Hello Mark:

Ancient thread, fair questions none the less.

In your place I'd double quick "lite a fire" under whoever is making your website. Its what people will search for when you are not open, whether they are interested in one way or another.

Do you have links to a larger organization or martial groups? That's pretty inexpensive, if not free. I've not needed to spend marketing dollars but I teach solely from community based facilities and programs. No real overhead there save gas and mileage. Facebook, Twitter, the internet social networks seem a very good idea to market yourself very easily. Take some thought how to do so precisely beforehand but <shrug> seems a decent method.

If you have an ULTRA local small town paper, that might be worth exploring too. A huge metro paper not likely I would not think. But your physical location, and your students will be the best marketing you can create. How well do phone books work... well ask some teens, or young people if they even know what one actually is? Worse if they've ever used one before....

Depends on what you're interested in spending, or not. Tend not to think print saturation is the best bang for the money. But I've never spent any (to date) for marketing aside from decent heavy bond, and raised engraving business cards.

There are the typical marketing games to play. Crass commercialism or actualy true benefit is a judgement call. A school donation to a particlar group. A seminar the proceeds of which go to funding for the local Kids Juvenile Diabetes Summer Camp? There are lots of groups who would love any help... some can help you get a PR article in the local paper.

Given when you originally posted was ~a while back~ relatively speaking, how are things going?

Jeff