Marketing Yourself as a Life Coach Tips
Read these 10 Marketing Yourself as a Life Coach Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Life Coaching tips and hundreds of other topics.
Use Social Media to Help Your Life Coaching Business
Social media is an affordable and extremely valuable way to promote a life coaching business. Beyond just a static website or blog, social media allows for ongoing engagement and dialogue with current and potential clients. It's a way for a life coach to stay connected with followers and form new relationships with future clients.
To make the most of social media, the following elements of social media marketing for a life coaching business should be considered:
Defining Your "Brand"
Posting material online is an excellent way to express who you are and what you're all about as a coach. Take the opportunity via social media to further flesh out the message you're sending via your website and blog posts. Express clearly how you assist clients in solving the specific issues they might encounter. Potential clients should be able to understand immediately how you're going to be able to help them via your content online. For example:
• If you are a career coach, your posts should be focused on how you assist clients in achieving clarity and fulfillment about their careers.
• If you are a relationship coach, express how you help clients to cultivate the communication skills needed for thriving relationships both personally and professionally.
Creating Value
In light of your life coaching brand and objective, create social media posts that provide value to your readers. Post content that uplifts, informs and enlightens. Link to helpful current news items, articles and videos that could enrich your clients' lives. Offer free gifts from time to time such as podcasts, coupons/discounts, videos, articles and e-books.
Be Responsive
Lastly, be sure to read and respond thoughtfully to what people are saying on your social media pages. If you are a small business, try and respond to every person that posts a comment. The more responsive you are online, the more you'll build a foundation of trust, paving the way for more coaching clients in the future.
How to Publish Articles as a Life Coach
Writing life coaching articles is an excellent way to market a life coaching business. The best life coaching articles are uplifting, insightful and add value to the lives of readers. Topics for life coaching articles can be related to any facet of your life coaching business, from general tips to current news items to success stories to specific tools for overcoming obstacles and making breakthroughs.
Once you have your life coaching articles polished and perfected, getting them published is the next step. There are a number of ways to have them published, and doing so can help to build your credibility as a coach as well as provide excellent publicity for your life coaching business. Consider the following suggestions when publishing your life coaching articles:
Your blog. The easiest and most obvious place to publish life coaching articles is on your very own blog. This could be a stand-alone blog or a page within your website.
Guest blog post. Ask other related bloggers if you can publish life coaching articles on their blog as a guest, especially if you believe their audience might be interested in your coaching services. In fact this very website has a blog that invites coaches who have joined the LifeTips Life Coach Directory to submit articles.
Trade publications. If your article showcases an innovation, insight, breakthrough or new tool that could benefit other coaches in your industry, consider trying to have it published in one of your industry's trade publications.
Article hubs. There are also a number of "hub" websites online that are always open to article submissions from writers. While there is generally no pay and you are not guaranteed to be published, if your articles are chosen, it could result in some excellent publicity for you and your business.
There are abundant opportunities to have articles published. Do your homework, make the effort, and you could soon be reaping the rewards of publishing and sharing your wisdom online.
Life Coach Marketing: How a Life Coach Can Market Themselves to New Clients
So you're starting a life coaching business… Congratulations! Or perhaps you've been a coach for a while and you're ready to expand your business… Congratulations to you too! No doubt, you're aware that in order to find clients and make your business viable, consistent life coach marketing is key. Fortunately, there are many ways to market your life coaching business. Follow these basic life coach marketing steps to create and maintain a thriving life coaching business:
Brand Yourself
Start by deciding on a mission statement for your coaching business. From there, create a brand identity around that statement. What kind of logo, colors, theme and graphic design elements best portray your business and mission statement? Develop a content-rich website with this branding material as well as some eye-catching business cards. Make sure all your future marketing material aligns with the look and brand identity of your logo and website.
Blog Posts, Articles and Newsletters
Blogging is an excellent way to connect with new and existing clients. Post useful information, inspiring anecdotes, relevant news items, tips, tools, advice, etc. Be sure your posts are well-written and include things that are genuinely useful and valuable for your readers. Articles may also be published on content hubs or as guest posts on other blogs. Maintain an e-newsletter mailing list and send out a newsletter for your business once or twice per month.
Social Media
The internet offers a wealth of marketing tools, and social media is one of the most powerful. Create Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram accounts for your business. Post timely, helpful, witty and/or inspiring content on a regular basis.
Content Marketing
Consider offering freebies for life coach marketing via your site in exchange for customer contact information. Content marketing can include materials such as tip sheets, audio and video content, and ebooks offered as a goodwill gesture to readers and subscribers. The hope is that they will be so impressed by your free content that they will eventually become a paid client.
strong>Local Networking
Most every city has a local networking meeting of some kind that gathers regularly. Join, attend and let the other members know what you do. If you enjoy public speaking, offer to do a free presentation related to your coaching business.
How to Start a Life Coaching Newsletter or Blog
Life coach blogs and newsletters can be potent marketing tools for life coaches. They are a way to add value to their clients' lives and bring in more clientele on a consistent basis. If you've never blogged or sent out a newsletter before, here's how to get started:
Tips for Life Coach Blogs
Life coach blogs can be integrated as part of your website or as a stand-alone entity. There are many free and affordable blogging templates and tools available online -- two of the most widely-used are Blogger and WordPress. Just make sure the look and feel you select is consistent with your website design, logo, social media design and other marketing tools. Other tips for life coach blogs include:
• Add value. Blog regularly about subjects that add value to the reader's life and also promote your business and brand.
• SEO. Use current SEO (search engine optimization) techniques to maximize your page views. Work in your top keywords, link to other quality, relevant sites and add relevant images and videos to your posts.
• Social media. Use your Facebook and Twitter accounts to announce each new blog post.
Tips for Life Coach Newsletters
Sending out a regular e-newsletter is another great way to stay connected with clients and followers. Some of the same tips for blogs listed above apply -- add value and connect your newsletters with your website and social media accounts. You can also use a newsletter as an opportunity to offer free content, discounts, promotions and package deals on your services.
Generate an e-newsletter mailing list by encouraging your website viewers and social media followers to sign up and opt in to receive it. (Never send newsletters unsolicited to people who have not opted in.) Offering free content and gifts in exchange for contact information is a popular to way connect with viewers and pave the way for a future coach-client relationship.
Life Coach Marketing: How to Write a Sales Pitch for a Life Coaching Business
A sales pitch is a concise introduction to a product or service. For a life coach, a sales pitch is a potent and effective way to help introduce potential clients to what you do. A well-crafted sales pitch can be a powerful component within a larger life coach marketing plan.
Preparation and Flexibility
Sales pitches can be either formal or informal, and their delivery is often as unique as the individual who presents it. Some create and deliver a pitch almost verbatim every time, while others "go with the flow" and present their pitch organically and conversationally. Either way, a sales pitch should accomplish the following in an efficient and engaging manner:
• Briefly explain what life coaching is.
• Describe your unique approach to life coaching.
• Highlight the benefits that clients can expect.
Pitching a life coaching business is unique in that you are essentially pitching yourself. Your sales pitch should be thorough, clear and comprehensive; it should be delivered in a confident but inviting tone. Let your energy and true self shine though.
Formal vs. "Elevator" Pitch
You should also be able to be flexible with your sales pitch. It can be more structured if you're speaking formally in front of a group; however, you should also have an abbreviated "elevator" style pitch scripted for informal situations where you have less time.
For a sales pitch to be an effective life coach marketing tool, clarity, eloquence and confidence are key. A brand new coach just developing a sales pitch should put in the time and effort necessary to create a polished, engaging pitch. It should be practiced diligently and committed to memory. Done well, your sales pitch will be a cornerstone of your life coach marketing efforts.
To Go Solo or Not To Go Solo- The Pros and Cons of Each
As a newly certified life coach, you've been wondering if it's better for you to join a group of life coaches or start your own life coach business. Ultimately, your choice depends on many factors, but especially on you. Know if a group setting will be more beneficial to you in the long run, or if you really thrive on the autonomy you'd enjoy by going it alone. The following pros and cons can help you as you make this important business decision.
Join a Life Coaching Group -- Pros & Cons
Start Your Own Life Coach Business -- Pros & Cons
The Ripple Effect
The decision you make will impact your colleagues and clients. Weigh the above pros and cons as you decide what's best for your future as a life coach. Reflect on the decisions you've made in the past and how they made you feel. If you've always thrived in a group setting, it might be best for you to at least start off as part of a life coaching group. You can always venture off on your own once you gain more experience. However, if you've always embraced the challenge of making things work on your own, a solo venture may be ideal for you.
Does a Life Coaching Business Require a Website?
Life coaching is a relatively new field that has taken the business world by storm. It's now available for just about every area of life: career coaching, relationship coaching, fitness coaching and even spirituality coaching are just some of the sub-categories life coaching now offers.
With so much goodwill and positive press now circulating about life coaching, does a life coach need to have a website to succeed? The answer is yes, with some caveats.
The Value of Life Coaching Websites
For life coaches who are trying to build up a following and a clientele base, life coaching websites are a key component in accomplishing this. Life coaching websites allow you to present yourself in the best possible light to potential clients. On your website, you can offer a bio about your work history and experience, showcase your skills and specific coaching services, offer testimonials and provide resources for your clients. These days, a website is a valuable branding and marketing tool for any business, and life coaching is no exception.
However, there are some cases where a website might not be crucial to the success of a life coach. For example, a coach that is hired as part of the staff of a company will likely not need their own website, although they could have a page on the company website.
That said, for the vast majority of life coaches, life coaching websites are an invaluable tool for self-promotion and connecting with new clients.
Should You Advertise Your Life Coaching Business or Rely on Word-of-Mouth?
Whether you've just completed a life coach training program or have been in the business for a while, you’re always looking for new clients. There are cost-effective ways to use life coach marketing that can help you secure your first (or 50th) client.
Advertising Options
1. Social Media Marketing. Use social media venues to extend your life coach marketing reach throughout the world. Create your own life coaching fanpage on Facebook, and set up a separate Twitter account. Update your status and tweet at least three times weekly to establish a following and credibility.
2. Video Marketing. Video marketing is an increasingly popular way to reach potential clients. Create your own 30-second videos to introduce your life coaching business, answer questions and offer useful information. Upload them to your own life coaching YouTube page.
3. Content Marketing. If you have a life coaching website or blog, add regular content to it to advertise your services. Use well-written pieces that are concise and provide the reader with useful information. End with a call of action so people can reach out to you.
4. Local Advertisements. Promote your life coaching business with local mailers or town newspaper ads if you plan to see clients in-person. Post flyers in nearby cafes or community centers.
Adopt a Multifaceted Approach
Reach more people by employing a few different life coach marketing techniques. Focusing solely on word-of-mouth advertising or any other singular marketing method locks you into a specific audience and can cost you the chance to reach others. Choose three advertising options to start, paying close attention to what works best for you. You'll be scheduling new clients in no time.
How to Create a Life Coaching Workshop
Are you considering creating and hosting life coaching workshops or events for your coaching business? Whether you've been asked by an organization to present or you'd like to hold a workshop to promote your coaching services, the process is essentially the same. Topic selection is key, and ultimately the "best" topics for life coaching workshops will depend upon your specific type of business or coaching specialty. The following steps can assist you in creating life coaching workshops that both you and your audience will enjoy immensely:
Brainstorm Topics and Titles
There are many ways to choose topics for life coaching workshops; start by brainstorming ideas on a notepad or whiteboard. If an idea pops into your mind, write it down -- you'll refine your list later. Think of catchy titles. Consider polling friends, peers and prospective attendees to find out what subjects (related to your coaching business) that they would most like to learn about. Once you have a healthy list of possible workshop topics, consider the following questions and rate what you've written:
• What topics makes me feel the most comfortable?
• What topic would I best be able to expand upon?
• What do I think my main clientele base will find the most interesting?
• For which topic do I already have content and resources readily available?
Refine Further
These questions should help you narrow down your list considerably. Now, take your top three to five topics/titles from the list and ask yourself the following:
• What would be my motive for doing a workshop on these topics?
• Which of these topics makes me feel the most excited/energized?
• Do I believe in the value and efficacy of these topics?
• What do I hope attendees come away with from my workshop(s)?
By now, you should be pretty clear on the top one or two topics from your list. From here, you're ready to start fleshing out curriculum. Have fun with your workshops, and don't forget to promote your coaching services during and after the event.
Use Content Marketing to Help You Get Clients as a Life Coach
Content marketing is an effective, budget-savvy way to promote your business and attract new clients.
Ways Content Marketing Helps to Build a Client Base
1. Attract clients by answering questions. Potential life coaching clients will search the internet for solutions to the challenges they face. Drive them to your website by using content to answer common questions asked by clients.
2. Connect with client needs. Life coaching clients have a need to fulfill. Validate needs through your content marketing to demonstrate that you understand and have insight that can be beneficial.
3. Make it easy for clients to get started. End your content with a call to action, providing readers with contact information. Make it easy for them to reach out by including an email address and phone number.
4. Increase your online presence. You’ve probably noticed that there are other life coaches out there. Carve out your online presence, making it easier for potential clients to find you, by publishing regular content marketing pieces.
Content Marketing Best Practices
The content potential clients read will provide them with their first impression of you as a life coach. Put your best foot forward by following life coach marketing best practices. Share well-written pieces that are concise, with proper grammar and spelling. Ensure your content is of value to potential clients. While you want to promote and advertise your life coaching business, you don’t want your content to be merely a sales pitch. Use content marketing to give would-be clients a glimpse of what they can expect when working with you.
| Guru Spotlight |
| Patricia Walters-Fischer |
