4 Marketing Strategies Used By the Most Successful Coaches

If you’re a coach or consultant looking to grow your business, you’re constantly scouring the internet for ideas.

You’ve probably searched for things like…

• How do I find clients?
• Marketing ideas for coaching business
• Social media ideas for coaches

Sound all too familiar? If so, you’re not alone. Many consultants struggle to figure out how to do marketing for a coaching business – especially the kind of marketing that doesn’t take hours upon hours to create!

Let’s dive into easy 4 steps to creating great marketing for your coaching business.

1. Develop cohesive messaging for your coaching business

Before you start posting away on social media or creating your coaching website, you’ll want to spend some time clarifying your marketing message. 

A great marketing message answers 3 questions:

1. What problem do you solve for your clients?
2. What offer do you have that solves that problem?
3. What positive results can your clients expect after working with you?

For example, one of our Coach Builder Coaches, Jim Williamson uses this messaging on his site:

2. Create a fantastic coaching website

Now that you have your marketing messaging nailed down, you can create your coaching website.

Most prospects will go to your website in order to learn more about you before speaking with you, so it’s crucial to have a website that compels them to take the next step.

But I’m not talking about having the fanciest graphics, designs, or features. 

Of course, you want your website to look good, but the words you put on the page are far more important. 

For inspiration, check out our free PDF with 27 examples of coaching websites from coaches making 6 figures or more:

3. Market your coaching business on social media

Unless you’re going to rely only on your personal network and referrals to find clients (which will only take you so far), you’re going to need to find new ones.

Plus, referrals are probably going to look up your website and social media before they reach out to make sure you’re credible.

Marketing your coaching business on social media doesn’t need to be complicated. Here are some key tips for your social media content strategy:

Start every post by talking about your audience’s problem 

People pay attention when you talk about their problems. When you start every post, video, or caption talking about an aspect of your audience’s problem, your audience is much more likely to listen to what you have to say. 

Give helpful tips and establish your credibility

After you talk about your potential client’s problem, offer your audience a helpful tip related to solving that problem. This gives people quick wins and establishes you as the trusted expert who can help.

Share testimonials and success stories

Use your social media to share reviews, testimonials, or success stories. People want evidence that you can deliver results, and there’s nothing more powerful than testimonials to convince them of that. 

Aim to post 2-3 times a week at 80% perfection

This might be the most important tip of all. Many coaches get so bogged down trying to create perfect content that they never post anything.

My rule: get it 80% perfect and then post it.

You really have to get over caring too much about what people think and be committed to getting in front of your audience! 2-3 times a week is a good goal to start with.

Here's a great example of a simple and effective post from Michael Ryan, a business coach for coffee roasters and cafe owners:

 

Social media may feel like one of the most overwhelming parts of marketing your coaching business, but it doesn’t have to be. Start simple and don’t overthink it. If it makes you feel better, research shows that Instagram users enjoy watching raw, unfiltered videos in “stories” over any other type of content anyways. The most important thing is that you deliver value to your audience.

4. Build your email list and create pre-written marketing emails

The best way to build your email address is by creating a lead generator or lead magnet — a free resource that provides value to your potential clients in exchange for their email address.

Some of most common types of lead generators are PDFs, templates, videos, webinars, and case studies. 

Here's an example of a lead generator that Small Business Flight Plan Certified Coaches can use on their websites:

Next, you’ll want to draft some pre-written emails to send to clients. Whether you have a Customer Relationship Management system (CRM) that sends automated emails or you manually send emails as you get started, the actual content of your email is what’s most important.

Here’s a formula to writing sales emails that close deals:

Start with the problem

Open your email by talking about the problem your potential client is experiencing.

Position your product as the solution to the problem

Introduce your coaching service or a specific coaching package as the solution to that problem.

Provide a 3-step plan 

Map out the 3 steps it’s going to take for the client to work with you and solve their problem. You want this to be simple and straightforward. For example:

1) Schedule a free consultation 

2) Choose your coaching package 

3) Enjoy more cash flow, higher confidence, and no more sleepless nights

Paint the negative stakes

Warn potential clients of what life will be like if their problem isn’t solved. For example: “You don’t want to keep missing your kids’ baseball games because running a business is starting to overtake your life.”

Paint the positive stakes

Show clients the bright future ahead if they hire you as their coach. For example: “After you complete the program, you’ll have predictable, recurring revenue and more time for personal priorities like family, fitness, and passion projects.”

Call the customer to action

Always end your email with a direct call to action like: “Schedule a free consultation now.”

If you follow these email writing tips, you can often make a lot of money by just clicking “send!

Coaches who aren't doing these four things usually hit a revenue ceiling. They rely almost entirely on referrals and word of mouth, which are unpredictable and could dry up quickly. But coaches who do these four things well can count on a steady inflow of qualified leads. That means you can raise your prices and be pickier about which clients you take on.