Martial Arts Marketing

[Minghequan]

Does anyone have any martial arts marketing items they would like to share?

I have a program called "Assistant Instructor" which I am willing to share. I'm interested in ready made martial arts flyers and adverts.

Anyone?

[Shaolin]

(Business to business no offense intended). Start from the student's perspective. A brand new, never heard of Bruce Lee, student's perspective. For example, the web site looks clean and very professional, but I'd hesitate to call for a few reasons.

First, the name and logo. It's got to tell what you sell and from a marketing stand point I'm led to believe you're an environmental protection group geared towards saving White Cranes from extinction.

Next, your target. Who do you want as students. The site states you are private school with no need to be concerned with running costs and commercial considerations (P.S. "consideration" and variations of were used twice in the same sentence. Tiss, tiss.) which tells me you don't want or need my money, which can be translated to mean you don't need me. So why should I sign up with you?

Membership: I completely understand from the instructor vantage that you want quality students. This entire section turns me off. It makes you sound holier than thou.

Pictures: Wonderful pictures of the bird itself but none of any practitioners. Again I'm led to believe you're a crane rescue agency.

I could go on and on but I'm not trying to insult you or your school just critiquing.

In short I'm left feeling the school would fill my head with a bunch of fantasy and esoteric beliefs. But that's my opinion. Peace and Love.

[Shaolinlueb]

remember advertising is not marketing

[David Jamieson]

remember advertising is not marketing

qft.

marketing is more about message saturation, advertising is more about targeting a demograph.

[houstonwriter.c]

The best thing you can do for marketing any of your programs is to understand the lifestyles of the top three types of students you want--and then figure out how you can plug into their goals and values.

Remember, walk in mile in someone's shoes and you'll be a mile away--and have their shoes. And who can't use an extra pair of shoes?

William Dylan Powell

[David Jamieson]

The point about being clear about what you do is crucial here.

I think pretty much all of Shaolins' points are valid.

[BoulderDawg]

I looked at that website and to be honest that would drive me away. If I was a new student there is no way I would even consider that school, institute or whatever it is. A "research" institute?

When I first started MA I had no idea what any form was. If I had seen this website back then "White Crane" would have meant nothing to me. The only niche that I see here is for people who have been practing for years that might want another prespective on the form.

In any case the website says it's a very elitist, private closed school.....I'm wondering have they would even have a website that was open to the general public.

[Lama Pai Sifu]

Does anyone have any martial arts marketing items they would like to share?

I have a program called "Assistant Instructor" which I am willing to share. I'm interested in ready made martial arts flyers and adverts.

Anyone?

I must say, that the site is very 'interesting'. Not sure what it is really trying to accomplish, but I don't think the idea of 'enrolling new students' is one of them.

[xcakid]

There are some valid comments here based on the traffic at my sifu's school. We get about 80-90% of our sign ups from internet search engine and them eventually looking at our site. The other 10-15% is due to drive by, other by referral. We are lucky in that we are located in a strip mall that has a major grocery store, dry cleaners, and 3 restaurants.

My sifu hardly does any marketing aside from paying so that we always comes up within the top 3 if you google any keyword regarding martials within the DFW area. Our school had 50+ students within its firt 9-12mos of opening. A little less than 2yrs later we now have close to 100 students. My sifu is actually trying to taper off since we may not have enough instructors to support the growth. (Our tuition includes groups and 4 .5hrs private a month)

Sign ups seem to accelerate after we put up some videos linked to youtube on our school site. So there is some merit in having pics and videos up of students.

We've never handed out flyers, aside from the few demos we've done. We've never gone on TV or any type of mass mailings. Growth has been steady. We actually raised tuition at the beginning of the year, and we did not lose a person.

[David Jamieson]

who does your web analysis xcakid?

[Tainan Mantis]

Hi xcakid,
Glad to hear all the god news from your school.
Could you please put up a link to your school's website?

Also, the youtube clips?

Kevin Brazier

www.plumflowermantisboxing.com

[xcakid]

who does your web analysis xcakid?

My sifu has an old student of his that does web design and such. I believe that is who does. I don't get much into that part. I know that when we sign people up there is an area on the enrollmen form where we ask how they heard of us. We also ask folks when they come in to have a looksee. That is how I came up with the percentages. As far as the number of hits, how it works on search engine, etc. Not a clue.

Hi xcakid,
Glad to hear all the god news from your school.
Could you please put up a link to your school's website?

Also, the youtube clips?

Kevin Brazier

www.plumflowermantisboxing.com

Here ya go: Shaolin Wu Yi Institute
If you click on the video page it will take you to the schools youtube site.

[xcakid]

who does your web analysis xcakid?

Sifu uses this also:
http://www.leadmaverick.com/