4 Tactics to Finish The 4th Quarter Strong

During the final quarter of the year it’s natural to reflect back on all that you’ve accomplished and all the things there’s still time to complete. In this blog, you’re going to learn 4 powerful tactics that will help you finish out the year strong, so you can go into 2023 with confidence about where your academy is headed.

The growth professionals affectionately refer to the 4th quarter as separation season. It’s the time of year that sets the good school owners apart from the GREAT ones. It’s also the time when a lot of us begin to lose steam toward the pursuit of our goals.

How we finish the 4th quarter often sets the precedence for how we begin the 1st quarter of the new year, so it’s essential to have a plan of action that will give you the confidence to set BIG goals moving into 2023. 

1. Leverage the Holiday Season

If you want to finish the 4th quarter strong, make sure you are leveraging the holidays in your organic posting (check out our free webinar that shows you how to get organic leads). Thanksgiving, Veterans Day, Christmas, and New Year’s provide opportunities to engage with your audience through social media.

It can be hard to think of what to post on social media, so here are a few ideas of how you can use the holidays to your advantage when it comes to creating content (the content engine machine) and using social media engagement as a means to connect with your audience.

Ask a question with a clear call to action (CTA):
A common mistake people make when making marketing efforts for their school is forgetting to have a clear call to action. A call to action is the thing you want prospects to do, when they see your marketing.

– Send us a DM to get more information
– Leave a comment below
– Click the link to enter your details and one of our team members will give you a call

Don’t make the mistake of using more than one CTA in a post. This is another mistake you want to avoid because if people are confused about what you want them to do – they’re less likely to take any action. Here are a few examples of simple, yet effective CTAs you can use to get more engagement:

Take a poll:
Polls encourage engagement and can provide valuable feedback. This is a fun way to learn more about the people that are interacting with your brand and what they want so you can think of new ways to target them with your marketing. As a school owner, you can take the opportunity to build rapport with your audience via the comments.

This is also a great strategy for widening your net because this form of content doesn’t have to deal directly with your brand/business, it opens you up to people that might not otherwise engage with your content on social media. Increasing your reach allows more people to see you – we call this brand awareness and this is a necessary top-of-funnel strategy (for future buyers).

Here are some examples of questions you can ask in polls in order to increase engagement:
– What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish?
– What is your favorite Christmas movie?
– What is one resolution you are committing to in the new year?

Here’s a quick video that will walk you through how to create a poll on Facebook and Instagram.  

Post a picture:
People are drawn to images and videos – they GRAB your attention. Visuals allow you to paint a picture of what your school is like. Visual aids can also help you tell a story – for example – the story of how you came to open your martial arts school, or the story of a student’s journey from their intro class through various belt rankings, to becoming an assistant instructor. These stories help prospects picture themselves participating in your programs and get them excited about getting started.

With Grow Pro’s photo guide, we show you how to take quality images and videos of your school. These assets are valuable in ads, and organic posting as well. Don’t worry about having professional photography gear or fancy editing software, we make it easy – all you need is a smartphone and our Photo Guide.

Here are the key elements that will help tell a story and entice new students to join your academy:
– Your classes
– Events
– Instructors
– Of your facility
– Family-friendly memes/graphics

For a lot of school owners, it is difficult to find the time to post regularly on Facebook, Instagram, and Google Business Profile. Not to mention – sending out database reactivation emails to your list.

Let the Growth Professionals handle it for you, with our Social Media Management Add-On program. If you’re ready to level up your online presence so you can finish the 4th Quarter Strong – book a FREE Marketing Audit with our team. You’ll get a personalized assessment of your school’s organic presence, and action steps to help you improve so you can continue to grow your audience.

2. Get Involved In Your Community

Another important tactic to implement into your playbook is using the holiday season to get more people into your academy through events you host or attend within your community (which can help grow awareness).

In-house Events
These are essential. It gives potential members the opportunity to see your school and for you to highlight the elements that set you apart from the other academies in your area (How Your Unique Selling Proposition Can Help Your Revenue Climb).

These events also provide schools with the opportunity to do what they do best – train, empower and encourage their students in a fun and healthy environment where they will learn many valuable life skills along the way.

Attending a Christmas party hosted at your academy may be the perfect way to get those who might be intimidated by the idea of walking into a martial arts school – to take the leap. It could also get your name in front of a new audience that your school even thought to target – like single moms.

Community Events
If you want to finish the 4th quarter strong, start by being a strong presence within your community. Research local events and see how your talents can be used to help others. There are plenty of events geared toward people in your area, looking for activities for their children, things to do around town, and new clubs to join.

A school owner is the perfect person to convey the positive impact martial arts can have on those who practice them. Get face time with the people within your community, answer their questions and address their pain points.




During Christmas and Thanksgiving, there are a massive number of food and gift drives. Consider being a sponsor for local fundraisers by volunteering with your team to provide meals to those in need. These acts of service will grow your school’s awareness within the community and help to further establish the positive impact and reputation of your academy.

These are just a few ways you can demonstrate the very traits martial arts helps to cultivate. Qualities held in high esteem in the martial arts community like – integrity, leadership and respect have a ripple effect that benefits not only the individual but the community at large.

3. New Year – New Habits

We’re all familiar with the tradition of setting New Year’s Resolutions

But why wait for the new year to begin making the changes that are going to have a lasting impact on our lives? The ones that affect some of the most important things in our lives like our health, mental well-being, and longevity.

The first habit that acts as a prerequisite for any lasting change is establishing the habit of showing up. Model this by encouraging your audience to get a jump start on those resolutions.

At Grow Pro Agency we use the SMART method of goal setting. It helps you create actionable steps you can use for goals big or small. Click here to learn more about how to set SMART goals for you and your team. 

If you want to provide extra encouragement and support to those willing to take action, why not do some with some competition?

Here are some ideas you can use as a jumping-off point:

The Health Hero –
Have each participant put their fitness goal(s) in writing. They are making an agreement to fulfill the goal(s) within a specified amount of time (the month of November, within 30 days, by the end of the year). The winner receives a prize of your choosing.

Highest Attendance –
The student that attends the most classes within a specified amount of time wins a prize or receives a special discount for future programs.

Bring A Buddy –
The student with the most referrals, or that can bring in the most people in a specified period of time, wins a prize of your choosing.

Fundraiser Rockstar –
The member that raises the most money for a predetermined cause, wins a prize.

The Goal Crusher –
The school creates a selection of goals for members to choose from. Those that fulfill their goal within the specified time period, win a prize.

4. Review Your KPIs

KPIs are your key performance indicators – and they are the numbers that tell you how well your martial arts school is doing. Like Cris always says: “math is the path” and you must make data-driven decisions if you want to operate a successful business.

Here are the 3 R’s to keep in mind to give your school an edge:

Review – Do you know the KPIs for your school? If not, this webinar can help you to Set up Your KPI Dashboard.

Let’s meet back here when you’re up to speed…