What would martial arts website?

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Thihs is 100% theoreitcal, as I am not at a point in my life to open up a dojo. However, there was another thread about a karate website and @JowGaWolf stated he'd like it to be a discussion, so I am creating it here.

Personally, I like to know the lineage, style, price, and schedule more than anything else. Everything else I will find out when I visit. What does everyone else view as important for an MA website?

 

[JowGaWolf]

For me as a student. I would like a martial art school to have a website that I can interact with as well as other martial artists who are friends with the school. This means membership area as well as discussion forum. Sometimes 2 schools become good training partners and it would be nice to be able to have a place to build and maintain that relationship. I wish there was a onestop place where I can talk to multiple Jow Ga Kung Fu schools.

Lineage, style, price, and schedule are important to me as well. I really hate having to call to a school and get a sales pitch just so I can get the answer to "How much does it cost." If the pricing is so complicated that I need a phone call to explain it to me then I'm less likely to deal with that school.

I also would like to see short video clips of a typical training day or of a specific class that the school has for beginners. It doesn't have to be a full class, I just want to know what it looks like. I don't want to travel to 2 different martial arts schools to find out that they have similar techniques even though they are 2 different systems. I know there are examples of martial arts systems online, but I want to specifically see how the school that I'm thinking about going to trains.

I really don't like the stock photos that many martial arts websites use. I like to see either pictures of current or past students while training in class. This way I can see the expressions of who looks bored and who looks excited to be there. I'm not a fan of the "staged photo" when it comes to martial arts.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Thihs is 100% theoreitcal, as I am not at a point in my life to open up a dojo. However, there was another thread about a karate website and @JowGaWolf stated he'd like it to be a discussion, so I am creating it here.

Personally, I like to know the lineage, style, price, and schedule more than anything else. Everything else I will find out when I visit. What does everyone else view as important for an MA website?

I don't care about the lineage (if I don't already know the art, the lineage will mean little, anyway).

• I want to get some idea of the scope of the art (striking art, ground grappling, etc.) and the focus of the school (competition, self-defense, fitness and fun, etc.).
• I am looking for a bit of a sense of the tone of the school. If your school is very formal, I'd expect a formal website to show that. If your school is fun and a bit irreverent, I expect to find some clue to that on the site (a derp gallery, one or two articles with amusing views, etc.).
• I'd like to see some pictures that give me an idea of where the students spend their time (my site doesn't yet meet this - I just haven't gotten around to taking the necessary pictures), so I look for sparring, forms, falls, etc.
• Class schedule. I gotta know if the classes fit my schedule before I bother to visit.
• Location. Seriously, I've seen a couple of sites that either buried this deep in the site, or apparently didn't have it, at all.
• Cost. This is not a deal-breaker, but I'd REALLY like to know. I do not have a bunch of money, so when I'm looking for someplace to study for a while, I have to consider the cost. I hate (viscerally) going to a school and seeing something I really like, then finding out it's not in my budget. If it's not on the site, I'll call. If they won't tell me on the phone, I let them know on the phone that I won't be coming in to meet them.
• I'd like to see a "student area" on the site (something I don't yet have - not enough students who would use it, to put the time into it). This tells me they are meeting the needs of students and leveraging technology to make more information easily accessible - especially important if they teach teens and kids.
• Some videos, including both beginners (few) and more advanced students (mostly). This lets me get a real sense of the training that goes on. I don't want demo videos, but videos of training. @JowGaWolf's site is a good model for this.
• Some information about the instructor. While lineage isn't useful to me, the way they describe themselves in the instructor section can be telling. If I see them claiming advanced rank in 7 arts, membership in a couple of Halls of Fame, and listing themselves as "Soke", this is a red flag.

I'm sure there's more I look for, but that's the big stuff.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

If the pricing is so complicated that I need a phone call to explain it to me then I'm less likely to deal with that school.

This, definitely. If you have multiple discounts, you don't have to list them on the site, even. Just give the base price and mention that discounts exist: "$50/month or $10/class (family and prepayment discounts available)".

 

[hoshin1600]

For me as a student. I would like a martial art school to have a website that I can interact with as well as other martial artists who are friends with the school. This means membership area as well as discussion forum. Sometimes 2 schools become good training partners and it would be nice to be able to have a place to build and maintain that relationship. I wish there was a onestop place where I can talk to multiple Jow Ga Kung Fu schools.

face book pages fill this need to some degree.

Cost. This is not a deal-breaker, but I'd REALLY like to know. I do not have a bunch of money, so when I'm looking for someplace to study for a while, I have to consider the cost. I hate (viscerally) going to a school and seeing something I really like, then finding out it's not in my budget. If it's not on the site, I'll call. If they won't tell me on the phone, I let them know on the phone that I won't be coming in to meet them.

everyone hates to be sold. but if you are running a commercial school and your primary target is children then you want the parent to come to the school. so depending on your goals not having the price has beed a standard sales tactic across every product. it works but im not sure if its the correct tactic for long term products like martial arts and the fact we live in the information age has really changed the "test drive before price" model of sales.

 

[Balrog]

Thihs is 100% theoreitcal, as I am not at a point in my life to open up a dojo. However, there was another thread about a karate website and @JowGaWolf stated he'd like it to be a discussion, so I am creating it here.

Personally, I like to know the lineage, style, price, and schedule more than anything else. Everything else I will find out when I visit. What does everyone else view as important for an MA website?

You're welcome to look at ours: www.WestHoustonATA.com. I hired a marketing company to design it and they did a good job. Your website should convey information to the general public and have an area where the students can log in as well.

A suggestion - the phone number on the website is a tracking number. It forwards to the school number and records the call so that I can listen to it afterward to make sure I hit my phone script correctly. It's a nice tool to have.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

face book pages fill this need to some degree.

Not for all users. There are people who don't use Facebook (I know - heathens!), and the Facebook page doesn't get students back to the website where there may be updates and information for the student.

everyone hates to be sold. but if you are running a commercial school and your primary target is children then you want the parent to come to the school. so depending on your goals not having the price has beed a standard sales tactic across every product. it works but im not sure if its the correct tactic for long term products like martial arts and the fact we live in the information age has really changed the "test drive before price" model of sales.

If I had kids and was looking for a school for them, I'd still have the same issue. My brother had that issue when he went looking for a school for my nephew. If they won't give me the price easily, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have conflict with them later, anyway.

EDIT: Oh, and some research has suggested that not giving a price actually raises price consciousness, and makes people less likely to pay a price they would have paid had it been posted.

 

[Midnight-shadow]

The lineage isn't so much of a priority, however there should be a little bit of information about the history of the style. Where did it (likely) originate and why. Chances are a complete newcomer to Martial Arts isn't going to understand what a lineage means, and more experienced practitioners will probably ask about it personally. The most important thing for me on a website is to make it clear what the club's/school's intent is. Do they practice the Martial Arts for self-defence or competition for example? I'd hate for someone to join a club thinking they are going to be learning self-defence when the club focuses on forms competitions.

The other thing I always like to see is a bit of background on the instructor. How long have they been practicing the art, how long have they been teaching, what qualifications do they have (if any), and if it's a fighting gym, how well they have competed.

 

[CB Jones]

When I go to a website I typically looking for two things....

1) Video of them performing their art

2) upcoming events they are hosting or participating in.

 

[JowGaWolf]

The lineage isn't so much of a priority, however there should be a little bit of information about the history of the style. Where did it (likely) originate and why. Chances are a complete newcomer to Martial Arts isn't going to understand what a lineage means, and more experienced practitioners will probably ask about it personally. The most important thing for me on a website is to make it clear what the club's/school's intent is. Do they practice the Martial Arts for self-defence or competition for example? I'd hate for someone to join a club thinking they are going to be learning self-defence when the club focuses on forms competitions.

The other thing I always like to see is a bit of background on the instructor. How long have they been practicing the art, how long have they been teaching, what qualifications do they have (if any), and if it's a fighting gym, how well they have competed.

I'm with you all the way with this one. I'm ok with martial art schools that don't focus on actual self-defense. Just let the customer know before they spend 3+ years of training and then learning later that their time and money was wasted. There are plenty of people out there who don't want to use martial arts for competition or self-defense. I think part of the attraction to MMA schools is that their training focus is very clear. If a person doesn't know how to fight better after a year at the gym then they probably didn't show up to class.

Being clear about the focus also make it easier for word of mouth advertising to work. All of us should be able to say which schools other than our own provides what types of focus, especially self-defense focus. But often times we state "It's hard to find a good martial art school that has a self-defense focus with their training" It shouldn't be like that.
So in short. I guess this would fall under the general category of being more open and honest about the training focus.

 

[JowGaWolf]

You're welcome to look at ours: www.WestHoustonATA.com. I hired a marketing company to design it and they did a good job. Your website should convey information to the general public and have an area where the students can log in as well.

A suggestion - the phone number on the website is a tracking number. It forwards to the school number and records the call so that I can listen to it afterward to make sure I hit my phone script correctly. It's a nice tool to have.

I like how you guys push the effort to get people to sign up or take information from the website. If people are interested in your school or what you do then they will definitely enter their email somewhere.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I like how you guys push the effort to get people to sign up or take information from the website. If people are interested in your school or what you do then they will definitely enter their email somewhere.

This is something I should do, but I don't have anything yet for them to sign up for.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Thihs is 100% theoreitcal, as I am not at a point in my life to open up a dojo. However, there was another thread about a karate website and @JowGaWolf stated he'd like it to be a discussion, so I am creating it here.

Personally, I like to know the lineage, style, price, and schedule more than anything else. Everything else I will find out when I visit. What does everyone else view as important for an MA website?

By the way, my mind keeps trying to make a full sentence out of the thread title. So now "martial arts" is a verb, and my mind inserts the article "a" before "website". Now every time I read it, I'm thinking, "So what, in fact, would 'martial arts' a website? Perhaps a fancy new font would 'martial arts' it up a bit."

 

[JowGaWolf]

This is something I should do, but I don't have anything yet for them to sign up for.

Create anything. If you offer a free week trail then put a coupon saying. Sign up and 4 extra days on your trial. Or you can put a link that says sign up for a free trial for the free trail that you may already have.

Sign up get free tips. Sign up get 2 free private classes. Sign up and get our newsletter. Sign up to get punched lol or in your case. Sign up to get thrown lol. Sign up to get free self-defense tips.

Example from my website. Free Kung Fu Classes

 

[Steve]

I'm with you all the way with this one. I'm ok with martial art schools that don't focus on actual self-defense. Just let the customer know before they spend 3+ years of training and then learning later that their time and money was wasted. There are plenty of people out there who don't want to use martial arts for competition or self-defense. I think part of the attraction to MMA schools is that their training focus is very clear. If a person doesn't know how to fight better after a year at the gym then they probably didn't show up to class.

Being clear about the focus also make it easier for word of mouth advertising to work. All of us should be able to say which schools other than our own provides what types of focus, especially self-defense focus. But often times we state "It's hard to find a good martial art school that has a self-defense focus with their training" It shouldn't be like that.
So in short. I guess this would fall under the general category of being more open and honest about the training focus.

Haha haha. Oh man. Whew.

 

[Buka]

Having been at it for a while, all I want is a class schedule and cost.

If I'm looking at a site for somebody else (they'll ask me what I think about this place or that place) It depends on what that someone is looking for in a school.

Schedule and price for sure, then there are a lot of factors. Some factors will rule that particular place out, rather than rule it in. Then....I go watch a class myself. One class is all it takes.

 

[Steve]

Schedule, pricing, address, some sense of what a class looks like, a description of the style. Oh, and lineage. Very important.

 

[marques]

Thihs is 100% theoreitcal, as I am not at a point in my life to open up a dojo. However, there was another thread about a karate website and @JowGaWolf stated he'd like it to be a discussion, so I am creating it here.

Personally, I like to know the lineage, style, price, and schedule more than anything else. Everything else I will find out when I visit. What does everyone else view as important for an MA website?

I also look for training photos or videos. And instructor's profile. So I can have a better idea of where, who and how they train. Obviously, nothing replaces a visit, but some info like this may avoid bad surprises and give me confidence it words a try (or not).

 

[JowGaWolf]

I also look for training photos or videos. So I can have a better idea of where, who and how they train. Obviously, nothing replaces a visit, but some info like this may avoid bad surprises and give me confidence it words a try (or not).

It saves time as well. Depending on where a person lives there could literally be hundreds of schools around. Going to each one is not an option.

 

[CB Jones]

Also a disclaimer if they have a "no mercy" policy or not.