Marketing For Coaches: 17 Great Ways To Get More Clients
Growing a coaching business involves more than just being good at what you do. Marketing for coaches is important to promote your services and attract and retain clients.
Here are 17 specific, tried and true marketing tips for coaches that can help you get more coaching clients:
Build A Professional Website
Your website is often the first impression potential clients have of your business. Make sure it’s professionally designed, easy to navigate, and clearly communicates your services, expertise, and unique value proposition.
If you’d like to DIY your website, use Squarespace. Their starter templates are beautifully designed and optimized for mobile, so you can get a website up and running in a day or two!
Leverage SEO
SEO means “search engine optimization,” and you want to make sure your website is SEO-friendly. That’s because this is how people will find you when they’re Googling for businesses like yours!
Use relevant keywords in your content, meta tags, and URLs. This will help potential clients find you when they’re searching for coaching services online.
Start A Blog
Content marketing for coaches typically begins with a blog hosted on your website.
Make it a point to regularly publish informative and engaging content on topics relevant to your niche. This can position you as an expert in your field and attract potential clients.
A good rule of thumb is to publish once per week, which is now super easy using tools like Jasper or Content at Scale. These powerful AI writing tools will help you produce great content in no time flat!
Offer Free Resources
Provide free resources like ebooks, webinars, or guides in exchange for website visitors’ contact information. This can help you build an email list for future marketing efforts.
This is also called an “opt-in” or “freebie”. Typically you will send the freebie via email, immediately after they opt-in, and then follow-up with a series of additional emails known as an email nurture series. You can easily set up this automation in MailerLite, our #1 reco for email marketing.
Use Social Media
Social media marketing for coaches involves using platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to connect with your audience. You can use social media to share valuable content, engage with potential ideal clients, and promote your services.
When you’re creating social media content for marketing purposes, plan ahead! A best practice is to “batch” create content and then pre-schedule it to publish using a tool like Later or Hootsuite.
Network
Attend industry conferences, local business events, and networking groups to meet potential clients and establish relationships with other professionals who may refer clients to you.
Even if you’re naturally an introvert, challenge yourself to attend networking events. The connections you make in person will often turn into the most productive client relationships.
Ask For Referrals
Encourage satisfied clients to refer other people to your business. Consider offering incentives like discounts or free sessions for successful referrals.
If you’ve never asked for referrals, it can feel a little weird. But it can be quite simple. Try asking, “Do you know of anyone in your network who would be a good fit for me to work with? I’d love to find more clients like you!”
Be sure to track your prospective clients & referrals using a tool like HubSpot. Their CRM tool makes it easy to know who’s in your pipeline and who you need to follow-up with!
Paid Advertising
Consider using Google Ads or social media advertising to reach a larger audience. Digital marketing for coaches involves creating ads based on demographics, interests, and behaviors that align with your ideal client profile.
Despite what you’ve heard, digital advertising is not that expensive! You can control your budget and your desired outcome, such as spending $25 / day with a goal to get more clicks to your website.
Unless you’re an expert in paid advertising, you may want to hire a virtual assistant to help you set up Google Ads or social media ads.
Client Testimonials And Reviews
Showcase testimonials and reviews from satisfied clients on your website and social media platforms. This can build trust with potential clients.
If you want to take this strategy to the next level, consider asking clients to record short video testimonials for you. You can then use a tool like Clipscribe to add captions to the video, which are super cool for social media!
Email Marketing
The best online marketing for coaches will involve sending regular newsletters to your email list to stay top of mind. In your newsletter, share helpful tips, updates about your services, and special offers.
If you’re just getting started with email marketing, start by sending 1 email per month. Then ramp it up to 1 email every 2 weeks.
MailerLite is a user-friendly email marketing software that we’ve been using for years and love.
Offer A Free Or Discounted Initial Session
This is the idea of “try it before you buy it,” and if you’re really good at what you do this strategy can work.
This allows potential clients to experience your coaching style and see the value you can provide before committing to a full-priced package. That said, keep free sessions to a minimum because you are running a business, after all!
Host Workshops Or Seminars
Marketing for coaches can involve hosting events of your own. Consider holding workshops or seminars that allow you to showcase your expertise to a broader audience. These can be done in person or online, depending on what you offer.
These events can be free or paid, but in my experience, paid events get higher attendance! People tend not to value what they don’t pay for, so they’re more likely to blow it off.
You can use a platform like Eventbrite to promote & sell your event tickets online.
Collaborate With Other Professionals
Partner with other businesses or professionals who serve the same target market but offer different services. This can lead to joint ventures, guest blogging, or cross-promotion opportunities.
Communication is everything in collaborations, so make sure you and your partners are talking openly, honestly, and it feels like a win-win for everyone involved.
Create Online Courses
Develop online courses related to your coaching niche. This not only serves as an additional income stream but also positions you as an authority in your field.
There are some amazing online course hosting platforms that bring together the best of online learning and community engagement. One that we particularly love and have used in the past is Mighty Networks.
Publish A Book
One interesting way to engage in marketing for coaches is to publish your own book!
You can write and publish a book on a topic that’s within your coaching specialty. It can be a powerful way to demonstrate your expertise, and you can offer it as a free download to attract potential clients.
Pro Tip: You can use an AI writing app, like Jasper, to create your book! It can help you create an outline and develop an initial draft. Then you can edit it and make it even better before self-publishing on Amazon!
Use Public Speaking Opportunities
Marketing for coaches can also happen at big events, like industry conferences, local events, or on podcasts. These speaking opportunities can help you reach a wider audience, build credibility, and attract new clients.
I highly recommend hiring someone to help you research potential speaking opportunities or guest podcasting opportunities. Fiverr is a great place to find someone to help you at an affordable rate!
Community Involvement
Get involved in local community events or volunteer activities. This kind of marketing for coaches increases your visibility, helps you make connections, and can often lead to new client opportunities.
The relationships you develop in person go a long way toward building your coaching business, so never underestimate the power of simply being in your community and connecting with humans IRL!
Remember, effective marketing for coaches is about building relationships and trust over time. Be patient, persistent, and consistent in your efforts, and your coaching business is likely to grow.
FAQs: Marketing For Coaches
Is It Easy To Get Coaching Clients?
It can be challenging to get coaching clients, especially when you’re starting out, but of course it’s possible! None of us (coaches) would be around if we hadn’t landed clients!
Getting coaching clients requires strategic planning, setting good goals, consistent marketing efforts, networking, and patience.
Building a client base takes time and depends on factors such as your niche, your marketing efforts, the quality of your services, and your reputation.
With the right strategies and persistence, it’s entirely possible to build a strong clientele for your coaching business.
How Do I Find An Ideal Coaching Client?
Finding your ideal coaching client starts with defining who that person is. Don’t make the mistake of rushing through this process!
You need to understand their goals, challenges, needs, and preferences. You also want to have a sense for their age, profession, lifestyle, and the specific problems they’re looking to solve.
Once you’ve created your ideal client profile, develop a marketing strategy that speaks directly to this audience.
It’s important to use the platforms they frequent – be it social media, professional networks, or community events – to share content and messages that resonate with them. If your clients are spending a lot of time on Facebook, be there. If they’re not, don’t!
The key to finding your ideal coaching client is to understand their needs deeply and then position your services as the solution to their specific needs.
What Types Of Coaches Are There?
There are many different types of coaches & coaching businesses, each catering to different aspects of personal and professional development. Here are some of the most common types of coaches:
Life Coaching: This involves helping people identify their goals and develop an actionable plan to achieve them.
Business Coaching: This focuses on improving leadership, team functioning, managerial skills, conflict resolution, and other aspects of business.
Executive Coaching: Aimed at top executives or business owners, this type of coaching aims to improve leadership skills, decision-making, and managing work-life balance.
Career Coaching: This helps people make informed decisions about career development and progression, and can also help with job searches and career transitions.
Health and Wellness Coaching: These coaches provide guidance for personal health, fitness goals, nutrition, and general wellness.
Relationship Coaching: This type of coaching assists individuals or couples in improving their interpersonal relationships.
Leadership Coaching: This focuses on developing a person’s leadership skills and mindset within a business context.
Team Coaching: This type of coaching is aimed at encouraging a group or team to work more efficiently and effectively together.
Sales Coaching: This focuses on improving a person’s sales skills, including communication and persuasion techniques.
Skills Coaching: This provides specific guidance on improving an individual’s soft and hard skills.
Many coaches specialize in more than one area, and the best type of coach for you or your organization depends on the specific goals you want to achieve.
If you’re starting a coaching business, you may choose to offer different types of coaching that are focused on a similar audience. For example, you could offer Business Coaching and Leadership Coaching if you intend to work with small businesses.
The key to any successful coaching business is making sure you can deliver on your promise! That means you help your clients get the results or transformation THEY desire!
How Do I Get High-Value Coaching Clients?
Getting high-value coaching clients (those paying $10,000+) requires a strategic approach that involves positioning yourself as an expert, offering unique value, and building strong relationships.
Here are some strategies:
Identify Your Ideal Client: Start by researching your ideal client. You need to understand their needs, challenges, goals, and demographics. This information will guide your marketing and service offerings.
Position Yourself as an Expert: High-value clients seek out top experts, so it’s important that you demonstrate your expertise through thought leadership. This could include publishing articles, speaking at events, sharing insightful content on social media, or even writing a book.
Offer Premium Services: High-value clients are looking for exclusive and personalized services. Offer premium coaching packages that deliver a high-value and high-touch experience.
Build Strong Relationships: High-value clients often come from referrals. It’s important to foster strong relationships with your existing clients and network, because they may be the source of your next client!
Professional Branding: Think about the difference between Mercedes and Toyota. One of these is high-value (luxury) and one is not! Ensure your branding reflects the premium nature of your services. This includes your website, logo, social media presence, and even the way you communicate. Be sure to use a professional coaching contract, because high-value clients will expect this.
Showcase Success Stories: Marketing for coaches involves sharing testimonials and case studies from previous high-value clients. Prospective clients will want to see evidence that you can deliver on what you’re promising through your coaching.
Continual Learning and Development: It’s important to continue leveling up your skills as a coach. Stay updated with the latest research, trends, and strategies in your field. This assures clients that you are at the forefront of your industry.
Remember, attracting high-value clients takes time and consistent effort, but the rewards are worth it for the growth and sustainability of your coaching business.
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