The Easiest Way to Market Yourself as an Anti-Bully Expert

You’ve heard it before. It’s nothing new. “As a martial arts business owner a part of your marketing must be dedicated to ‘positioning yourself’ as an ‘anti-bullying expert.’

The question often is “where do I start?”

The problem is there are so many answers to that question (some conflicting) in the martial arts industry and the result is mass confusion. In this article my goal is to “simplify” the whole “anti-bully expert” thing for you.

It is safe to say it’s not enough to simply claim martial arts training alone will teach kids how to deal with bullies. Yes of course, kids get more confident when they train. Kids learn techniques which could be used to fend off an attacker. And kids develop relationships with like-minded children. Naturally, all those wonderful benefits of martial arts training will, overtime, equip a child to deal with the inevitable bully. But, those benefits are not enough for you to hang your shingle as a local “anti-bully” crusader.

Before we go into some ideas let’s start with another question…

Why would you want to hang your shingle as an “anti-bully” expert in your community? For one, prospects like the idea of dealing with “experts.” But more importantly, it comes down to the “why do you buy a drill concept.”

Why do you buy a drill? Because you want a hole.

It’s about results. And one thing we know, especially now with the massive media coverage bullying has received, is parents want the result of minimizing the effects of bullying on their child.

So where to begin?

My new martial arts business system members often ask the wrong question.

Most of the time they want to know “what to teach” when it comes to anti-bully skills. Most of the time, they are looking for the EXACT anti-bully curriculum. Now, don’t get me wrong, this is not a bad question. It is just the wrong question to ask first.

Every now and then the question above leads to yet another WRONG question. And that is…

“Which anti-bully program is the best one in the martial arts industry?”

The reasons I say these questions are wrong (to ask first) is because it does not matter which program or anti-bully curriculum you like or buy into. Why? Simple! You can pay $1000′s for all kinds of programs and certifications and it won’t matter. No one will care! It is still up to you to “market” your anti-bully expertise. To put it bluntly. You STILL have to market YOURSELF as an anti-bully expert regardless of the program you use.

The next problem…

Which “anti-bully” doctrine is best? Do you teach a kid body language before you teach them verbal skills? Or, do you emphasize spacial awareness and tone of voice? See where this is going? We can talk in circles about “how” to teach kids to stand up to bullies without violence.

Now the big take away…

You don’t have to wait to be anointed an anti-bully expert, nor do you need certification.

Probably the greatest problem that keeps a school owner from claiming the “title” of anti-bully expert is the myth of having to be “anointed” by someone else. That’s BS!! Anoint yourself! The truth is you already know enough. Why? Remember this…

“For every third grader, there’s a forth grader.”

But hold on. Here’s my disclaimer.

I am assuming you’re a pro. And what do pro’s do? They constantly learn. So when I say you know enough I assume you’ve at least read a few books on anti-bully skills. I’ll assume you’ve helped some kids deal with bullies. I’ll assume you’ve taken note about what has worked and what has not worked for your students. It’s assumed you’re on a mission to discover what works best.

The point is… Any good martial arts business owner worth his/her salt knows more than the average parent or educator about anti-bully skills. But if you’re still at a loss, start here…

If you were going to teach kids with no martial arts experience how to deal with bullies you can build on the following. First, to give credit where credit is due, I learned these years ago from Bill Kip and Kathy Marlor.

1. Teach kids why bullies do what they do.
2. Show them how typical bullies interact and how they choose their victims.
3. Teach them the differences between Passive, Aggressive and Assertive behaviors.
4. Make them aware of personal space and how to protect it.
5. Help them understand how just vocal tone can go a long way in stopping bullies.

Add the five ideas listed above to anything you already have and… “bada bing” – you’ve got your own anti-bully program you can be proud of and then go market to your community.

In a future post will cover ideas on how to market your “anti-bully expertise.”

Avoid The Fiddle and Grow Your Martial Arts Business

this video talks about how to move the decision making process along in your martial arts business…

cool facebook plug in

be sure to use this facebook plug in on your martial arts business website…

new students for your martial arts business

Martial Arts Marketing to Bring 34 New Students to Your Martial Arts Business

I’ve been working with a few clients and our “head content contributor,” Master Lechtenberg, to iron out a solid “Back to School Martial Arts Marketing Plan.”

Here a few ideas we’ll be running with.

1- Media/Publicity

Back to school time is a perfect chance for you to score some media coverage around the subject of how to defeat bullies without violence.

Newspapers and Morning News Shows are receptive to story ideas.

Time your idea around a workshop for kids in the community for best results.

2- Being timely when working with schools and teachers.

We’ve found our “Goal Setting for Good Grades” talk really strikes a nerve during back to school time because it is so relevant.

In the beginning of the school year teachers are receptive to anything that will help “ensure a successful school year for their students.”

3- Now’s the time to get back in touch with those leads.

If you’re doing what you need to do in the summer you’ve got stacks of leads sitting there.

As a matter of fact, we all have prospects that have not converted.

If you’ve been savvy about it– now’s the time to use some good email and direct mail marketing to those targeted lists.

You can also link your direct mail to Mobile Landing pages using QR Codes

4- Fun special events.

We are looking to do something around “Do It” day to inspire our families and friends to take action on their goals.

We’ll also do something around “Women of Achievement Month.”

With special events you need to give them a “good reason!”

5- Adult Fitness

Timing couldn’t better for some targeted direct mail and savvy internet marketing to bring some adults in.

All in all we’ve got 18 or so things on our list.

We estimate some will get us 1 or 2 students while others will bring in 3 or 4. Some will get 0!

But our target is 34 New Students for the 6 Week Back to School Season.

I hope this helps.

If you want some concrete guidance including, plans, promo materials, videos and education join us for 10 bucks and “Crush It” this back to school season right here…

Martial Arts Back to School Plan – Click Here

The case for intro lessons in your martial arts business

Here are 4 reasons successful martial arts business owners do intro lessons…

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How Yes Can Build Your Martial Arts Business

Here’s a video training on how to get the “yes” response while teaching introductory lessons in your martial arts business.

martial arts marketing questions and ideas

Someone on our Martial Arts Business System free ezine list sent in a couple of great questions so I figure I’d share them with you as I answer. Hey, I am big believer in using every part of the pig twice.

Interestingly enough – this subscriber is actually a full time chiropractor. But don’t be foolish and disregard his questions. OK, let’s get going…

Question: “Mike I purchased your 7 Day Local Celebrity Program because I want to attract local patients. My publicity has to be within 20 miles of my office.

After trying a few local newspapers and radio stations, how are we going to get ongoing local publicity?

I remember going on a few local radio shows several years ago. I also had a few small articles

written about me in local papers. – But I never could figure out how to get local publicity on

a regular basis. – How did you overcome this problem in the martial arts field?”

Answer: Thanks for getting my course on publicity! Here goes…

2 ways…

You must have angles, hooks and story ideas on a regular basis.

That’s what leads to ongoing publicity. Be sure you go through my course several times so the ideas and concepts soak in.

Then you must look at being a “contributor.”

You’re an expert and have to be sure you claim the title. A wellness column perhaps that appears regularly. Give it a good “running title” and you’ll be on your way.

A radio spot– or even TV spot with the same tone can also work.

Once you land one Radio or TV spot you can then stay in touch with producers and send them regular ideas. Some will be accepted and some won’t.

Getting ongoing media is a combo of what I just gave you above-plus relationship building.

Next Question -Regarding the Martial Arts Business and Marketing

“A few fiends of mine and I have been thinking about starting a martial arts business in

Los Angeles for children and teenagers. – We never started it because we have seen so many schools fail.

We have been testing different marketing methods, but they brought poor results.

We tried newspaper ads, direct mail postcards, websites and SEO consultants, fliers and coupon books.

In six months of marketing we only attracted eight students. So, two weeks ago we started a class and rent by the hour at a local church a few times a week. – This way we are not stuck with a lease if it doesn’t work. – We will give it a few months to see if it grows.

We wasted a lot of money. – None of our marketing is pulling over one student per month.

I have talked to other school owners and their marketing hardly pays the rent.

I have also tried “marketing martial arts programs” on the internet. But, the instructions were very vague. : Example – They tell you to approach public and private schools and tell them that you want to come in and do a “Bully Program” or Self Defense Program.

Here, in Los Angeles, the Principal of the school usually says “No”. There are many rules that the School Districts set up. – Maybe it might work in some small city where there are not so many rules. Even the Boy Scout Groups out here have rules against having a talk or lecture on martial arts.

What marketing methods work in a “large” city for children’s martial arts?”

Answer:

That’s a lot to answer in an email or blog pot– but here goes…

I know many martial arts school owner’s whose marketing does work so you wanta get around them if you could.

There are no magic pills.

A good location is better than a bad one. Duh!

Internet Marketing done right– with a website that converts to generate leads does help for sure. There are wrong and right ways to set up martial arts school websites.

A combination of “grass-roots,” hustle type marketing and targeted direct marketing — plus internal and external events– is a winning formula.

When it comes to marketing you also have to pay special attention to the message and the offer.

As far as getting into schools is concerned– there are numerous ways to do it.

But you are safer with going the route of “build up” first.

Meaning: You cant expect to walk in and land a deal with a Principal cold.

All the good deals I have ever gotten in schools– were always preceded by months and sometimes a years worth of groundwork. Doing talks for teachers. Connecting with PTA folks and others through local networking and doing a fair amount of classes for private places like daycares, etc.

Also note– I have run schools in the “big city” and in “small towns.”

And aside from just a few minor details their school systems operate the same when it comes to “who gets in” and who does not.

One big mistake is to talk “martial arts” with them off the bat.

In our members area – we have several programs you can “knock off” and teach in schools, camps and pre-schools.

These include videos and instructions.

Some titles of the programs are…

“Goal Setting for Good Grades”

“How to Defeat the Bully Without Violence”

“Fun, Fitness & Focus”

Notice– none have “Martial Arts” in the title.

To get access to all these- check out…

MartialArtofBusiness.com

Important Note:

This subscriber got this detailed answer because he purchased one of my programs in the last month.

Most of my time answering questions is focused toward Martial Arts Business System Gold Members and Internet Marketing clients.

If you ask a question but do not fall into one of those groups I can not guarantee your question will get answered. I’m sure you understand.