3 Big Coaching Questions
Being a good coach sets you up for being a brilliant marketer. But there is work to do….
We all know that the key to brilliant coaching is asking the right questions. The same can be said for marketing. But sometimes, the questions that – as the Better Bolder Braver team – we hear most often from coaches feel like cries for help…
We call them ‘fear-questions’ and we’ve seen how they’ve held many small business owners back from feeling comfortable about how (and therefore from being able) to do good marketing.
Here are our top three:
QUESTION 1: Do I need to be on social media?
The answer is easy: it’s “yes”, but only if it works for you.
Sorry.
The hard bit is the work you have to do to figure out if social media is for you, and this bit can be the overwhelming bit.
The key is to start from the viewpoint of your client… Why would they ‘follow’, ‘interact’ or ‘share’ you? It’s unlikely they opened any social media app to specifically read your posts. But that doesn’t mean they don’t want to see you. This is why you need to post content that resonates with them. You know a lot about what you do, why you do it and can talk about the outcomes and insights you help people realise. You don’t need to write an essay every time, a quick post including just one point is enough. People don’t have time to read long posts anyway so keep it brief and just regularly “show up”. Responses to other people’s things are just as good, if not better, than trying to come up with something profound to spread across social media every day.
Posting authentic content that amuses, makes people take a pause or a breath, or gives someone some confidence not only works well as a marketing technique for any business, but is particularly brilliant to do as a coach, since this is exactly what being a coach is all about… building confidence, encouraging reflection, providing space…
Give your clients a reason to engage with you more.
The most common follow up question we hear is, “what social media platform should I be on?” Our initial response to this is: THERE ARE NO “SHOULDS”. However, we spend a significant amount of time and energy with our Better Bolder Braver community members on what platform might best suit them. Do join the community to be part of that conversation… it’s a can of worms to a pessimist but a playground for creativity for the rest of us!
QUESTION 2: Do I need to niche?
The answer: Yes, but perhaps not in the way you think and there are a number of caveats!
When you niche your coaching business, you are focusing on a smaller group of clients with whom you can work most effectively. You are settling on a target audience so that you can do less marketing to get more well-fitting clients for you.
When you niche, you are settling – for now – on a group of people with whom working will feel good to you. People who in turn will serve you with the energy or interests that they bring.
Your niche could be an industry sector or perhaps an audience who will likely resonate with your coaching style because of a personal interest.
By niching, you need not be shutting the door on everyone else. But by niching, you are saying “At this time, I am choosing to help people like this in this way”. You will attract those who identify… either because they are in that niche or indeed because they aspire to be. We go into more detail about that in the community.
A niche is not for life
… It’s just for now. Give yourself permission to focus now but also permission to change in the future – your niche and yourself, as your business grows, ebbs and flows.
Check out our blog How to niche your coaching business for more detail and a useful exercise. Join our community to give yourself permission to be a human being and to get inspired in terms of how to have organic conversations with an audience that feels like a good fit for where you are at right now.
QUESTION 3: Is it just me that feels overwhelmed by marketing?
Another quick answer from us: No.
But the caveat here is that it takes insight and self-compassion to resolve that.
The world of marketing can seem very noisy and feel like it needs to result in a never-ending, relentless churn of hard graft.
We can help you see it quite differently.
Join the Better Bolder Braver community to change your relationship with marketing to be one of self-awareness, self-growth and self-compassion. Be in a place with other coaches doing the same work to feel a sense of connection, collaboration and courage. And so that you can stop taking it all too seriously.
Be part of our professional family of coaches and look out for masterclasses that address overwhelm as a bi-product of marketing; don’t miss out on Tips and Tricks workshops where you will get comfortable with social media activity and many more marketing strategies; enjoy a safe space to reflect with others on how your marketing is marking you feel, and get familiar with championing yourself and others, making doing marketing not only easier but far more rewarding.
Got another questions?
Do you have any specific marketing questions? If so let us know on LinkedIn. We have many more answers up our sleeves (not all are quite so short!) and we are on hand in the Better Bolder Braver community to inspire conversation, address challenges and provide our experience and a holding hand.
Why not join the community now as a Founding 50 Member for real-time insights and marketing inspiration for your coaching business.
