You are a martial artist- not a marketer.
But as business owners, we wear a lot of hats.
We know it can be overwhelming if you’re doing it all yourself.
Which is why we want to break down the 3 hacks every school owner needs for Martial Arts Marketing.
1 – “Fortune is in the follow-up.”
Maybe you’ve heard this quote before. If you’re not following up with your leads within five minutes you may be shooting yourself in the foot (check out our blog: The Follow Up Problem for more). The first five minutes is when a lead is at its hottest and if you don’t act quickly you could miss out on the opportunity to get them in for an introductory class.
Following up with your prospects is an essential part of Martial Arts Marketing and overall, growing your academy. It enables you to infuse that human touch, have a conversation about the benefits and features of your programs, and present solutions to any objections or concerns that should arise.
2 – A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words
Whether you do your advertising in-house or enlist the expertise of an agency, this simple fact remains the same: ads with authentic, high-quality images perform better than those with stock images.
At Grow Pro Agency we provide our clients with a beginner-friendly guide that covers:
- Basics they need to be able to provide quality assets
- A recommended shot list
- Tips for framing
- Action shots
- Group photos
- Close-ups
- Staff spotlight
Photo and video assets are necessary for our Growth Professionals to best optimize ad performance for our clients.
We encourage our clients to provide assets as often as they are able (recommended 20-40 images per month). That’s because of something called “image fatigue.” When your prospects repeatedly see the same images in your ads, they become numb to them – they don’t have the same appeal that new fresh images do, which can sabotage results.
Martial Arts is different from other businesses in that it is something that is exciting to see.
It will make marketing for martial arts a little easier and help your business stand out in the crowd.
Film it, snap a few photos during classes!
You can post these on your social media too!
It’s an Art – don’t be afraid to show your skills.
You can tell your prospects why they should join your academy, but why not SHOW them?
Short demonstration videos where you showcase a single move is something can implement to generate massive engagement.
3 – Post, Post & Post Again
Having a strong online presence, increases the size of your audience. This means you will get more eyes on your school and this in turn improves your academy’s potential for new students (because people can’t sign up, if they don’t know you exist).
A simple way to build that online presence is by posting on social media at least 3x a week. The platforms you use should be based on your customer avatar. Once you’ve defined your ideal customer, you can choose the platforms where your client demographic has the highest engagement.
Now there’s the matter of figuring out what you should post. Video footage is often an overlooked resource that can be used as content. You’re not alone if you feel uncomfortable in front of the camera, but video content creates a high level of engagement with your client base and therefore should be regarded as a non-negotiable if you’re looking to grow your business.
Don’t worry, you don’t need to be a videographer to get killer results. Your videos can be raw footage, which just means you don’t have to edit them. Creating video content doesn’t have to be an intimidating project. All you need is a few minutes, a phone, and a script (optional).
Some people find it helpful to practice with another person before hitting record. This is where the script comes in. Run your lines with a friend or a family member. Ask for their constructive feedback – like speaking slower (many people often rush to get everything out when they’re nervous), or dialing up the enthusiasm.
There are also teleprompter apps you can utilize if you prefer to do it alone. A popular style of video content is the “talking head” video. This is where you film yourself selfie style, talking to the camera. These and other authentic styles of video content perform very well on platforms like Tik Tok, Facebook and Instagram. These videos should be around a minute.
We know it can be a struggle to come up with a script each month, that’s why Grow Pro Agency offers our clients monthly video scripts at NO COST.
Facebook and Instagram offer a Live feature. This is a great tool to highlight the exciting things happening at your Martial Arts Academy. Go live when you’re hosting events, or running drills. This helps create a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out), which you can capitalize on to get new students to sign up for your programs. To learn more about using Facebook Live and other tips to increase engagement, check out the MAIA’s Blog: Reaching Your Audience Online. For FREE.
This can be overwhelming if you’re doing it all yourself. Consider Grow Pro Agency your #PartnersInMarketing. We offer Social Media Management services that will help free up more of your time so you can focus on doing what you love – teaching! You can schedule a FREE Marketing Audit with our team where we’ll access your online presence and offer insight to help you overcome obstacles that could be hindering you from accomplishing your goals.
