Capitalizing on New Year Resolutions for Attracting Adult Students

As martial arts school owners, it's essential to identify specific times of the year when consumers are in a buying mood. While many schools primarily focus on attracting children, targeting adults searching for a new way to stay in shape and learn self-defense is an equally valuable demographic. Today, we'll provide you with some tips on how to draw in new adult students during the best time of the year to grab their attention: The New Year.

The New Year presents an excellent opportunity to provide information about your classes and offer deals on trials or enrollments. Unlike gyms and personal trainers, martial artists can take advantage of group classes, creating a sense of community that motivates individuals and helps them achieve their goals. Most commonly, people aim to start exercising, lose weight, learn self-defense skills, boost confidence, or enjoy group classes with friends.

Consider organizing self-defense boot camps that last a few weeks. These boot camps serve as a way to introduce martial arts to a group of adults and can serve as a stepping stone to enrolling them in a program that offers ongoing benefits. Self-defense is particularly appealing to adults as it equips them with skills they may need to protect themselves in various situations.

This is also an ideal time to introduce a New Year Fitness Challenge. This concept aims to assist adults seeking to get in shape by allowing them to share their fitness goals and then supporting them in achieving these goals through martial arts. You can enroll them in a trial program tailored to their New Year's resolutions and have them commit to reaching their goals during the month of January. Provide them with training sessions and demonstrate the results at the end of the month. Following this, you can present them with a special enrollment offer to continue enjoying the benefits of martial arts. It's also a perfect opportunity to encourage them to bring a friend or their spouse onto the mat for a trial, allowing them to work together to achieve their fitness objectives.

Finally, we recommend offering a New Year special. This trial can incorporate some of the ideas we mentioned earlier in this article, or you can tailor it to your preference. Promote this offer within the community and on social media to reach a wider audience. If you choose to run ads, ensure that your offer and its value take center stage in your advertisement. Some of the offers we've seen include:

• Train for the entire month of January for FREE with the purchase of a uniform.

• Train for the entire month of January for FREE with the purchase of a program package (including uniform, weapons, etc.).

• Receive up to $100 in pro shop credit when you sign up during the month of January (Paid in Full).

You can, of course, customize these offers to align with your school's systems. In summary, remember to craft an irresistible offer that captures people's interest, prompting them to sign up or at least inquire for more information.

When Should I Start Marketing to Adults for New Year's?

We typically advise our clients to have their marketing materials ready one to two months in advance. This advanced preparation allows you to refine your messaging and make any necessary design adjustments to your marketing materials. It also provides ample time to send materials to the printers and have your flyers produced. You can begin marketing these offerings on social media and within your community around New Year's and throughout the month of January. Be sure to include QR codes in your designs so that prospects can easily visit your website or landing page from any marketing channel where they find you. Remember to offer an irresistible incentive to prompt them to take action swiftly!