Owners>Marketing>What is marketing

↩ Back

What is marketing

Intro

Marketing is telling the public who you are, what you have to offer, and trying to persuade them to try your school. All marketing techniques are the result of someone's innovative and imaginative thinking, so do not limit yourself to the suggestions made here. Be creative and original so you will be remembered.

Regardless of the business, there are some basic marketing principles with which you should at least be familiar. You should have already learned a great deal about who your market is from your early research. Use this information to attract new students from your target market.

It's tougher for the martial arts

Advertising for the martial arts, or any other market, depends on who you are trying to reach. A martial arts business contains elements that work well for advertising, but some people have a certain unexplained uneasiness about the martial arts. One way to help them overcome this fear is to employ marketing techniques that a potential customer is already familiar with, as opposed to something unfamiliar such as demonstrations of breaking or knife fighting.

Marketing martial arts may be tricky; you must overcome a large degree of stereotyping gained from the media. People tend to associate credibility with quality advertising, so the better the quality of your promotions and marketing attempts, the better your chances of successfully attracting new students.

What does your school offer

Don't think of yourself as just a school that teaches a martial art. Think of yourself as a business that has a product to sell. Ask yourself, “What makes my school unique? Ask yourself, “How is my school different from all the other martial art schools in my area, other than teaching a different martial art style?" Ask yourself. “What can I offer that my competitors cannot offer?” Maybe it is a better price, more expertise, a babysitting service, convenience to major roads, or maybe because you specialize in teaching children. Once you have established your uniqueness, use direct and indirect marketing to ensure your target audience knows about your uniqueness.

Develop a marketing strategy

Your school may be the best in town, but that will not matter if no one knows about it. You have to make people aware of what you have to offer. To get the most for your marketing dollars, nail down these variables.

• Who are your customers? The key to picking the right place to publicize is clearly identifying your target audience. To find out more about your potential clientele, see if any industry trade groups have market research on typical customers, including their demographic profile, behavior, and media preferences. Also take a look at your competition's ads, for example,  if they are all local that means the cus¬tomers are too, so you need not spend a fortune on a broadcast TV spot.
• Where do they get their information? Research for the best platform to reach your customers, such as print, radio, TV, or online, and the specific publications, stations, or websites those customers are likely to use. Make a list of the top options; then call the relevant ad departments and ask for media kits, which should list demographic info on their audience. As a shortcut, simply advertise in the same places as your competitors. Just be sure to highlight your business' uniqueness; otherwise, you will just appear one of the bunch.
• What is your budget? The answer will help narrow your options. Even if you have a tight budget, there are ways to reach your buyer. Give existing clients a discount off a future purchase if they refer other customers. Alternatively, partner with businesses that offer complementary services and share advertising costs.
  
  A small martial art school will not have the budget for a professional marketing campaign, which means it will have to do its own marketing. There are ways to attract more customers without spending a lot of money.

↩ Back