Is Your Website Helping or Hurting your Business?
Most martial arts school do one of two things when it comes to their website. They ignore it all together using the cheapest service they can find, or they have someone they know, usually a student, do the best they can with it.
The issue is, with Martial Arts growing at a faster rate then ever before, schools are popping up all over the place. The competition is fierce. Not only that, but students can now search for any school in the area right from their smart phone. Forget about what your site looks like, you better hope that it is found or your dojo may be left behind.
The Secret 1-2 Key
To get ahead, the top dojos use a new advertising combination like a 1-2 punch. The concept for the combination is simple. You need marketing pieces to attract potential leads, and a central hub of information about your program to drive those leads to.
Step 1. You must get a website that is customized with your branding, logo, style, colors, and content. This helps match the advertising pieces you send out (more on that later) and provides a professional, cohesive image for your brand.
The site must also be connected to your social media outlets such as youtube, facebook, and twitter. This not only helps you get traffic, it actually helps your site rank higher in search engines such as Google as well.
Finally, you should also be able to embed videos, add photos, blog, and the navigation should be scalable for multiple disciplines, schedules, and seasonal promotions.
All this content needs to be easily manageable online, even if you are a web novice. This is because to take full advantage of the site's capabilities, you need to update it at least once a week with information on rank promotions, upcoming events, tips, etc., at your dojo.
Step 2. The second part of the 1-2 is the advertising.
It does not matter how much you spend per month. Each dojo should stick to a manageable budget, but it is essential to still do the physical advertising. This means flyers, postcards, newspaper ads, tv commercials, and trial passes that represent your brand well and engage your local market. The goal is to drive traffic to your website.
Only One Chance to Make a First Impression
The key here is how the world today is changing. These days, if someone is interested in a martial arts advertisement, there is a much better chance they will check the website before they ever call, or show up at the school to check it out. That means, many times, your website is your FIRST IMPRESSION!
So with effective advertising you will get more traffic. With an engaging website you will get more leads. Overall, you will experience better lead generation, and a better return on your advertising dollar. The money you spend comes back again and again in the form of increased enrollment.
It is a potent 1-2 combination is used successfully by many local businesses, especially Martial Arts schools.
