For decades, I’ve maintained that no one cares about the style you teach as much as you do. The rise of social media and online reviews proves this point. If you’re aiming to enroll more students, understanding and utilizing reviews is crucial.

The Review Economy

We live in a review-driven world. Search online, and you’ll rarely find reviews like, “I was looking for XYZ-Style and am thrilled to have found this place. Five stars for teaching XYZ-Style!”

Instead, real reviews highlight what the market values. For instance, a review might say, “Sensei Ford has an incredible amount of patience (more than I could ever have with a group of 6-9-year-olds!).” This is from a traditional school that has earned 45 five-star reviews on Yelp. Check it out at the end of this article.

A Powerful Driver of New Students

If you aren’t focused on managing your reviews, you’re missing out on a significant opportunity to attract new students. Studies show that consumers are willing to spend 20% more on businesses with predominantly 5 and 4-star reviews. Wouldn’t you?

How to Obtain Good Reviews Without Penalty

Search engines like Google and Bing are aware of tactics to manipulate reviews, such as soliciting reviews or posting negative reviews about competitors. These actions can lead to severe consequences, including a drop in search rankings or removal from search results.

Fortunately, you can effectively manage your reviews in a compliant manner. Here’s how:

Bad Review Strategies to Avoid

  • Writing fake reviews for your school.
  • Paying someone to post fake reviews as if they were a customer.
  • Generating too many reviews at once, which might trigger filters and result in deletion.
  • Offering rewards in exchange for 5-star reviews.

Good Review Strategies

  • Create a Review Us Page: Link to your review sites from your website to make it easy for customers to leave feedback.
  • Include Review Sites in Printed Materials: Add review site listings to brochures and flyers.
  • Add a Review Us Section to Your Email Signature: Encourage satisfied students to leave reviews.
  • Use Review Request Tools: Utilize tools like the Review Generator Handout to create professional-looking review requests.

Check out the Kaizen Dojo Yelp Page for an example of a well-reviewed martial arts school.

By following these strategies, you can effectively manage your martial arts school’s reputation and attract more students through positive, genuine reviews.