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Ever wonder if borrowing strategies from different industries could transform your martial arts business into a thriving enterprise? The simple answer is, “Absolutely!” You don’t have to reinvent the wheel when creating your martial arts business plan. Instead, borrow some tried and true strategies from other industries and accelerate your path to business growth. With that in mind, here are some foundational principles that you should apply to your martial arts business.
A Customer-Centric Approach
Think about the last time you walked into a hotel and were greeted with a warm smile or the moment you purchased something online and enjoyed a frictionless experience. The hospitality and retail sectors excel when it comes to customer service. Take a page out of their playbook by:
- Prioritizing Personalization: Tailor the experience for your students, whether you offer specialized sessions for those training for a competition or dedicated classes for those looking to learn self-defense
- Removing Friction: Provide your students with membership management tools and self-service options that give them control over their martial arts journey
When you provide customers with a personalized experience and make them feel in control, they will develop feelings of loyalty toward your martial arts business. More importantly, they will want to tell others about their experience. Satisfied customers are your best brand ambassadors.
Subscription or Membership Models
Expensive gym memberships and sky-high sign-up fees are major sign-up barriers. While you can’t price yourself out of business, you need to use creative membership models that make your studio more appealing to prospective customers.
Once again, you can look to other industries for inspiration. In this case, you can draw from the media and entertainment sectors (think Netflix) and adopt a subscription-based membership model. Here are two attributes to integrate into your membership model:
- Tiered Membership: Not every student requires the same level of attention, so offer basic, premium, and elite memberships, each with unique perks.
- Digital Options: Offer an online portal with training content for students who might be traveling or those who love revisiting lessons at their own pace
Tiered memberships reduce the barrier to entry by presenting customers with affordable sign-up options. Likewise, publishing digital content will help boost retention by allowing members to connect with your gym while on the go.
Market Your Martial Arts Business
If there’s one thing the tech industry excels at, it’s marketing. But digital marketing isn’t only for tech gurus and masters of the World Wide Web. With the right tools, anyone can harness the power of digital marketing, including you. Here are some actionable tips:
- Get Social: Social media is a low-cost and effective way to market local businesses
- Be Consistent: Publish content on a regular basis, engage with followers, and be consistent
- Target the Right Audience: Make sure you are targeting the right demographic to maximize the impact of your marketing efforts
- Implement Modern Tools: MyStudio offers a suite of marketing tools and powerful integrations like Facebook Pixel and Google Tag Manager to help you market like a pro
Marketing your martial arts business is part art, part science. Get creative, put these tips to use, and take advantage of powerful martial arts software to build a winning marketing strategy.
Technology and Innovation From the Health and Fitness Industry
Martial arts management software has come a long way over the last couple of years. Modern martial arts software includes a broad mix of tools and features designed to make managing your studio a breeze. From attendance tracking capabilities to your very own app, the right software includes everything you need to modernize your business.
The question is, what is the right software? With MyStudio, you can create schedules while on the go, track tasks, send communications to your customers, and so much more!
Adopt Agile Business Practices
Opening a martial arts school is a challenging but incredibly rewarding journey that requires business acumen, a passion for your discipline, and a willingness to adapt. While you are sure to encounter some unexpected hurdles as a martial arts business owner, adopting agile practices will help you navigate these growth roadblocks.
Startup owners are masters of agile business principles. They prioritize two things above all else: continuous improvement and adaptability. Here’s how to apply them to your business:
- Always Improve Your Curriculum: Even if your curriculum is great, it can always be better – never stop trying to perfect it
- Encourage Feedback From Students: Gather feedback from students to find out what they love about your studio and what they would like to see you change
- Be Innovative While Respecting Tradition: While you must preserve the tradition of your art, you should also integrate new-age practices where possible to make your operations smoother
Agile business practices are a great tool for cutting waste and staying nimble in the face of unforeseen challenges.
Explore Franchise Opportunities
Looking to expand? Franchising can be the secret recipe for growth. If you decide to franchise, develop a standardized training program to ensure that students get the same stellar training no matter which studio they attend. Also, make sure to empower franchisees by offering consistent, quality support.
Whether you decide to stick with your solo business or want to pursue franchise opportunities, having the right martial arts software can make all the difference. That’s where MyStudio membership management software enters the fold.
Our martial arts attendance software was built by a successful martial arts studio owner, meaning it has all the tools you need to build your business. Sign up for a free trial of MyStudio or book a complimentary demo.
