The Ultimate Guide To Social Media For Coaches
How to Harness the Power of Social Media Platforms to Attract Raving Fans, Followers, and Ideal Coaching Clients
If you're thinking about growing your coaching business online, social media could be your very best friend...
Or it could be your worst enemy!
Here's what this means...
Coaches who know how to maximize the power of Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or other social platforms, can grow an engaged, eager audience of ideal clients faster than just about any other marketing tool or technique out there.
But for those who are uncertain about how to work with social media, things can quickly turn into a chaotic nightmare of frustration, confusion, and overwhelm.
Unfortunately, a lot more coaches fall into the second group rather than the first.
They have no real understanding on how to market their business on social media and they have no idea how to build strong foundational strategies to attract the right audience and establish their expertise.
In this Ultimate Guide, we'll be exploring some of the most powerful techniques and strategies you can use to grow your coaching business on social media.
We'll be taking a close look at actionable strategies you can implement right away to start attracting ideal clients.
So if you're ready to explode your audience growth, build your credibility as a rockstar coach and go from zero to hero on social media...
Let's get started!
Chapter 1
3 Big Mistakes Coaches Make On Social Media
Chapter 2
Powerhouse Social Media Strategies For Coaches
Chapter 3
The Right Social Media Platform For Your Coaching Business
Chapter 4
Attracting An Aligned Audience Of Ideal Clients On Social Media
Chapter 5
How To Grow Your Coaching Business
Chapter 6
Additional Resources
CHAPTER 1
3 Big Mistakes Coaches
Make On Social Media
Before we get into the nuts and bolts on what you need to do to be seen and heard by your ideal clients, let's look at some common mistakes a lot of coaches make on social media.
These are the pitfalls that can keep you running on an endless - and frustrating -- hamster wheel of content creation, posting and sharing but with no real results to show for all your hard work and effort.
Mistake #1
Not Setting Clear Goals
Most coaches dive into social media marketing thinking they can figure it out along the way.
They don't stop to consider their goals or what they want to achieve in 3 months, 6 months or a year down the line.
This is like trying to hit a bulls-eye target with a blindfold wrapped around your eyes!
You won't get what you want and you'll end up wasting a ton of energy and effort in the process.
So, if you haven't defined your social media goals yet, now is the perfect time to do that (refer to the Take Action Section at the end of this chapter for guidelines).
Important note...
If your goal is to "grow your following" or maybe "find new clients" you're off the mark.
Your social media goals must be clear and specific so you can direct your focus, hit your target and move on to the next objective quickly and effectively.
Mistake #2
Getting Sucked into a Time Warp
Ever looked up from your newsfeed on Facebook or some other social platform only to realize you've been scrolling for 3 hours straight when you planned to be there for 5 minutes or less?
This happens more often than most people like to admit and they usually blame themselves for wasting precious hours in their busy day...
And if this has happened to you, know that it's not your fault.
Every single social media platform you can think of was designed with one key purpose in mind -- to keep people endlessly scrolling, commenting, liking and sharing.
So, if you want to avoid falling into this black hole of wasted time and energy, you need to get serious about your boundaries.
Choose how long you want to be on social media before you log on.
Then, set a timer on your phone, computer or tablet, and promise yourself you'll hop off the moment you hear it ring.
This way you get to hold yourself accountable and get things done without being sucked into a time warp that leaves you drained and frustrated.
Mistake #3
Outsourcing 100% of Your Tasks
A lot of coaches recognize the unlimited power of social media when it comes to growing their business.
The only problem? They don't enjoy spending time on any of the platforms so they come up with what they believe is the perfect solution...
Hire someone else to like, engage, share, and post for them.
Now, here's the deal...
If you want to attract your ideal audience, if you want to establish your reputation and expertise as a rockstar coach, outsourcing 100% of your social media presence just won't cut it.
You need to show up and connect with people at least some of the time.
Never forget...
Social media is social and just like you can't get someone else to take your place at a live networking event and hope to see the results you want...
You can't outsource your presence on social media and hope to experience the benefits.
The true power of social media marketing comes from you being YOU on Facebook or LinkedIn on whatever platform you choose...
And no one else can be a better you than YOU can!
The following questions will help you sidestep the 3 big social media mistakes coaches make so you can maximize your time and energy and quickly grow an aligned audience of ideal clients.
Setting Clear Goals
- 1What is your overarching goal when it comes to growing your coaching business on social media?
Eg: expand your audience, sign new clients, share your expertise through high value content - 2Now let's talk about measurable metrics. Choose a number and timeframe with relation to your answer in question #1.
Eg: How many people do you want in your audience in 3 months or 6 months? How many clients do you want to sign on each month? How many posts do you want to share each week? - 3What will you do when you've hit your target... What's your next goal?
Eg: If your goal is to grow your audience to 5,000 people in 3 months, what is your next objective after you've hit that goal?
Sidestepping the Time Warp
- 1When would you like to be on social media? Note: Pick the days of the week.
Eg. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. - 2How long do you plan to be on social media each time you log on?
Eg: 10 minutes, 30 minutes or 1 hour - 3What do you plan to do with your time on social media?
Eg: Post your high value expert content on Mondays, comment on other people's posts on Wednesdays, share a funny story or quote on Fridays
Being Present on Social
- 1Motivate yourself to do some of your own posting, sharing and commenting by including a reward system.
Eg: Celebrate with a nice dinner at your favorite restaurant every time you hit one of your major social media goals. - 2Shift your mindset so being on social media will no longer be something you resist
Eg: Think of your social media posts and live streams or videos as "mini coaching sessions" where you get the chance to support hundreds or even thousands of people with your expertise.
3
Give yourself permission to take quick breaks from social media (a couple of days to a week) every few months. Allowing yourself space to step away can diminish frustration and burnout while renewing your energy, enthusiasm and creativity.
