When you first started your dojo, your dream was to share the discipline, focus, and self-defense techniques of your particular style. Whether you are at the beginning of your journey, or even own multiple locations, creating and streamlining an effective marketing strategy will ensure a constant stream of students. Marketing, when combined with a proper service and sales team, can not only help in bringing in new clients but also develop the ones you already have for further services.
In this article, we will define the benefits of a great marketing strategy, some of its key features, and ultimately, how to develop your own marketing strategy.
Benefits of a Marketing Strategy
Other than the obvious benefits of having an influx of paying customers, there are certain benefits that should be highlighted to encourage business owners and incentivize them to seriously develop their marketing prowess. The primary lifeblood of any business is making sales, but there are no sales without first attracting your customers. Admittedly, the benefit of a great marketing strategy would be the increased attraction of potential customers, but it is more than that.
A marketing strategy sets out to identify your business goals, and this may include your ideal customers and the platforms that you intend to reach them. Marketing is much more than its sales counterpart, it provides the entire blueprint of your outreach, and sets a basis for the construction of your brand. Once your entire strategy is in place, it becomes like a funnel, where marketing dollars are put in, and clients come out to the other end.
Key Ideas for an Effective Marketing Strategy
More than just a few karate marketing ideas, your karate marketing strategy should include a structured document that outlines the purpose of your business, the differential factor that sets you apart, and why your ideal customer should want to do business with you. Here are the top five ideas that a strategy should include:
- Your strategy should be centered around a company’s vision and its objectives..
- Create a customer profile to identify the ideal customer, down to the last detail. This includes appearance, hobbies, and behavior.
- Conduct market research to determine your position within the marketplace. This is not limited to just your own discipline, but income level and proximity.
- Coordinate your various channels, which include your website, social media, paid advertising and organic outreach.
- Place a timeline for the implementation of your strategies. It is good to use a SMART template,
The Top Karate Marketing Ideas for Your Dojo
Now that we’ve gone over the importance of a marketing strategy, and analyzed the important areas that constitute an effective marketing strategy, here is a list of compiled and proven strategies to communicate your message:
- Online presence is paramount
Both your social media marketing and your website must work in tandem to achieve the best results. A website is your piece of real estate on the web. Studies show that the design and layout of your website is more than just about “attracting” your customers, it can make or break a sale. Things such as load time, poor design layout, lack of aesthetics, and credibility are reported to negatively affect your potential customers’ views of your brand.
💡 Being online is essential for reaching a wider audience, engaging effectively, and establishing a strong brand in the world of karate.
- Setting the groundwork for brand recognition
Even prior to obtaining your first customer, you must have a solid plan for brand recognition. Organic word of mouth marketing is the most effective and cost-efficient strategy on the market, as it brings you your ideal customer for free, and with the intent of purchasing. The key areas of a brand strategy are culture, recognition, visual representation, and customer service. A great question to ask yourself is “what are people saying about my dojo behind closed doors to their friends and family?”
- Money makes money
Especially true for new businesses. It can be difficult to start spending money on your marketing materials for fear that it will have no return. Many businesses fall into the trap of spending money on things that do not have a direct impact on their business, such as posters and business cards. PPC ads on search engines and social media may not be the best idea when starting out brand new, but they act much like gasoline. If the fire has already been started, pouring some PPC dollars into it will ignite your potential leads.
- Retargeting and offers
If you’ve ever purchased anything online, and left your “cart” full but did not complete the transaction, do you know what happens next? Those multiple texts and emails that you receive afterward are not accidents. It is a strategy called retargeting. This also works with ads you’ve seen. You will eventually see a separate ad that is more enticing, to encourage you to finish the purchase. Re-targeting, especially with a great offer, can increase conversion by as much as 150%.
💡 Retargeting and personalized offers are powerful tools in karate marketing, enhancing engagement, increasing conversions, and building lasting customer relationships in a cost-effective manner.
- Coordinate and automate your karate marketing ideas
The most important part of an effective marketing strategy is coordinating your efforts and automating it as much as possible. It is a great strain on your resources and staff to be constantly creating offers, writing emails, re-marketing, communicating, and following up with potential leads. Karate school management software is extremely crucial for the proper conduct of your business. Spark Membership is the #1 software on the market. Try it now for just $1 from the comfort of your smartphone.
