Written by: Sara Sabin, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
All marketing activities are not created equal.
I talk to far too many coaches who are worrying about Facebook ads, complicated funnels, SEO, email lists, and posting on all social media platforms at the beginning of their coaching business.
This is where even the most seasoned people from a marketing and brand background can become unstuck. Overcomplicating things!
Coaching is a people business.
How do you get people to trust you?
Build rapport and then a relationship with them. It’s as simple as that. It’s about going back to basics. Have as many conversations as possible with your ideal target client and come up with a couple of simple ways to get in front of them. Rinse and repeat.
I have found it helpful to define marketing for a coaching business as:
1. Short-term marketing – marketing designed to bring in cash fast. This is super important at the beginning of your business. Until you are making money, you have an expensive hobby, not a business!
2. Long-term marketing – marketing designed to increase your visibility and credibility over a longer period of time but may not generate instant results cash-wise.
Both are important but short-term marketing takes priority at the beginning to build momentum. You should not be doing more than 2-3 marketing activities at a time with 1-2 being “short term”.
What should you focus on?
Proactive outreach to potential clients and partners
There are various ways of doing this, but they all come back to the same principle. Find ways to get in front of and have conversations with your target audience. This falls into the short-term marketing category.
I have given some examples.
This can include outreach through LinkedIn (or another platform) for example.
Point to note here: all of us (including me) hate getting those cringeworthy spam messages. It’s about getting the messaging right so that your ideal client resonates with it. When you get people telling you they love your message and usually don’t bother responding to others you’re on the right track. Similarly, a few will hate your message, which will tell you your message is compelling enough to get a reaction (remember Marmite, you love it or hate it).
You don’t even have to use social media at all (really!). You can design coaching experience sessions (one to one) or in a group to sell your offer, and you can use strategic partnerships to get in front of your target audience.
Social Media Content
I find that a lot of coaches resort to social media to find their first clients. Social media can be EITHER a short-term or a long-term marketing strategy.
Many coaches are either posting very inconsistently or “posting and praying” that someone that they want to work with will see their content and buy.
Content can work well to attract clients if you already have your ideal clients following you.
However, at the beginning of a coaching business, this does not tend to be the case. A strategic content strategy works well only if you are also doing proactive outreach on a social media platform and/or you’re connected with enough of your ideal target audience to make it worthwhile. Some people do follow you over time before buying.
You need to post consistently and it’s better to pick 1-2 platforms and do it very well, then, try to be everywhere at once. And remember, you do not need to do this at all to make money.
One Long-Term Marketing Strategy
The criteria here are that the activity should extend beyond your own audience, and it should enhance your visibility and credibility.
Do what resonates with you here! Love writing? Pitch to big publications. Love speaking? Podcasts, media appearances, and events are a great bet. Tap into much larger audiences to increase your visibility.
For more insights on how to build a successful coaching business: read How To Start A Successful Coaching Business (brainzmagazine.com)
Follow me on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and visit my website for more on leadership, entrepreneurship, and business building. You can check out my regular articles for Entrepreneur Magazine here. I also invite you to download my ebook “6 Myths about Building a Six Figure Coaching Business and What You Should Do Instead!
If you would like support reaching $10-20K months in your coaching business, check out my Business Accelerator Program.
Sara Sabin, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Sara Sabin is a qualified tax accountant from a Top 10 firm, a former start-up company founder, and a transformational leadership coach and consultant. She is a regular contributor to the Entrepreneur Magazine Leadership Network and The Fast Company. She understands the rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship through personal experience and is an advocate of continuous personal development. She calls herself the Queen of Transformation, but it wasn’t until she discovered her passion that she really cracked it!
She built a multi-six-figure coaching practice that she loves, working with successful leaders and entrepreneurs of high-growth 7 figure businesses, helping them to accelerate progress through developing their leadership capacity and EQ, and enhancing team performance.
She also supports other coaches and consultants to build a business working with high performers. Through an individualized roadmap to success, she helps them to build a profitable, sustainable coaching practice that they love, simply and rapidly, using cost-effective strategies.
