20 ESSENTIAL

STRATEGIES
FOR MARTIAL ARTS MARKETING
M arketing your martial arts business is We grouped the strategies into six categories to help you
essential to survive and to grow. Many cover all aspects of marketing:

worry that this means large marketing budgets

• Online
and complicated campaigns. • Communications
• Events
In reality, you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to • Reputation
make a big impact. By selecting the right marketing strategy • Referrals
for your business, you can control your spending and • Promotions
increase your leads.
During the next year, make it a goal to use or to improve at
These 20 effective marketing strategies are proven to least one area in marketing from each category to max out
attract prospects and to engage current students at any your impact while keeping costs low.
time during the year.

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Part I — Online Martial Arts Marketing
1 Website
Your website is your most valuable tool. Ideally, your
website should be a lead-generating machine. If it’s not,
your website may be missing key information. Run through
this quick website checklist to make sure your primary lead
source is in peak condition:
Define your target audience.
Does your website clearly identify the kinds of people you
help? Whether you offer youth martial arts classes, cardio
kickboxing, or women’s self-defense, make it clear on your
website exactly who will benefit from your services.
Why should they join your school?
Tell website visitors about the results they can achieve
by joining your martial arts school. For example, detail
how your youth martial arts class teaches confidence,
leadership, and discipline—not just how to kick and punch.
Provide proof with testimonials.
Make sure to add customer testimonials throughout
your site in order to show how your current customers
view your school. It has more of an impact when a visitor
hears something good coming from someone not directly
working for your school.
Tell them what to do next.
Include a call-to-action on each page of your website that
tells the visitor what you want them to do. Choose one call-
to-action per page—for example, “Start my free trial” or “Try
a free class”—to avoid confusion.
Respond quickly.
Do leads receive an immediate follow-up? Have the
lead form on your website connect to your martial arts
membership software. Integrating the two will ensure
that you never miss a lead and that all leads receive an
automatic confirmation email.
Want help with your website? Contact us for
recommendations on companies that specialize in
building and optimizing martial arts websites.
20 Essential Strategies for
Martial Arts Marketing
2 Blogging
Don’t have a blog? You’re missing out on an online
marketing gem. It’s an effective, low-cost, and essential way
to market your martial arts business. Blog articles have a
crucial personal element that gives you the ability to stand
out in the industry.
What to write about.
With a blog, you speak to two important audiences: new
students and existing members.
Allow yourself to write in a conversational tone with a voice
that is both authentic and personal. It will give readers the
chance to engage with your viewpoints on a particular topic
and generate interest.
Decide on common themes related to the services you
offer to use as blog categories. For example, based on what
your class offers, you may choose Bully Prevention, Health
& Fitness, and Self Defense/Community Safety as your blog
categories.
If you’re unsure where to start, choose a subject that you’re
frequently asked about by prospective members, such as
the benefits of youth martial arts for building confidence
and leadership skills. As you expand your blog, try writing a
series of articles on a single topic to entice visitors to read
more.
Blogging for search results.
Blogging also has a positive effect on search engine
optimization (SEO). Search engines like Google, Bing, and
Yahoo crawl the web for the best answers to the queries
people enter in search bars. When you publish blog articles
related to your school or area of expertise, you build
a reputation with search engines. As you add relevant
articles, search engines become more likely to show your
website to customers searching for topics related to your
school and services.
Search engines love fresh content, so be sure to make
a schedule and publish new articles regularly. Popular
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content also ranks higher in search results than pages
with fewer visits. Publish your blogs on social media and
encourage students to share articles with their friends to
get more people to read your articles.
For more information on blogging, read: How to Use Your
Martial Arts Blog to Get More Leads.
3 Google My Business
Google My Business is a must-have part of your martial arts
marketing strategy for three reasons:
1. Your Google My Business listing may be the first
impression for people in your local community who are
searching for local martial arts schools.
2. These listings often combine search and map results
and usually contain important information like your
business hours, phone number, website, busy hours,
and most importantly, reviews and a star rating of
your business. For example, when someone searches
“martial arts philadelphia” or “martial arts schools near
me”, they see a map of locations along with a list of
businesses. Each business has a star rating based on
customer reviews.
3. It’s 100 percent free to set up and to maintain an
attractive and effective Google My Business listing.
How do you optimize your Google My
Business listing?
First, you need to claim or add your business. Once
claimed, confirm that all your information is correct and
complete. Remember, inaccuracy hurts your rankings. Keep
your listing up-to-date and in line with your website. You
also should respond to any reviews that you see with a
thank you for positive reviews and a concerned response if
20 Essential Strategies for
Martial Arts Marketing
there are any negative reviews. This helps to show that you
are a positive and responsive business.
Google My Business Checklist:
⧠⧠Verify the location and business name
⧠⧠Choose an accurate category
⧠⧠Check your hours, including holidays
⧠⧠Check your phone number
⧠⧠Check your website
⧠⧠Add quality photos of your school
⧠⧠Ask students to review your martial arts school on Google
⧠⧠Don’t set it and forget it; keep your listing up-to-date
4 Facebook
You have a Facebook business page. You have a regular
posting schedule. You share photos and helpful tips for
students. What else can you do to leverage Facebook as
a part of your martial arts marketing strategy? A lot, as it
turns out.
Create your own Facebook Groups for
prospects.
Use Facebook groups to build and discover communities.
Create separate groups to market your class offerings
to specific target audiences: youth martial arts, adult,
self defense, kickboxing, BJJ, etc. Each audience looks for
specific content, which can be difficult to manage from a
single Facebook page.
In your groups, focus on sharing valuable content that
nurtures prospects into members. Try marketing and
measuring different offers or discounts to each audience to
increase your response rate.
Network with your community.
In addition to creating your own groups, join Facebook
groups for business networking, community, local parent
groups, and yard sales groups to interact with potential
students. Focus on sharing how martial arts classes can
solve problems for community members.
In particular, respond to questions or issues in the
discussion, such as bully prevention, personal and family
safety, and fun after-school activities for kids. Go for the
soft-sell by keeping your name in front of your groups eyes
by being an active participant who contributes valuable
information and insights.
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Use Facebook advertising to nurture and
collect leads.
Boosted posts and Facebook ads are also powerful, low-
cost martial arts marketing techniques—especially when
used together. However, knowing when and how to use
these two advertising modes in Facebook is confusing.
Here’s a quick overview of how we recommend using these
features for martial arts marketing:
How to use Boosted Posts:
• Announce new classes: Post a photo and description
of the class. Boost the post to your page’s followers
and their friends. To start, put a small budget—$10 to
$20—toward posts boosted over two to seven days.
• Post a video: Videos naturally have higher engagement
on Facebook, giving you a better bang for your buck
when boosting or creating ads. Share a video of a class,
a technique, a board-breaking event, or a tournament.
• Share a testimonial: Boost a video testimonial or a
photo of your student paired with their quote about
your martial arts school.
How to use Facebook Ads:
• Target website visitors: Every day, people visit your
website without converting into leads. In a Facebook
ad, present an offer to convince these lost leads to
reconsider your martial arts school.
• Target people who’ve watched your videos: If
you’ve boosted a video, you can target the people
who watched at least 25 percent or 50 percent to
serve them a Facebook ad with a free trial offer.
By narrowing your target to the people who’ve
interacted with your video, you increase the chances
20 Essential Strategies for
Martial Arts Marketing
of them responding to your offer—and decrease your
marketing costs.
• Always have a clear call to action: No matter whom
you’re targeting, make sure your Facebook ad has a
clear and compelling call-to-action that tells the viewer
what to do next.
5 Landing Pages
Landing pages are standalone web pages that are created
for a specific marketing or advertising campaign. Let’s
say you want to offer 20 percent off a six-week women’s
self defense program. You want a web page that talks
specifically about this offer, provides details on the classes,
and includes a form for people to sign up. You have one
objective on this page: to sell your six-week program.
The singular focus and simplicity of landing pages makes
them the most effective way to get results from your
advertising and promotional campaigns. You can use
landing pages to collect signups for free or paid trials,
summer camps, workshops, and more. Pair these pages
with Facebook ads or other online advertising to generate
more leads.
Landing pages are not a substitute for a high-performance
website. While your website is the core of your digital
marketing strategy, landing pages complement your online
presence by allowing you to target specific audiences with
solutions tailored to their interests.
There are several software options that make it easy to
create your own landing pages without any coding or
design experience, including online registration platforms
that allow you to process payments for paid trials. Martial
arts website companies also can provide pre-built landing
pages for common campaigns.
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Part II — Marketing Communication

6 Email Marketing customers twice as well as email. Use push notifications to

announce new classes, notify members about emergency
When it comes to lead nurturing and conversion, email
closures, and share special offers.
marketing plays a key role. Email has a big impact in
comparison to its cost. Prospects who get a response in
To stay top of mind, create a weekly schedule for your push
less than an hour have better conversion rates. Remember,
notifications. Create a balance between the notifications
you’re literally racing against the clock—because if you
that aim to engage your members (class reminders, fitness
aren’t reaching your prospects, your competitors will.
tips) and the ones where you focus on selling your services
Automate email marketing to turn leads into members.
(free trials, referral requests).
The competition to convert leads makes it critical for your
website to integrate with your martial arts software. By Boost mobile sales and bookings.
sending a confirmation email immediately after a lead
Mobile schedules and booking tools help prospects and
submits a form, you’ll double your contact rate—for no
new members learn more about what you have to offer.
extra cost.
The convenience of mobile scheduling keeps classes filled
Automated email follow-up doesn’t have to and helps members stay organized.

stop there.
Some martial arts software systems allow you to send a
series of emails to new leads automatically. Tailor each
email series to your leads’ interests to increase your
response rate. Get started quickly with these martial arts
email templates.
Stay in touch with an email newsletter.
Some mobile apps allow you to share virtual coupons and
trial passes. When paired with push notifications and in-app
messaging, these tools can help you effectively convert
prospects into new members.
For more on the value of mobile apps, read: Why Your Gym
Needs a Mobile App

What about leads who never respond? Or people who are

interested in learning about your school but aren’t ready
to sign up? Include an option on your website to subscribe
to your email newsletter. On a monthly or quarterly
basis, send out newsletter content aimed at converting
subscribers into leads and leads to new members.
7 Mobile App
8 Text Messaging
Give leads and members the option to opt in to special
offers, deals, and reminders via text (SMS) messages. Texts
are a highly personal form of communication that get seen
(up to 98% open rate) and boast higher response rates than
email (45% for SMS versus 6% for email).

Most martial arts software providers now offer an
integrated mobile app (like this one from MiGym) that your
school can use to increase member satisfaction, improve
retention, and generate ongoing revenue. When integrated
with your membership software, mobile apps can be an
affordable and easy way to enhance your marketing.
While highly effective, text messaging can backfire when
overused—making you seem pushy and impersonal. Make
sure you have an opt-in list and send SMS messages only
when you have something significant or valuable to offer.

Mobile communication helps you connect.

Push notifications are a direct and powerful communication
tool. A well-timed and relevant message can engage

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Part III — Event Marketing
9 Special Events
Once a month, plan special events to bring new students
to your martial arts school. Invite current students and
encourage them to bring guests. Send a series of emails
about the event and provide printed flyers to every student
and parent. By involving your existing community, you can
limit the cost of promoting your event.
Require students and guests to register for the event and
to sign a liability waiver. Simplify sign ups by using online
event registration software. Be sure to set up an automatic
confirmation email and reminders leading up to the event.
Martial arts event ideas:
• Ninja Warrior Day
• Break a Board Buddy Event
• Empowerment Day
• Sumo Pizza Party
• Laser Saber Action Party
• Cardio Challenge
• Race to the Beach
For more event ideas, check out this essential martial arts
event pick list.
10 Community Events
Events are a great way to engage your community and
expand awareness about your martial arts school. Organize
events such as a back-to-school party or a Halloween
haunted house. Promote these events as community
functions that are open to the public. Create a casual
environment where non-students can get to know you,
your instructors, and other students.
Include a table or booth where you can market your school
and provide literature, but avoid making this the center of
the event. Aim to meet two goals during community events:
1. Book appointments for potential students to take your
introductory program.
20 Essential Strategies for
Martial Arts Marketing
2. Invite people who are not yet ready to book an
appointment to sign up for your email newsletter.
In some cases, you may choose to charge a small admission
fee for community events to cover expenses—particularly if
you provide entertainment, choose an expensive venue, or
offer specialty food and beverage.
11 Open House Events
Open house events give prospective members a low-
pressure opportunity to see your facility and what you offer.
Some people feel intimidated by one-on-one appointments
and prefer to see your martial arts school for the first
time in a group setting. Inviting a lead who has resisted
scheduling a visit to an open house may increase your lead-
to-appointment ratio.
Create a standard structure and plan for your open
house events. Ask top instructors and students to give
demonstrations of classes and skills. Offer inexpensive
health-conscious snacks and refreshments. Build in time
for individual questions and conversations after the
presentation.
Once you’ve established a format, schedule an open house
for each target audience—youth martial arts, women’s self
defense, and kickboxing, for example—to tailor the event to
the needs of each group.
12 Adult-only Classes
Plenty of adults dreamed of doing martial arts as a child
and never had the chance. Seize the opportunity to rekindle
this passion through your martial arts marketing. Create
adult-only classes to build a welcoming community for
older beginners or returning practitioners. Host an adult-
only open house to demonstrate your school’s dedication
to each student’s journey, regardless at what age she or he
begins.
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Part IV — Marketing Your Reputation
13 Vendor Booths
Booths are a great way to market your martial arts business
and establish your reputation in the community. Get
involved with your local Merchant Association or Chamber
of Commerce to learn about opportunities. Reserve booth
space at festivals, fairs, and carnivals. Plan your booth
in advance, and make your booth look attractive with a
custom tablecloth and marketing banner.
Draw people to your booth with prizes, games, and live
demonstrations. Conduct a mini-introduction during which
participants can earn their white belts. Use paper forms or
online booking software to schedule appointments on the
spot. As with all new leads, send a confirmation email or
text message as soon as possible.
14 Seminars
Lay the foundation for your marketing by educating your
community about the value of martial arts. Connect with
local schools and youth organizations to establish your
reputation as a safety and defense professional. Offer anti-
bullying, self-defense, and safety seminars at schools and
community centers.
Example seminar ideas include:
• Bully Defense
• Abduction Avoidance Strategies
• Goals-Setting
• Safety Awareness
• Empowerment and Self Defense
Positioning yourself and your staff as safety experts in
your community builds a knowledge-authority reputation.
Make sure to bring marketing flyers, brochures, business
cards, and any other materials that you can hand out
to attendees. As you establish a rapport with your local
schools, they may refer students to your martial arts school
when your services meet their needs.
20 Essential Strategies for
Martial Arts Marketing
15 Student Groups & PTAs
Establishing a relationship with your local school’s PTA
(Parent-Teacher Association) has multiple marketing
benefits. First, establish relationships with decision-makers
like teachers, principals, and board members. Connect
with active community members and parents who can help
build your reputation. In addition, PTAs often assist with
planning school events, which can give you an “in” when
you’re aiming to book an anti-bullying or empowerment
seminar.
Your school also can plan its own events in coordination
with the PTA. Some of our martial arts school clients have
organized successful PTA fundraisers. One martial arts
school runs a promotion in which they offer a special six-
week program (two classes per week) with a uniform for a
cost of $60.
After covering the cost of the uniforms, the school
donates the rest of the earnings to the PTA. The PTA helps
promote the fundraiser, and the martial arts school has
the opportunity to nurture new students into long-term
programs.
If your school is located near a university and caters to
teen or adult students, try some of the same marketing
techniques with University Student Groups. In these cases,
you’ll coordinate mainly with the group’s advisor and the
group’s student president.
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Part V — Referrals

16 Ongoing Membership Referrals system, a tablet, a bicycle, a punching bag—or other gear,
tech, or toys that will motivate your students.
Because referrals often turn into sales at a higher rate than
other leads, they are an essential part of your martial arts
The result? If only half of your current members suggest
marketing plan. Aim to create a culture of referrals in your
just one referral-turned-new-student each, your school will
school that results in an ongoing stream of new students.
experience significant growth that more than covers your
As a policy, offer an incentive—for example, a $50 gift
investment in the prize.
card—to members who refer a new student to a six-month
program (or another long-term contract).
18 Bring-a-Friend-to-Class Day
Introduce your referral program with a marketing campaign
Host a monthly bring-a-friend day to subtly invite referrals.
that includes email, social media, and printed flyers.
Particularly for children, these events help remove any
Continue to market the program periodically. Remember
anxiety around trying something new. Focus on making
to always thank referrers with a sincere note and to deliver
sure guests enjoy the experience in a way that persuades
their prize promptly.
them to join your martial arts school. The last thing you
want is to scare referrals away by making the class, routine,
Worried about investing in incentives and bonuses? Think
or moves too difficult.
of incentives as a long-term method for your school’s
growth. Implement them strategically within your budget.
At the end of the class day, give guests discount cards that
offer savings on the first few months of membership. Make
17 Referrals Contest sure these cards contain a clear call-to-action that explains
how to claim the discount—in addition to your website,
Outside of your ongoing referrals program, run a fun
social media profiles, and contact details.
referral contest once or twice a year. During a designated
period of your choice (as short as one month or as long as
three months), announce that the member who refers the
most new students will win the prize. Prize ideas include
a free month, free private lessons, the latest video game

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Part VI — Advertising & Promotions

19 Daily Deals Sites As you hone your marketing strategy, you can use deal
sites as a low-cost way to generate leads that are likely to
Groupon, Living Social, and other daily deals sites work
convert into long-term members.
by helping to promote and to sell your classes to a large
market in exchange for a percentage of the sale price.
These sites can be a great way to gain exposure to new 20 Gifts & Holidays
audiences, but they aren’t a good fit for all businesses.
Seasonal and holiday campaigns should be a part of every
martial arts marketing calendar. During gift-giving holidays,
The deal site business model is based around offering
create special class packages that come with gear for new
bulk discounts, which results in low margins for the seller.
students.
For most martial arts schools that have relatively high
operating costs, this means that selling memberships
Customize packages to each of the top gift-giving holidays
through Groupon isn’t sustainable.
and any other celebrations appropriate for your location:

Instead, think of deal sites as playing a lead generating role

• Christmas
in your martial arts marketing plan. Try offering a 20 to 50
• Hanukkah
percent discount on a one-month membership or class
• Kwanzaa
package. Test your offers on different deals site. Each has a
• Mother’s Day
different audience; aim to find the best fit for your martial
• Father’s Day
arts school and classes.
• Valentine’s Day

Once the deal-seeker is in your door, leverage the

For example, offer gift-wrapped uniforms mailed to
opportunity to convert that person to a term membership.
recipients homes for Christmas or Hanukkah. Pair
Review standard pricing, provide a detailed description
women’s self-defense classes with duffel bags for Mother’s
of membership benefits, and answer all questions to
Day. Promote your gift packages to local parents and
demonstrate the value of a long-term relationship with
grandparents through email, Facebook ads, and flyers at
your martial arts school.
local businesses.

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Put your marketing strategy into action.
K nowing which strategies are essential to
your success will help you stay focused
when it’s time to implement your marketing
plan. For each channel or campaign, make sure
to detail what’s needed to properly execute the
idea. Determine who is responsible, schedule
important deadlines, and set goals that you’ll use
to measure the success of the tactic.
Choosing the right technology.
Technology plays a critical role in the execution of your
marketing strategy. From your website to email automation
to event registration, the tool you choose can determine
both the quantity and quality of your marketing tactics.
Marketing technology checklist:
• Easy to use
• Integrates with your business management software
• Offers automations or templates to save time
• Delivers high value for the price based on the
estimated increased revenue or cost savings
• Support is readily available
20 Essential Strategies for
Martial Arts Marketing
Measurement, testing, & creativity:
the keys to success.
All martial arts businesses are unique. Optimizing your
marketing strategy means adjusting your plan periodically
to meet the needs of your members and business. Rather
than feeling pressured to get it right the first time around,
the most innovative business owners test their ideas
continuously to create a process that’s specific to them.
Before trying a new tactic, determine how you will measure
its success. Build reports so you always know how your
marketing is performing. Change or eliminate campaigns
that don’t meet your goals so you can replace them with
new ideas. Ultimately, allowing yourself to try new ideas
(even the ones that fail) will create the best results for your
business.
Member Solutions martial arts management software can
help power your marketing strategy. Our complete solution
includes email automation, SMS messaging, website
integration, lead forms, and a mobile app to help grow your
business.
Schedule your demo at membersolutions.com
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