| Friend,
So how you do get your tribe connected with one another?
Obviously, there will always be some amount of connection going on right in your dojo. Students chat after class, moms converse in the front lobby, and dads... well they grunt and nod at each other in passing.
But here's the thing - if you want your tribe to stick around (and to stick together) then you need to get them communicating with each other.
And, you need to get them communicating with each other in a way that allows you to not necessarily control, but at least to steer the conversation.
One of the best ways to do that currently is by creating a private Facebook group for your dojo. Why private?
Because your school's official Facebook page is mostly there to market your school. If you clog up that channel with announcements and other conversations, it's going to blunt the effectiveness of your page for marketing and PR.
Also, you want to give your tribe a place online where they feel like they belong to a special club. So, this group should only be for school members. Once someone becomes an active paying student of your dojo, you add them to the group.
And what do you talk about in your school's Facebook group? As I said, it's a great place to make announcements for coming events. It's also a very good place to share additional information about your system, organization, and traditions.
And finally, your private Facebook group is a great place to talk about the finer details of techniques from your curriculum.
Many times I see school owners peppering their websites with a lot of technical and historical information on their style or system. Bad idea. While you might find that sort of thing to be fascinating, potential students likely do not.
And while you're boring prospects with a 1,500 word post on the lineage of your martial art system or the finer points of the Rooster Flies South For Winter set, someone else is pitching them with benefits-focused sales copy and an awesome, can't-pass-it-up new student offer.*
So, post that stuff in the private student group. Your hardcore students will eat it up, and it will help give them some additional depth and meaning to their new favorite pastime.
This about wraps up our series on tribal marketing for martial art schools. Tomorrow I'll post a recap of this series, and next week I'll be back with some random tips on running a school, before I start the next email series.
Until next time,
Mike Massie MartialArtsBusinessDaily.com
Quick-start Guide to My Books and Resources: - Looking for a list of books and resources I've written? Click here! - Looking for one-on-one coaching to grow your dojo? Click here...
P.S. - *My point here is that your marketing channels should be focused on what you can do for the prospect. So, your website content shouldn't be talking about you and your school necessarily. I know that sounds a little backwards, but benefits-focused sales copy is all about telling the prospect how they'll benefit from purchasing your service or product. That's the kind of sales copy that sells your school to a prospective student.
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