Marketing/Advertising.

Another thing we should discuss is Marketing. After research has been done and the decision has been made on how best to move forward, how do we Market ourselves? In other words, how do we stand out and get noticed?
Word of Mouth is, indeed, a very powerful marketing tool, it kept my private lessons going on a regular basis and would have kept them going indefinitely had they not been discontinued due to family circumstances. These sessions ran solely on a word-of-mouth basis, one person talks to another, or maybe two more people, which generates interest, at which point there is a trial session and if it is up to par, continued sessions thereafter.
Faith in a product translates to producing, whether or not we choose to accept it, we are in a the business of Sales - if you can't sell you won't go very far.

Word of Mouth worked wonders for my Program at the Fitness Center as well, but this was accompanied by advertising campaigns ran by the Fitness Center, having an add campaign in the local News Paper, a floor with an open viewing area where Gym Members and Potentials could view a class as it was conducted.
There was also the initial push during the grand opening of the Fitness Center in which all Instructors were showcased and available for questions on what they had to offer. I teamed up with the Tai Chi Instructor and we utilized one another to contrast what we had.
Demos were included in this initial push where I performed A LOT of Kata and explained some very basic underlying principles, leaving just enough to the imagination to gain the interest of spectators - there is another key, wetting the appetite, getting them interested enough to step through the door on a regular basis.

Some Schools do not have the luxury of a backer, they have to advertise themselves, which digs into their funds and they must find interesting ways to put their names out there.
Some run Demos in the Community on a regular basis, most have their numbers and adds listed in local phone books, often they buy space in local newspapers, not to mention the advertising possibilities available on the Internet, running Seminars regularly, becoming Authors (as the case with Wilder, Abernethy, and many others), there is also a support group, promoting friendly competition, yet cooperation in most cases.
(Iain Abernethy, Marc MacYoung, Kris Wilder, Al Peaseland, and Rory Miller all had a section at a table for their books at the Martial XPO in Seattle, all featured Instructors working together, yet some competition to make sales on their books and DVDs, but even that was in a cooperative manner).

Some schools have storefronts where they sell Martial Arts related goods, thus they can also be listed as Martial Arts Supply Stores in addition to being Dojo, so they not only have a consumer base as students, but can target shoppers whom are not students in order to make additional income.
My Teacher, Michael Dascenzo, had several listings for his Dojo, the Academy of Karate and Self Defense being one of them, the Olympic Martial Arts Center being another, we had a Tournament Team that would compete, which landed some spots in the local newspaper when members of the Team brought medals back to the community, there were also Demos and Self-Defense Seminars carried out all over the region, including a friendly Sparring Session with Minakami Sensei's UKO Karate Group at their Dojo (Shito-Ryu Karate).

Business cards are a basic way of advertising, as are flyers, online add spots, websites, blogs, youtube videos, and of course, Merchandise (such as T-Shirts).
Wilder Sensei has some very interesting T-Shirts that are liable to spark some interest as the person wearing said T-Shirts explains where they purchased or received it, thus pointing the way back to the West Seattle Karate Dojo and Kris Wilder.
(I was the only one wearing a shirt that had red Japanese Kanji and the words 'Brutal Simplicity, Simple Brutality' printed across it in white in the entirety of Spokane. This sparked many questions, so the power of such advertising speaks for itself - direct, simple, yet vague enough to catch interest).

The way you carry yourself is also a form of advertising, it speaks volumes about the school and the product you are presenting within the context of the product, or at least the way it is perceived in the mind of the consumer.
Understanding consumer psychology, and how to manipulate it is half the battle (can we say Jedi Mind Trick?).

What are the majority of people looking for? What will KEEP them coming to your school as opposed to another?
Some are looking to enter tournament competition and win lots of trophies, some are looking to get into shape, self-improvement is a strong motivator, others are looking for a means of effective self-defense (while I believe that these need not be mutually exclusive, one should really keep this in mind).
There is also the question as to the character of your school itself, does it have a unique character that consumers are not soon to forget? What sort of features does it have to offer in addition to the regular training? What sort of facilities?

What sort of features do you have to offer? In my case it is the awareness of knowing that no one else in the area is teaching Toguchi-ha Goju Ryu Karate or even the principles of Sanchin taught by Wilder Sensei, or the principles of Practical Bunkai/Applied Karate.
Condencing this is necessary so that it is not too 'wordy,' a pitch that can be given in as few words as possible that highlights the important points and leaves the consumer wanting more.
In Customer Service I utilize this method to sell my skills on the job market, 'I have 10 years experience in Customer Service ranging from Health Insurance to Banking,' that's it, works wonders by highlighting all the important points, though I am by far not a Master of this technique, further refinement is required, that is why Marketing is an art unto itself and should be viewed as such.

In closing, know your product, know your target, know the competition, and do not rely on one method of advertising if you wish to get ahead of the curve.
More can be added to this, if there is more you wish to share as a reader please do so, more knowledge is always welcome.

Intro: Examples, Selling Points, and Demographics.

A conversation took place a while back between Kris Wilder Sensei and myself; the subject matter was about how to run a Dojo as a successful Business.
Covering several points, he provided some interesting examples, planting the seeds to make me think as time went on, though no Dojo came of the conversation (as of yet), his wisdom in the matter was priceless and to this day has proved useful in several areas of life.

There were also several email conversations between myself and my Teacher, Michael Dascenzo Sensei, in which we covered the same topic, running a Dojo as a successful business, though from a different standpoint, that is, running Private Lessons out of the home as opposed to running Group Classes in a rented building.
This knowledge should not go to waste either and there are things that can be gained from both viewpoints, they need not be mutually exclusive.
He also provided some examples of people doing just that, people to whom he had made the suggestion, given some advice, they ran with it and were able to keep the momentum going to actually make a decent living at it without having to worry about the overhead of a rented building in addition to keeping the lights in their homes on, because Dojo and Home became one and the same.

Wilder Sensei gave the example of Mas Oyama Sensei, having started out teaching in an empty lot outdoors, eventually moving his class into an old run-down garage.
Now Kyokushin Karate is among one of the most well-known systems in the world, with Mas Oyama being listed among some of the most well-known figures in the Martial Arts World as a whole. Maybe he was business minded, maybe not, but something certainly came of it, and it all started in an empty lot with a dedicated Instructor and a group of dedicated Students.
One should ask how this was possible, what did he do to become so successful?? That has been a question in my mind for quite some time now.

Dascenzo Sensei gave an example of a business owner, running a Kung Fu studio in Olympia, that was faced with closing his school due to high overhead costs and not enough income as there were not enough students in the school to maintain the school AND make a profit.
Let's face it, any business is out to make a profit while attempting to meet overhead costs, when there is not enough income to meet costs or make a profit the Teacher cannot make a living and their very livelihood is threatened (at least for fulltime Teachers).
Sensei told me he had suggested to the Teacher that he let his school close and just continue running private lessons out of his home, instead of charging on a monthly basis, he would need to shift gears and charge by the hour, he followed my Teacher's advice with great success (as far as I am aware he is still Teaching).

There is a local school here, on the South Hill, that has been operating for quite some time, having recently moved to a much larger School specifically designed to be a Dojo, they have no problem meeting overhead costs, or making a profit, while maintaining a small paid staff, they are also able to welcome Students of low-income on a Scholarship status sponsored by the Head Instructor himself.
They are able to do this because they are constantly running promotions, they also run a small childcare operation that brings more income.
While their central focus is Karate, they also offer Iaido, Grappling, weekend Sparring Classes, a Little Dragon's Cirriculum, on-site Uniforms, not to mention the nice facilities they have available complete with traditional Hojo Undo Equipment (including a Kongo Ken) and some diverse weights.
They run fundraisers, spent a great deal on radio advertisements, they also make it a point to get out in the community to perform demos.
Being part of a larger organization they also gain exposure by hosting training with world renouned Karateka Morio Higaonna and gained even more exposure by becoming the central Dojo in the US as their Head Instructor is now the Chief Instructor of the IOGKF USA.
(Maybe the Organization gave them a leg up in this regard, but it that is just a side note, as their momentum was present from the start by the efforts of their Head Instructor, his business mindedness and passion for what he does).

There was also a Shotokan School in the Spokane Valley that was closed down, the Instructor having decided to take the Private Lesson route.
Advertising by way of the Internet, with some space in the phone book and (possibly) word of mouth, the school was very successful, along with the reputation and credentials of the Instructor, it became an extremely successful approach for them.
Of course charging hourly rather than monthly, the prices seemed to fit as the students were very content with what they received in training.

One approach versus another, in my view, depends on demographics, this always plays a role in which way is going to be the better approach for the Individual, not to mention the consumer base, what type of experience does the consumer base want?
Both approaches have their good points and bad points, some Instructors are partial to one over the other and may even have strong opinions that illustrate this fact, which is fine, that has worked for them for a while, so it is wise not to bite the hand that feeds you.

What are some selling points about each approach?

Group Dojo -
*Train with others in a group setting, there is definitely the social element present in this approach that has an appeal to the socially minded.
*Class times are open rather than by appointment, come and go as you please, but there may be some limit on space (and some Dojos may charge more depending on how many classes a week you attend).
*There is also usually the option for Private Training in addition in order to gain some depth.
*Heirarchy, the feeling that you have some status within something greater than yourself which allows you to help others and feel better about yourself as you do so.
*Possibility of participating in group activities both within and outside the Dojo, so more of a family unit type of setting.
(This may just be generalizing, but it is hoped by this Author that these are basically the experience of others, if there is more that needs to be added, please feel free to comment).

Private Dojo -
*Train directly with the Teacher, with a fair amount of depth to the training and the ability to work at your own pace on a personal level (while developing more of a personal Teacher-Student relationship).
*The feeling of being part of something, not necessarily mysterious, but something different than what is normally offered.
*A direct connection with tradition, though obviously lacking in the area of the socially minded individual, depth is always the key word here.
*Without monthly charges, if a Student chooses not to train one day they can simply cancel their time-slot and not have to pay for that time.
*The ability to have training tailored to the individual without having to deal with the group mindset and sifting toward the individual in solo training or sporadic sessions of private training.
(Again, generalizing here more than a bit, but the selling points seem obvious to me, though more could be added to both lists).

Its' good to get a feel for the area you're in, no matter what type of business you plan on running. In the case of Dojos or Gyms it is good to look at what else is offered in the area, what sort of selling points these places are advertising, and what sort of advertising they are doing to gain a consumer base to keep them going.
Who are they targeting in their consumer base? Is it primarily children? Adults? Is it varied? How many students do each of them have? When compared between these schools it is easy to see what sells and what doesn't by the number of Students in each, but why does one school appear to have more than the others? Why do the others have less?
Could it be that those with less would benefit more from a Private Instruction approach? Take all the information and apply it to what you plan to market in the area, what do you have to offer that's different? Sell. Sell. Sell. Selling points are the name of the game, is it a good enough selling point to get people through the door? Are you knowledgeable, skillful, and personable enough to keep them coming in?
How do you market yourself in a way that gets noticed?

A lot of things go into this, what is listed above barely scratches the surface on any level. Thoughts? I hope this helps, and remember, this is just the beginning.