. Before Buffer, they had posts clustering together with hour-long gaps in between. Now they post every 20 minutes using Buffer’s queue system. Social Media Editor Heather Muse reports: “We’ve definitely noticed an uptick because of the change in post volume.” Their Facebook page grew significantly after implementing Buffer’s scheduling system. Read the case study here.
These examples show that whether you’re a small business or a major publication, Buffer can help you maintain consistent posting. For CPR instructors, this means you can focus on teaching while your social media keeps working to bring in new students.
Quick Tips and Tricks
- The 80/20 Rule: Make 80% of your posts helpful or interesting (safety tips, local health news, success stories). Only 20% should directly promote your classes. People follow accounts that give value, not just sell.
- Batch Your Content: Take photos during every class – students practicing, close-ups of techniques, group shots. Save these in a folder. When you sit down to schedule posts, you’ll have plenty of visuals ready.
- Use Buffer’s AI Assistant: Stuck on what to write? Buffer’s free AI tool can help. Type “CPR class announcement” and it will suggest several captions. Edit them to match your voice.
- Recycle Your Best Posts: That safety tip that got lots of likes three months ago? Schedule it again. New followers haven’t seen it, and others probably forgot.
- Track What Works: Buffer shows which posts get the most engagement. If videos of CPR demonstrations do well, make more videos. If local emergency stories get shared, find more stories.
HubSpot Free CRM: Your Student Management System
Functionality
HubSpot Free CRM is like having a well organized assistant who never forgets a name, never loses a phone number, and always reminds you to follow up. CRM stands for “Customer Relationship Management,” but really it’s just a smart address book for your business.
With HubSpot, you can track every person who asks about your classes. You’ll know who called last week, who needs to renew their certification next month, and which local businesses might want employee training. The free version handles up to 1,000 contacts and lets you send 2,000 emails per month – more than enough for most training businesses.
The magic happens when someone fills out a form on your website. HubSpot automatically adds them to your contact list and can send them a welcome email. No more sticky notes or forgotten follow-ups.
How to Get Going
Setting up HubSpot is straightforward:
- Create your free account at hubspot.com/products/crm
- Import your contacts – Upload that Excel spreadsheet or type them in manually
- Set up your pipeline – Create stages like “Interested,” “Scheduled,” “Completed,” and “Needs Renewal”
- Add your first contact – Include their name, email, phone, and what certification they need
- Create an email template – Write a standard “Thanks for your interest” email you can reuse
Start simple. Don’t try to use every feature at once. Just focus on keeping track of people interested in your classes.
Example for Inspiration
Handled is a home services company that went from zero to 121 locations using HubSpot. They created hundreds of automated workflows to manage their entire customer journey. During the pandemic, they pivoted quickly, setting up a campus moving program for 6,000 students in just a few days using HubSpot. CEO Seth Waite says: “We freed up bandwidth by tying workflows to tasks… which moves customers through our pipeline in an automated way.” Read the Handled case study here.
This service business shows how HubSpot helps track customer journeys and identify your best clients. For CPR instructors, this means knowing which students renew certifications, which companies book repeat training, and which marketing efforts bring in the most valuable students.
Quick Tips and Tricks
- The Magic of Notes: Every time you talk to someone, add a quick note in HubSpot. “Wants Saturday classes,” “Has 3 kids,” “Works at Regional Hospital.” These details help you personalize future conversations.
- Set Up Certification Reminders: Create a custom field for “Certification Expiration Date.” Set up an automated email to go out 30 days before it expires. This one feature can generate steady renewal income.
- Use the Free Meeting Scheduler: Add HubSpot’s meeting link to your email signature. Instead of playing email tag to schedule consultations, people can book directly into your calendar.
- Create Email Templates: Write templates for common situations:
- “Thanks for attending today’s class”
- “Your certification expires soon”
- “We have a class this Saturday”
- Just personalize the name and send. What used to take 10 minutes now takes 10 seconds.
- Track Your Success: HubSpot shows you who opens your emails and clicks your links. If someone opens your class announcement three times, they’re interested. Give them a call.
- Start with Lists: Create simple lists like “Current Students,” “Past Students,” and “Interested in Corporate Training.” As your list grows, you can get more specific.
Making Buffer and HubSpot Work Together
Here’s where the magic happens. Someone sees your Buffer post about CPR saving lives. They click through to your website and fill out a form for more information. HubSpot automatically captures their details and sends them a welcome email. You follow up with a phone call, they book a class, and after they complete it, they go into your “Past Students” list for renewal reminders.
Both tools are free to start. Both are designed for people who aren’t tech experts. And both can transform how you run your training business. Start with one, get comfortable, then add the other. Within a month, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without them.
Remember: these tools don’t replace the amazing work you do teaching life-saving skills. They just make it easier for people to find you and easier for you to stay in touch with them. That means more people learning CPR, more lives potentially saved, and a more successful business for you.
Are you ready to get started? Pick one tool, spend 15 minutes setting it up today, and take the first step toward growing your training business in smarter ways.