Posts Tagged ‘marketing plan’

First, if you haven’t read the manual yet, then read the following article before you start implementing this marketing plan.

“Marketing Basics for Martial Arts School Owners”

What follows is a marketing plan I wrote for July, but it will give you a good idea of how to write your own 5 x 15 plans throughout the year.

Once you read it, it should be painfully obvious that you don’t need a billing or consulting company to do this for you. You can easily come up with a workable, effective marketing plan that is customized to your needs, just by setting aside 30 minutes once a month to do so.

5 x 15 Marketing Plan: July, 20__: Read the rest of this entry »

Prepping For Summer….

You can download this summer kids martial arts ad in multiples sizes and formats in the member's download area.

When summer rolls around, some school owners rejoice while other wait in grim preparation for what is often their worst months of the year.

So what makes the difference? For the most part, it’s planning ahead and adapting to the circumstances.

And, this involves nothing more than making sure you have some extra income generators running over the summer months, and also having some killer summer specials going to attract new students all summer long.

Summer Income Generators

By far, the best summer income generators are summer camps. That’s the good news.

The bad news? They are a ton of work! Even so, without them you may find yourself in dire straits come the end of summer. That’s why I suggest school owners knuckle under and learn to enjoy running summer camps each year.

The key to running successful summer camps is having a proven plan to follow. Planning and organization are key, and will make the difference between making tons of extra cash over the summer or working your fingers to the bone for little extra gain.

If you have no idea how to run a summer camp, I suggest you get my summer camp system and read it through. Then, follow that simple system to success this summer and add several thousand dollars to your bottom line each month to boot. Read the rest of this entry »

The First 30 Make All The Difference

The first 30 students are always the toughest ones to get, but yet that first 30 will be the foundation that your remaining enrollment is built on.

So, it’s crucial that you have a solid marketing strategy for attracting your first 30 students when you open your doors.

For many instructors who are just starting out, getting 30 students may seem like a monumental task. However, just like any other undertaking, if you break it down you’ll find it’s much easier to accomplish.

So, here’s my “quick-start” marketing plan for getting your first 30 students: Read the rest of this entry »

Selling The Intangible Benefits of Martial Arts Training

This month's martial arts marketing materials can be downloaded from the member's download area.

When marketing martial arts classes for children, you should be aware of what motivates parents to spend money on extracurricular activities for their children.

If you believe parents are motivated by the same motivating factors that get children interested in martial arts, you’re way off base.

In fact, parents motivations for enrolling their children in martial arts are often the exact opposite of that of their children.

Let’s examine these motivations in brief to help you better understand how to market your children’s programs to the greatest effect. Read the rest of this entry »

Marketing Martial Arts to Adults

This month's member ads can be found in the member's download area.

Most martial art school owners do a horrible job of marketing to adults… even the ones who offer programs geared toward the adult market.

The fact is, children’s martial arts has dominated the industry for so long, most of the industry has forgotten what it’s like to have a floor full of adults.

This, in turn, has led to instructors being out of touch with what the adult market wants. Further, even those school owners who focus on adult martial arts programs often get it wrong.

That’s because they are also out of touch with what the market wants, but for different reasons. These instructors are often so focused on what their needs and desires are, they forget or completely miss what the vast majority of people are looking for in a martial arts program.

So, the purpose of this month’s marketing tip is to review the basics of marketing martial arts to adults… read on and you might very well find you’ve been missing the mark in your own marketing efforts.

The Basics of Marketing Martial Arts to Adults

Read the rest of this entry »

Getting The Most From Your Referrals

This month's martial arts marketing ads can be found in the member's download area.

Valentine’s Day means a lot of different things to different people. For some, it’s time to start looking for a date for the 14th; for others, it’s time to book reservations for dinner with the significant other or spouse…

But for martial art school owners, it’s time to market your programs using guest pass referral cards.

It’s no secret that kids have to give out Valentine’s Day cards to their friends on Valentine’s Day. They’re in the mood to give stuff away anyway – why not give them a gift to place in their cards as well?

If you’ll look in the member’s download section, you’ll find a professionally designed card template that’s perfect for this purpose. Print them on full color card stock along with your school info, and provide them to parents to use in lieu of buying cards for Valentine’s Day for their kids.

So, now you know how to use those cards to get leads and trials… But how do you convert them and keep them coming back?

Here are some vital tips and tricks to make sure you get the most from your guest pass referrals – and not just during February, but all year long. Read the rest of this entry »

How to Turn Resolutions Into Enrollments

This month's martial arts marketing ads are available in the member's download area.

The New Year is a great time for adult enrollments if you’re a martial art school owner.

The reason? People are making New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, get in shape, and start a regular exercise plan.

Many of these people have tried the big box gyms, workout DVDs, dieting, and other popular ways to lose weight or get in shape in the past, often with mixed results.

That means many people are open to trying something new. Maybe in the past they got bored, lost interest, or needed someone to help them stay motivated to stick with their program.

And, that’s what makes martial arts training the perfect answer for people who want to stay active by doing an activity that will keep their interest.

Your job is to get that marketing message across to local consumers during the month of January. We’ve designed the ad for this month to be in lock-step with the message that martial arts training offers a great workout that is never dull. That means step #1 of marketing fitness in the New Year has already been done for you.

So what’s step number 2?
Read the rest of this entry »

Not Following The Monthly Marketing System To The “T”? Reading The Following May Change Your Mind…

Recently I coached one of our members on setting up a marketing system. Check out this video to see the results of him implementing the system:

Just the other day, Tony posted his final results for the MASAI 30-Day Challenge in the forums:

Well, I hit it and a few over. I’m sitting on 34 this month. This is the crazys month ever. I have got around 36 infos this month. I have had some busy months before but I don’t think any like this. Thanks for your help!

Hmmm… from 3 or 4 enrollments a month to 34 in one month. There must be some amazing secret, right? I bet you’re wondering, what was this mysterious system we implemented?
Read the rest of this entry »

How to Sell Martial Arts Lessons During the Holidays

Member ads for this month can be from the marketing materials download page.

That’s right… Christmas is nearly upon us. And, just as in years past, it always seems to get here too soon and before we’re prepared for it.

Of course, that’s exactly why we’ve been talking about it on the MASAI site for the last three months in our marketing plans.

By now you should have already planned and promoted your Christmas pro shop sale and started advertising your fitness programs (to take advantage of the New Year’s resolution crowd).

Now that those tasks are done, let’s talk about selling martial arts lessons over the holidays. As you’re already aware, most consumers are focused on buying things for the holidays at this time of year; presents, decorations, food for the family gatherings, gas or plane tickets for family trips, and so forth.

So, in order to sell your programs over the holidays, you have to be thinking in “holiday mode”. The idea is to become a part of that holiday spending spree by making your programs something the consumer would want to purchase as part of their normal holiday spending.

In addition, you need to ease the sting of buying a bit for those folks who have most of their disposable income allotted to the above-mentioned holiday expenditures.

How do you do this? Read the rest of this entry »

Being Consistent Will Pay Off In Huge Dividends for Your School’s Success

Just as it took consistency in training to reach an advanced level of skill, it takes consistency in your business activities to achieve the financial success you desire.

How important is consistency in your martial arts business? I believe it is of the utmost importance.

Honestly, this is your financial future we are talking about – how could anything less than consistent daily action toward your goals be acceptable?

Yet, more often than not I find martial arts school owners are highly inconsistent in their management and marketing activities. And, it’s not just their consistency in taking action that is in question; it’s also the type of actions they take.

You see, both are extremely important to your success, because taking the wrong actions consistently can be just as devastating to your business as taking no action at all. You must understand first what the right actions are to take, and then take those actions on a consistent and daily basis to succeed.

Let’s examine what this looks like “in action” so we can have a better understanding of what proper consistent actions are, as well as the sort of impact they can have on your business. Read the rest of this entry »

The Holidays are Coming Up, So We’re Advertising… Fitness?

This month's martial arts marketing ads and fliers can be downloaded in the member's area.

There’s a good reason why we’re marketing fitness this month, and why this month’s ad is designed the way it is.

I know, I know – October to December is when everyone eats a lot of turkey and ham, watches a lot of sports on TV, eats a lot of junk food, is caught up with traveling to see relatives and attending parties, goes off their diet…

Hmmm… are you starting to see the wisdom of positioning your school as a fun place for people to get fit NOW before folks pack on those holiday pounds?

That’s right – by advertising fitness now, not only will you enroll some adults in your classes immediately, you’ll also be “priming the pump” for this January when everyone and their cousin is looking for cool, non-boring ways to keep their New Year resolutions to lose weight and get in shape. Read the rest of this entry »

FREE Lessons?

Members can download the Halloween party invitation and this months ads in the members' download area.

Okay, let’s talk about giving away free lessons for a moment…

I’m not a big fan of FREE lessons, except for adult classes (I always offer the first class free – it’s a great no-pressure way to get busy adults into your school). The thing is, if you give something away for free all the time, it cheapens the perceived value in the potential customer’s eyes.

That’s why I limit guest pass distribution to students and staff (think “scarcity”). This is just my own personal preference; however, time and experience have proven this to be a wise approach.

So why is this month’s ad giving away free lessons? Because, every so often I like to advertise “an offer they can’t refuse.” How many moms are sitting on the fence right now about starting their kids in martial arts, that a few weeks of free lessons won’t convince to take the plunge? A bunch, I’m sure.

And, how much do you think your students will want to tell their friends to come in and try classes, if they can tell them, “It’s free until October 31st?” Who doesn’t want to share a good deal with their friends?

Here’s the thing – free offers are good when they are used properly and in small doses. There’s a good reason why top marketers and copywriters say “free” is the most powerful word in marketing. As long as you don’t let “free” become the overall perception of value for your services, a little bit of “free” every now and again is a good thing.

Now, here’s a tip for how to handle people coming in for their free classes during October:
Read the rest of this entry »

The Prize is for The Person Who Does Things All the Way

In previous articles I discussed the importance of taking the “marketing base” approach to executing your monthly marketing plan. If we apply Pareto’s principle (the so-called “80/20 Rule”) to our marketing, we can assume that 80% of our results will come from 20% of our effort and activities.

Now, all we have to figure out is where to invest that first 20% of our time, money, and effort.

Fortunately for you, I’ve already done all the trial and error for you. So, you don’t need to waste months on end and thousands of dollars to figure out which marketing methods work best. For the present-day business environment, your highest-ROI (return on investment) marketing activities are: Read the rest of this entry »

Current Month’s Marketing Plan

A Few General Notes on Effective Online and Offline Marketing For Martial Arts Schools

It's back-to-school time... do you know where your kids are?

For those of you who weren’t members last month, read the article on Becoming an Expert Marketer so you understand the concepts behind this marketing plan. Pay particular attention to the “Marketing Base” concept, and keep it in mind as you implement this marketing plan.

As a standard goal for your monthly marketing activities, you should be generating at least 25-30 leads a month. If not, you need to first EXPAND your marketing by implementing the marketing plans provided to you on this site each month. And, not just some of it… do all of it. That’s the first step in achieving effective marketing for your school.

Expected Results And Trouble-Shooting Your Marketing… Read the rest of this entry »

Summer Intensive Kids Camps

It seems that school owners in some areas are experiencing difficulties in filling their summer camps this year. Whether this is due to the current economic conditions in those areas, or due to waiting too long to start advertising their camps (I suspect the latter), there’s always a way to salvage these situations to make the best of things.

Back in 2006 at around this time of the year, I was facing a major crisis in my school. Sky-high fuel costs were causing a major budget crunch for most families in my area, and as it turns out our community was one of the first to show signs of the mortgage fallout. Bottom line was, only about half of my after-school karate kids were staying through the summer, and I was facing a major budget crisis of my own if I didn’t make up that income fast.

So, I borrowed an idea from another instructor and decided to hold “Summer Intensive Training Camps” in my school. I posted a description of how this works in the forums last week. Here’s how you do it: Read the rest of this entry »