Opening & Introductions

Alison: Welcome to our back-to-school success webinar, where we’re going to talk about growing your enrollment and afterschool programs. Today’s webinar is about preparing you for one of the busiest enrollment seasons — back to school time. Whether you’re looking to expand your student base, launch an afterschool program, or improve marketing, hopefully you’ll leave today with actionable items you can implement immediately.

A couple of housekeeping notes: if you have any questions, please put them in the chat. We have time saved at the end for a dedicated Q&A session.

I’m Alison Wulf, Associate Success Team Lead here at Kicksite. I’ve worked with hundreds of schools on implementation, enrollment, and streamlining communications — generally trying to save martial arts schools time by using Kicksite. And we have a wonderful guest here, Jeneice Annunziato from Annunziato BJJ. I’ll give her a minute to introduce herself.

Jeneice: Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for having me — this is an honor. I’m Jeneice Annunziato. My husband and I run Annunziato BJJ in Azle, Texas. I’m a 20-year Navy veteran; I was a paralegal while in the Navy, and I’ve traveled all over the world. I went straight from the Navy into running our gym, so anything to do with the gym that doesn’t happen on the mat ends up on my desk, and I take care of it. Thank you again, Kicksite, for the opportunity to share what I’ve learned.

Alison: It’s fantastic to have you here.

---

Agenda

Alison: Here’s the agenda for today. We’ll talk about some of the reasons this is such a big enrollment season. Then Jeneice will talk about building back-to-school offers and afterschool programs that work well for families. After that, we’ll shift to how to market your program to get more local families involved — landing pages, lead capture forms, and how the prospect stages work in your Kicksite account. Then, with Jeneice again, how to retain students with strong engagement strategies. We’ll wrap up with a four-week action plan and the Q&A session.

Why This Enrollment Season Matters

Alison: I’ll talk from a couple of perspectives — my role here at Kicksite, and also as a mother. I have two girls in elementary school, and this is exactly the time I’m actively looking for programs and afterschool activities for them. I see it almost like New Year’s for martial arts schools, because everyone is gearing up for a big schedule change. It’s also a great time to re-engage students who took the summer off.

We all know the challenges: busy family schedules, families returning from vacation, fall sports starting up, and sometimes attendance drop-offs over summer. But there are positives too — everyone is returning re-energized and looking for a change in their schedule.

This is one of the biggest enrollment seasons of the year. Families are actively searching, not passively scrolling on TikTok or Facebook and seeing ads. I’m out there researching schools and activities in my area myself. So we’ll also talk about ways to be visible beyond just ads — someone who wasn’t ready to sign up in May could be in a totally different headspace now that there’s a clean break for a new schedule.

I’ll hand it over to Jeneice now to talk about offers that families actually respond to.

---

Building Your Offer (Jeneice)

Jeneice: Thank you, Alison. Before I continue, I want to note that everything I talk about today is something I’ve actually done — some of it worked, some didn’t, and it’s all lessons learned over time. My children are also in the room; please ignore them, they know not to speak, but if something crazy happens I may need to mute myself.

Building your offer: parents aren’t buying martial arts — they’re buying a solution to a problem. Can I pick up my kids after school in time? Is the bus going to pick them up? What’s going to happen? Our offer to families is: let us pick up your kids, let us give them something structured to do, let us help them learn something that will actually benefit them in the future. In my opinion, that’s what martial arts does for everyone.

We talk about founding-member pricing, and revenue that supports payroll, transportation, and delivering the quality experience families deserve. As a parent myself, I think most parents out there feel the same way.

What an Afterschool Program Solves

It solves a real need for working parents. Here’s how ours works: I tell parents, “We pick your child up from your school — we work with all the ISDs in our area, and we currently pick up from eight elementary schools.” I let parents know each step: that we picked them up, that they’ve arrived at the gym, that they’ve had a snack, and that they’re on the mat until class ends and the parent is able to pick them up. That builds trust, builds consistency with martial arts training, and creates additional revenue for the gym and team.

The problem we kept hearing — the reason we started the program — was “I can’t make it because of work.” We weren’t losing students because they didn’t want to come; they just didn’t have transportation to get from school to the gym. That’s why we started.

Value

Something my husband, Ben Anziato — a black belt under Travis Lutter with 16-plus years teaching and training — said: a coach’s value is what we’re giving in return for the afterschool program. Limited time availability, easy to understand, high perceived value, low commitment to get started. What am I giving a parent? My value — the coach’s time given to the student’s success. If you can communicate that clearly, you build an offer a parent can’t refuse: “I’m the expert in this martial art, and I’m going to give your child the value of my years of experience, so they can succeed.”

I didn’t learn all of this on my own — I studied “The Ultimate Afterschool Program Blueprint” by Lloyd Irving (subtitled something like A Champion’s Guide to After School Success, Step by Step — I have the DVDs too). I took what I learned from that program, added it to my own experience, and kept building on it.

What Families Value

A lot of families want free things — a free uniform, a four-to-six-week beginner program, sibling discounts, trial passes. You probably already offer some of these. But what families value most, in my opinion, is community, relationships, and trust — that’s what brings people back.

We offer a reduced price for our first 10 afterschool students. We calculated our expense cost to run the program and set an offer that would cover it. That gave us guaranteed revenue to cover monthly expenses from those first 10 enrollments, even accounting for the fact that you sometimes lose people along the way.

(Q&A note: The book referenced is The Ultimate Afterschool Program Blueprint by Lloyd Irving.)

Offer Examples

Our primary offer is a reduced price for our first 10 students, to keep enrollment steady and cover costs. We also offer typical discounts — 10% for military and first responders. We’re located next to a kids’ play area and a CrossFit gym, so we offer their members a discount to try jiu-jitsu as well.

Jeneice: That’s my end — back to you, Alison.

---

Marketing Your Program (Alison)

Alison: Now that we’ve talked about offers, how do you get them in front of people? I divide people into a few categories and match each to a communication strategy: people who already know you, people in your local community, people searching for you online, and people referred to you by others who know you. The main channels are email, social media, personal contact, and community outreach through current students and their families.

Email marketing is great for reaching people who already know you — inactive leads, announcing fall specials, promoting afterschool programs, and keeping current members informed. Current members’ kids have friends, and their parents have friends — that’s valuable word-of-mouth.

Social media: student spotlights, testimonials, and — as a parent — I’m mostly looking for the feel and culture of the school. Vary your posts beyond offers and promotions; show happy-kid pictures and the heart of your school, since that’s a big draw for parents imagining their own kids there.

Google Business Profile: it’s free, and it matters a lot for local search. Include photos of the space (with and without people), get reviews from your current student base, and highlight your afterschool program — you can even add offers directly in the dashboard. You do need to verify your business. Keep your information consistent across your website and Google profile, since search engines look for that consistency. (Kicksite offers a local search optimization service that helps manage this.)

Marketing Beyond Social Media

Partner with local school districts and homeschool programs, connect with the PTA (school carnivals and booths are great — kids draw in other kids, and their parents follow). Attend school events, and if you don’t already have an afterschool program, offer a seminar or lesson to start building that relationship.

For promoting afterschool programs specifically: use high-convenience areas like pickup/drop-off zones for flyers or signs (a QR code to a landing page works well), and clearly explain your pickup options — that’s one of the biggest stressors for parents. Share parent testimonials if you have them.

Jeneice (interjecting on a question about getting into schools): I went to each school principal directly — emailed them, introduced who we are and where we’re located, and asked if they had a career day or if I could come teach PE. For the afterschool program specifically, I reach out to the ISD and ask if they’re having a back-to-school event where I can set up a booth. I also ask if I can put something in a grab bag at the teachers’ back-to-school event, with our info — and a pitch to teachers themselves (“come train with us, get your stress out after teaching kids all day”), plus an offer to take referrals if they have a student who might benefit.

For school programs, I especially recommend asking to teach a PE class rather than doing a career-day booth — you get the full room’s attention, can play games, talk about jiu-jitsu, and coaches love it.

I also got involved with our local Chamber of Commerce, which has been entirely beneficial — I got to know the community, and the community got to know me. I was later nominated Businesswoman of the Year and put on the Chamber’s board of directors. Building trust with the community and putting yourself out there really matters — as cliché as it sounds, sometimes you have to “shake hands and kiss babies.”

Alison: I was a teacher for 12 years before Kicksite, and I can vouch for the effectiveness of that kind of personal outreach — a note or gesture really sticks with teachers.

---

Using Kicksite to Capture and Convert Leads (Alison)

Alison: Once you have your advertisement and promotion, you build it out in your system: set up a landing page (through memberships or inventory), and use a lead capture form to instantly generate a prospect profile with all their information. From there, you can move that prospect through your pipeline.

Lead capture forms can hold as much detail as you need for an afterschool program, and you can save notes as pinned comments on the profile for visibility. Texting is also a great tool — many people check texts more than email, especially during a busy back-to-school period. (Kicksite’s conversations area and SMS templates will be covered in more detail in a live training next week.)

Staying organized matters too — customize your prospect stages, potentially creating a dedicated “back to school” stage to funnel these leads into and manage the follow-up flow.

Example Follow-Up Strategy

• Day 1: Send a text message
• Day 2: Follow up with a phone call (even if unanswered, they’ll see the number and can hear a voicemail)
• Day 4: Send a reminder
• Day 7: Follow up again

Maintain the relationship-building and touchpoints throughout.

---

Keeping Students Engaged (Jeneice)

Jeneice: Retention starts early — monitor attendance, stay connected with families, create routines, and build relationships. I’m at the front desk, so I get to greet everyone, shake hands, introduce staff, and give tours so people feel comfortable. My husband then takes over on the mat. Remembering names, kids’ names, and small personal details (like asking how a sick family member is doing) makes people feel present in the conversation — and that builds trust. My husband is great with everyone on the mat; I handle remembering the family details. If you can’t do it all yourself, find someone who can build those relationships, and if you hire them, pay them well and keep them around.

Attendance and re-engagement: review attendance, identify inactive students, and follow up — if someone hasn’t shown up in three or four days, we reach out to check they aren’t sick (and if they are, we ask them to stay home until they’re better). We also use these moments to encourage afterschool enrollment when it fits — for example, comparing our program’s value to what a parent might already be paying for daycare.

Scheduling: We run a beginner kids class and an advanced kids class. Parents can pick up after the beginner class, or, if their student is eligible for the advanced class, pick up later — giving families flexibility around when they can arrive.

Student Experience & Retention Ideas

• Back-to-school spirit week, buddy week, stripe testing goals, student appreciation events
• Following the ISD calendar (e.g., 100th day of school)
• Teacher appreciation week — inviting a student’s favorite teacher to a free class, or supporting the teachers’ lounge with drinks/snacks “sponsored by Anziato Jiu-Jitsu” for visibility
• A referral program (a free month for referrals that sign up)
• Summer camp, school break camps, seasonal events
• An open house that also brings in local community vendors, to introduce the gym and build local relationships

Jeneice closing thought: “Successful martial arts schools aren’t built by great marketing alone. They’re built by intentional systems, authentic relationships, and genuine commitment to serving families.”

---

Action Plan / Legal & Operational Considerations (Jeneice)

Alison: Hannah is uploading an action plan handout now.

Jeneice: This handout should help you get started. There’s a saying from the Navy — CYA, “cover your assets” — but what we were also taught was “call your attorney.” Do your research, and call your state before doing anything else. Be prepared with informed questions going in, the way a lawyer would.

State requirements (Texas example): Our gym qualifies for a single-skill exemption, meaning we can only offer jiu-jitsu-related activities — no homework help, games unrelated to jiu-jitsu, field trips, etc. Call your state, and if an exemption applies, apply for it before doing anything else, so you don’t risk having to shut down after families are already relying on you.

Vehicles: We don’t allow coaches to use personal vehicles (insurance and driver qualifications). We purchased and wrapped two vans, keeping the wording vague to stay within our exemption (e.g., not advertising “homework time”).

Staffing: We serve eight schools with two vans, so we hired additional drivers and front-desk staff to help manage the snack/mat transition. Texas requires state background checks for anyone interacting with children; we go further and require national background checks as well. Other considerations: drug testing, non-disclosure/non-compete agreements, and whether staff are 1099 contractors or W-2 employees (a personal/business decision).

Policies: Having a written parent handbook and clear policies makes it easier to handle disputes — you can point to policy rather than making case-by-case judgment calls (e.g., an incident report and sit-out policy if a child hits another child). Also include operating procedures for transport, like pre-drive vehicle checks (gas, A/C, general operability).

Communication tools: We use Brightwheel (similar concept to daycare apps) to notify parents in real time — pickup confirmation, arrival, snack, and photos throughout class. My personal mantra for photos: “sweat, smiles, and subs.”

Before spending money: Call your state first. Don’t update your website, wrap a van, or buy T-shirts until you’ve confirmed you’re within regulations.

Lessons Learned

• We’re all equal — a Navy lesson about treating every person, regardless of background, with the same respect, since it builds trust and better long-term relationships.
• Consistency beats a single perfect post — people are buying you and your team over time, not one piece of content.
• Have a backup plan for vehicle issues (e.g., an A/C failure was resolved over a weekend; a third van is planned to reduce this risk).
• Systems reduce stress — but only if you actually understand the policies you’re relying on, especially if AI helped draft them, since you’re accountable for what they say.

---

Q&A Session

Q (Josh): Do you require a commitment for the entire year?

Jeneice: No — we don’t do contracts. We charge weekly ($149/week), a price based on comparable afterschool competitors in our area and the value of our coaching. Our policy requires advance notice to leave, and if a student’s departure falls mid-week, that full week is still billed.

Q: Do you hire professional drivers?

Jeneice: No — we hire locally and advertise for open positions. I run background checks and conduct interviews myself.

Q: What about school holidays and short weeks (e.g., Labor Day)?

Jeneice: For short weeks like a four-day week around a holiday, we still charge the full week. For spring break and major holiday weeks, we don’t charge.

Q: How does payment work?

Jeneice: Payment is required before service for the week — parents get a notification Friday night that payment is due by Sunday.

Q: What about teacher work days / early release days?

Jeneice: Full week is still charged. On early-release days, we treat it like a mini summer-camp day — we pick students up early and keep all activities tied to jiu-jitsu (e.g., push-ups justified as building strength for jiu-jitsu), consistent with our exemption.

Q: What do you do over the summer?

Jeneice: We hope students stay through summer and offer a separate monthly membership rate rather than doubling the weekly rate. Lesson learned: budget ahead during the school year for summer expenses (van costs, driver pay if applicable), since revenue patterns shift.

Q: Do you have a separate space for kids at your location?

Jeneice: Not really — our facility is 60×40, with a front desk/waiting area where kids eat their snack, and cubbies for backpacks and clothing on the other side. We can only offer general healthy snacks (not prepared/cut food, due to licensing). Kids arrive around 3:50 for a 5:00 p.m. class start, so the first 20–30 minutes covers snack and changing. We originally wanted to offer homework time but didn’t have enough time for it, and it also falls outside our exemption.

Q: Any advice on using Facebook ads more effectively?

Jeneice: I look at the data on what’s worked over the years (Kicksite makes that visible) rather than just running ads blindly. Other gym owners we know have had strong success putting meaningful budget behind Facebook ads. Also look into local community pages, which often have dedicated advertising days — worth using those too.

Q: How’s summer camp retention/ROI?

Jeneice: Summer camp ROI has been great — we saw about a 60% retention rate for campers staying with us through the summer. Our upcoming camp is $295 for 4 days, 8:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. — pricing based on looking at past data to find what’s worked best.

---

Closing

Alison: Thank you all so much for joining, and thank you, Jeneice, for sharing so much great information — hopefully everyone can put some of this into practice. A recording will be sent to all attendees, even if you were only here for part of the session.

Jeneice: You’re very welcome — thank you all!