Are you a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gym owner looking to expand your business in 2023? Then you have come to the right place.
In this article, we will be sharing nine proven strategies to grow your BJJ academy and start attracting more students to your classes. From utilizing social media to hosting events and competitions, these tips will help take your gym to the next level. So, whether you’re just starting out or looking to expand an established gym, read on to discover how to increase your reach and build a thriving community in the coming year.
1. The Power of Community – Building a Strong BJJ Culture
As a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gym owner you are almost certainly looking to grow your Jiu Jitsu academy and attract new students.
Creating a powerful BJJ culture is crucial for the success and growth of any BJJ academy. A strong culture not only fosters a sense of belonging and community among practitioners, it increases student retention and overall satisfaction among your students. A thriving and passionate culture can serve as a powerful marketing tool, attracting new students and showcasing the benefits of BJJ as more than just training, but a way of life.
Jiu Jitsu gym owners should know a strong BJJ culture tends to increase performance among students. When members feel a sense of camaraderie and belonging, they push themselves and each other to reach their full potential, resulting in better training and competition results. Winning competitions with your team is a great way to attract new students.
Leadership, instructors and members are the backbone of building a strong culture. The leadership team and instructors set the tone by promoting inclusivity and teamwork, actively involving members in the decision-making process and seeking feedback. Social events and competitions serve as powerful tools to bring members together and strengthen the sense of community.
Building a strong BJJ culture within your gym and greater community is a necessity for the growth, retention of students and overall success of any BJJ academy.
2. Jiu Jitsu Marketing – Social Media Crash Course
Social media is a crucial tool for Jiu Jitsu marketing. With its vast reach and cost-effectiveness, social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and others provide BJJ academies and instructors with an unparalleled opportunity to connect with potential students and build their brand.
Using social media, BJJ schools can promote their classes, events, and competitions, share instructional content, and showcase the achievements of their students and instructors. This helps to build the reputation and credibility of the school, and attract new students to join the BJJ community.
In terms of BJJ marketing, social media provides a platform to create a sense of community and connection among BJJ practitioners. This not only helps to retain current students, it also attracts new students who are looking to join a supportive and engaged community of martial arts enthusiasts.
Social media is an indispensable tool for BJJ marketing – or any form of marketing for that matter. It allows BJJ academies to almost effortlessly reach a large audience, build their brand and connect with potential students. By leveraging the power of social media, BJJ schools can achieve their marketing and growth goals effectively and efficiently.
Start by building out a page for your academy. With Facebook, the next step is joining every group available within your niche. Try to find ones that have more than ten posts per day on the regular. That tells you their audience is engaged and more likely to interact with your posts.
Always remember that constant content is the key to building a successful page with a large following. People want to see something new everyday, if not several times a day. It’s always a good idea to find a student or students that are passionate about your academy and adept at social media, offer them a discount or even a free membership to run your social media accounts.
3. The Importance of SEO to Grow Your Jiu Jitsu Academy
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is crucial for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu academies looking to reach and attract new students in today’s digital landscape. SEO refers to the process of optimizing a website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) for relevant keywords. This helps to increase the visibility of a BJJ academy’s website and attract more potential students to the school.
Having a strong SEO strategy can make all the difference when you are looking to grow your Jiu Jitsu academy. With more and more people turning to the internet to search for BJJ classes and academies, appearing on the first page of search results for relevant keywords is crucial for a BJJ academy’s online success. This is why SEO for Jiu Jitsu gyms in 2023 is so important.
To improve a BJJ academy’s SEO, it’s important to have a well-designed and optimized website. This includes using relevant keywords, creating high-quality content, and ensuring that the website is easy to navigate and mobile-friendly. In addition, building high-quality inbound links from other websites and social media profiles can also help to boost a BJJ academy’s search engine rankings.
SEO is a critical component of any successful marketing strategy. Hiring a well respected SEO agency to handle your strategy is the best way to ensure success. SEO for Jiu Jitsu gyms or any other business is complex to say the least. When executed properly, optimizing their website will increase their visibility in search results. This is a surefire way BJJ academies can reach and attract more potential students and achieve their growth and marketing goals.
4. Grow Your BJJ Academy by Hosting Events & Competitions
Events are an excellent way to grow your BJJ academy. BJJ schools and instructors can use events such as competitions, seminars, and workshops to showcase their expertise and attract new students.
Competitions provide a platform for BJJ practitioners to demonstrate their skills while competing against each other. By participating in or hosting a competition, BJJ academies can create a sense of excitement and energy around their programs, and generate interest among potential students.
Seminars and workshops can be used to bring in expert instructors and build the reputation of the school. These events provide students with the opportunity to learn from the best in the martial art and enhance their skills, while also showcasing the school’s commitment to providing high-quality BJJ instruction.
In addition, events serve as a platform for BJJ schools to connect with their community and build a sense of camaraderie and belonging. By bringing students and instructors together, events can foster a strong sense of community and create a more positive experience for everyone involved.
5. Referral Programs for Marketing – Jiu Jitsu
A referral program can bring many benefits to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu academies. This type of program is a marketing strategy that rewards existing students for referring new students to the academy. This can help to drive new student enrollment and increase overall growth for the academy – essentially word of mouth marketing. Jiu Jitsu students that are passionate can really help to spread the word.
When a current student refers a friend to the academy, they are essentially vouching for the quality of the program. This can create a chain reaction of referrals, leading to more new students enrolling and spreading the word about the academy.
Another benefit of a referral program is they can help to improve student retention. When current students feel valued and are given incentives for their referrals, they are more likely to remain engaged and invested in the academy. This can lead to improved satisfaction and a more positive overall experience for members.
A referral program os also a cost-effective way for BJJ academies to reach new students. Unlike traditional advertising and marketing methods, a referral program relies on existing students to drive growth and spread the word about the academy. This can result in a lower cost per acquisition, as well as a higher return on investment for the academy.
6. Build Strong Partnerships with Local Businesses
Partnering with other local businesses is an excellent marketing tool for BJJ academies. By working together in synergistic relationships with businesses across multiple industries, BJJ academies can tap into new markets, reach new audiences, and achieve growth and marketing goals that may not have been possible otherwise.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu marketing doesn’t have to be all ads and no connection. One of the key benefits of partnering with other businesses is increased exposure and ingraining BJJ culture on a broader level into your community. By working with other businesses, BJJ academies can reach new customers who may not have heard of them otherwise.
Another benefit of partnering with other businesses is the ability to offer complementary services. For example, a BJJ academy may partner with a nutritionist to offer nutrition and wellness classes for students as well as carry their products and take a cut on sales. This can help to enhance the student experience and create a more well-rounded offering for members while adding a little extra to their bottom line.
Partnering with other businesses can also help to lower marketing and advertising costs. By sharing or pooling resources, BJJ academies can achieve more with less. This can result in a higher return on investment and a more cost-effective marketing strategy.
7. The Power of Local Sponsorships for BJJ Marketing
Sponsoring local students and sports leagues can be an effective marketing strategy for any business. By supporting local students and sports leagues, BJJ academies can increase their visibility and build relationships within the community. Students that are already playing sports such as Football or Soccer are very likely to be interested in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, making them a high value marketing demographic.
By sponsoring school sports leagues, BJJ academies can reach new audiences and increase their visibility within the community. Though this may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of marketing for BJJ, this strategy can help to attract new students and drive growth for the academy.
Another benefit of sponsoring local sports leagues is the opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of BJJ training as applied to their current sports performance. For instance, it is commonplace for Football players to participate in activities such as yoga and even ballet to increase their flexibility and movement.
Sponsoring local sports leagues can also help to build a positive reputation and establish a connection to the community. By demonstrating their commitment to supporting local students, BJJ academies can improve their image and build relationships with key stakeholders in the community.
8. Video Marketing – YouTube, TikTok and Other Platforms
When you think about it, how did Jiu Jitsu become a household name? Well, it all started with the VHS and Betamax tapes circulating of the Gracie family destroying masters of other martial arts.
Video marketing, through platforms like YouTube and TikTok, can have a significant impact on BJJ school growth. These platforms allow BJJ schools to reach new audiences, promote their brand, and demonstrate the benefits of BJJ training in an engaging and visually appealing way.
YouTube and TikTok have a large and diverse user base, making them an effective platform to increase visibility for BJJ schools. By creating engaging and informative video content, BJJ schools can attract new students and drive growth for their academy.
Another benefit of video marketing is the ability to demonstrate the benefits of BJJ training. Through video, BJJ schools can showcase their skills and training methods, and highlight the physical and mental benefits of BJJ training. This can help to attract new students and promote the value of BJJ training to potential students.
9. Get Creative with Guerilla BJJ Marketing Strategy
Guerrilla marketing is a cost-effective and unconventional marketing approach that can have a powerful effect on BJJ school growth. Guerrilla marketing leverages creativity and resourcefulness to create memorable and impactful marketing experiences that reach and engage customers in unique ways.
Guerrilla marketing often involves unconventional or unexpected marketing tactics, which can help to generate buzz and attract new audiences. Think showing up at a busy local area with some mats and having an impromptu Jiu Jitsu competition with a few of your students ready with fliers to hand out. Find outgoing students that like to talk and have them ready to bend spectators ears while the competition is going on.
By leveraging creative marketing strategies, BJJ schools can reach new potential students who may not have considered BJJ training otherwise.
Another benefit of guerrilla marketing is the ability to stand out in a crowded market. BJJ schools often face steep competition from other academies and gyms, and guerrilla marketing can help to differentiate the school and make a lasting impression on potential students.
That wraps up our top 9 strategies to grow your BJJ academy. We here at YouJiuJitsu hope this helps you to achieve your goals in 2023! Stay tuned for much more content coming your way in this busy and auspicious year. Until next time, keep rolling!
