When it comes to promoting your martial arts school, your students are your biggest asset. Word of mouth marketing is huge in communities, and you can be sure that if a parent sees their child enjoying your curriculum that they will recommend it to other parents who are looking to enroll their students in after-school activities. Looking for ways to get your students representing your wherever they go? Here are six ways to have your students advertise your martial arts school.

 1. Push Advertising

Push advertising is a traditional marketing strategy that involves distributing promotional material to a large group of people. Email campaigns and flyers are great ways to utilize push advertising for your school and will be extremely effective if you get your students involved in the distribution.

You can do this by simply sending flyers home with students, or dropping them off at local schools. These can be simple, but professional print outs that include your school’s logo, website, upcoming events, news, and/or coupons, and are designed to engage people with what your school is doing. Younger students will hand them over to their parents, who will hand them off to their friends. It’s an inexpensive way to get your name out there.

2. Don’t Forget Social Media

10 years ago only 7% of the US population used social media. Since then that figure has increased almost tenfold, up to 79%! People of all ages and demographics are on it, and many businesses, including martial arts schools, use social media as a marketing tool.

With how effective it can be to increase awareness of your school, you do not want to miss out on the many potential students and positive exposure social media can bring. If you are new to the social media space and aren’t sure where to get started, we recommend you start with the basics and create an effective business page on Facebook. There are many online tutorials that can walk you through the steps, and we even have our own brief overview of how you can best utilize social media to help grow your business.

When it comes to Facebook, use it as a platform to share exciting news, events, and martial arts articles. Urge your students to “like” your page, and work to create a fun, online community for students to interact and share information about your school with their friends and family.

3. Create a Referral Program

A referral program is a good way for you to increase your school’s word of mouth marketing by getting students to advertise your classes to their friends. You can help them do this by printing off discounted class coupons for students to give to their friends, or offer a ‘Refer a Friend’ form on your website and Facebook page. When a student fills out the form an automatic email will be sent to the friends they think would be interested in your school. Reward each referral with a free month of classes or a prize, like a Macho Rank Belt Key Chain or a Martial Arts Tote Bag.

4. Offer “Bring a Friend to Class” Days

Another way to utilize your students is to host a Bring a Friend To Class Day. These days give students a chance to share their passion for martial arts with their friends while giving you a chance to introduce martial arts to prospective students. Offer these classes on the weekend, when students are already looking for fun ways to hang out with their friends, and make sure to plan activities and lessons that are easier for beginners and more fun to do. You do not want to scare away any newcomers with difficult routines. At the end of class, hand out a discount card for membership at to students and their guests.

5. Organize Social Events

Social events and parties are a fun way to spread martial arts cheer. They show your community that martial arts classes not only benefit students physically, but also socially. Parents and students will talk about the great atmosphere and social environment you provide to others, and oftentimes they will want to bring their friends to Karate themed Christmas Parties or a Tae Kwon Do Mother’s Day event. Show attendees the many benefits your school provides and make it easy for guests to sign up for more classes.

6. Take Advantage of Custom Print Services

Your students are essentially walking billboards for your school. If you have a logo that is eye-catching or have created a funny shirt, then students will want to show off their cool apparel to friends. They’ll wear their custom printed backpack to school or their martial arts t-shirt to soccer practice. Put your logo on a bumper sticker with a catchy slogan like “Karate Mom” or “Jiu Jitsu Dad”, and your community will be more than happy to show their passion!

Custom products are a great way to showcase your school, and is something Macho has been offering for over 40 years. We offer custom printed apparel, uniforms, gear and more for our wholesale customers, and have a team on hand to help you with any design you want. Contact us today to see how Macho can help you make some awesome gear your students will love to wear!