MASuccess Magazine

Let’s face it, online advertising works awesome, but it costs money. 

It’s a pay-to-play platform. 

And it’s one that requires skills and strategy — two things that many martial arts school owners have when they are on the mat — but put them in front of the Facebook Ads Manager, and they are tying on a white belt. 

When times are tough and your marketing budget is low, leaders adapt and overcome. 

And while paid advertising is the fastest way to gain new students, it’s not the only way. 

Smart school owners leverage the power of Social Media and the Internet every single day. 

And while you might not have a large marketing budget, that doesn’t mean you are out for the count. 

This is why I put together 7 ways for you to reach your audience online…for free. 

That’s right. 

These techniques and strategies won’t cost you a dime. 

So what’s the catch? 

It will cost...

With COVID, and the less-than-stable return to school situation in some states, it’s understandable if your youngest martial arts students are a little stressed right now. On top of that, Halloween is right around the corner and many places are cancelling Trick-or-Treating, parades, and other holiday celebrations. Halloween is widely anticipated and beloved by youngsters, and is something they look forward to all year. To be fair, now probably isn’t the best time for communal candy touched by who-knows-how-many hands – but it still looks like we’re in for a dark and gloomy October.

Martial arts schools to the rescue! You can light up your young students’ Halloween – literally and figuratively – by offering an awesome Glo-Chuck seminar! These training events were popularized by MAIA and our very own Frank Silverman, and have been successful student retention and revenue-boosting events for schools for years.

Whether you hold it on...

MASuccess brainstormed with five prominent martial arts instructors to obtain their best advice for their peers during this global pandemic. Here is what they offered.

Immediately Start Teaching Your Art Online

Sometimes it’s best to begin with the end in mind. Do you want to help your students and families during the COVID-19 pandemic? Do you want to support your local schools, businesses and communities? Do you want to provide leadership during this a time of uncertainty? I’m guessing that you will answer yes to all these questions.

Now more than ever, people need to feel connected, and many of them need you to continue to serve as their instructor and their leader. Likewise, communities need leaders to provide certainty and security. Again, they need you to continue to be a martial arts leader to provide stability and structure. To do that, you’ll need to rely on technology, perhaps to a degree you never have. The good news is, it’s not that...

by Melissa Torres, MAIA Division Manager

There’s an old saying about coaching from the late, great UCLA basketball coach John Wooden that I think about a lot when it comes to MAIA: “A good coach can change the game; a great coach can change a life.”

The quote strikes a chord with me. A good coach can help you become better at your hobby or career, but a great coach can instill something deeper. Something life-changing. Something that alters the course of your world forever and opens your mind to possibilities never before seen.

Here at MAIA, we truly believe that great coaching and mentoring can be the catalyst for unexpected growth and life-changing discoveries. We understand that no man or woman is an island. We did not get where are today by ourselves. We all needed some help along the way.

That’s why we recently rolled out a new feature on the MAIA website that’s going to allow us to better connect with you for coaching. With this addition,...

By MAIA Division Manager Melissa Torres

Facebook is dying. Social media is officially coming to an end.

And now that I have your attention — no, it absolutely is not. Hopefully, none of you got your hopes up. The fact is, social media is growing in prevalence and in importance to our industry. We can’t escape Facebook, Instagram, Twitter — you name it. The great news is, when used correctly, social media can help you tremendously.

I know what you’re thinking: “I don’t know how to run paid ads.” “I don’t even have a Facebook page for my school.” Or maybe, “I have Facebook and Instagram pages, but they don’t get me new students and they’re not worth the headache to keep up with!”

Hopefully, some of you are already ahead of the curve and know a thing or two about what and when to post. You may even have an idea of how to drive new students to your doors. But most school...

By Beth A. Block

Our industry provides lots of opportunities to take photos: everything from the first class to private lessons, extra activities and rank promotions. Many of us have covered the photos we take in a photo release. If you haven’t already done this, I strongly suggest you add this to your enrollment form.

Most of us have not thought about the pictures our families take of their kids. Those pictures usually include other people’s kids. Our photo release doesn’t cover those pictures since we didn’t take them.

Every studio has children enrolled from single-parent homes. We get the enrollment form signed by that parent. Do you think about liability issues from the absent parent? One of your fellow studios was stuck in the middle of a dispute between parents over a picture.

A girl of seven years old was enrolled by Mom. The enrollment director had Mom complete all the paperwork. Mom indicated on the enrollment form that no pictures of the girl...

By Beth A. Block

Have you surrendered to the Dark Side? Or are you committed to the Light? In other words, do you wield your social media saber for the light or the dark? Surrendering to the dark can get you sued, just like these studio owners below.

Liability #1

Our studio depends on social media to market our program and to keep our relationships with our enrolled families. Our current families use social media for everything.

The first thing a family will do after hearing about your studio is check you out on social media. They will check out your website, your social media pages, and look at your reviews before deciding whether to come to your studio.

Your instructors are also, generally, part of the generation that uses instant messaging, Twitter, Instagram, and texting. This is just as natural as breathing for them.

In one studio, this resulted in a 19-year-old instructor texting a naked picture of himself to a 16-year-old student. The...