How do I find coaching clients on LinkedIn?
Social media is a great tool, especially LinkedIn for making connections, networking, joining like-minded communities, and of course, finding clients. But like any tool, it only works when you know how to use it.
The top three questions we get from coaches about how to use LinkedIn are:
- What should I post about?
- How do I connect with more clients?
- How do I convert connections to clients (i.e. get them to say yes to working with me)?
In this short guide, I’ll answer these three questions (though not necessarily in the above order!) and talk about how as a coach you can use LinkedIn to attract clients who are the perfect fit.
You don’t need to create endless content and you don’t need to rely on ads. Our process is all about starting meaningful conversations with your LinkedIn connections and finding clients organically.
To answer the 3rd question first… How do I convert connections to clients?
To start let’s answer the 3rd question first… The third question is kind of the most important because the answer determines the goal of your LinkedIn activity. So, to put third first and clear up a misconception… You don’t need conversions.
That might seem strange, especially if you’ve done marketing in the past, read up about it, or watched some videos on the subject. A lot of the marketing material out there is very focused on conversions.
But you’re not that kind of business.
Conversions are a very appropriate goal for e-commerce setups, or lead generation businesses. Coaching is different.
The service you offer is a considered purchase. People don’t buy coaching on impulse. They take time to consider before they commit. So, the focus of your posts on LinkedIn isn’t conversion…
When you post on LinkedIn, you’re engaging with potential clients who are on a journey, a process of consideration. As they increase their understanding of their situation, and become more aware of how coaching can help, they get closer to committing to doing the work.
(For more on this, check out the Journey of Consciousness.)
Your posts are better focused on supporting this process, this journey. Your best marketing is you acting as a guide, helping potential clients to first examine their situation from a different angle or perspective, and then consider what a solution might look and feel like for them.
Which leads us back to the 1st question: What should you post about?
What should you post about on LinkedIn as a coach?
Post about where your ideal client is at right now, what might they be thinking, feeling, doing, and how they might consider their situation in a different way.
Invite them to reframe or change their perspective. Get them thinking about their situation, feelings or frustrations. Then signpost them to where they can learn more.
In other words, it’s not all about you
The mistake many people make with LinkedIn is posting all about themselves.
Look at what I’m doing. Check out this wonderful work I’ve done, etc.
As a coach, your potential clients aren’t so interested in that. Yes, people like to see behind the curtain every now and then and we all love a good peek inside someone’s office (where the magic happens!) but…
… what people really want is something they can relate to. They want to see themselves in what you’re posting.
This leads us to a number of great post opportunities:
- What do you know about a problem, feeling or experience that they might be having right now – what clarity can you help them find?
- What have you seen/experienced from working with people in similar situations, and what outcomes, insights or feelings have you helped those people get to?
- What can you share from others on LinkedIn, or from other sources that would be of interest to potential clients?
- What relevant books or articles have you read and how you think these might be of benefit to your audience.
Which brings us to the 2nd question: How can I connect with more clients on LinkedIn?
Good news. When you start to post the kind of content that appeals to potential clients, people react to it. They like it. They share it. And this means the LinkedIn algorithms will do their thing and get your content in front of more people.
What’s more, when you have content that isn’t trying to convert or sell then it’s easier to send to people you meet or connect with – i.e. you don’t have to worry about coming across as too pushy, you’re just sharing on a Hey, this might interest you basis. And some of the people you connect with – your network – will do the same because you’re not just saying, “Buy my stuff!” You’re providing genuinely interesting and thought-provoking stuff.
Get the content right and your connections grow organically.
Post the who, what & why
A simple way to think about posting on LinkedIn is to rotate your posts around your Who, What and Why. Talk about:
- Who you work with – what is it about these people that energises you or connects you to them?
- What you do to support these people in your coaching work – what things do you work on with clients, and what are the outcomes, feelings or insights that you guide people to?
- Why do people trust you to guide them – what is it about your method, experience or story that makes you trustworthy and reliable?
Don’t try to cover all of this in every post. In fact, do the opposite. Pick one and write a short post, or record a short video answering it, and start sharing.
As for the audience, remember that ‘journey of consciousness’ they’re on. Choose a stage of that journey and then talk about the who, what or why relevant to people at that stage.
But back to the 3rd question: “How will this convert connections to clients?”
I hear some of you near the back saying, this is all well and good but how does this convert people into clients?
In short, it doesn’t and it’s not meant to. Conversions aren’t the goal here. Conversations are.
LinkedIn is not a marketplace where people are browsing for products and services. It’s a place people go to connect and learn about what others in their network are doing. It’s like a massive online conference.
And yes, some of those connections can and will become clients. But not because you went heavy on the conversion tactics!
The aim of posting on LinkedIn is to encourage comments, messages and questions that tell you that what you said has got people thinking – the message landed.
Then you can keep talking, keep the conversation going, and see if this person might be the right fit for coaching.
Shift your thinking from making conversions to starting conversations
Not only is this a sensible marketing strategy for coaching (it’s a ‘considered purchase’, remember?) but it makes it easier to create content because you’re not trying to write sales copy, to convince or persuade… you’re just trying to share an interesting idea or pose a relevant question.
Then let the sharing and algorithm do their thing and see your network of connections grow.
Some people you engage with will be the right fit for your coaching, and some won’t and that’s okay.
What’s important is your content got them thinking in a different way and inspired them to take the first step.
If all this has got you thinking then leave a comment below and tell me how. You can also connect with me and see more of the content I post on LinkedIn.
If you’re a coach who is working on their marketing or perhaps wants to get more confident and focused about posting on LinkedIn, we host a community for coaches who are doing just that. Together we work on all aspects of marketing your coaching business and attracting more clients who are the perfect fit. Come and take a look around, say hello and see if it’s for you with a free 14-day membership.
