How to Keep Your Martial Arts School Open During Tough Economic Times

Welcome Martial Arts School Owners! Start here to learn how this site can help you grow your martial arts school. To receive updates to my blog for martial arts studio owners, simply subscribe to my RSS feed or my email updates to learn how to attract more students to your studio! -- Ryan Wheaton

In any market, there are three things every martial arts school owner focuses on:

1. Keeping existing students
2. Attracting new students
3. Making a profit

However, in tough economic times where gas prices, food, and utilities are going up, it becomes increasingly difficult to retain and attract new martial arts students and make a profit. Students and potential students alike are struggling with what to keep in their budget and what to cut out and this is making a lot of martial arts school owners nervous.

While many martial arts schools are still prospering, smaller martial arts schools are starting to feel the pinch and are either just breaking even or are now losing money.

The hard reality is that given the choices between martial arts lessons and having money in their checking account, martial arts will lose virtually every time. Why? Because, to many, martial arts lessons are an extra curricular activity that usually comes at a premium.

To help, here are 10 marketing ideas that can help attract more students to help keep your doors open.

10 Ways to Attract New Students in Tough Economic Times:

1. List your martial arts school on free local directories. If you don’t have a website, this is a great way to get your information on the internet.
   
2. Work on your onsite search engine optimization
   
3. Work on your offsite search engine optimization
4. Make it easy for people to compare you to your competitors.
5. Get testimonials that can help influence new students
6. Use a call to action on all marketing materials
   
7. Make an offer they can’t refuse
8. Use your frequently asked questions as a sales tool
9. Develop a unique selling proposition that can help you stand out
   
10. Make your website about your prospects, not about you

6 Bonus Marketing Ideas

1. Develop co-op marketing efforts with surrounding businesses. One idea is to swap coupons and cross promote each other’s businesses.
2. Develop a “neighbors only” promotion for those who live or work near your studio. People can walk or ride their bike rather than drive to your classes.
3. Run classes outside to attract new eyeballs. Have fliers or your business card ready to give interested prospects.
4. Run a special promotion for carpoolers.”Save Gas. Save the Environment. Save on Lessons!”
5. Write a press release about the promotion mentioned above and get it in the hands of the media. You might end up on the local news.
6. Start a pay per click online marketing campaign on Google AdWords and geo target your city and surrounding communities. Link it to an offer page on your site that encourages visitors to give you their name and contact info in exchange for the offer. (More on this topic in the coming weeks).

Obviously, you should cut back on your overhead and expenses as much as you can, consider downsizing the size of your studio, or perhaps start doing more yourself to help cut back expenses on payroll. However, that’s not all it’s likely going to take to help right your ship. You have to get really, really good at marketing your school and providing unbelievable value.

What are you doing to help attract new students in this crappy economy? Share your insights in the form of a comment below!

Related Posts:

• Marketing Your Karate School Isn’t Easy