How To Market Your Coaching Business (and Make it Stand Out From the Crowd)
You consistently publish written posts on social media, and they get decent likes and views, but they aren’t converting into leads or landing potential clients. What the heck?!
You start to wonder, how can I market my online coaching business more effectively?
To get more impactful marketing results lies in creating content that people can listen to, see, and feel your personality. Consumers aren’t sold until they know who they are supporting and working with. Authenticity is everything for the modern day customer. 86% of consumers say authenticity is the deciding factor when supporting a brand.
So, to stand out from the growing crowd of online coaching, you need to create immersive content that invites an audience into your professional brand. And the fastest and most effective way for an audience to get to know you better is through podcasting or live streaming.
If these two options sound a little intimidating, no worries, you can start with joining a social audio platform or creating quick videos to post online. A lower barrier of entry but still effective ways to connect with an audience and to market your coaching business.
Let’s take a deeper look into each of these marketing tactics intended to make a faster and deeper connection with a viewer and are simple enough to execute, no matter if you are new to online coaching or a veteran. The time is now to start creating content that converts.
How to Market Your Online Coaching Business
- Podcasting
- Join Clubhouse/LinkedIn latest Audio Event Feature
- Video Marketing
- Live Streaming
- Create Content on LinkedIn
Podcasting
I’m pretty sure you already know what a podcast is, an online audio file that you can listen to on your mobile, tablet, or computing device. This type of convenience makes it such an attractive marketing tool.
Your podcast can be downloaded and listened to at any time, making it the perfect multi-tasking pass time. People listen to podcasts while driving, cooking, cleaning, or working out, and 3 out of 4 podcast listeners tune into a show to learn something new—a perfect medium to showcase your coaching skills and thought leadership.
Here is one more nugget of data to share with you about podcasting. According to an Edison Research/Triton Digital survey, they found that 54% of podcast listeners were much more likely to consider a brand after hearing it advertised on a podcast. How is this relevant to you as a podcast creator? Two things to consider, podcast listeners are able to trust your brand by being a consumer to your advertisers, and secondly, there is an opportunity to generate revenue with advertising for relevant brands because you have loyal listeners.
This is why I launched my own podcast show “Your LinkedIn Gal” to share my expertise about the ins and out of LinkedIn to an audience of listeners looking to learn something new while multi-tasking. I know my listener doesn’t always have the time to watch a video online to learn something new, but it’s easy for them to pop in their earphones to listen to an episode while shopping in the grocery store. Does this listener sound similar to your ideal coaching client?
I thought so.
Publishing a podcast isn’t as complicated as you may think.
Here is the basic breakdown:
- Record your audio with a microphone on your computer, tablet, or phone.
- Edit your podcast on an audio software platform such as garage band or descript.
- Export the audio file as an MP3.
- Upload the MP3 to a hosting provider.
- Submit your podcast to a distributor like Spotify or Apple Podcast.
That’s it.
I may have simplified it a bit, but it’s a pretty straightforward marketing tool that can quickly build trust with a listener by delivering valuable and helpful content. The instant connection is created between you and the listener through the sound of your voice- that’s invaluable for your business.
Curious to hear an episode from my podcast? Click HERE.
Try LinkedIn Audio (or Clubhouse)
If launching a podcast still seems a bit daunting or time consuming, then try joining a live streaming session on LinkedIn. Now, as I am writing this in early 2022, the LinkedIn Audio feature is still in beta, but I’m pretty sure it will roll out soon for more members to use.
Similar to Clubhouse (I share more info about that a little further below), LinkedIn Audio is a real-time audio experience for members to listen to other members or possibly participate in the conversation.
How Does LinkedIn Audio Work?
To join LinkedIn Audio Events search for an audio event or follow the hashtag #LinkedInAudioEvent on the mobile app (better experience) or from a desktop. Once you have found a conversation topic that interests you, click “attend” and save it to your calendar. Don’t forget to give access to the microphone so you can add to the conversation.
Here are a few more points to know about LinkedIn Audio:
- Raise your hand to get invited to the “stage” to speak to the panel and audience (only the host adds people to the stage).
- All “rooms” (or think of them as audio sessions) are public, created from a personal LinkedIn profile.
- Follow and message other participants during the event.
- No third-party software is needed or required to use this feature.
How Does Clubhouse Work?
What is Clubhouse? It’s a social media platform solely built on audio generated by the platform’s users. Anyone who downloads the app can start a “room” (think of it as your live broadcasting studio) with a topic of your choice, where other users can join the room’s conversation or listen. People from around the world can meet, talk, share ideas in real-time.
Clubhouse is simple to use and allows you to have a platform to speak about almost anything (within their guidelines and rules), and you have access to millions of users on their platform.
There are some major benefits to using Clubhouse to market your coaching business:
- Share your brand story
- Possibility to showcase your coaching style and skills
- Meet and speak with potential prospects
- Meet other coaches for possible collaborations
There are also some drawbacks to using Clubhouse
- It’s live. If you want to record, there are steps and requirements
- Conversations can be unpredictable
- Must feel comfortable and capable of speaking in front of a live audience
- Besides your profile, there is no way to archive or document your activities
- No direct messaging options
Just like LinkedIn Audio, Clubhouse is a unique way to market yourself and your services just by the sound of your voice.
But keep in mind the entire platform is live audio, so there isn’t a way to archive or document your activities. And you will need to migrate your audience to your website or other social media platforms that allow you to exchange information and message with interested prospects.
Video Marketing
What exactly is video marketing? Videos published online to help inform the prospect about your brand and services. There are several types of video content you can use to market your coaching business:
- Social Media Posts (IG Reels, TikTok, Video Posts)
- Vlog (Video blogs)
- How-To or Tutorial Videos
- Video Interviews with Industry leaders
- Video Testimonials
- Recorded Live Shows/Go Live Streaming with your audience
There isn’t one type of video content that is better than the other. It will really boil down to choosing the format that you feel most comfortable doing and highlights your professional brand in the best way.
Do you have a flair for dramatics or an outgoing personality? Try Social media posts that will allow you to produce a variety of quick videos to show off your personality.
Do you like giving helpful advice? Try producing tutorial videos or a vlog. These videos are intended to help solve a person’s pain point or challenge. But don’t go too deep into the solution; you don’t want to give it all away. You should save some for your paid 1:1 sessions.
Do you like asking questions and engaging in impactful conversations? Try recording a video interview with a fellow coach that offers different services than you. A collaboration with another coach can help bring exposure to their audience.
The purpose of using video to market your coaching business is for people to instantly get to know you better and to see you in action. So take a moment to think about why people gravitate to you as a coach.
Live Streaming
Live stream has rapidly gained popularity. According to a survey by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, 47% of live streaming video viewers are consuming more live video compared with a year ago.
Viewers are intrigued by the transparency and realness of live video. They enjoy watching the unfiltered and unscripted content, a major contrast to a highly produced or edited post.
So, if you are the type of coach who embraces realness and authenticity, you will capture an audience that loves that style too. Live streaming is a super impactful piece of content that allows your audience to engage and interact with you in real-time.
So, where can you stream live? Conveniently in front of your social media audience.
- TikTok
- Twitch
Some platforms allow you to stream directly on their platform, while others require you to stream through a 3rd party app or cloud service, like restream or streamyard.
However, selecting where you want to stream your show is not as important as setting a clear intention of what you want to come out of it.
Think about creating a compelling call to action (CTA) to nudge the audience to sign up for your newsletter or connect for a discovery call.
But most importantly, while you are streaming live, make sure to create an immersive and highly interactive experience for your viewers. Encourage people to make comments and encourage the audience to interact with the show.
Create Content on LinkedIn
The final option of where you can market yourself is on LinkedIn. I may be biased to this platform, but I’ll let the facts uncover why it’s an optimal platform to market your professional brand and build an audience that will listen to your podcast or watch your lives.
Ready for the facts?
- LinkedIn saw a 55% increase in conversations among connections in 2020
- LinkedIn Live streams increased by 437% in 2020
- LinkedIn users are 20x more likely to re-share a video post
- Brands get 7x more reactions and 24x more comments on LinkedIn Live streams than regular video
The overall benefit of using LinkedIn to market your coaching business is the versatility of publishing content on the platform. There are so many ways to highlight, educate and showcase your brand.
- Stream live
- Post videos
- Write articles
- Post audiograms
Not only are there multiple ways to publish your content, but your content will be viewed by professionals who are looking for solutions, want to learn, and advance their career and personal growth.
The Final Takeaway – How to Market Your Online Coaching Business
The way to market your coaching business online these days is to launch a podcast or live stream show. But if these options sound a little overwhelming to you, then try dipping your toes with a social audio experience on LinkedIn or make short videos for social media posts.
The key takeaway of marketing for your online coaching business is to make content that allows your audience to get a sense of who you are as a coach. They want to see you in action, and they want to hear your advice in real-time. They want an authentic and immersive experience with you.
Need help with your online presence and personal branding on LinkedIn? Book a 30-minute discovery call to learn how you can stand out as a coach online that will attract more traffic to your funnel that transforms prospects into clients.
Not ready for a 1:1 call yet? Want to see me teach in action? Join my FREE LIVE MasterClass: How I Convert My LinkedIn Connections into Sales
