As a martial arts academy owner, you know the power of your school’s success lies in the quality of its teachings. To get people to the point where they’re reaping the benefits of your curriculum, first you have to get them in the door.

If you’ve got good systems in place, then you already have people working to turn your leads into booked appointments and, hopefully, members. However, even if your academy is spotless and your internal operations seamless, in the era of the internet, most people can and will first experience something online before they commit either their time or money to it. 

Even if you have a great advertising budget that gets your ad out in front of hundreds of eyes, you need to captivate your audience the second they click on your link. Most people spend about 15 seconds on a webpage before bouncing. You need to grab their attention the moment they land on your page. 

If you capture people with compelling visuals and concise messaging, they’ll stay to see what you’re offering. The better you can show them what they want to see through top-notch content, the higher the likelihood those visitors will convert into real, breathing, sweating leads.

This means you need to put as much into your online presence as you would your brick-and-mortar academy home, metaphorically speaking. Build out a space, whether it’s a website or an Instagram account, that can reflect the vibe and values of your dojo. Now that you’ve got that platform, think of it as a continuous opportunity to put your best foot forward; introduce yourself and what you do!

What do you offer? What sets you apart? What do you want people to know about you? This is where the power of good content comes in. 

So what is content and why do you want it? 

Essentially, content refers to any information, creative material or data presented in forms such as text, visuals and audio.

In the world of digital marketing and websites, content refers to articles, blog posts, photos, videos, infographics, and any other elements that contribute to the overall information that makes up the user-experience.

For a martial arts company which offers skills, classes and spaces, content could look like blog posts or even videos about your martial art, your team, your history, your coaches, or a range of other things from within the martial arts world that could be interesting to your audience. And pictures. Lots of pictures!

Since you can’t exactly demonstrate the value of your classes on a digital platform the way you could show a triple-lined fleece jacket, you have to capture the essence of what you do in another form of value. Content is your superpower to getting people to truly see what you’re all about and find a way to get more.

Quality and relevant content is essential for attracting and retaining an audience, as well as for effective communication and conveying messages online. 

Another important reason that you want to consider when creating content is – does it help your current student body? While some of your content should introduce you to newcomers, to truly utilize the full power of content, make an effort to tap into how else you can add value to your existing members. 

Do you have some professional fighters in your community? Make a cool video or post sharing their story. Maybe you love nerding out about Jiu Jitsu and staying up to date with the hottest techniques – make a video devoted to exploring them all as you integrate them into your curriculum. The possibilities are endless, and whatever you do will serve as an extension of what you already offer.

Part of running an academy means you can never stop learning either  – learning how to be a better leader, a better martial arts practitioner and a better educator. To have long-term success, you must evolve. 

If you want to root your community in long-term legacy members and build on quality first and foremost, gear your marketing content towards those members you already have. When newcomers find your site, they’ll see you’ve already got a solid foundation and know what you’re talking about.

Sometimes, your digital platform is the only impression you get to make on someone. What will make potential members go WOW?

[Why You Need Email Marketing]

Getting started 

When it comes to creating content, the best thing to do is jump in. It almost doesn’t matter what you make as long as you make something. 

Stick to your area of expertise, and don’t overthink it. You want to be as authentic as possible so that people can get a true sense of what you and your martial arts school are like. The best part is, you can literally make content with only a cell phone. 

Here are some ideas to get you started! 

• Set your phone up on the mat and record yourself training

• In a video following the previous, talk about what you worked on.

• Record rolls in class! (Make sure to let people know ahead of time that you’ll be recording so they can opt out of being on camera)

• Break down a movement with an instructional video

• Film the technique you’ll be covering in class that week

• Do a “Takedown of the Week” segment and film a different takedown each week

• Take photos of instructors in action

• You can post your instructors’ photos and introduce them one by one on social media over the course of a couple weeks

• Post a collection (called Carousel on Instagram) of images from class

• Repost other people’s content. If used sparingly, this can be a great way to build up your Instagram feed even if you don’t have a ton of your own content yet. One straightforward and user friendly one is called Repost.

These are all jumping off points for you to make your own. That’s the most important part: you. You’re not online to educate the world on Jiu Jitsu, you’re there to show that you’re a solid resource if someone wants to learn – and those are two very different things.

As long as you’re consistent and authentic, even if you’re fumbly (have you seen the sheer popularity of some of the most awkward YouTubers out there?) you will succeed in connecting with your audience. 

Just don’t go in thinking you need to be some sort of perfect voice for the entirety of Jiu Jitsu – there’s absolutely no need for the pressure of that. You’re just there to be you. Save the pressure for the mats!