Growing a coaching business can seem like a daunting task. Coaches are often busy with client work and don’t have time to grow their business. I’ve seen this scenario play out time and time again, and it’s always a shame.
We must understand the difference between working on your business vs working in your business.
If you’re reading this, I believe there is so much potential for growth in your coaching business! You are actively seeking ways to improve and better yourself and your business and I applaud you.
Let’s talk about smart strategies to do just that.
I’ve used content marketing to grow my business for more than a decade. I am a huge fan of the approach because I am a living testament to the power of using content to attract the right person, at the right time, with the right message.
This blog post is going to walk you through what content marketing is, how it works, and how you can use it to grow your own coaching business.
Content Marketing Defined
Content marketing is the way you create, promote, and distribute your brand’s message.
Content marketing is the strategic marketing approach of creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action.
Content Marketing Institute
It’s the method by which you develop, package, and promote your content to attract the right audience and convert the right prospects into paying customers. It’s not just a way to market to people. Content marketing works best when you create real value for them. That value then fosters real relationships and leads to the client being able to achieve success.
Think of the last time you had your own problem or struggle – did you turn to Google and search for a solution? Then what? Did you click on one of the first results you found?
Chances are, the creator of that resource uses a form of content marketing to appear higher in the search results, thereby generating more visitors.
Content marketing is especially great for any sales-driven relationship. The strategy works best when dealing with B2B — or in the case of many coaches — Professional-to-Professional (P2P).
The Importance of a Content Strategy
Before we dive into how to create content marketing for your business, let’s talk about how you can benefit from it. In my experience, content marketing has a number of benefits that your coaching business simply can’t afford to ignore. Here are just a few of them:
- Awareness: Content marketing pushes your brand higher in search engine results, creates more inbound links, and more word-of-mouth referrals
- Growth: Content marketing helps you grow your business by gaining new clients
- Retention: Content marketing helps you retain current clients by presenting them with informative, helpful solutions for their specific use case
- Better Client Qualification: Stronger leads and qualification results in better clients who stick around longer
How to Create Content
The first step in building a successful content marketing strategy is to come up with ideas. You’ve got to come up with content that will:
- Target the right people
- Identifies their need or problem
- Create value by solving that need
- Establish yourself as an authority
It may seem difficult to come up with content ideas, but it is quite simple. One of the most common questions I get is: How do I pick what to write about?
The answer is easy: What do people most often ask you about?
Start there. Share your experiences, advice, answers to common questions, myths of the industry, etc.
The key is to start creating content that your ideal audience finds value in. Such content establishes you as an authority (because you are) and demonstrates to your audience that you understand their pain points and frustrations.
How to Optimize Content
There’s no perfect formula for how to create your content. Posts that try to explain the perfect X are providing broad generalized best practices. Your audience is unique, they are following you for your unique voice and perspective. They are also following you for your format.
Do what works for you.
That said, there are some must-haves that are worth following regardless of your industry or audience. If you want to use content marketing to grow your coaching business, these should be on your list:
- Be customer-focused: Your content should always be about your client’s success. When you do this, you can tap into your client’s innermost needs and motivate them to achieve their goals.
- Don’t hold back: Share every single victory, every single learning, and every single step you took to get to overcome the problem. Authenticity is often avoided out of fear of being judged. Trust me – everyone has a story. The more your story aligns with your audience’s, the more they will trust you.
- Be consistent: Treat your audience like the professionals they are – show up. Do the work. Even when you don’t feel like it. Post. Write. Share. Publish. Press Go. You are the encouragement they need. You have a message they want to hear.
Conclusion
Building a coaching business isn’t something you’re going to do overnight. But with the right strategies, you can reach the level of success you’ve dreamed of. Use content to attract the right clients, at the right time, with the right message.
So, what are you waiting for? Start growing your coaching business today!
What’s your favorite content marketing tactic to grow your coaching business? Share in the comments below.