Posted by Mike Massie on March 24, 2010
Calling All Guerrillas For Martial Arts Marketing Ideas!
Martial arts marketing is tough – especially when you’re short on cash.
So, I’ve been trying to create a discussion on my member forums to encourage my members to share their favorite guerrilla marketing ideas for martial arts schools:
“The concept of guerrilla marketing was invented as an unconventional system of promotions that relies on time, energy and imagination rather than a big marketing budget. Typically, guerrilla marketing campaigns are unexpected and unconventional; potentially interactive; and consumers are targeted in unexpected places…
Guerrilla marketing involves unusual approaches such as intercept encounters in public places, street giveaways of products, PR stunts, any unconventional marketing intended to get maximum results from minimal resources…”
- from Wikipedia
Nope, not this type of "guerrilla" - but if you were trying to market Villanova with some guerilla marketing, this may qualify.
The only problem is, no one seems to have any ideas to share.
Or, maybe they just don’t want to divulge their “secrets.” 
Anyway, only three people came up with anything (they were very good ideas, by the way) so I spent about 30 minutes coming up with a list of my own.
I’m not stingy, so I thought I’d share them here.
Who knows? Some struggling school owner who reads my blog may save his or her school with one (or more) of these marketing ideas.
So, here’s my quick list of 40+ guerrilla marketing ideas for martial arts instructors – some that I took from my martial arts marketing manual and some off the top of my head.
Mike Massie’s List Of Guerrilla Marketing Ideas For Martial Arts Schools
1. Street Sign with moving letters, rotating elements, animation, or moving parts
2. Vinyl full-color window and door decorations with action images that draw the eye
3. Banners
4. Bandit/Snipe/Yard Signs
5. Build-it-yourself billboards on your own or a friend/student’s property
6. Sidewalk and Sandwich Signs
7. Hiring “Wavers”
8. Place Magnetic Signs or Vinyl Lettering on Your Vehicles
9. T-shirts and Uniforms
10. Duffel Bags, Book Bags, and Backpacks
11. School supplies
12. Book covers and jackets
13. Sponsoring Teams
14. Telephone Pole and Street Light Fliers
15. Pizza box fliers (or any restaurant takeout box or bag)
16. Print ads in PTA/Girl Scout Troop/Boy Scout Troop/Church newsletter
17. FREE listings in the Yellow Pages
18. Television public service announcements
19. Radio PSAs
20. Coupon mailer packs (cheap direct mail)
21. Door-to-door Flier Distribution
22. Door Hangers
23. “Post-It” Fliers on car windows
24. Web Sites/Blogs/Facebook
25. LEAD CAPTURE WEBSITES
26. Google Maps/YahooLocal/Yelp
27. Easy-to-remember domain name that redirects/forwards to main site or offer page on your lead capture site
28. Email Newsletters
29. Brochures filled with student testimonials
30. Fold-over Business Cards left all over town (they stand up on their own)
31. Letterhead with your contact info – web address on EVERYTHING
32. Matching Stationary with web address that goes to lead capture site
33. Lead Boxes everywhere
34. Bring a Buddy Contests
35. Body Transformation Contests
36. Kick-a-thons, Spar-a-thons, Board-break-a-thons, You-name-it-a-thons… anything that gets the press to your school
37. Guest Passes
38. Asking for referrals from every new student
39. Asking for referrals from people who say “NO”
40. Partner promotions with local businesses
41. Leave a business card with every check and tip you pay
42. YouTube video distribution
By the way, if you want to know how to implement many the above ideas, you can pick up my Martial Art School Marketing Manual here.
Can you think of any more martial arts marketing ideas that might be considered guerrilla marketing tactics?
Post your own ideas in the comments section below!
Posted by Mike Massie on March 18, 2010
Research Shows The Vast Majority Of Local Shoppers Research Online Before Buying
This is how local consumers in your area are finding martial arts schools these days. The question is... are they finding your school or your competitors when they do their shopping research online?
It’s no secret to my readers and newsletter subscriber’s that I have a web marketing firm that provides web design and local SEO for small businesses.
That’s why I consider it my business to stay on top of online marketing trends. The good news about that for you is, I get to share that information with the martial arts business industry at large via my martial arts business blogs and websites.
In the last several years, one of the more obvious trends I’ve been following is the shift among consumers from doing offline consumer research to doing their research online before making a buying decision.
This is a trend that has been in the makings since the internet fully debuted way back in the 1990’s. But over the last year, it appears that the transition has reached full acceptance among the vast majority of consumers.
It’s true… according to this recent report regarding consumer behavior, 90% of local shoppers look online first before they buy:
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007566
This just goes to show that now it’s more important than ever for martial arts schools to have a strong online marketing presence.
Which, incidentally, is something I’ve been telling you for the past several years. 
Why hasn’t anyone else been hammering this stuff home to you?
I would speculate it’s because the people writing articles in the industry publications wanted to make sure they got to jump on the online marketing bandwagon first…
Don’t Worry – It’s Never Too Late To Improve Your Marketing
But while you may find yourself showing up late to the party, it’s still not too late to start marketing online.
However, if you want to get ahead of your competitors who are already established, you have to do it right.
That means:
- Having a well-optimized website and that integrates social media marketing right on the site.
- And, one that ranks high in the local search engine results and that converts traffic to leads.
If you don’t have a site like this set up yet, get on it fast – the window is closing to get the jump on the rest of the competition and to move to the front of the pack in the new frontier of online marketing.
One Final Tip – Make Sure You Own Your Online Marketing
One last thing – if you’re considering using the online yellow pages as your primary online marketing method… stop!
You’re much better off spending that money on getting your own website and making sure it ranks high in the search engine results.
Here’s why:
- First off, you don’t own any listing you purchase on someone else’s website. So, you really have no control over the results you get from it – basically, by not owning your online marketing presence, you are leaving your livelihood at the mercy of someone else.
- Second, you have to keep paying for that listing to keep reaping the benefits from it. On the other hand, once you pay to have a good marketing website developed and ranked in the search engines, you’re pretty much done spending money on it (unless you’re in a highly competitive market – then it might be wise to spend some of your ad budget each month on search engine marketing).
Regardless, you own that website for life once it’s paid for (unless you do something foolish like signing up for a website service where you pay a monthly fee for a site you don’t own – which results in your paying over and over again for something you could have already owned many times over).
So, if you don’t already have a decent marketing website for your school that ranks high in the search engine results, get on it immediately. There’s not doubt that shoppers are using the internet as the primary means by which they research products and services before they buy.
The only question is – can they find your school online when they are researching martial arts schools in your area? The answer to that question will determine whether or not your school is still here in years to come.
Posted by Mike Massie on January 29, 2010
Matt Stover preparing to place another one through the uprights. Photo courtesy Colts.com
So my old buddy Matt Stover is going to the Super Bowl again.
And, he’ll have the distinction of being the oldest NFL player ever to play in a Super Bowl game.
To be truthful, Matt and I haven’t spoken in years.
But, in the off-seasons prior to his 1999 and 2000 seasons with the Ravens, I had the privilege of helping Matt train his off leg for greater balance and increased kicking precision.
Those two seasons were break out seasons for Matt and the Ravens.
I’d like to believe I had a small role in that. Matt thought I did, and said so. I don’t take much credit though – there are a whole slew of professionals who work with pro athletes, and each one does their share to help out.
And, Matt’s the guy who did all the hard work, and the one with the golden leg.
But the crazy thing is, I’d have never thought in a million years that I’d have *anything* to do with an NFL player going to the Super Bowl.
And it would have never happened if I’d listened to all the people who told me I was wasting my time with my dream of being a full-time martial arts instructor and school owner.
I thank God that He made me resilient (thank you, God).
And, when I’m watching the Colts play in the Super Bowl this year, I’ll be thinking to myself that I at least had a tiny little part in making that happen.
Have a great weekend, and go live your dreams.
Until next time,
Michael D. Massie
P.S.: Small Dojo Big Profits explains how I did it… in spite of all the people who said I couldn’t. Check it out if you need some guidance or inspiration.
Posted by Mike Massie on January 7, 2010
If they're good enough for Babalu...
Just to let you guys know…
There’s a sale right now on Kaizen Kettlebells:
Click Here
Use discount code “kaizen2010″ at checkout to get an additional 15% off! It expires on January 31st, so use it while the sale is still going.
(Hint: The deal with the two 16kg Kaizen Kettlebells, free basics DVD, and a t-shirt is a good buy.)
Now, if you need some guidance on how to use the darned things…
Check out Jason Brown’s Kettlebells for Combat DVD series.
Until next time,
Michael D. Massie
Site: http://martialartschoolalliance.com/
Product Reviews: http://martialartsbooksreviews.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MartialArtsBusinessDaily
Twitter: http://twitter.com/mabizdaily
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Filed Under: News
Posted by Mike Massie on November 25, 2009
Have a Happy Thanksgiving Day!
I just wanted to write a quick post to wish all of my readers a very Happy Thanksgiving Day. Hopefully you’ll be spending it with your friends and family, relaxing and recharging your batteries over the long weekend.
However, I know that some of you will work over the weekend, because that’s how I was when I first started out.
Maybe it’ll be to sneak to the school to do some last minute admin work, or you’ll be on your computer answering emails, or following up on leads, or working on a new marketing piece…
Here’s a bit of advice I’d like to share based on almost two decades of teaching for a living (most of it as a full-time school owner):
Enjoy your holidays and use them to relax while you leave your work at work. Trust me, the work will still be there when you get back on Monday.
Now, for those of you who aren’t yet teaching full-time, this weekend may be the only time you have to work on and plan your business. I understand that, just make sure you take a break to spend time with your loved ones and enjoy the holiday.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Sincerely,
Mike Massie
