10 Marketing Strategies for Coaches to Attract More Clients
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10 Marketing Strategies for Coaches to Attract More Clients
Do you ever feel like marketing your coaching business and finding new clients all of the time is a full-time job?
Do you dream about outsourcing your marketing to an agency or hiring a team-member to help you?
Or perhaps you just wish you could ‘wave a magic wand’ and clients would find your services (don’t we all wish that were an option!)
If you’re nodding along to any (or all) of these statements, you’re not alone!
Over 50% of the clients that I work with tell me that they wish they could just have someone ELSE take over their entire marketing strategy, but the honest truth is that most times that ends up being a huge financial risk with very little return on investment.
The reason that outsourcing your marketing to an agency barely works is because the secret sauce of your coaching business is YOU and YOUR intellectual property.
The recipes you create in your own home
The 'how -to' tutorials that you can effortlessly deliver when you're in the moment
The rants and riffs that you can share when you feel inspired
No agency can replace the content that lives inside of you, and that's why it's vital to hold onto your marketing reins while you build up your business and become a fully booked coach.
Marketing can be overwhelming, but with these 10 proven strategies, you can attract more clients and build a successful coaching business in just a few months.
The best part ?
None of these strategies are high risk, or cost you a lot of money. Afterall, if your coaching really works with your clients - you won't need to advertise too much because the results will speak for themselves!
#1 - Ask for Referrals
One of the best (& most underutilized marketing strategies) is to Ask For Referrals.
I know it sounds simple, but most business owners aren't doing it!
For example, I recently launched my 30 Day Live Social Media Course and more than 10% of the new students came by referral.
How did I do it?
I simply added a slot in my onboarding questionnaire (which is sent to all new students) that said “If you know anyone who would benefit from joining Visionary Social Media, please share the landing page with them.
Our business grows on referrals, and we appreciate you.” Easy as that!
#2 - Make sure that you rank for the right keywords
Keywords are important if you want your website to show up in Google Searches!
For example, when someone looks for a ‘Business Coach in Toronto’ my website shows up because those are keywords that I am trying to rank for.
What keywords are you trying to rank for?
For example, if you’re a Dating Coach in Austin Texas or a Birth Doula in Los Angeles, then make sure you are inputting those keywords in your website SEO title and website SEO descriptions, as well as throughout the page content of your website!
This is something that I help ALL of my Private 1:1 Marketing Clients with, when we begin our coaching sessions together and it’s a great way to leverage Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to your benefit!
#3 - Use Direct Response Marketing
Direct Response Marketing is a form of marketing and lead generation that has a goal of creating engagement and conversations with your potential clients.
Instead of pushing clients directly to a sale from your promotional efforts, the goal is to have them respond and converse with you, so that you can lead them into a sales call.
Direct response marketing is NOT…
Meant to sell people services that they don’t need
About pushing the sale right away
For those who don’t care about kindness, thoughtful conversation and building real relationships
Direct response marketing is about…
Engaging in thoughtful conversation
Prioritizing the relationship you’re building
Learning more about the wants & needs of your clients
Even though direct response marketing has been around for many decades, it is making a big comeback because it feels less ‘salesy’ and consumers are getting more and more sensitive to traditional advertising.
You can begin by trying this strategy on Instagram Stories:
#4 Collect evidence from every successful client & repost
In order to attract and convert new clients, you need to show them that your services can actually deliver the results that they are looking for.
Whether that’s…
Before and after photos
Website traffic results
Client case studies
Evidence, pictures and stories are worth their weight in gold!
Do you have enough evidence to support your work?
#5 - Run ads on your podcast
Most coaches are hosting their own podcasts, and if that’s you then I want to remind you to run your own advertisements on your show!
My advice would be to run a mid-roll ad (you can insert the 1:00 ad read about ½ way through your show) and ensure that the ad is a great spotlight on the services you offer, the problem you solve, the unique value you provide and the results someone can expect!
Here is an example of an ad read that I run on my show, Visionary Life.
Sample Podcast Ad Read:
I’ve been scheming up something NEW for you, with my friend and Professional Mindset Coach Emily Elliot.
Your 2023 Business LEAP is the highly anticipated program created by myself, a Marketing Consultant and Top Rated Marketing Coach and Emily Elliot, Professional Mindset Coach.
It has had SUCH a smashing success in cohort 1
Your 2023 Business LEAP is the most practical and effective way to change the way you do business and life in 2023 (& beyond!)
Kelsey and Emily have worked with 1000’s of women…
And now, you can get 12 weeks of access to BOTH of them alongside a group of LEAPERS.
But don’t sign up, yet! First, I want you to ensure that you’re ready for …
Learn from Emily how to EMBODY THE PHYSIOLOGY OF SUCCESS
Get step-by-step guidance for writing a Marketing Plan for your business
You will learn How to use Social Media to convert clients, How to build a SIMPLE sales funnel that converts, and How to leverage Google & SEO to get more leads to your website
Finally, you will be surrounded by driven business owners, just like you, who are ready to 2x, 5x or 10x their success, confidence and client-bookings in 2023
This program is especially designed for Naturopaths, Nutritionists, Artists, Photographers, Health Consultants, Online Course Creators, Personal Brands, and Wellbeing Practitioners.
Learn more at https://www.kelseyreidl.com/2023
#6 - Create a strategic circle of peers who can refer, collaborate, and partner with you
You are not meant to build your business alone, in isolation!
The quickest way to a successful coaching business is to always be growing your network, to constantly be building new relationships, and to ensure that as many people know ‘what your business is about’ as possible so that they can talk about your work and share your name with their clients who might benefit from working with you!
Other business owners are the most likely people to naturally refer to your business, so it’s a missed opportunity to not get out and form at least 10 new relationships with your peers, every single month.
For example, if you’re a Birth Doula you should be meeting Nutritionists, Sleep Consultants, Midwives, Yoga Studio Owners, Kids Play Place Managers, etc. to always be growing your network.
#7 - Collect interest on Instagram
If you leverage Social Media to find clients, you might feel frustrated with the decline in engagement on your content and the shift in the algorithm.
But here’s the thing, I see these platform shifts as an opportunity to really elevate our content and ensure that we are raising the bar for our clients so that they always care to pay attention to our content!
The truth is, you can’t BORE people into paying attention to you and your business. In addition, most people only follow 6 to 8 accounts closely, so it’s very challenging to stay top of mind!
What works?
Be bold, focus on engagement, build a better profile and bio, and stay in your own lane (vs. copy-catting what everyone else posts!)
Finally, focus on asking your followers questions that elicit a response that gives you indication that they might want to work with you in the future (ex: If you’re a Gut Health Dietitian you might ask ‘Has you or someone you know recently been diagnosed with celiac disease’).
#8 - Get some P.R. / Speak on Podcasts etc.
If you can gain exposure through someone else's existing media platform (like being interviewed for their podcast, speaking at their conference or writing for their blog) you will grow your business and be exposed to new clients more quickly than those who are NOT leveraging P.R.
I would suggest making a list of 10 podcast hosts that you would love to connect with, and start listening to their shows to get an idea of what type of content they love to feature.,
Then, create a media kit with 3 possible topics that you can speak on and send it to the host via Instagram DM with a highly personalized message! This is how I have been featured on multiple podcasts, which you can see right here >>
#9 - Grow Your Email List & Invite Them To A Masterclass or Event
As a coach, you should always be growing your email list and sending out regular communications to your subscribers!
If you don’t have a regular newsletter strategy, consider this your sign ;)
Once you’ve established a regular cadence to your communications and you have a few strategies set up for adding new subscribers to your list, then it’s time to create a really awesome Masterclass (ex: Top 3 Reasons Why You’re Bloated + How To Fix Them For GOOD!) and invite your list to sign up!
This is a great way to build trust with your subscribers, and to have time for them to learn from you in a more intimate environment.
At the end of the masterclass, you can make them a limited time offer (ex: Save $500 on my coaching program when you sign up by midnight)
#10 - Be patient, keep building your portfolio, and have fun!
Building up your coaching business to become a full-time gig takes time, energy and patience. Nothing good will come from rushing the process, and it really is a slow build to becoming a Fully Booked Coach who is known and respected in your industry.
Reputations take time to build, just like Olympic Athletes take time to cultivate!
If you find yourself doubting your abilities, it might be time to take on a few Beta Testing Clients in order to build your portfolio and to rev up your confidence a little bit.
Finally, if you’re not having fun, that energy is likely translating into your coaching and your marketing.
Remember what I said earlier, you can’t bore people into working with you! So enjoy the process, don’t be afraid to experience and maintain a mindset of success!
Good luck,
Kelsey
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