Marketing for coaches doesn’t have to be a full-time hustle. You only need proven strategies to make marketing work for you.
So after a deep search on how experts do it, today, we bring you the top marketing strategies for building a successful coaching business.
Let’s dive right in!
How Do I Market My Coaching Business? Business Marketing Tips
While you might have all the passion and skill it takes to coach people well, the biggest mistake you can make as a coach is failing to handle your coaching practice like a business.
So here are expert business insights to help you handle your coaching practice as a business it is:
1. Stick with a marketing strategy to prove how it works
You must master this tip first if you’re going to be successful at applying any other marketing tip.
You need to test, analyze, improve on, and retest a marketing strategy more than once if you want to see it work. Don’t jump from one tactic to another and expect success.
After all, if the same marketing strategies are working for others, some of them would sure work for you.
Be patient in the testing and if the strategy has not worked as planned:
- Learn why it didn’t;
- Make changes and;
- Test again.
2. Get the basics right
The basics are the foundational principles of setting up a successful coaching practice. They include:
- Coaching skills
- Coaching certification
- Profitable niche
- Your USP(Unique Selling Proposition)
- Online location (Website)
- Social media visibility
If you’ve missed on some, go back and ensure you’ve done it before moving on to other marketing tactics.
3. Get used to software that makes your work easier
Instead of working for marketing, you need to let marketing work for you. And to do this, you need to know the tools that can help you market your business much easier.
They include:
- Email marketing software like Mailchimp
- Appointment scheduling tools like Calendly
- Branding material creators like Canva
- Video conferencing software like Zoom
- Billing software like Fons
These tools not only make your work easier but also make you look like a professional which enhances credibility.
4. Focus on getting the best results for your coaching clients
The surefire way of getting new and also higher-paying coaching clients is to do the best for the clients you get.
Reviews like this one below are what markets you most:
5. Sell the dessert before introducing the buffet
Even if you provide a couple of services, you needn’t overwhelm your potential clients with all of them in a small ad, no.
Promote the most enticing part of your services so that they can discover your other services when they seek more information whether from your social media, website, or other platforms.
6. Prove your value with free coaching sessions
This tip does marketing for coaches whether a newbie looking to get your first clients or a veteran looking to scale your coaching business.
People like free stuff, and this isn’t just any free thing, it’s an easy way to market yourself and get more clients while gaining experience in learning what works and what doesn’t.
What more could you ask for?
7. Focus on the next action step
Everywhere you look, even in this article, you’ll find lots of amazing information on taking your coaching business to the next level.
But while applying these effective marketing strategies for coaches, you must remember one thing: smart business is about acting on the next action step in your plan.
Focus on this tip if you want to make your coaching practice a success.
8. Radicalize your brand
We’re using the word “radicalize” here to help you understand why it’s so important for your coaching brand to be unique.
Here’s the 7-step branding strategy to make your coaching business stand out:
- What makes you different?
- What special way do you handle your business?
- How are your beliefs different?
- How’s your market different?
- How’s your approach different from the rest in your niche?
- What will anyone who meets your business remember?
- What experience makes you different?
9. Do mindset work to fuel your goals
A business mindset, like fitness, isn’t something you create and leave it. It’s something you exercise daily.
Even as one coaching others, you have to maintain a business mindset by:
- Knowing where you want to be through effective marketing strategies
- Keeping in mind the actions that take you there, and
- Continually motivating yourself to act
10. Always have your business cards with you
Is there a possibility of meeting a potential client when you walk out the door? Remember to carry business cards to offer anyone who could need your coaching services.
11. Add your business to online directories
If one searches up coaching practices in a certain area, yours should be on the list. This is an easy tip to do once and for all but it reaps benefits forever.
12. Maintain smart follow up
Follow-up helps prospective clients keep you in mind in case they or someone else needs your services.
Many of us are guilty of not following up on a potential client who went silent on us even after showing interest in our services. But we’re usually wrong to think they don’t need us.
Maybe they thought they weren’t ready at that time for some reason. So reminding them can land you new clients.
If looking for a simple plan to follow for your coaching business, here are Steps To A Lean Life Coach Business Plan
Networking Tips for Marketing Coaching Services
Effective marketing for coaches is about smart networking. And the following are the best ways to do it:
13. Leverage your current network
You probably don’t want to push your services to your friends. But they can share about your coaching business with others who need your services.
A simple message like, “Hey Scott, I’ve started a coaching business that helps people with (Explain your offer briefly).
If you know someone who could be interested in what I’m doing, kindly let me know!”
Thanks, big time!”
You can customize these messages according to the nature of your relationship with anyone who can use your services or recommend you to someone.
14. Host networking events
Everyone knows the host of a networking event, even if it’s just their name.
When you host a networking event, people would view you as a thought leader in your coaching niche and so would want to get to know you.
Invite your clients, business partners, fellow coaches, friends, and everyone else you think can be a benefit to the event plus to whom the event can benefit as well.
15. Write Guest posts
Know a popular website with an audience filled with your prospective clients? Great, ensure you secure an opportunity to write for them.
The readers would definitely view you as an expert since the site thought you were knowledgeable enough to write for them.
Doesn’t have to be as popular as the International Coach Federation but it needs a decent following for you to get the quality publicity you need.
16. Help A Reporter Out (HARO)
HARO, Muck Rake, SourceBottle, ProfNet, and Forbes Councils are amazing sites you can connect with reporters who need stories from experts like you – yes you.
You can earn amazing backlinks and get your coaching business more clients without lifting your hand once you get something published in a journal or newspaper.
17. Attend events where your clients hang out
Another way to get your coaching business known is by attending events where your prospective clients hang out.
For instance, if you’re a career coach you need to attend career fairs, product launch events, and other places your target audience hang out.
18. Apply newsjacking
Newsjacking is leveraging a popular news story to market your business. You can create a product around a problem people have been gushing about all over social media.
Google does it in their Year In Search by recapping what’s been trending in the year which connects and promotes them to their audience without mentioning their product.
If you’re a life coach, for example, you can express empathy to your audience on social media by walking with them through a popular crisis like Covid with tips and a free session for mental health coaching.
That’s newsjacking marketing for coaches.
19. Attach yourself to a big name
Perhaps you’re a team coach looking to get more clients for your coaching business. You can find a large company that’s big on team building to offer your services to them.
While working with them, your supposedly small name is attached to their largely trusted name and will with time lead to your coaching business getting trusted by a big audience. This includes their customers, their partners as well as other fans.
See how big this is on marketing for coaches?
20. Surprise influencers in your niche
This is one of the most effective marketing strategies.
Think of how you can reach out to your niche’s influencers without asking for anything. It’s a powerful way to get them talking about you and hence bring in more leads.
You can send them an exclusive, unique and compelling article about a topic in your niche. Or send them a thoughtful gift telling them how you admire them. Anything can do. Just surprise them.
Need a more brief article on marketing for coaches? Explore How To Get Coaching Clients: SECRET Tactics.
Social Media Marketing for Coaches – Marketing Coaching Program
Want to learn how to leverage social media to market for you? Stay with me through this short section for the most effective social media strategies in coach marketing.
A study on the Value of Emotional Connection in Business revealed that customers who have an emotional relationship with brands:
- Spend two times or more with their preferred brands
- Have 306% higher lifetime value
- Stick with a business for an average of 5 years compared to 3 years for those not emotionally connected
- Recommend the businesses at higher rates: 30.2% compared to 7.6%
The study shows that emotionally connected customers do better than highly satisfied ones or even those who find the brand unique.
To have a human connection with your audience on social media, you can post stories of your personal life relating it to coaching be it through video, photos, or text.
22. Make punchy Youtube videos
Many statistics on video content show that people prefer video more than other content formats. This tells why marketers now swear by this format for getting more clients and retaining them.
You can set up a youtube channel and post videos on most topics your audience needs so you can market your services by proving your value.
Whatever the social media platform, find the most specific hashtags your target audience is searching for and focus on using them.
Here’s one example: if you’re a lifestyle entrepreneur, instead of using generic hashtags like #entrepreneur, go for more specific ones your potential clients use like #lifestyleentrepreneur or #digitalnomadbusinesscoaching.
24. Direct potential clients to your site using Pinterest marketing
People search for information on Pinterest like on any other social media platform.
Therefore, leaving your pins with the right keywords there would help your ideal clients find you.
And the best part is, it’s a do it and leave it passive marketing strategy.
25. Stay valuable in Facebook groups relevant to your niche
Want to focus on Facebook marketing for coaches? Then dive into Facebook groups and prove your value by answering questions and volunteering valuable topics to the participants.
This sets you up as a thought leader while striking the emotional connection needed to bring in high-value clients.
26. Interact with your audience with value-packed live streams
Your ideal coaching clients desire to see you pour your wisdom in real-time.
Whether you’ll be answering their questions or you’ll talk around a topic they struggle with, this method can help convert more coaching clients in a short time.
27. Create a Facebook community
Through research into the Facebook communities relevant to your niche, ask yourself, “What tribe is my target audience looking for?”
As soon as you find the answer, create a Facebook group around that and watch as more clients come to you since they view you as a thought leader.
28. Take advantage of Facebook Ads
If you’re thinking, “I need more clients fast without having to constantly search for them.”
Then this is the marketing strategy for you.
The best coach marketing on social media involves full engagement in one or two platforms while keeping a simple presence in others.
The question you need to ask yourself here is: “Where do my clients hang out most?”
Whatever your answer is, start with that one platform while gradually increasing your visibility in others.
For instance, if you do executive coaching, most of your clients may be on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Youtube.
30. Create limited time stories
This is an amazing way to get your ideal clients hyped about your coaching business in the short term.
It also helps you create an emotional connection with personal stories.
If looking for the best Instagram marketing for coaches, this is it.
You don’t need a million followers to be successful on Instagram, you only need to use niche-specific hashtags we discussed in #23 and your ideal clients will find you.
32. Use your niche keywords to find clients on Twitter
If your prospective clients are on Twitter, focus on this tactic to attract clients.
Go to the search bar and type a keyword in your niche i.e, Find a fitness coach/best career coach. You’ll see questions you can answer and prove your expertise or even people looking for your services.
33. Bring value to Quora and Reddit
It’s simple, answering questions in a public platform sets you up as a thought leader and hence promotes you.
Quora and Reddit are some of the largest question-answer platforms you can focus on.
34. Use the photo-post Facebook hack
Posts with photos get more views than those without. But to ensure it’s seen as a photo post on Facebook, you need to know this hack.
When posting a link or any other text content, post it as a photo first and let it load fully before putting text. This way, Facebook sees your post as a photo post.
How Do Coaches Get Clients? Digital Marketing for Coaches
If you’re searching for specialized digital coach marketing, this is where you find your answers:
35. Automate, automate, automate
Successful digital marketing is about automation. You don’t want to spend all your time marketing directly to your prospective clients. It’s impossible.
Here are coach marketing automation processes to make client acquisition and fulfillment easier.
36. Focus on the mailing list
It’s true when marketers say the money is on the list.
Through your email list you can:
- Convert your subscribers to long term clients
- Gain feedback on your coaching practice
- Get recommendations
- Test your new products and services
- Build loyalty
- Get traffic back to your website continually
So focus on growing your email list.
37. Have a powerful email signature
Through your email signature, you market yourself to anyone you send your email to.
Therefore, it should be brief with a sweet taste of what your coaching business is about while including the ways someone can reach you.
38. Display compelling case studies
A powerful case study makes your customer the star of the content while revealing how amazing your service is.
It profiles them, shows their needs, and how they got their needs met by you.
Even when your future clients aren’t convinced by your pitch, they’ll be convinced by the case studies.
39. Inspire trust with video testimonials
Video testimonials are more powerful than written reviews.
If you can get some of your clients to talk about how helpful your service was to them, you’d have a strong backing regarding your skills.
40. Improve your site through the user’s eyes
The best marketing efforts look into making the client comfortable. And this is one of them.
You can let someone unfamiliar with your website use it while you’re looking over their shoulder to see:
- Where do they struggle to navigate?
- Does the loading take too long?
- Is the font too small on mobile?
- Are the pop-ups too many?
You can also use Hotjar which reveals people’s behaviors on your site hence helping you make the necessary changes to optimize your site for the user.
41. Maintain calls to action everywhere
No matter how attractive your pitch is, it doesn’t fulfill your marketing mission if it lacks a call to action.
So in all your marketing efforts whether live streaming, displaying an ad, emailing, answering a question e.t.c – include a call to action.
42. Take advantage of remarketing
Remarketing is marketing to those who are already familiar with your brand using a tracking pixel.
This is one of the best value-for-money coach marketing efforts you can use.
43. Use infographics
Infographics condense lots of information in a visually attractive image which makes the content easier to digest.
Even better, it’s highly shareable which increases your marketability. You don’t want to miss on this strategy even if it means incorporating it from time to time on your blog.
44. Have a streamlined content marketing strategy
Marketing efforts shouldn’t be random.
If you want the best marketing results on your coaching business, plan how you’d post content, where and when, and then start executing step to step.
Related: Insights On Developing A Coaching Plan
45. Tick all the SEO boxes you know
Most coaches hate marketing through SEO especially when they don’t understand how it works.
But if you want success stories as an online coach, you must learn SEO and apply the tactics you get your hands on like making a compelling landing page, optimizing your site for what people asking for, link building with your site’s resources, and with other site’s resources e.t.c.
And if your marketing budget allows, get an SEO expert to work on your site.
46. Go non-promotional systematically
Digital marketing is about letting your business get known out there without seeming salesy.
Therefore, you need to alternate your social media posts, emails, blog posts, and other material from promotional to simply educational or entertaining.
Your viewers must know you care about providing value more than promoting yourself.
47. Use automated webinars
Webinars work great when automated. This simply means they’re recorded so you don’t have to be there to sell your offer.
Just create an evergreen webinar and you’ll be making money for months even years without touching it.
48. Track analyze and improve on your metrics
The only way to determine your marketing success is by tracking and measuring your conversions, viewership, and other metrics.
After analyzing the numbers, you can find out where you succeeded plus what needs improvement which helps you also determine how fitting a particular marketing strategy is for you.
49. Follow Maslow’s Hierarchy of Marketing Needs
Familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs for a human being?
Well, Cheryl Heppard, a marketing strategist created another version that helps online business owners follow an ascending model of marketing goals. You could use it too.
Learn more about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Marketing Needs.
How Do I Promote Myself as a Coach? Content Marketing for Coaches
Whether starting a new business as a coach or are a veteran looking to scale your business, here are content marketing strategies you can use:
50. Use storytelling every chance you get
Storytelling drives deeper connections in humans which is why it’s a fundamental strategy in lead generation.
Therefore, in your blog posts, Facebook posts, and other content you put out, use stories to market your brand more.
51. Teach and inspire through your content
To make your brand more appealing, ensure that you teach your audience something and that you inspire them enough to take on the call to action.
Related: Business Strategy Coaching – Complete Guide
52. Become a thought leader using ultimate guides
When you post comprehensive information about a concerning topic in your niche, you not only prove that you care but also show that you know what you’re doing.
Prospective clients love you for it. Search engines promote you for it.
53. Write a book
Anyone who writes a book is commonly viewed as an expert.
If you have loads of intriguing content you can pack into an entire book, don’t hesitate to apply this tactic. After all, with self-publishing made possible by Kindle, you have all it takes to make your book a success.
54. Create exclusive content
If you can pack valuable information other coaches don’t know about, you can market yourself through this strategy.
55. Post content consistently
Like many coaches, you may hate marketing. But to gain enough visibility for your new business or for attracting a good enough following, you need to post consistently.
56. Update your blog posts
Ever found a blog post with trends that were canceled three years ago? Yeah, it makes the whole blog seem untrustworthy.
You want to avoid this on your site by updating statistics, years, and other details often.
Related: Expert Strategies on How to Get Clients As A Life Coach
How Do You Attract Coaches to Work With? Partnering Up
Lastly, we’re going to discuss how you can market yourself through other coaches.
57. Do guest podcasts
Many coaches podcast on their websites and bring in additional coaches to share insights with their listeners.
If you can secure a guest podcast with some of them whether in or outside your niche, you could be heard by many prospective clients which is incredible lead generation.
58. Partner with someone offering complimentary services
You can joint venture with another coach serving a similar audience but differently to:
- Create information together (webinars/blog posts/Youtube videos e.t.c)
- Sell your services to each other’s audience
- Create a community benefitting from differently-skilled coaches
- Package your services into one discounted bundle
59. Join discussions in professionals groups
Build relationship and visibility by contributing in discussions with professionals so they can have you in mind in case a need arises that you can fulfill.
60. Host workshops with other experts
Workshops, where different coaches handle a particular topic from various angles, can be a rich mastermind group anyone would like to hear from.
You can pitch such an idea to various coaches which helps you build recommendation-worthy relationships and also gain reputation during the workshop.
Finally Scale Your Coaching Business!
Marketing for coaches is not a hustle most think it to be.
Once you choose a few strategies to build your coaching business, expand them in a streamlined marketing plan, and see them through with action, you’ll see success in coaching.
So, which marketing strategies are you focusing on right now? Share with us in the comments below!
