Can British Judo "Grow membership?"
Vince Skillcorn
Judo Disruptor - challenging the status quo whilst building one of the biggest judo clubs in the country.
Hey, Judo Coaches and Clubs, are you ready for September? Make sure you read on and share
Did you know September and January are the best months for gaining new members?
Of course, you did!
I started our Facebook ads a few days ago (five, to be precise) in preparation … now I know many of you believe FB ads don’t work.
And if you are unsure what you are doing, you can quickly waste money.
But since I started running ads (five days ago), I have gained 61 new leads.
That means 61 people gave me their names, email addresses and phone number.
Even better, I know they live within a few miles of our judo club, and we have availability on suitable classes to take them.
Now the actual advert is the easy part. I will even give you one of our top-performing ad copy (what we write) here.
“ ?????? ???????????? ??????????????!
????'?? ?????????? ???????? ???????????????? ?????????????? ????????, ?????? ?????? ??????????????????, ?? ???? ?????????????? ?? ???????? ???? ???????????? ?????????? ???? ?????????????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ???????? ??????????????...
??'?? ???????????? ???????? 25 ???????????? ?????? 2 ?????????? ???????? ???? ???????? ??????????????!
???? ?????? ???????? ???????? ?????????? ???? ???????? ???????? ????????????????????? ?????????? ?????? ???????? ???????? ???? ?????????? ?????? ???? ???? ???????? ??????????????????? ???? ????, ?????? ?? ???????? ??????????...???? ???????????? ??????, 2 ?????????? ???? ???????? ?????????????? ?????? ????????
?? ???????? 25 ???????????? ?????? ?????????????????? ???? ???????? ?????????? ??
?????? 2 ?????????? ???????? ???? ???????? ?????????????? ???? ???????????????? ?????????????? ????????.
???????? 5-7 ?????????? ?????? 8-10 ??????????.
?????????? ?????? “???????? ??????" ???????????? ???? ?????????? ???????? ???????? ??????!
*???????????? ???????? ???????? ???????? 2-???????? ???????? ?????????? ???????????? ???? ???????? ???? ?????????????????????? ???????? ?????? ?????????? ?????????? ???? ???????? ???????? ????????.”
If you do Facebook adverts, feel free to copy this and add your pictures.
But in all honesty, this is not the tricky part.
The tricky part is the follow-up and what happens in the background.
I set my adverts to go live just before I went away on a three-day camping trip, knowing I would not have access to my computer or ads manager for a few days (I have just started to review them now). So everything had to work without me.
Of those 61 people who enquired about our judo classes, 27 have booked on for their first trial without direct contact from me or my team.
We aim to get 50+ people to join our judo club in September.
So why am I telling YOU this? I can assure you it’s not to boast. It is easier for me not to say anything. But I am sure, like you, I want British Judo to be great again.
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The British Judo Association have released their 2022-2025 strategic plan, which states five main goals. The first point (I am guessing it is the most significant as it is the first point) is GROW MEMBERSHIP.
But HOW?
There are many ways to get new members:
Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube etc.)
Google Ads.
Flyers
School demos
Refer a friend competition
Displays
I could go on… some are more time effective, and some are more cost-effective. The possibilities are limited by imagination and budget.
But once again, that is only a tiny part of the puzzle.
Ensuring you have enough suitable classes, coaches, and facilities and getting the people who book a trial to sign up and continue with judo is just as important.
No point signing up 50 new people in SEPTEMBER if you also lose 50 people every month.
I have been banging the drum for many years now about the need to professionalise how judo clubs are run because if you want:
Our sport to grow.
People to realise the benefits.
To achieve excellence at all levels.
GB Athletes to achieve podium success.
To create and inspire a united community.
You need to create an environment where professional clubs are the norm and remove as many barriers as possible!
I’m confident that getting more permanent dojos, with coaches who coach as their profession, offering classes seven days a week with age-specific classes is how we achieve all of the above, plus many other long-term benefits.
We don’t need one centre of excellence. We need hundreds if we really want to make a difference. We need to stop thinking small. We need to think much bigger.
Judo is AMAZING, and it’s our job to ensure everyone knows about it.