When people open a martial arts school, their main focus is often on designing the dojo, creating a logo, and establishing a business plan. All of those are very important aspects of running a business, but one overlooked part is email marketing.
As one of the most cost-effective ways to engage in marketing, emails can help you develop a relationship with potential students and parents before they ever sign up for a class. Martial arts email marketing can also increase student retention, as it creates constant communication between you and your students. This could be by sending them monthly updates about school news and events, as well as any special promotions you may be running.
Emails for Student Prospecting
When used properly, email marketing is a great way to turn potential customers into paying students. This is done by including an opt-in or contact form on your website for people to enter their contact information in order to receive special information about your school.
Every email your website receives should go straight into a designated mailing list, which will enroll them in an email campaign you have previously set up. These emails will introduce interested people to your school and its classes, events, and community. Once those are running, you will need to monitor how those campaigns perform. This is done by reviewing your emails’ open rates, click through rates and opt-outs (unsubscribes), which will help you tailor your emails to specific audiences based on their results.
For example, if you see that your emails have a low open rate, then you need to have a more exciting subject line to entice more people to open them. Or, if you have a low click-through-rate then you need the content of the email itself to be more engaging and in line with what your audience wants to see.
You can also send out short term introductory offers to people new to your mailing list, as this can give them an opportunity to try out some classes at a low cost with the goal of converting them into loyal students. Set up a separate email segment for people who fall into this category, and include information on what exactly the deal includes and what style of martial arts you will teach them.
Good source for email templates. We are not affiliated with this website in any way.
Choosing an Email Platform
Now there are a variety of email marketing platforms to choose from, all of which come with pre-built email templates for you to utilize. Most email marketing services are very similar when it comes to their features and prices, with many offering free trials, various email templates, analytics, social media integrations, and email scheduling.
Some instructors may desire to have emails that are full of awesome graphics, while others may prefer a more minimalist approach. Either way, it is important to make sure your emails reflect your academy in the colors being used (which will come from your logo) and its overall aesthetic. Below are some of the most popular email marketing platforms.
When you engage in email marketing for your school you are creating another way to engage with your students. Doing this in combination with other marketing forms will ensure you stay top of mind with current students while bringing in new ones. Although many email marketing services are similar, just keep your budget and marketing goals in mind when reviewing your options and you will make the right decision for your business.
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