Today I'm wrapping up the series on why dojo owners fail with the final message on marketing mistakes...

Weak Marketing

Sometimes I have to remind myself what I was like and how I used to think when I first started teaching on my own. See, these days I have a difficult time understanding why many martial art school owners seem to be afraid of marketing their schools effectively.

That general fear of using effective marketing methods to get more students keeps many a martial art school owner from growing their dojo. And, more than any other factor, it's what leads to weak marketing that fails to attract new students.

What Is Weak Marketing, Really?

To answer that question, we need to determine what makes for an effective marketing piece. And to understand that, you need to look at reality versus fantasy in small business marketing.

Fantasy is thinking that a small business should market themselves like big corporations do. Large corporations use a lot of brand and product awareness marketing. Most of their marketing is slick and it tries to be witty, catchy, or entertaining.

That sort of marketing works not because it's effective marketing, but in spite of the fact that it's ineffective. It works because those large corps have a ton of money to throw at their marketing budgets. And the Madison Avenue firms they hire are more than willing to take their millions in exchange for coming up with the next ridiculous ad campaign that they can sell to the company board members.

But you, the small business owner, simply cannot market your business that way. You don't have to marketing budget to do so, and you can't afford to throw a cool million at a marketing campaign to see what sticks. So, you have to be smart about how you market your school.

Reality tells us that every marketing dollar you spend has to bring back an immediate return on that marketing investment. That's because you have a finite amount of money to spend on your marketing at any given time. So, your marketing has to be self-supporting, and the marketing campaign you do today has to fund the marketing campaign you do tomorrow or next week.

That means you need to focus on direct response marketing.

"But I Hate Those 'Markety' Ads and Websites!"

Cry me a river of tears. I hate dieting, burpees, and doing cardio. Doesn't mean I won't do them to get in shape.

Reality doesn't care what you like or don't like, and neither does your market. Reality only cares about what works (add "on the street!" to that sentence for a little martial arts context).

Reality says that you have to use what works to get students. And weak, boring ads and marketing websites don't cut it. Ho hum marketing gets ho hum results. Your marketing has to have some punch to work.

"But My Instructor/Friend/Cousin/Guru Doesn't Use That Sort Of Marketing!"

Maybe they don't have to... have you ever considered that? Maybe they've been around for umpteen years and already have a sterling reputation and outstanding word of mouth on their programs.

Or maybe they have a killer location and very little competition in their area. And maybe they have an "in" with the local school system and that's where they get all their leads. Or, perhaps they're much better at closing and don't need to generate as many leads as the average school owner.

There are dozens of reasons why a school owner might not have to market as hard as the average bear. But just because someone you know doesn't have to market that hard, it doesn't mean you can get away with not marketing your ass off to get students.

Most Small Businesses Have To Market This Way To Survive

I could go on and on about marketing outliers, but the fact is the majority of small businesses have to use direct response marketing to succeed.

That's why you see real estate agents and pizza joints using direct response marketing (door hanger and flier distribution). Those businesses are in the same boat as you - they eat what they kill, and if they don't get sales they starve. 

And heck, that's why my ads and websites look the way they do. Roughly every month someone will contact me and say, "I was really hesitant to purchase your products because all your stuff looks like a get rich quick scheme. But man I'm glad I did."

And I'm thinking, "Okay, you hate marketing. Got it." But for every person who tells me they hate the way I market my books and resources, there are ten more who don't care and who buy my stuff. 

Do I care what that one person thinks? No, not at all. I only care that I am reaching people with my message and products, and thereby fulfilling my mission to help broke martial art school owners turn their schools around.

Get Over Your Fear Of Using Strong Marketing Tactics

Strong marketing tactics drive direct response marketing. It's as simple as that. And direct response marketing is your best bet for getting money back today on the ad dollars you spend.

So, get over your fear of using strong marketing tactics. And remember that just because you use emotional headlines, limited time offers, and special discount packages that are valued at 3x to 5x the sale price, it doesn't change who you are or the quality of what you teach.

Read that last sentence again if you have to, because it's important. No one would paint the Mona Lisa and hide it in a closet. No one sculpts a masterpiece and leaves it covered with a tarp.

And in the same manner, you shouldn't hide your life's work from the public.

Now, get out there and do some serious marketing.