So far in this series, we've talked about all the classic ways that a marketing campaign can go awry. Now, let's talk about a few other ways that a martial arts marketing campaign can fail.

NOT MARKETING AT ALL

This one is pretty obvious, and I mentioned it before... but it bears mentioning again. Oh boy, and does it ever. When I am coaching a new client or proffering a bit of advice to a school owner, I almost always ask them about their marketing.

Guess what? A lot of school owners don't actively market their schools!

And what I mean by "active marketing" is just that - proactively getting out and marketing your services. Passive marketing just isn't enough to keep a school going today. Relying on your signage and word-of-mouth isn't going to cut it.

That's because people are way too distracted. Social media, digital media, multiple marketing channels being used to hit consumers with a constant barrage of marketing messages... all this adds up to a consumer market that is more likely to ignore your business and marketing than ever before.

So, you MUST be proactive about marketing your school if you want to not only survive, but grow it to a financially stable size.

NOT MARKETING CONSISTENTLY

Although I do run into school owners who do almost no proactive marketing for their schools, the more common scenario is the school owner who only markets when they need students.

HUGE mistake! 

Here's why - effective marketing is based on two things:

1. How many people you reach with your marketing -

2. How well your marketing message resonates with the people you reach -

But the first step is always, always, always reaching as many people you can with your marketing message. Marketers have known for decades that the more often someone sees your marketing and brand, the more likely they are to respond to your marketing message.

That's because ubiquity (being seen everywhere at once) builds trust.

So, what do you think happens when someone only hears about or sees mention of your business every once in a blue moon? Yep, your marketing is that much less effective.

That's why you want to keep your marketing momentum going all year long - even in those supposed slow months, like during summer and over the holidays. Especially during those months, in fact.

NO MARKETING PLAN

This one is even more common than marketing haphazardly - and actually, it leads to inconsistent marketing for the majority of school owners who don't create one.

But why have a marketing plan? Can't you just keep all that stuff in your head?

Nope. Your brain might be the world's most powerful supercomputer, but there's a reason why you have a contacts list and an appointment calendar app in your smartphone.

Thing is, your brain can't remember everything. And just wait until things really get hopping in your school. You're going to be pulled in 19 different directions at once, and pretty soon you'll start forgetting all those things you did to get students.

This has happened to me more times than I can count. In years past I'd attend a seminar or read a marketing book and see or hear about a great marketing idea and go, "Oh yeah, we used to do that! Now, why did we stop doing it if it got us students?"

I'll tell you why... because I got distracted and I wasn't sticking to a marketing plan. So, I started writing down a list of all the things that were working for me to get students. Then, I'd use that as a monthly action-item list and repeat those things over and over again each month.

Ta-da! Instant marketing plan.

So, I think you can see how easy it is to create a marketing plan, and how valuable it can be for your school. Consider it your "greatest hits" collection of all the best ways you've discovered to get students.

And once you have it, follow it religiously and guard it with your life. Because believe me, it's essential to growing your school and keeping it financially stable for the long haul.