If you're a coach, your priority is helping people.
But to help people, you need to find them first, and that's where marketing comes in. Many coaches get stuck when it comes to promoting themselves. It can feel overwhelming, confusing, and time-consuming, but it doesn't have to be.
I'm going to show a clear, step-by-step process for launching your marketing strategy. It's a simple, human guide that will help you attract more clients and grow your business, one easy step at a time.
1. Start with Your Brand Offers
Before anything else, take a moment to really think about what you’re offering as a coach.
Are you providing one-on-one sessions?
Group coaching?
Maybe a course or workshop?
What problem are you solving for your clients?
These offers define your brand, and they should be crystal clear to both you and your audience. It’s not about offering everything under the sun—it’s about offering the right thing that speaks to your strengths and the needs of your clients.
When you know exactly what you're offering, it becomes much easier to communicate that to potential clients. Your offers are your foundation, so take your time to really define them.
2. Add Promo Cycles to Your Calendar
Once you’ve nailed down your offers, the next step is consistency. A lot of coaches fall into the trap of promoting only when they need clients, leading to inconsistent results.
Instead, plan ahead. Get a calendar out and schedule when and how often you’ll be promoting your services.
Maybe you’ll do a big push at the start of each month or run special promotions every quarter. Promo cycles help you stay on track so that your audience is regularly reminded of what you can do for them. It’s about being visible and intentional rather than promoting sporadically.
3. Define Your Target Audiences
Now that you know what you’re offering, you need to figure out who needs it. Not everyone is going to be the right fit for your coaching services, and that’s okay! By defining your target audience, you’re narrowing your focus to the people who will most benefit from what you offer.
Ask yourself:
Who is struggling with the problem your service solves?
What are their goals, pain points, and challenges?
Getting specific about your audience will help you create a more personalized and effective marketing strategy.
4. Create Personas for Each Target
This step is all about making your target audience real in your mind. Picture a few people who represent your ideal clients.
Give them names, ages, jobs, and personalities.
What are they looking for?
What keeps them up at night?
Understanding them on a personal level will help you speak directly to them when you create your marketing content.
For example, you might have “Sarah,” a 35-year-old busy professional who needs help balancing her career with personal growth. Or “James,” a new entrepreneur who’s overwhelmed by the challenges of running his own business. When you have these personas in mind, your messaging becomes much more powerful because you’re speaking to real, relatable people.
5. Formulate Your Messaging Strategy
Now, it’s time to create your message.
What do you want to say to your ideal clients?
What makes you different from other coaches?
How do your offers solve their problems?
Your messaging should be clear, direct, and resonate with your audience’s needs.
Here’s a simple way to think about it:
Your message is the bridge between your offers and your clients. It’s how you show them that what you have can make their lives better. And remember, people connect with stories, so share your journey and the success stories of your clients. Let your messaging reflect your authenticity.
6. Choose the Right Channels to Reach Them
This is where many coaches get stuck choosing the right platforms to share their message. You don’t need to be everywhere; you just need to be where your audience is. For some, that’s Instagram. For others, it might be LinkedIn, podcasts, or webinars.
Focus on the channels where your audience is most active. If they’re scrolling Instagram during lunch breaks, build a presence there. If they prefer reading blogs or listening to podcasts on their commute, meet them there.
Less is more when it comes to channels. Choose a few and get really good at connecting with your audience through those.
7. Devise Your Marketing Strategies and Tactics
Marketing strategies might sound complicated, but they are your game plan. This is where you figure out what specific tactics you’ll use to reach your audience.
Will you run Facebook ads?
Share behind-the-scenes content on Instagram?
Offer free webinars to showcase your expertise?
Choose strategies that align with your strengths and where your audience hangs out. You don’t have to do it all. In fact, doing a few things really well will get you much further than spreading yourself too thin.
8. Deploy Your Strategy and Tactics
You’ve done the hard part. Put it all into action!
Roll out your promotions, start engaging with your audience, and stick to the calendar you created.
Consistency is everything when it comes to marketing. Don’t be discouraged if results don’t happen overnight—this is a process, and the more you stick with it, the better your results will be.
9. Assess and Review the Results
Finally, take a step back and look at what’s working and what isn’t. Marketing is all about experimenting and learning from your efforts.
Are your strategies bringing in new clients?
Is there a certain type of content that’s resonating more with your audience?
Regularly reviewing your efforts will help you refine and improve your approach over time.
Which Tip Stood Out to You
There you have it. An easy, step-by-step marketing plan that anyone can follow. The truth is that marketing doesn’t have to be overwhelming or time-consuming. Start small, stay consistent, and most importantly, be yourself.
Now, I’d love to hear from you. Did any of these steps jump out at you? Which one are you going to focus on first?
Share your thoughts in the comments!
If you're a coach or expert, I'd love to help you profitably launch your brand on LinkedIn - so you can finally build the 6-figure brand that you deserve! Here's how we can work together:
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