Make This a Priority in 2025 to Grow Your BJJ School
- William Safford
- Feb 10
- 3 min read
The online world is evolving faster than ever with new technologies, platforms, and government regulations constantly reshaping the landscape.
Last week, I emphasized the importance of sticking to fundamental business and marketing principles in these unpredictable times. Here's why that advice matters now more than ever.
Take TikTok, for example. Recently, the platform faced a complete shutdown for U.S. users before being temporarily reinstated.
Imagine if your entire lead generation strategy had been built on TikTok—it could have vanished overnight.
This is why it's crucial to focus on a marketing platform that has stood the test of time: email.
Email: The Undisputed Marketing Champ
As simple as it may seem, email marketing is still the most effective way to drive sales.
Email allows you to build relationships with your prospects and offers far better visibility than social media.
While social platforms are subject to algorithm changes, policy shifts, and even shutdowns, email remains steady and reliable.
Although email is not completely immune to regulations, it's much less vulnerable than social media.
In fact, your best use of social media is to pull followers from those platforms and convert them into email subscribers.
This brings us to one of email marketing’s greatest advantages: cost.
Email: The Most Cost-Effective Marketing Tool
Not only is email effective—it’s incredibly affordable.
On social media, you often have to pay to reach your audience. Even if you gain free followers, there’s no guarantee your posts will be seen by the right people. Algorithms frequently limit your visibility.
In contrast, once you have someone’s email, you can send them messages without any additional cost. While inbox competition is high, the fight for attention on social media is even more fierce.
To maximize your marketing efforts, use paid social media ads to collect the email addresses of qualified local leads. From there, you can market to them for free through email.
A powerful way to grow your list is by using lead magnets.
Use Lead Magnets to Grow Your Email List
Lead magnets are valuable freebies you offer in exchange for a lead’s email address.
Examples include:
Free guides (like the one above)
Introductory courses
Free videos or tutorials
Free trial offers
A simple lead magnet funnel might look like this:
Post a free guide offer on social media via ads, targeting your ideal audience.
Collect email addresses in exchange for the guide.
Send automated follow-up emails to nurture leads.
Convert leads into paying members through offers and promotions.
Once you have someone’s email address, you can promote all your future offers—seasonal promotions, intro specials, seminars, events, and merchandise—without paying to reach them again.
Final Thoughts
Email should be the foundation of your marketing strategy. It’s effective, essentially free, and provides direct access to your audience.
However, it requires consistency and effort. That’s why I write a new article every week. This content becomes the core of my emails, blog posts, and even paid ads designed to attract new subscribers.
You can also repurpose email content for organic social media by breaking it into smaller, digestible pieces.
Ultimately, your email list becomes your most valuable asset—a qualified audience that you control, without having to depend on third-party platforms.
If you want help growing your email list and using email marketing effectively, just contact me.
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