I’ve been watching a lot of clients Facebook statuses lately, and wanted to address how often they should pos to Facebook, and what they should post about.  Let meIt’s a good rule of thumb to post to Facebook about once per day.  The more you post to Facebook, the more you can stay active and keep in touch with your current students, but also let other potential students who are fans of your page see how much fun your academy is and the family atmosphere around it.

Another benefit is that the more interaction there is on your page, the more likely it is that friends of your fans and students will see the action on their own Facebook feeds.  This gives you free exposure to potentially interested people.

So, what should you post about?

Student Appreciation: Let your students know you appreciate them.  Have a student whose been training his ass off?  Send him a shout on Facebook.  It’ll also motivate your other students.  Have some new students that just signed up?  Let your fans know about it and make the new students feel special.  Have a student who won a medal at the latest competition?  Brag on him a little bit.

Action Shots: Show everyone just how much fun BJJ is.  Throw up some class photos of the instructor demonstrating techniques, some photos of everyone rolling, after class photos of everyone sitting around and hanging out after training, etc.  Let people see what a great atmosphere BJJ creates.

BJJ Hot Topics: Are new black belt competitors making waves?  Is everyone talking about the berimbolo and 50/50 guard?  Did a BJJ black belt just win the UFC championship belt?  All of this will be interesting to your students, and get them actively participating on your gyms Facebook page.

Action Video: If photos get boring, throw up some video.  You can even do mini student interviews/testimonials.  Film some technique videos, sparring footage, etc. to share on your page.  One of my favorite videos to share is belt whipping time!  Nothing gets people commenting on Facebook like watching their friends get a new belt, and be beaten for it!

Special Promotions: Facebook is also a great place to share your special promotions.  Have a back to school special, or a 30 day free trial going on?  Share it on Facebook, and ask your students to help you spread the word.  A lot of your Facebook likes come from people who are interested in BJJ, but haven’t quite made the jump yet.  A good promotion might be just what it takes to get them to jump in.

You can find a whole lot of other ideas for Facebook posts in 101 BJJ Gym Marketing Tips, so check that out if you haven’t.

Think of Facebook as a way to stay connected with your current students, but also as a slow cooker for new students.  As I mentioned, a lot of people who follow you on Facebook are not yet students, but they want to be.  Some of them are shy, some are a bit cash poor at the moment, and others are just waiting for the last little push to get them to come in and check it out.  Being active on Facebook will help you keep them warm until they are ready to hit the mats.

To wrap this up I will caution you, make sure whoever is posting to Facebook for you has decent spelling and grammar.  This may not seem important to some, but trust me, you don’t want your school to come off as unprofessional.

Also definitely be sure whoever is posting isn’t the type of person to be easily dragged into Facebook arguments or get a bit too hot around the collar when someone disagrees.  It is Facebook and someone is bound to say something you don’t agree with.  Sometimes even straight up rude and disrespectful comments will be posted.  The best thing to do is brush it off.  You do not want to end up in a pissing contest for all of your students, and potential students, to see.

Feel free to shoot me an email if you have any questions.  I’d be more than happy to answer them!

 

- Cody
BJJWebsiteGurus.com