Here’s an interesting truth - the experience weighs more than the content.
We live in an era where there is no shortage of information or content regarding what one is looking for. I’m finding that what matters most is the quality of the experience one provides.
I can have the most effective drilling methods for developing very powerful self defense skills. But if I present it in a way that is off-putting, you will not want to train with me.
In the age of social media, it’s all about the “what”. The “what” is the content. It might be tempting to believe that the “what” is the most attractive feature of any particular organization. So, one might be tempted to post a lot of content, detailing all the “whats” of their service. It makes sense, in a purely visual sense, that is the most accessible.
If it was all about the “what”, quite frankly, I’d be out of business. There are so many teachers and organizations that are light-years better than my “what”. If it were truly all about the “what”, I would have been phased out a long time ago. The reality is, I’ve survived in my industry while so many have not. Why is this the case? It’s because of one thing. Are you ready for this? It’s the…..
HOW.
The “how” is not so easily represented in social media. The “how” is truly realized by real, in-person experience. I cannot easily replicate the feeling you’ll get in my classes by social media posts. Sure, I can explain what we do. Sure, I can have snippets of the class in-process posted. Sure, I can have students give testimonials. At best, it may create a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out). But none of that comes remotely close to the feeling one gets when they actively participate, with all of their senses engaged, in the experience.
Once in awhile, I get the question of, “Can I (or my child) just observe the class before I/they try it?”
My answer is a very polite NOPE!! NOT A CHANCE!! 😀
The reason is that watching a class vs. actively participating in one are two WILDLY different experiences. You most likely do not understand what you are watching, especially if you have had no or very little prior experience. To get a real feel for what I offer, you have to DO it. You can watch videos of Kung-Fu classes til the cows come home on YouTube.
Now, after you’ve tried it, and have decided it’s not for you, all good!! At least you tried it before you made that determination. Now you have experience of something you DON’T want. That is valuable in helping you determine what it is you do want.
So where am I going with all this? It’s coming down to making decisions on my social media strategy. Since my value comes from the HOW, ie, the experience of being in my classes, I’ll try to give a better insight into my philosophy. Rather than making a lot of content on the technicalities, I’ll share more of my philosophical approaches and outlook.
So instead of making a YouTube/Instagram technical video on how to do a side kick, or a click-baity type of video like, “3 HUGE Mistakes Everyone Makes Doing Side Kicks”, I might offer something like this:
”A Side Kick Can Be Used to Enhance Mental Health”.
That’s my jam! That gets a little closer to my “how”, which I feel is quite unique. And even a video on a topic like this cannot capture the essence of the experience I create in my classes. But it at least gets away from the technical and performative visual nature that so much martial arts content online is housed in.