How to spread the word about Hiawatha Tae Kwon Do Club?

[TKDguy]

I have been steadily growing the Hiawatha Tae Kwon Do Club (at Hiawatha Community Center) since last January and I am looking to make a big push for new members this January. I’ve been putting up fliers, doing demonstrations, and posting announcements on Craigslist and WS Blog, but I’m curious if anyone has suggestions on how else I can get the word out in West Seattle.

I don’t teach the club to make money, so I don’t have much to spend on advertising, but I am thinking about maybe putting an ad up somewhere. I am trying to figure out where an ad would be most effective. WSBlog? WS Herald? Yelp or Citysearch? (I’m not sure if a community center class can get listed on those sites).

Anyway, I’d love to hear any good ideas. We do have a website (www.hiawathatkd.org) now too, which should help.

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[JanS]

link your name on here to your website. You do it on the page where you have a profile. Then people can click on your name, and it goes right to your website…click on my name, and see how it works… :)

Do you ever run specials? You could post one on the Freebies, deals, and sales page in the forum.

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[WSB]

Well, since you ask, there’s no bias in me providing the fact that you will reach more West Seattleites with an ad here. If you want the numbers, please e-mail patrick@wsbsales.com at your convenience. BUT … Sheer numbers may not be what you’re after, in which case:

That aside, for free promotion, Jan’s tips are great. Also look for synergies with the group/s you most want to target. Is your class for kids, adults, or both? I know you sent us an announcement early on but I haven’t had anything from you in a long time – our events calendar is free and if you have something ongoing I’d suggest you send it in for inclusion there, especially if drop-ins are welcome so I could rotate it every Tuesday (we have a variety of recurring events on our events calendar).

editor@westseattleblog.com

Another suggestion – and pardon my lack of knowledge about TKD – if there is a self-defense component to it, for example, you might look for ways to promote from that standpoint – is there a security company you can partner with? Does the local SPD crime prevention coordinator ever distribute information like that, or at least put links on their website?

And do you have a Facebook page for the club? We use Facebook and Twitter extensively. You have to be sure not to make the mistake to think that if you just post something there when you have few “followers” or “friends” that it will get wide distribution, BUT FB in particular is increasingly more searchable, so it’s another way to make sure people can find you when they go looking.

Last but not least, I would highly suggest getting WEST SEATTLE in the browser title of your website rather than just “Seattle, WA.” Read up on search-engine optimization – there are a few quick tips that you could probably implement.

And I’m sure other small businesspeople here will offer some great tips that I haven’t even thought of, though forum traffic is likely to be quieter than usual for the holiday weekend. Good luck!

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[TKDguy]

Wow! Thank you for the great suggestions! I will definitely look into putting an ad on WSBlog and I’ll send something for the events page.

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[TKDguy]

I forgot to mention that while we are looking for more students this January, we accept new students (especially beginners) at any time. Come check out a class and see what you think. The class is only $30 a month (with no belt test fees). Click on my name above to view our website and learn more. We will be celebrating our 1 year anniversary soon, and we look forward to many, many more!

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