ISSUE #003

SEPTEMBER 2025

Welcome to

The Budō

"MAGIC MARKETING

NEWSLETTER"

Your Monthly Martial Arts Marketing Fix For Your School

Watch This Months Video Intro - Click To Play

Real Instructors. Real Results.

Real Marketing.

No Fluff.

Essential insights, tools, and wins from inside the most proactive martial arts marketing group on the planet.

Welcome to the very first issue of Magic Marketing, the monthly newsletter built by martial arts school owners, for martial arts school owners who are serious about growth, systems, and results.

Every month, we’ll bring you what’s actually working, not theories or hype, straight from the Budo community. This is your shortcut to smarter marketing, better automation, and less stress running your business.

Expect exclusive insights, member wins, mini strategy breakdowns, tools, bonuses, and yes, a few hard truths. Because you’re not here for fluff.

You’re here to grow.

Welcome to

The Budō

"MAGIC MARKETING NEWSLETTER"

Your Monthly Martial Arts Marketing Fix For Your School

Watch This Months Video Intro - Click To Play

Real Instructors. Real Results. Real Marketing.

No Fluff.

Essential insights, tools, and wins from inside the most proactive martial arts marketing group on the planet.

Welcome to the latest issue of Magic Marketing, the monthly newsletter built by martial arts school owners, for martial arts school owners who are serious about growth, systems, and results.

Every month, we’ll bring you what’s actually working — not theories or hype — straight from the Budo Marketing community. This is your shortcut to smarter marketing, better automation, and less stress running your business.

Expect exclusive insights, member wins, mini strategy breakdowns, tools, bonuses, and yes, a few hard truths. Because you’re not here for fluff. You’re here to grow.

Welcome issue #003 of the MMN

The work doesn’t stop in September. It starts here.

Every year, September feels like the big reset button for martial arts schools. Kids are back in school. Adults are looking for new routines. And if you’ve been running the September Success campaigns with us, you’ve already seen the surge of attention, enquiries, and trial bookings.

But here’s the real secret: September isn’t the finish line. It’s the launchpad.

The schools that win in Q4 aren’t the ones who ran a big campaign in September and sat back. They’re the ones who carry the momentum forward, into October, November, and December, stacking their wins until the year closes out stronger than it started.

This issue is about helping you do exactly that.

Doubling down on the systems and automations you’ve built this month. Turning new trials into long-term members. Keeping parents engaged so retention stays high through the holidays.

And laying down the foundations that make 2026 easier, faster, and more profitable.

So, whether September blew the doors off your school or you’re still playing catch-up, the mission is the same: don’t stop now. Keep going. Build on it. And let’s finish the year with the kind of growth that makes your competition wonder what just happened.

So, whether September blew the doors off your school or you’re still playing catch-up, the mission is the same: don’t stop now.

Keep going. Build on it.

And let’s finish the year with the kind of growth that makes your competition wonder what just happened.

– David Lowe.

Budo Marketing Group

MONTHLY BUDŌ MARKETING GROUP ROUNDUP

A Must Read

⚡ Inside The Budō Marketing Group Last Month.

Every week we host 2 live group Zoom calls

"Tech Tuesday" and the "Friday 1% Call"

1. Retention Starts With the Parents

We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: if you want kids to stay in your school, you need to engage their parents. The calls this month highlighted just how much influence parents have, not just on sign-ups, but on long-term retention.

Parents are your silent decision-makers. When they see value, they stick around. When they don’t, they move on. What they’re really buying isn’t just classes, it’s confidence for their child, discipline that carries over into schoolwork, and the life skills that help them grow into strong young people.

If you keep parents informed, celebrated, and part of the journey, you cut down on cancellations and build loyalty that lasts for years. In fact, several members shared stories of how parent-focused updates and progress tracking saved students that might otherwise have quit. When parents feel included, they turn into your biggest advocates.

Key Moves:

Screen shot from our call.

Key Moves:

✅ Host regular “Parent Check-Ins” to update them on progress.

✅ Share success stories (with photos) in private parent groups.

✅ Make your end-of-class talks parent-facing, not just student-facing.

✅ Create a monthly parent newsletter focused on skills their child is learning.

2. The Money Is in the Follow-Up

On the August 19th call, the focus was on how to systematise your marketing and sales process inside Pulse CRM. Many schools still struggle with messy forms, half-finished automations, and unclear pipelines.

But when you set things up properly, you unlock the ability to track every lead, automate the right steps, and save hours each week. Nicola’s example showed how easy it is to fix mistakes and swap forms and calendars around so everything flows properly.

Darren’s tips on Vimeo hosting for private video content opened up new ways to control your member experience and even add upsells. And the discussion on pricing models, particularly VIP content and “spiral curriculum” delivery, showed how small tweaks can lead to recurring revenue boosts.

The real takeaway? Stop reinventing the wheel. Build it once, duplicate it, and then improve it. That’s how you scale without burning out.

Screen shot from our call.

Quick Wins:

✅ Host regular “Parent Check-Ins” to update them on progress.

✅ Share success stories (with photos) in private parent groups.

✅ Make your end-of-class talks parent-facing, not just student-facing.

✅ Create a monthly parent newsletter focused on skills their child is learning.

3. Instructor Training Is Your Growth Engine

One of the most powerful takeaways was how instructor training unlocks scalability. You can’t do everything yourself, and if your team isn’t trained, you cap your growth.

The best schools are building leadership pipelines early, teaching teens and assistants how to communicate with parents, manage classes, and eventually lead. Instructor training isn’t just about martial arts skills, it’s about developing responsibility, confidence, and the ability to inspire others.

Several members shared that by charging for leadership programs, they not only created a new revenue stream but also attracted the most committed students into their instructor pipeline. This does two things: it ensures a steady flow of capable instructors to grow your school, and it increases retention, because those in leadership roles almost never quit.

Think about it: your best marketing campaign is a team of enthusiastic junior leaders in branded shirts helping out in class, it shows parents that your school has structure, depth, and a future.

Screen shot from our call.

Implementation Ideas:

✅ Introduce a tiered leadership program (Junior Leaders → Assistants → Instructors).

✅ Charge for instructor training—it builds commitment and filters out time-wasters.

✅ Start with soft skills (communication, leadership) before advanced techniques.

✅ Publicly celebrate your leaders-in-training so parents see their growth.

4. A.I. Tools and Automation Systems: Your Silent Sales Team

From the August 12th call, one standout topic was how AI-driven tools and automation systems are changing the game for martial arts schools.

We discussed Facebook Page comment triggers, where a simple post can spark a conversation that automatically leads prospects into your bot sequence. Instead of hoping someone clicks a link, you meet them right where they are: in the comments.

The automation then takes over, asking permission to DM, collecting emails, and guiding them to your trial booking page. This isn’t science fiction; members are already running these systems and booking trials while they sleep.

The real value isn’t just in saving time, it’s in creating a consistent, predictable flow of leads that doesn’t depend on you manually chasing every comment or message. When set up properly, your Facebook page becomes a genuine lead machine, powered by AI and systems that do the heavy lifting for you.

Screen shot from our call.

How to Put It to Work:

✅ Set up a Facebook Page post with a “comment to get” trigger (e.g., free guide or trial).

✅ Use your automation bot to ask permission before sending DMs.

✅ Collect contact details through the bot flow and sync them into your CRM memory.

✅ Always follow up with a clear next step, book a trial, claim an offer, or join your list.

Book Your Free Budō Discovery Call

Visit The Budō Marketeer Web Page

Every Month You Get

3 x Articles That Will Help You Crack The Code On Your

Marketing Strategies.

Let's Get Started

Part 3: Month 3: Your Blog Just Became 30 Days of Marketing (And You Didn’t Even Break a Sweat)

by Ian Over - Budo Admin and UK School Owner (and he runs his school from his home in Spain!)

“What should I post today?” → Already done.

Think about it: how many nights have you scrolled your phone at 10 pm, telling yourself… “I should probably post something tomorrow...” Then you don’t. Or worse—you throw something random out there, just to tick the box.

That’s reactive marketing. And it’s exactly why so many martial arts schools stay stuck in survival mode. Reactive content keeps you busy, not growing.

Now picture this instead:

One blog. One strong message. One piece of content that multiplies into a month of momentum.

From that single blog, you unlock:

📌 Week 1 – An inspirational video script that hits parents right in the gut, speaking to their deepest fears and hopes.

📌 Week 2 – A story-driven email that doesn’t just “inform” but connects emotionally and moves people closer to your next promotion.

📌 Week 3 – A rapid-fire post series with bite-sized, dopamine-rich tips and quotes designed to be shared.

📌 Week 4 – A scroll-stopping reel that makes parents point and say: “That’s my kid. That’s exactly what we need.”

All pre-planned.

All tied back to one core message. All working in harmony like dominoes falling into place.

That’s the shift, from posting to survive, to marketing with strategy. From stress to system. From guessing to growing.

And here’s the problem.

Even the best tools in the world (yes, including ChatGPT) won’t save you if you don’t have the framework.

Tools amplify the plan, but only if there is a plan. That’s where we come in inside the Budo Marketing Group.

We don’t just show you “how to repurpose.”

We train you to think like a strategist. To build once and scale many times. To control your message, instead of chasing your tail.

Here’s the process we guide you through every single month:

✅ Craft a powerful core message (the kind that cuts through noise).
✅ Break it into platform-specific content (social, ads, email, web).
✅ Schedule it so each piece builds anticipation and momentum.
✅ Do it all in less than 90 minutes—because time is your most valuable asset.

Imagine going from content chaos to a clear, repeatable system.

No more scrambling. No more wasted effort. Just marketing that works while you focus on running your school.

The difference? You’re no longer trying to keep your head above water. You’re building a machine that grows your school on autopilot.

➡️ At Budo Marketing, we don’t just hand you the fish. We give you the rod, the bait, and the system to keep reeling them in.

💡 Want More?

If this got you fired up and you want to see how we turn blogs into real campaigns, real leads, and real growth ➡️ BOOK A CALL NOW

Or better yet, join us inside the Budo Marketing Group. Because here, we don’t just talk about growth. We build it, one blog, one campaign, one system at a time.

Let’s build your Page into a system that doesn’t just attract attention—but converts it into students, week after week.

3 X THINGS THAT EnhancE Your Facebook Page for Conversion

Special Article by David Lowe - Budo Founder and CEO

The Facebook Page Power Set Up - Part 2

Last month, we covered the basics - your Page cover, your featured section, and your pinned post. That gave you the foundation part.

Now it’s time to shift gears and turn your Page into a conversion engine. Because likes and views don’t keep the doors open. Sign-ups do.

💡 Here’s the reality most school owners miss: every post, every link, every click should point people into one of three pathways. Think of these as the essential conversion doors on your Page. And behind each door sits a system, automated, predictable, and working while you’re busy running classes. There's more to this of course, but these are the essential list to pay attention to and how to convert them into hot, paid trials and warm leads:

1️⃣ The Top 4% – Ready to Buy Now

2️⃣ The Next 16% – The Searchers

3️⃣ The Human Touch – Direct Contact

1️⃣ The Top 4% – Ready to Buy Now.

These are the parents and adults who already know they want to train. They don’t need convincing, they need an easy way to act. For them, your Page must have a direct link to your booking page and calendar. Simple. Frictionless. Click → Book → Confirmed.

How to maximise this pathway:

📌 Pin a post with a bold “Book Your Free Trial” link.

🔗 Add a booking link to your Page buttons (like “Sign Up” or “Book Now”).

🤖 Use an automation series that delivers:

📧 Instant confirmation email to catch them right away.

🚀 SMS reminder 24 hours before their class.

🫸 Add a final nudge 2 hours before the start.

Miss this, and you’re literally leaving new students on the table.

2️⃣ The 16% – The Searchers

These are curious. They’re not ready to book yet, but they’re looking, comparing, scrolling.

This group is gold if you know how to capture them. That’s where your Lead Magnet funnel comes in, an irresistible free guide, checklist, or resource that hooks their interest. They exchange an email for value. You get a warm lead you can nurture with follow-ups, stories, and offers.

🧲 Lead magnet examples that work:

2️⃣ The 16% – The Searchers

These are curious.

They’re not ready to book yet, but they’re looking, comparing, scrolling. This group is gold if you know how to capture them. That’s where your Lead Magnet funnel comes in—an irresistible free guide, checklist, or resource that hooks their interest. They exchange an email for value.

You get a warm lead you can nurture with follow-ups, stories, and offers.

Lead magnet examples that work:

✅ “7 Secrets to Raising a Confident Child” guide.

✅ “Beginner’s Checklist: What Every New Martial Arts Parent Needs to Know.”

✅ “3 Myths About Martial Arts That Stop Adults From Starting.”.

Automation Flow:

✅ Immediate email delivery of the resource.

✅ A nurture series with helpful tips and social proof.

✅ A transition into your booking link once trust is built.

The power? It multiplies your future sign-ups. These leads become tomorrow’s paying members, if you treat them with care and strategy.

3️⃣ The Human Touch – Direct Contact

Sometimes, people just want to speak to a human. They’ve got a quick question, or they’re nervous about trying something new.

Make it easy for them: a phone number that actually gets answered, or a Messenger button that goes straight to you or your team.

Best practices for human touch:

✅ Always have your Page “Call Now” button active with a working number.

✅ Use Messenger auto-replies that set expectations (“Thanks! We’ll reply within 10 minutes.”).

✅ Rotate staff or instructors to ensure calls and messages never go unanswered.

These contacts can fall into either of the first two categories, but without this door, you’ll lose the ones who just want reassurance before saying yes..

Together, these three pathways embody the 96/4 principle:

4% are ready to buy now. Give them the booking link.

20% are searchers. Capture them with a lead magnet.

The rest?

They’re not ready yet, and that’s okay. Because by covering the first two groups, you’re already building predictable momentum that most school owners never tap into.

Your Facebook Page isn’t just a profile. It’s a funnel. And when you set it up with these three conversion doors, you’ll stop guessing where your next student is coming from. You’ll know.

The Buying Cycle

Let’s build your Page into a system that doesn’t just attract attention, but converts it into students, week after week.

The Buying Cycle

Part 3: The Close Without the Call: PART 3

by Dag Helle - Our Scandinavian Budo Man

"How One Comment Opened 41 Conversations - And Zero Were Manual"

So far, we’ve revealed:

✅ The simple comment trigger (Part 1)
✅ The human-first Messenger conversation (Part 2)

Now comes the part every school owner leans in for:

How do you actually close the lead?

Here’s the surprising twist…Gray didn’t follow up manually.
He didn’t jump on Zoom.
He didn’t even ask for their email.

Instead, he used a simple automation sequence inside Budo Pulse that we call the Silent Close.

📲 Step 1: Collect Info Quietly.

Gray’s Messenger sequence didn’t pitch. It listened.

Parents received casual, low-pressure questions like:

“Cool! Is this for your son or daughter?”

“Have they done martial arts before or would this be their first time?”

“What’s the main reason you’re considering training right now - fitness, confidence, focus?”

They look conversational, but they’re actually strategic filters that:

✅ Build trust.

✅ Pre-qualify intent.

✅ Make the parent feel heard and understood.

By the time they’ve answered… they’re already half-sold.

All you need is the next step.

💬 Step 2: Deliver the “Clarity Close”.

Here’s the exact line Gray’s bot sent (straight from the Advanced DM Closing Scripts playbook):

“Awesome - based on what you’ve told me, we’d recommend starting with our 2-week intro trial. It’s $47, includes the uniform, and gives your child a chance to build confidence while you see if it’s the right fit. Want me to save you a spot for this week or next?”

Why it works:

✅ Clear, transparent pricing.
✅ Framed as low-risk, high-value trial.
✅ Assumes the close, without feeling pushy.

That’s silent selling. Not a funnel. Not a pitch deck. Just a natural conversation that ends in commitment.

🛑 Step 3: Handle Objections Before They Arise.

Most objections never appear if you pre-handle them inside the flow.

❓ “What if they don’t like it?”
🧠 Pre-handled: “That’s why it’s a short trial — no pressure, just an experience.”

❓ “What if it’s too expensive?”
🧠 Pre-handled: “It’s just $47 — less than one dinner out — and includes everything.”

❓ “We’re too busy right now.”
🧠 Pre-handled: “No worries - we can hold your spot for next week if that works better.”

Objections dissolve before they’re spoken. Fear is neutralized. Parents feel safe saying yes.

📅 Step 4: Book & Confirm - Without Talking.

Once they agreed, the system handled everything:

➡️ Sent a calendar link.
➡️ Collected payment via Stripe.
➡️ Delivered confirmation + “what to bring” info.

Zero manual back-and-forth. Zero missed emails.
Just clean, smooth onboarding, all while Gray was busy teaching class.

🔁 So What Happened With Those 41 Leads?

🟢 26 replied in Messenger

🟢 19 clicked through to the trial offer

🟢 11 paid and showed up

🟢 7 converted to full members at the monthly rate

🎯 41 leads in → 7 new members out.

And all of it started with one Facebook post, without a single phone call.

⚙️ The Final Takeaway.

This is the future of martial arts marketing.
Not cold calls. Not spammy funnels.

But automated conversations that feel human - and close without pressure.

If you’re still chasing DMs manually, missing leads, or wondering where the next sign-up will come from…

…it’s time to activate your own Silent Funnel.

Magic Marketing Newsletter Feature Article

🤖 Budo Funnels AI: The Future of Martial Arts Marketing is Here

Imagine if you could 4x the performance of your website, and rebuild your entire funnels and landing pages in minutes, without a designer or coder. Sounds impossible? Not anymore.

💥 I’ve got to say this straight… 💥

For years, I’ve seen the same old website designs, the same recycled copywriting templates, and honestly?

Not much has changed. Martial arts schools are still being handed clunky, outdated sites that don’t convert, and worse, you’re being charged every time you want to update a line of text. It’s been frustrating to watch.

In fact, most schools don’t even use funnels properly. Which means leads slip through the cracks and enrolments stay flat. That ends today.

Introducing Budo Funnels AI 🚀

I’ve just released Budo Funnels AI — and it’s now fully integrated inside the Budo Pulse account. The best part? It’s FREE for our members. 🙌

With Budo Funnels AI, you can:

👉 Build websites, funnels, and landing pages in minutes (no coding, no designer, no hidden fees).

👉 Harness AI-powered, drag-and-drop simplicity tailored to your brand and sales message.

👉 Launch pages already connected to calendars, automations, and the CRM that converts leads into trial bookings.

One login.

One system.

No more duct-taping tools together.

Real Example: Halloween Offer Page 🎃

Just last week, I put Budo Funnels AI to the test. I built a Halloween Offer Page for a campaign, and here’s the kicker: it took me just under 30 minutes. After a quick round of edits and a few images I created in ChatGPT, it was ready to go. Done and dusted.

Now, that page isn’t just mine to use. I can share it directly with our Budo members - so they can take it, tweak it, and run their own campaigns instantly.

That’s the power of having everything under one roof.

Why This Matters for You

Some of you might think your website is “doing fine.” But compared to what we’re seeing with our Budo Hubs + AI playbook system, traditional websites are dinosaurs. We’re talking 4x better conversion rates. Real marketing strategy baked into every page. And funnels that work with, not against, your school’s growth.

This is the future of martial arts school marketing. And it’s already live for Budo members.

🔥 Don’t get left behind. The schools that adapt first, win first. 🔥

See you on the AI side 🤖

PS: Book a call with me if you like this Halloween Class Booking Template design and want it?

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FREE BACK-TO-SCHOOL MARKETING TRAINING

What you get is free access to the second recording we did of our BTS live webinar.

🔥 Free Marketing Webinar

How Martial Arts School Owners Can Launch a Complete Back-to-School Marketing Campaign That Converts...

Join us for this fast-paced, practical training and walk away with the exact campaign + swipe file you can use immediately.

This month’s gift to you:

✅ Includes Swipe File Access & Community Members Area – Ads, Emails, Social Posts, Landing Page Copy, & More!

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Meet The Team Behind the Magic...

Budo Marketing isn’t run by theorists, it’s built by real martial arts school owners in the trenches every day. Leading the charge is David Lowe, founder of Budo and the strategist behind our CRM, automations, and AI-powered campaigns.

Alongside him are three industry powerhouses: Ian Over of TR Martial Arts (the systems guy with a knack for scaling without the chaos), Darren Hunter of Solo Martial Arts (a master of community-driven growth and organic strategy), and Geoff Cielo of King Tiger Martial Arts USA (our tech-savvy coach who once booked trials from his car using a single automation).

Together, we test everything before we share it, so what you see in this newsletter isn’t theory, it’s field-tested and results-backed.