We are all programed to eat on Thanksgiving and buy the day after, Black Friday.
This consumer habit is now so deeply engrained in our culture that most brands start their Black Friday promotions months in advance.
It’s the most competitive time for businesses to get in front of consumers, so a head start is a smart tactic to grab attention for your offer.
The advantage BJJ gyms have over e-commerce is that they have a captive audience, their members, who are eager to catch a deal on their tuition.
Use this time to turn your current members into long term patrons with this Black Friday promotion.
Internal Black Friday Offer
A few weeks ago I wrote about the importance of front end and back end offers. Internal and external offers are essentially the same thing.
Use Black Friday to nail an internal offer to your current students that will make you flush with cash headed into the slow winter months.
Offer 15% or 20% off long term paid-in-full memberships, like 6,12, or 18 months - the longer the commitment, the bigger the discount.
Don’t allow all of your members to take this offer, as you want some recurring monthly revenue, but this is a great way to build a large cash fund in a short amount of time.
You can use this revenue to hold you over during the slower winter months, or make additions to your gym.
Limiting the amount of members who can take this offer also creates scarcity, which will help with demand. Limit it to the first 40 people, which will urge students to take action, maintain a balance of monthly paying members, and produce up to $50k in just one weekend.
Make it known that this promotion happens only once a year, and members should take action, especially if they’re committed and in it for the long term.
Executing Your Internal Offer
Make this promotion available the week of Thanksgiving, starting on Monday. Run it through Cyber Monday with a “last call.”
Announce it in every class during that week, at the Thanksgiving open mat, and most importantly, email your current member list.
Email is the best form of communication for this promotion, as you can see exactly who is interested and follow up with them.
You can automate your BFCM sequence to start on Monday and send follow up reminder emails on Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and a last chance email on Monday.
Make it easy for your members to claim the deal by emailing you back or filling out a quick form on your website.
External Black Friday Offer
The internal offer will be your main focus for BFCM, as it will produce the most revenue for your business.
However, everyone is looking for a deal at this time, so create one for new members.
I recommend bundling some kind of package like a month of classes, a uniform, and a private lesson for $249.
Lay out the value of each ($200 monthly classes, $150 uniform, $250 private) and show how much they’ll be saving for this limited-time deal.
You can create urgency and scarcity to increase demand by limiting the amount available and the time period - like only 25 spots available for one week only.
Essentially, you are having new leads pay you to try your gym with this offer, it’s a huge win.
Executing Your External Offer
Send your external offer to your lost leads email list and anyone who is not a current member.
It doesn’t make sense to ask someone new to BJJ to commit to 12 or 18 months with your internal offer, but $249 for a fantastic entry deal will make them act.
More importantly, use paid ads on social media to advertise this to cold traffic in your area.
You can set up a product on your website shop to have buyers purchase directly from your ad, or you can send them to a form.
A form will yield more leads but take more work for you to follow up.
Realize Meta advertising is the most expensive during this time of year, so be prepared to spend accordingly. Use projected sales from your internal offer to fund your paid ads.
I recommend $250/day for 7 days with your external offer.
Final Thoughts
Black Friday is an excellent time to take advantage of buyer behavior, so don’t miss this opportunity to stack cash and get new leads who pay for themselves.
In fact, October and early November is the best time to fill your funnel with new leads so you can offer them your BFCM promotion at the end of November.
Plus, you can offer them Holiday and New Year sales directly after if they don’t bite on Black Friday.
Ultimately, if done right, the end of the year can be a very profitable time for your BJJ gym, starting off the new year with money in the bank and a drove of new students.
If you need help with your Black Friday offers, book a call.
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