What are the best ways to market your coaching services online?

The first steps to market are not defining your niche and target market, they are defining your target market and your goals! Without goals, you can't win, you can't succeed, you can't measure progress and you can never get to the finish line! Everything you do in marketing starts with defining goals!

This is the first step with effective marketing. If you don’t narrow down WHO is your ideal customer, then your marketing materials will be too generic and not speak to anyone. When we identify who we really can serve, we can better understand their problem, and know if our product or service is the solution. I have a clear picture of my ideal client and can picture them on the other side of the lens every time I make a video. Which makes being conversational much easier.

I would actually argue the first step to marketing your coaching services is to identify your zone of genius. This will actually help you determine your niche. You can’t market something with unclear outcomes effectively. If you aren’t marketing services that align with a transformation you can actually provide for your client, then it will be extremely difficult to find a niche and your ideal client.

Defining your niche is pivotal in establishing a thriving coaching practice. By pinpointing a specific audience and understanding their distinct needs, goals, and pain points, you can tailor your services effectively. Your unique value proposition is your beacon, setting you apart in a crowded market. Whether it's executive leadership, wellness, or career development, showcasing your expertise and specialised approach is key. This clarity not only attracts the right clients but also fosters stronger connections and referrals.

Of course, a website is important, but don’t let marketing assets stop you from helping clients. It depends how you get your clients. If you get your clients through referrals or speaking, or even social media, your website is less important at the start.

The website you create should be the place where you sell your services. There are a lot of reasons to have a website - most importantly your website is the piece of 'Real Estate' you own. Social media sites are built on rented ground. If a platform were to disappear tomorrow, so would your opportunity to sell your services and products. On your website, you can say what you want and sell what you want. Get a website asap.

A website is an important business asset. It should inform potential clients, who you are, what you do and how you help (your offers). Not having a website will certainly make it difficult to get found organically on the internet.

This is such an important point, we need to remember that we don’t own anything on social media. It’s important to have our own website and mailing list that belongs to us. This means once we have a consistent strategy so that when something to sell then we are not reliant on algorithms to show our posts to our audience. Instead we can choose to send emails that convert and win us business.

Building an email list is a cornerstone of successful online coaching marketing. Through email, you build direct connections with your audience, fostering trust and guiding them through their journey. Expanding your list is probably harder than most would assume but using lead magnets is a great way to start. Once onboard, deliver consistent, engaging content that educates and motivates action. By nurturing these relationships through email, you establish credibility and a loyal following eager to engage with your coaching services - 1000 true fans.

It is important to know which platform(s) your clients/prospects use, and also which your referral partners and the media use. They may not be the same.

I suggest businesses set up accounts on every social platform so you have the name you would want to use. Then decide the one platform you will focus on (where your audience can be found) and set up pinned posts on the other platforms to signpost to the one you are using most.

When using social media, remember we don't get married on the first date! Connecting and immediately trying to sell is not going to generate consistent leads. Instead nurture your leads and get to know them. After all you both want to see if you are a good fit for each other first.

Maximise your coaching services' online presence through social media usage. Select platforms aligned with your niche and strengths. Engage your audience with consistent, valuable content but remember you do not own this following and it can be removed at any time. Utilise social media to build a tribe away from the platform which ensures you can have total control of your message.

A blog can be part of your website and offer great opportunities to keep your website current and provide valuable content for your audience. In our experience, we have developed a clear marketing goal, building on the definition of our primary and secondary audience and understanding of their needs. That allowed us to set a series of keywords that are important for us to be found by potential clients. Based on that we add articles, interviews, and case studies to our blog. Of course, we also promote these articles on our social network of choice for our B2B market - LinkedIn. Through this process I have been contacted by some amazing organizations which became happy clients.

Podcasting is a highly aligned marketing strategy for coaches because it's built on genuine connections. Hosting your own podcast or being a guest nurtures trust more effectively than many traditional marketing methods. Coaches excel in building relationships and podcasting amplifies that strength. Recent research (Neilson and others) revealed that podcast listeners' have higher incomes and are more likely to make a major purpose. And, podcasting is a great strategy to grow your network with the thought leaders in your space. Lastly, there are about 700K active podcasts compared to 114 million active YouTube channels and 500 million active blogs. Thus, it's much easier for a good podcast interview to stand out among the noise.

Collaborate with businesses that offer complementary products and services to your clients, both before and after their engagement with your business, to create a LinkedIn newsletter series. This is a smart way to add value to your content while expanding your marketing reach, all while saving time and money.

THIS to me is one of the most underrated opportunities to grow your practice as a coach! Start a podcast and invite experts as guests. Collaborate on blog articles. Network online and in person with other coaches. Consider joining a mastermind with other business owners (not necessarily other coaches) to learn how to market yourself better.

Networking can be the most important thing you do. My networking group knew I was starting a business before I did! The key is to find people who have the same networking philosophy as you, people who know referrals and introductions cannot always be reciprocal, and that there are many ways to help each other.

This totally makes sense! So I’m coaching teens.. so I connect with coaches who work with adults and many of those clients may have teens and teens I work with may have parents interested in the adult coaching?

This article is great for beginners, but established coaches and consultants who are looking for advanced steps can tap into the following. There are 4 ways market your business and reach new clients: 1. Niche based, expert social content and posting. I call this “sweat equity” because it takes time but is necessary to establish establish expertise and build relationships. (Like what we’re doing here on LinkedIn) 2. Paid Ads 3. PR, Speaking, Guest Teaching 4. Affiliates, Networking The goal for all coaches, is to nail one primary source, where you always know you can rely on generating new leads. Then, augment your primary marketing strategy with other creative methods to reach even deeper into your niche.

Speaking - The Most Fun Way to Market Yourself “The best way to market yourself is to give yourself to the market. Expose yourself to your prospects,” wrote Jeffrey Gitomer. And I add that speaking is an engaging, interactive way to market yourself. Whether you're speaking in person or virtual, sharing your knowledge like this is a great way to increase your visibility & authority. You get to: ? Demonstrate your skills, talents & expertise. ? Strengthen your network. ? Help the community. That’s a great thing. ? Attract new customers.