How to DOMINATE - online (and off) in 2023 for Martial Arts and Fitness Businesses.

This is a long one - but it's filled with info - take 6 minutes to read it. It will help you grow greatly. It is over 13 years of experience - direct from my - fingertips. :)

It's 2023. A few myths spread in this industry - that is counterintuitive - and I think dangerous to your overall business and marketing health.

Hopefully, in this message, I can dispel some of them.

Certain companies - are pushing the agenda that - you don't need a website anymore. All you need is landing pages.

False.

Ironically they also all have websites... go figure.

As someone who fed my family with landing pages for a decade - I can say this - landing pages are a tool. Your website is a tool. You need both - like a well-rounded striker needs both strikes and footwork.

As someone who trained to strike a long time - Landing pages are like a jab - or a straight - but your foot works matters the most - because if you can't get in range to use your jab or straight - it's just that - punches in the wind.

Your online presence and SEO in a local market are your footwork.

Your google reviews, FB , Yelp reviews, and how well your website's blog ranks in SEO when someone in your area searches for your services.

Truth is - landing pages - in my professional opinion, should always be used for driving PAID traffic to a site - and - a special offer (Valentine's day) should NOT replace your website.

A local business thrives off search engine results.

Along with your advertising - the first thing most people do - is quickly search. 40% of all of our traffic comes from search engine ranking. Being on the first page in the top 5 spots is a BIG deal.

You don't have to choose - anyone telling you so - do a search on their business - and see if they have a website - they probably do...

It is something you use TOGETHER - and if you can build it ALL in your website - even better.

When it's on your website, it's More SEO and more traffic.

Traffic is the lifeblood of the local business; the more you can be on page 1 - at the top of Google, the better.

You don't get SEO-ranked traffic sending people to a landing page that's a different URL than your main site.

You DO get traffic - but it doesn't boost your SEO ranking. Especially since - most - and this is best practice - are hiding landing pages (as you should - more on that in a minute) from search engines.

So use these four tips significantly - to not just boost your bottom line - but also to dominate your area.

1. Use your blog - if you have a WordPress-based site, this is EXCELLENT (if not, companies like Market Muscles build on WP and will give you the best SEO) - it's 2023 - and your blog is STILL one of the most significant sources of organic traffic in the game. A blog will allow Google to crawl your site - (it can NOT crawl videos - not yet)

Write blogs - use Chat GPT or Jasper AI to get a foundation or a rough to work with - if you don't want to sit and create from the ether. Place these on your website. Set up a good featured image. Then - use ALL of your channels to - drive traffic back to this blog - igniting your FB Pixel / Conversion API and Google tags manager.

Do this every single week. Once a week.

Watch your ranking grow over a month. Remember learning how to write and communicate in your business is the backbone to every conversion you have. The better you can do it - the faster you will fill your school or gym.

Learn to articulate in writing and communication what problems customers have and how you solve them.

Side note - do not keyword stuff - these means do not - try to place all the keywords you are trying to hit for - IE - Brooklyn NY Martial Arts - and Martial Arts for Kids in NYC - plus 3 others - you will get spanked. 1 main keyword per post.

Side-side note: Link to your programs in the blog post -highlight a term - link to your schedule. Keep it to about 500-700 words.

Super side note: Insert your style and charisma into your blogs - if its in your culture and you use unique words, make sure it's in your marketing. Make it sound like you - don't be lazy. Use ChatGPT or Jasper but don't just be lazy and copy and paste - take it - rewrite it in your voice and style. It should take you no more than 45 minutes to do this. It's the best 45 mins you will spend all week on your business.

Just today - we had a blog post I created seven years ago sell almost 1,000 dollars in products.

I had this AM - a meme I posted on my Facebook Page for Dojo Muscle shared the meme was posted 9 years ago.

Are you in business for the short term or the long war of attrition?

If you are like me - you know the answer already - we martial arts and fitness people are BUILT FOR THE LONG GRIND _ so make it a brutal long battle if need be - you got this!

Blogging is - investing in the future. When I worked on his book launches, Tim Ferriss said his blogs are still gaining traction 10 years later. They live on forever. Make them work for you.

2. Create LANDING Pages for all paid traffic. It would be best if you hid all landing pages from search traffic. 

I see many people who run ads to the front of their website - this is no bueno.

We know that IOS 14 has thrown a wrench in the works, and traffic and opens etc - are not reported correctly anymore. The only way to be sure the traffic you send people to a landing page is paid traffic is to separate them.

Run your organic to your website for SEO - run your paid ads to a landing page internally.

Side note: remove the navigation and dropdown boxes in your landing pages - you want them to get there - and literally - have nowhere else to go, and one thing to decide - give them more than one thing - they will go away somewhere else.

Side-side note: use a plugin in WP like Elementor - if you are using Market Muscles sites - head over to the Convert Pages in the secondary sidebar in your admin - and create a convert page - copy your program page into it - remove the header - remove the dropdown (and set up a tag so you can track your leads inside of the MM ecosystem - contact support for more help on this they helped me!) Drive all paid traffic to the landing page - and all organic traffic to your root website url.

3. Get Reviews and video testimonials - often - this will boost your ranking on sites, and get video testimonials that you could create retargeting campaigns for in FB, YT, and various places. Here is the best way to do that - a) most people hold their phone vertically - good news for you - these platforms now optimize for vertical) please don't ask them to give you a testimonial.

NEVER ask them that. Do this instead. 

You could do this face to face or in email - phone, text, whatever.

"Hey, would you mind doing me or us a favor? Or Hey I could use your help with something" We are giving free swag (t shirts, bottles, bag whatever to anyone who helps out) and have a box of swag to give stuff to free. One hand washed the other both washed the face.

Then ask them this 1 question: "If you feel we have changed your life or your family's life in any way training with us, could you say something on camera about what that is?" and let them have at it. People love to talk about themselves - this doesn't feel forced.

Collect all the videos - use dropbox or google drive to - collect them - or we transfer if they are not techy. Compile those into retargeting videos for when people reach your site - but don't take action. Use this video creation blueprint to edit them together.

4. Use print materials with QR codes - driving them to a landing page or website. Print marketing material still rocks, and it is loved even in the digital world. We have seen a serious uptick in print sales again - I think everyone got tired of screens for two plus years.

Run an offer, or tell a transformation story - send them to that page with a QR code - hide that page from search engines - create a transformation story - say for BJJ someone who has lost 100 pounds - record them telling the story, tell the story on how you help create an offer, make a print card about how Joe (of course ONLY with their written consent) changed his life - tell the story on the page - spread those cards all over your town.

Stories sell. You have 100s of them in your own life or client transformation.

Use these tips - I have in one form or another, and they work great. I've built this business on these mom-and-pop guerrilla tactics mixed in with the new school - try it out.

Report back your findings, and always - hit me up if you need help.

Also if you want to get epic - videos - and discounts - every month for 70% off - sign up to our program Dojo Muscle® Up. Cancel Anytime.