Im going to start off by saying getting leads is never done by 1 single thing.
Getting leads is the culmination of all of your sales systems and your branding systems working together to build trust.
But I will say this, I have seen some things work way better than others.
I've seen the information I am going to tell you, work for almost every industry I have ever done videos for.
Creating marketing or good videos isn't that hard.
But it is important that you know who you are speaking too.
Which is why most people fail to make good videos.
Somewhere along the line someone told them, talking about themselves (come on man you aren't that great #sorrynotsorry) is the key to getting business... Huh?
Then someone else must have told them to race to the bottom and lead with their offer as a selling point. Which then what makes you any different than the school down the road?
Offers are great when used correctly. But not as the first line of offense. Plus you wind up attracting people that care more about the lowest price than the value of your program.
Now these same people are saying you need to build trust. Something I have been saying you need to do if you go back to my posts almost 4 years ago. Everyone scoffed. I was ridiculed. "SALES is what matters most" No duh-Sherlock.
But HOW you get sales and how I get sales are very different my man.
Funny those same people who contested me back then are now saying exactly what I have been saying all along.
Connect. Build Trust. Give Value - Focus on caring. Engage. Focus on being a REAL person not a cartoon charecter...
All of the hot topics being touted now - only problem is... Most of those cats are like dead drift wood in videos. Lot of puffery. No charisma.
If there is one thing I know how to do is get the goosebumps going and flowing with videos. In the great worlds of Mr. Shawn Carter.
"Let me show you how to do this son." - Jay-Z
I saw recently someone saying people need to "tell stories".
So my question is do you know how to tell a story?
I know most people don't. They think talking about themselves is telling a story. It isn't. It's self centered. It makes YOU feel good and that's about it.
Designers, writers, film makers are inherent story tellers.
That's what we do with images, pictures, words, and pieces of color, moving things and splashes of sound.
Marketers may be good at it but fundamentally most marketers today are still at it like used car salesmen. Looking for the sale right out of the gate. Without trust. Looking for a kiss without conversation. Looking for the digits way too early guy. So wack and so 1990.
"If you don't like my lyrics, you can press fast forward" Jay-Z
So let me help you get up to speed.
There are 3 things you need to do to make your videos BLOW UP.
1) Know your audience
Research your audience well. Ask the hard questions. Do the hard work. Do not surmise or guess. Doing that in business is as good as taking a bunch of postcards and dropping them out a plane hoping someone sees one.
Do the hard work. Ask the hard questions.
A) Ask questions. Real questions. The type you shy away from in fear of bruising your ego. Those are the ones that will set your business up for success.
B) Survey your audience - You can do this anonymously using Wufoo forms or something similar - ask where they are stuck, how did they feel before they trained with you. etc.
C) Ask questions (without trying to sell them something) on Facebook. Here's an example of what I have done - No ONE wants to be pushed in to selling. Start attracting! Stop acting like a tugboat! Act like a lighthouse.
2) Stop talking about yourself.
Entrepreneurs have shiny object syndrome.
They spend so much time talking about their medals, their accomplishments, their schools, their gyms and those things are great to be proud of. But no one cares....
It really only matters to you. It doesn't matter to your market. Your market wants results. They want a transformation. They want an experience. If you can weave in personal story in a way that's not obnoxious and pertinent to what you are selling, AMAZING. Do more of that.
But let's be real if you get up on stage and talk about your "amazing self" for 20 minutes you have major security issues. No one is that good.
Let others tell the story for you.
Get people on video that talk about their transformation and in the time frame it happened. It is very important to show actual specifics.
If you need to talk then talk about the results you get via real social proof or better yet stories of your life or students lives that have been impacted by what you do.
No one likes a braggart.
As a martial art school owner or any owner it's time to stop following the pack and start doing what you do best. Be unique. Bragging may have worked for a select few, but it's not a long term solution. More over, the most attractive people never brag about themselves. They just enter a room and people KNOW what's up. Be THAT person.
3) Have a plan
A plan is every thing. Every time I create videos I have a plan of attack.
A shot list, a scene list, a location list, questions I will ask people before hand. So when I get on set I know what to do. So I know very well what to do if someone switches up on me. Or worse the outlet doesn't work, or the people don't show up.
Knowing the concepts trumps all. Tips and tricks work but knowing why you are doing something beats it all.
Write down what you want to do.
There is something very cathartic about writing pen to paper. Write your objective, write down your ideas, the stuff you'd like to capture on camera. Then go and record exactly that. It's much easier when you have a game plan to finish projects and get them out to the world.
I hope this helped you out.
Making videos can seem daunting but you need to hold on to this one idea.
IT SHOULD BE FUN! Go have fun!
Think of it like dancing. You aren't saying (beat 3, move left foot here, beat 4, move right foot there) you are just flowing with the music in your heart and in your soul. Get that going!
If you want some help getting a game plan to film awesome content videos for your martial arts school click this link to learn more about the Martial Arts Video Blueprint.
Christopher Perilli is the owner and CEO of Pixel Mobb. Pixel Mobb owns Dojo Muscle, Dojo Muscle Up™ and Pixel Mobb Academy. He's work with top of Fitness, Martial arts and World Renowned Music Artists. Featured in Entrepreneur Magazine and Wowmakers. Chris is an artist, writer, designer, producer and martial artist. Currently a Purple belt in Gracie Jiu-jitsu (Dante Rivera Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) - has trained Boxing and Muay Thai. His goal is to help as many school owners spread the greatness of martial arts to as many people as possible, while making your school look the very best it can.
As a fitness or martial arts instructor or as a gym or dojo owner, maintaining a solid connection with your students is essential for ensuring the success and growth of your classes.
One effective method of fostering these relationships is student retention cards and handwritten notes.
Christopher Perilli
Author
Christopher Perilli is the owner and CEO of Pixel Mobb. Pixel Mobb owns Dojo Muscle, Dojo Muscle Up™ and Pixel Mobb Academy. He's work with top of Fitness, Martial arts and World Renowned Music Artists. Featured in Entrepreneur Magazine and Wowmakers. Chris is an artist, writer, designer, producer and martial artist. Currently a Purple belt in Gracie Jiu-jitsu (Dante Rivera Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) - has trained Boxing and Muay Thai. His goal is to help as many school owners spread the greatness of martial arts to as many people as possible, while making your school look the very best it can.