How do you advertise your school?

[Luther unleashed]

I thought this could be a fun angle, I didn't see that it had been posted yet so hopefully this is the first for this topic. What would you say is your main focus on advertising, or do you not worry about advertising at all? as my only career at the moment I advertise because I have to make a living, also because the more students I get the more fun it is for everybody and the more profit I make total the better equipment and things like this the school can have. I do much of my advertising on Facebook and YouTube, I just made a new video yesterday, it only took a few minutes and it was supposed to be kind of funny but I thought it might be a fun angle On getting out there a little, tell me what you guys think. Also, would love to hear you guys do yo pull new students, if anything?!?

https://youtu.be/R4MuAkxwU-c

[The Pred]

Great topic,

From Sept-July we do a rec program for kids ages 4-12, its once a week for 30.00 for eight weeks. They get a free uniform and everything. Most kids usually sign up after. We advertise the rec programs with fliers passed out at local schools.

[sensei8]

Great topic,

From Sept-July we do a rec program for kids ages 4-12, its once a week for 30.00 for eight weeks. They get a free uniform and everything. Most kids usually sign up after. We advertise the rec programs with fliers passed out at local schools.

You've found a school(s) that allow you to pass out fliers?? That's a goldmine of potentiality!!

Schools usually forbid that for many reasons, usually student safety; you being on school property being at the top of that list. Also, schools doesn't promote commercial enterprises, and they're not in the business of allowing any advertising. Also, school is private property, but across the street isn't, but either way, without permission of the school, police will be called quickly.

If you rent the gym after school, the school will allow the passing out of fliers, and the school will even pass them out DURING SCHOOL, plus make announcements on the PA system, and even mention MA training in their newsletters.

[sensei8]

To the OP...

For as long as I can remember, I do very little advertising, if at all. Word of mouth!! That's about it!! I'll pass out fliers and do an occasional demo here and there. I've done many different types of advertising like, Bus signs, billboards, t-shirts, newspapers, and things like that. But word of mouth...well...nothings better than free advertisement, but that can work for you or against you.

I learnt that from our Hombu!! Soke, when the Hombu first opened, he'd do an occasional demo here and there, and that was IT!! Word of mouth spread throughout Canoga Park, CA, and in short time, his student body grew by leaps and bounds!!

[The Pred]

Great topic,

From Sept-July we do a rec program for kids ages 4-12, its once a week for 30.00 for eight weeks. They get a free uniform and everything. Most kids usually sign up after. We advertise the rec programs with fliers passed out at local schools.

You've found a school(s) that allow you to pass out fliers?? That's a goldmine of potentiality!!

Schools usually forbid that for many reasons, usually student safety; you being on school property being at the top of that list. Also, schools doesn't promote commercial enterprises, and they're not in the business of allowing any advertising. Also, school is private property, but across the street isn't, but either way, without permission of the school, police will be called quickly.

If you rent the gym after school, the school will allow the passing out of fliers, and the school will even pass them out DURING SCHOOL, plus make announcements on the PA system, and even mention MA training in their newsletters.

Yes, we have some teachers whose kids go to the dojo, so it goes home in kids folders.

[Lupin1]

We don't usually advertise, as we have a waiting list. But we usually don't follow the waiting list in a "first come, first serve" manner.

As we're run out of a non-profit children's center, kids have to be members of the center before they can sign up. Then, for the most part, our head children's instructor picks kids who attend the center regularly and have shown themselves to be well-behaved and committed. That means a lot of kids who are on the waiting list but who don't generally use the center or who are behavior problems get passed over.

We did put up a sign at the entrance to the center during the last few weeks of our summer program advertising sign ups for karate. We're taking on a new class of 8-10 beginners this fall. We want it to be all 5-8th graders and all kids who attended the summer program at the youth center so that we know them and they know us.

Putting up a sign is a lot more than we usually do, but then again we usually only take 4 or 5 kids in a beginner's group rather than 8-10.

[Wado Heretic]

I do the occasional demo at summer fairs, and some cultural events around town. Do about two-three demos a year; usually one at the local college, one at the local secondary school, and another at the annual food and drink festival. Find it generally drums up enough interest.

I teach self-defence sessions as well at the local secondary school, and I also teach a session on Wednesday afternoons as part of the local colleges recreation programs. Usually pulls in new students to my private club.

Otherwise, I just leave flyers where I can, and place posters where I can get permission. I am hoping to start to create an internet presence soon, but that is on hold while I sort out a long-term venue.

[Luther unleashed]

Great topic,

From Sept-July we do a rec program for kids ages 4-12, its once a week for 30.00 for eight weeks. They get a free uniform and everything. Most kids usually sign up after. We advertise the rec programs with fliers passed out at local schools.

Like an introduction only? As a way to filter them into the school? If that's what your saying it's genius. I have seen one other program do this that teaches chun kuk do in the Phoenix area. Smart! Although I have to wonder what's more beneficial. Is it to do it that way, or to simply make that recreation center a second location? Very interesting.

@lupin1 I think that's awesome that there's a program like this. I would love to see more programs that got state/city funding and payed for it all, so that people in a certain income range could do it for free. I have been thinking of it myself, and how I would even start.

Wado, The one area I am truly lacking is being ready to do any type of demo, I have only been open as a program for eight months now and it is something I should look into more, I find that the flyers don't seem to get me anywhere . I posted all over town and put flyers everywhere with a special, it offered a free uniform for that particular month, I got new students that month but nobody with the flyer for the for uniform LOL.

Sensei8 i'd say I would've pegged you for a guy that doesn't advertise, I suppose the question would also be too many instructors, is this your only job. If it is not been advertising and creating an income Is less important, in my case with it being my only source of income at the moment it is more important. There's a fine line here though that if people become too dependent on it they need to watch themselves to make sure they are not just becoming a belt factory with a bunch of hype. The goal needs to be to drive to school forward With the thought of good karate in mind, and not money first. my personal goal at the moment is to offer martial arts in my area for a much more reasonable rate and some of the other competitors, Targeting a different financial group if you will.

Sensei was right on about finding a gold mine if you can find a school that will let you hand out flyers, that's a very big deal. We have a program that already handles all of the martial arts programs for the district called young champions. They are contracted with the district so that leaves little guys like me out Lol

[sensei8]

Great topic,

From Sept-July we do a rec program for kids ages 4-12, its once a week for 30.00 for eight weeks. They get a free uniform and everything. Most kids usually sign up after. We advertise the rec programs with fliers passed out at local schools.

You've found a school(s) that allow you to pass out fliers?? That's a goldmine of potentiality!!

Schools usually forbid that for many reasons, usually student safety; you being on school property being at the top of that list. Also, schools doesn't promote commercial enterprises, and they're not in the business of allowing any advertising. Also, school is private property, but across the street isn't, but either way, without permission of the school, police will be called quickly.

If you rent the gym after school, the school will allow the passing out of fliers, and the school will even pass them out DURING SCHOOL, plus make announcements on the PA system, and even mention MA training in their newsletters.

Yes, we have some teachers whose kids go to the dojo, so it goes home in kids folders.

That's nice to know that this can be done within the safely organized mindset of the public schools. I was met with disdain from any school I've had meeting with about this sort of thing. A "How dare you even ask" attitude, in which after meetings like this, I could've sworn that I was left to feel that I had done something wrong to them personally, as though I ran over their cat, not once, but twice.

Parents sometimes don't like it when their child brings home anything other than homework, and the like. Schools bow to the desires of the parents, in things like that.

I don't blame them; it's both their right, and their responsibility!!

[sensei8]

Great topic,

From Sept-July we do a rec program for kids ages 4-12, its once a week for 30.00 for eight weeks. They get a free uniform and everything. Most kids usually sign up after. We advertise the rec programs with fliers passed out at local schools.

Like an introduction only? As a way to filter them into the school? If that's what your saying it's genius. I have seen one other program do this that teaches chun kuk do in the Phoenix area. Smart! Although I have to wonder what's more beneficial. Is it to do it that way, or to simply make that recreation center a second location? Very interesting.

@lupin1 I think that's awesome that there's a program like this. I would love to see more programs that got state/city funding and payed for it all, so that people in a certain income range could do it for free. I have been thinking of it myself, and how I would even start.

Wado, The one area I am truly lacking is being ready to do any type of demo, I have only been open as a program for eight months now and it is something I should look into more, I find that the flyers don't seem to get me anywhere . I posted all over town and put flyers everywhere with a special, it offered a free uniform for that particular month, I got new students that month but nobody with the flyer for the for uniform LOL.

Sensei8 i'd say I would've pegged you for a guy that doesn't advertise, I suppose the question would also be too many instructors, is this your only job. If it is not been advertising and creating an income Is less important, in my case with it being my only source of income at the moment it is more important. There's a fine line here though that if people become too dependent on it they need to watch themselves to make sure they are not just becoming a belt factory with a bunch of hype. The goal needs to be to drive to school forward With the thought of good karate in mind, and not money first. my personal goal at the moment is to offer martial arts in my area for a much more reasonable rate and some of the other competitors, Targeting a different financial group if you will.

Sensei was right on about finding a gold mine if you can find a school that will let you hand out flyers, that's a very big deal. We have a program that already handles all of the martial arts programs for the district called young champions. They are contracted with the district so that leaves little guys like me out Lol

Kyuodan Dojo and Kaicho of the Hombu/SKKA are my only jobs...my entire life!! However, Kyuodan Dojo is on hold right now, until I locate a proper venue to re-open Kyuodan Dojo. If it wasn't for my being the Kaicho, I'd be unemployed!!

I've ran the advertising gauntlet seriously, yet, I find that word of mouth has been at the core of my ever increasing student body. When I sold Kyuodan Dojo to my senior student, the student body was 311; and that's not bad with word of mouth as the main source of advertising.

I don't mock how any school of the MA advertises because one has to do what one has to do to satisfy that bottom line!! And I've done my share of what I call, "Mutt" Advertising: a little bit of this and a little bit of that.