The holidays are a critical time for small businesses. In fact, according to the National Retail Federation, holiday sales account for 20% of annual retail sales. That means if you want your karate school to stay afloat, you need to make sure you’re driving holiday sales. Google and Facebook Ads are a great way to reach new customers and boost holiday sales. Here’s how to get started.
Step 1: Define Your Goal
Before you start creating your ads, it’s important to take a step back and think about what you want your ads to achieve. Do you want to bring in new students? Get current students to sign up for more classes? Sell merchandise? Once you’ve defined your goal, you can start creating your ad campaign.
Step 2: Set Your Budget
Google and Facebook Ads can be relatively inexpensive, but it’s still important to set a budget for your ad campaign. That way, you can make sure you’re not spending more than you’re comfortable with and that your ad campaign is driving results. A good rule of thumb is to set your daily budget at 10% of your overall holiday marketing budget. So, if you’re planning on spending $1,000 on marketing this holiday season, your daily budget for Google and Facebook Ads should be $10.
Step 3: Create Compelling Ads
Once you’ve set your goal and budget, it’s time to start creating your ads. When it comes to Google Ads, it’s important to use relevant keywords so that your ad shows up when people are searching for karate schools in your area. For Facebook Ads, images are key. Make sure you use high-quality images that are eye-catching and relevant to your ad campaign.
The Cons of Running Your Own Ads
- It Takes Time – Unless you’re already familiar with Facebook’s ad platform, running your own campaign is going to take up a fair amount of your time as you learn the ropes and figure out what works best for your business.
- You May Not Get the Results You Want – As we mentioned above, unless you know what you’re doing, there’s no guarantee that your campaign will be successful. Unless you’re willing to put in the time to learn how to properly use Facebook’s ad platform and create an effective campaign, it may be better to leave it to someone who already has that knowledge and experience.
- It Can Be Stressful – Let’s face it, even if everything goes according to plan, running a marketing campaign can be stressful. If things start going off the rails, it can be even more so. If you don’t think you can handle the added stress of managing a marketing campaign on top of everything else that comes with running a small business, it may be better to hire someone else to do it for you so that you can focus on other things.
Google and Facebook Ads are a great way to reach new customers and boost holiday sales at your karate school. To get started, simply define your goal, set a budget, and create compelling ads. With a little effort, you’ll be well on your way to driving holiday sales and keeping your karate school open for business year-round! But running the ads yourself may not give you the best results. Schedule a free consultation to see how we can help!