🥳 How to Make Your Martial Arts School the Most Talked-About Business in Your Community

If parents in your town aren’t talking about your martial arts school, you’ve got a visibility problem. The best schools don’t just rely on ads and promotions—they create a presence so strong that people can’t ignore them. The good news? You don’t need a massive marketing budget to become the go-to school in your community.

Here’s how to turn your school into the most talked-about business in town and make sure everyone knows your name.

1. Be the School That Gives Back

Want people to remember you? Serve your community. The more you give, the more goodwill and recognition you create.

🔥Action Steps:

✅ Sponsor Local Events – Find school carnivals, charity runs, or community festivals and sponsor a booth. Offer board breaking, a prize wheel, or free swag with your logo on it.

✅ Host Charity Seminars – Self-defense workshops or bully prevention events for a cause (like raising funds for a local charity) create a buzz and bring in new faces.

✅ Surprise & Delight – Buy coffee for the next 50 customers at a local shop and have them announce that your school covered it. You’ll instantly get people talking.

👉🏼 Why This Works: When people see your school making a difference, they’ll associate your brand with positive impact and leadership—and they’ll tell others about it.

2. Turn Your Students into Raving Fans

Your students are your walking billboards—but only if they’re excited enough to talk about you. If students (and parents) aren’t hyped about your program, they won’t spread the word.

🔥 Action Steps:

 ✅ Make Every Class an Experience – Do students leave class excited and energized? Run high-energy warm-ups, use call-and-response drills, and celebrate wins on the mat.

✅ Create Instagram-Worthy Moments – Set up a “Belt Promotion Photo Wall” with your logo and encourage parents to snap and share their child’s progress.

✅ Launch a Referral Contest – Offer an incentive for students who refer friends, like a free uniform, gear, or private lesson.

 👉🏼 Why This Works: When parents see their kids excited, they’ll naturally talk about your school to other parents—and that’s marketing money can’t buy.

3. Dominate Local Social Media

Most school owners treat social media like a chore. The ones who dominate treat it like their most powerful tool.

🔥 Action Steps:

✅ Engage With Local Influencers – Find moms groups, community pages, and local influencers and comment, engage, and build relationships so more people see your school.

✅ Post Your Students’ Wins – Belt tests, first classes, or a shy student speaking up in class—highlight these wins with photos and videos.

✅ Leverage Facebook & Instagram Stories – Post behind-the-scenes clips of classes, student interviews, and Q&A’s to keep your school in front of people daily.

 👉🏼 Why This Works: When people constantly see you on social media, they think of you first when they need a martial arts school.

4. Get Featured in Local News & Blogs

You don’t need a PR team to get free publicity—you just need a good story.

🔥 Action Steps:

✅ Pitch Your School’s Story – Reach out to local newspapers, blogs, and community newsletters about a unique program, a student success story, or a charity event you’re running.

✅ Invite Reporters to a Special Class – Offer a free self-defense workshop for a local news station or blogger to attend and cover.

✅ Write a Guest Article – Many community magazines and mom blogs want content. Write an article on “How Martial Arts Builds Confident Kids” and get published.

👉🏼 Why This Works: Media coverage builds instant credibility and gets your school in front of a huge new audience—without spending a dime.

5. Own the Schools, Own the Market

Getting into local schools is one of the fastest ways to explode your enrollment—but only if you approach it the right way.

🔥Action Steps:

✅ Offer Free PE Classes – Reach out to school administrators and offer free martial arts PE sessions. This builds relationships with parents AND teachers.

✅ Run a “School Spirit” Workshop – Host a special martial arts class at your location where kids wear their school colors and represent their elementary/middle school.

✅ Teacher Appreciation – Drop off coffee and snacks for teachers with a thank-you note from your school. Build relationships and get your foot in the door.

👉🏼 Why This Works: When teachers and principals know and trust your school, they recommend you when parents ask about after-school activities.

6. Leverage the Power of Google

Want to be the first school people find when they search “martial arts near me”? Then Google Business Profile (GBP) is your secret weapon.

🔥Action Steps:

✅ Claim & Optimize Your Google Profile – Make sure your school’s name, address, phone number, and hours are accurate so you show up in searches.

✅ Encourage Google Reviews – Ask happy parents to leave a 5-star review and include specific details about what they love.

✅ Post Weekly Updates – Just like social media, post class updates, success stories, and promotions to keep your profile active.

👉🏼 Why This Works: Parents Google first before making a decision. If your school ranks high, you’ll get more leads before your competitors even have a chance.

7. Host Events That Get People Talking

Nothing spreads word-of-mouth faster than an EPIC event.

🔥 Action Steps:

✅ Run a Massive Buddy Week – Encourage students to bring a friend and turn it into a fun, high-energy class with games and giveaways.

✅ Throw a Community Self-Defense Seminar – Partner with local businesses (gyms, realtors, etc.) to promote it and bring in a new audience.

✅ Create a VIP Parent Night – Let parents train alongside their kids in a fun “Parent vs. Kids” class, then offer an exclusive discount for signing up.

👉🏼 Why This Works: Events create hype, social media buzz, and real connections—making people WANT to be part of your school.

Final Thoughts: Make Your School the Talk of the Town

You don’t need a huge marketing budget—you just need the right strategies. The schools that thrive aren’t the ones with the best ads; they’re the ones that build relationships, create experiences, and show up in their communities.

✅ Give back & get involved

✅ Turn students into raving fans

✅ Dominate social media & Google

✅ Build connections with schools & media

✅ Host events people can’t stop talking about

When your school becomes a part of the community, you stop chasing leads—and start attracting them. 🚀

Now it’s your turn—what’s ONE strategy from this list you’re going to implement this month? Let us know! 👊🏼🔥 

What’s Kickin’ on Social This Week 👊🔥

This week’s social highlights bring powerful insights on business growth, leadership, and mindset shifts. Check them out and take your school to the next level!

🔥 Leila Hormozi – The Best Piece of Advice
👉 Watch Here

🔥 Taylor Welch – It’s Ok That You Are Tired
👉 Read Here

🔥 Adam Kifer – Martial Arts is Not Copy & Paste
👉 Watch Here

🔥 Jhana Li – People First Operations
👉 Read Here

🔥 Mike Arce – Avoid Losing Influence
👉 Watch Here

Take a moment to engage with these insights and bring fresh ideas to your school this week! 💪🔥

😂 Martial Memes

These memes hit home for all of us martial artists and gave us a good chuckle. Click on the image to view the original account that posted each meme. Enjoy!

Have a MEME that you want feaured? Send them to us at [email protected] or tag our instagram account @thekicknewsletter.