This year is the year to focus on what has proven to work—referrals.
Find Out How Your School Can Become a Referral Based School
While AI-driven algorithms and social media gimmicks might seem enticing, they often drain resources without results.
Instead, building a quality school with quality students starts with proven, effective strategies that create growth, stability, and community.
The Power of Referrals
MartialArtsTeachers.org and EmpowerKickboxing.com are focused on referral marketing.
We'll provide you with the tools, tactics, and strategies to make referrals work for you year-round.
Referrals are the cornerstone of dependable and sustainable growth.
They offer several advantages over traditional marketing strategies:
- Income Stability: Referrals provide a consistent and reliable stream of new students without the expense or risk of marketing.
- Pre-Qualified Leads: Referrals come from trusted sources, ensuring they are already familiar with your school and aligned with its values.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Referral marketing is free—no expensive ad campaigns or complicated algorithms are required.
Schedule Classes by Age, Not Rank
An often-overlooked yet powerful strategy is to organize classes by age rather than rank.
By doing so, students stay with their peer group and have more opportunities to attend class.
Kids attending class with their friends will likely stay enrolled and thrive in your program.
Why this works: Strong friendships lead to long-term student retention.
This is a rank-oriented schedule. Not only are there a ton of classes,
but as you advance in rank you have less choice of time and day.
This is an age-oriented schedule.
Since none of the skills are rank-oriented, white belts can train with black belts.
Just add classes as needed.
When parents or students refer someone to your school, it’s a sign that they believe in the value of your program. These referrals are already in your market and are more likely to enroll and stay.
Key takeaway: Keeping friends in the same class greatly improves retention. This is especially effective when you point out to the friends that part of their job is to encourage and practice with each other at home.
Find Out How Your School Can Become a Referral Based School
Focus on Student-Centered Growth
One of the most critical elements of growing a successful school is ensuring your curriculum is student-centered rather than style-centered.
Instead of making the student adapt to the style, make the style adapt to the student.
In a student-centered curriculum, like Empower Kickboxing, all students learn the same skills:
- Jab-Cross-Hook-Uppercut
- Elbows 1-5
- Basic Kicks
- 10 Blocks
However, the newer students are not expected to have speed and power for a while and that's factored into the class.
Imagine if you have an adult white belt in class next to Mike Tyson. The instructors demonstrated a punching and kicking combination with specific footwork.
Tyson is not going to be bored because he is always working to tweak, correct, and improve while next to the white belt who is just trying to get the mechanics down.
A white belt and a master black belt can both enjoy and be challenged in the same class.
This approach not only enhances the learning experience but also encourages students to invite their friends to join them. In a rank-centered schedule, the current student might be a green belt and his friend comes in as a white belt. In short order, they will not be in the same class.
However, with an age-based schedule, they can train in the same class for years.
Key takeaway: Focus on the student, not the style.
Build Community Through Referrals
Referrals not only help grow your school but also strengthen its sense of community. Students referred by their friends are more likely to feel a sense of belonging, which improves retention and engagement.
A strong community creates a supportive environment where students, parents, and staff feel connected and invested.
The key to long-term growth lies in focusing on what truly matters: building relationships, nurturing a student-centered curriculum, and leveraging the power of referrals.
By scheduling classes by age, encouraging friendships, and embracing a referral-based approach, you can grow your school while creating a thriving, connected community.
Remember: Skip the gimmicks and invest in strategies that build lasting success for your students and your school. Referrals aren’t just the future—they’re the foundation.