Inspired by "how to get the kids to cross the tracks"
I remember Jhoon Rhee back in the 60's ran a commercial and the theme was "nobody bothers me". It really brought in the customers . A tv commercial can be produced for about $500 and places like cable tv are reasonable but still he is the only studio I ever saw on tv . Then again there were not that many studios arounund back then and almost none that catered to chidren . Anyway my point is what works and what doesn't ? The truth is that running a studio can be expensive and I have seen excellent instructors go under .
" For the love of martial art " Money aside , what works , what methods are successful and what are flops ? What works for adults and what inspires children ?
Word of mouth seems to be the best for an established school with a good rep. I have seen the coupons from schools offering a uniform and 2weeks for 49.00 or so that seems a good way to get noticed.
b
Martial Art Style Tang Soo Do
When I was with my old instructor, we did a TV commercial (no responses that I remember), we sponsored the University of Pittsburgh Wrestling team (demos & ads in programs-also no responses), ads in various programs & fliers (no responses).
The only thing that really worked was a Pennysaver ad & the Yellow pages.
Word of mouth is best, try using some kind of incentive. I gave a free uniform if a referal signed up for a year. (or a gym bag, sparring gear....)
Master P
Location , location , location .... high visibility ...prime space costs but it is far beter then low rent in a dead buisness district ...so unless you are really well known with a great following then look for exposure .
Free trial sounds good ... you can go 2 to 3 weeks free or 2 to 3 weeks with a gi for as little as $19.99
either way you are not out any thing .
Another is group rates for families or even to other groups such as churches and discounts for existing students recruiting friends into their dojo .
In buisness you need to understand what the market will bear , one can not charge too much unless they want an elite customer base if you are in an area where it is possible and one can not charge too little because you will eventually devlope a problem with quality . Balance . Area competiton , for example a school affiliated studio offering an 8 to 11 week program (8 to 11 hours )for $65 appears to be a beter deal then a private studio offering 3 classes per week at $65 per month (12 hours) . It is hard to get parents to see the value they invest in their children .
What about the tuition do you use a software package designed for MA schools or due it yourself? what about bills, use a book keeper or manage it yourself?
As for the better location , like say a store front. Do you think the higher rent is going to be offset by the visiblity of the location? or will a more off the beaten track location with good advertising be a better choice?
b
Martial Art Style Tang Soo Do
It is not just store front visibility or price , it's location ... look at walmart , they are on the main roads in a large area often right off the interstate ...high visibility
Now another visibility is marketing in the school systems
Now as far as places with a good reputation , well the clientele thins . For instance I live just outside of the Washington D.C./ Baltimore corridor ,a residential area about 60 x 80 miles square , nOw out of the hundreds of schools what I would consider to be good schools is well maybe 1 out of every 20 or so and out of these perhaps 20 schools there are only about a handful that peak my interest .
You see the problem is that an extremely experienced practioner of martial arts actually is limited in students that he can teach on this level . So you either end up with a very few students that stay 10 to 20 years or you pass your teachings down to your children very much as things were done many years back ... The need for a marketable and complete package arises so that one may pass on an adequate amount of knowledge in a reletively short period of time (several years) very similar to any individual art one may study ... Now the diference is that today information is so accessable that to limit one's self to one aspect or school of thought such as tang soo do or gung fu etc. would be foolish . Where as there are relatively few truly skilled artists there are literly thousands of books and videos one may draw upon for knowledge . Personally I care very little for history and tradition when taken at the expense of the garnishment of knowledge and it's subsequent advancement .