Social Media and Student Retention

When entering the social media arena, one of the most common questions asked first is “How do I get new martial arts students.” However, the real question should be “How do I engage with my existing students?” After we develop a strong rapport and improve level of engagement from our current fans, we can better service those prospects “looking through the window.”

Before you even think about acquiring new students online, your social media page for your martial arts school should first communicate to your existing students. Social media works because of its community and engagement. If you display a strong and healthy engagement with your students, outside shoppers will see it. Once your social media community is fortified with your raving fans, then , and only then, can you expect efforts for new acquisition through offers and advertising to yield the results you want.

This is because people don’t generally want to be sold a service right up front. Rather, they are more inspired by seeing the service happen and wanting it for themselves. Your page becomes a testimony to what prospects will be experiencing when they first walk into your school. This will help them feel confident in joining your program even before entering the school.

When we think of retention, we usually think about retaining our current enrolled martial arts students to keep them training with our school. Social media says you must cater not just to existing students, but also to the not-quite-yet students waiting to attend their first lesson or class.

This is a different kind of retention. Yes, they made the appointment, but until they walk through the door and buy into your program you must retain their interest to  show up. Often leads will continue to watch the actions of our schools until they  experience the class for themselves. If we’re not careful, they can easily be turned off and never show up for the first class based on what we do and say on social media with our customers.

Just scheduling an appointment does not guarantee they will show up. How then, do we use social media as a retention tool to keep our leads excited until they start to training martial arts?

Here are just a few steps you can take to ensure retention on your social media page:

1. Post often - Make sure to keep everyone up-to-date with school happenings.
2. Go live - Once a week give a good glimpse of students and instructors in midst of a class/drill.
3. Ask for reviews - We cover it many times in the ‘8 step progress check’ but it means the most here.
4. Share victories - It doesn’t have to be martial arts related, but share wins with your students.
5. Share your story - Always find opportunities through photos, videos, etc to expose your mission statement.

Remember these tips when engaging your martial arts students online. In addition to keeping your students longer, your online community will serve as a living, breathing recruiting tool for those new to who you are and what you do.