Building a brand is one of the most important aspects of marketing for coaches. By establishing a strong brand presence, you have the ability to differentiate yourself in a saturated marketplace, attract your ideal clients, and build trust & credibility in the long run.
Having a well-defined brand can help you showcase your expertise, unique coaching approach, and the value you bring to your clients. By adopting effective marketing strategies, particularly with the utilisation of social media, you can reach a wider audience, build valuable relationships with prospective clients, and most importantly, demonstrate thought leadership.
Ultimately, a strong brand that’s paired with a strategic social media marketing effort can position you as a reputable industry leader, amplify your impact, and contribute to the long-term success and growth of your coaching business.
Let’s look at some major ways in which you can build your brand using social media as a vehicle.
1. Identify your key value proposition
Here comes the most basic yet fundamental pillar of marketing – identifying and refining what you stand for and offer. How do you do this? Ask yourself these questions:
- What specific expertise or skills do I possess?
- How can I solve their challenges or help clients achieve their goals?
- What makes me different from other coaches?
Think about your coaching style, methodologies, and any specialized knowledge you possess. Think about the specific problem you solve or the transformation you facilitate for your clients. Identify your strengths, expertise, and the results you consistently deliver – consider what makes your coaching style effective and appealing to your target audience. By highlighting your unique value proposition, you can differentiate yourself in a crowded coaching industry and attract clients who resonate with your approach & expertise.
If you’re a somewhat experienced coach still unclear about your niche, you can ask for feedback from your current and past clients to understand the value they perceive in your coaching. By combining self-reflection, client feedback, and a clear understanding of your niche, you can uncover your key value proposition and effectively communicate it to take the first step in building your personal brand as a coach.
2. Create content aligned with your key value proposition
Developing a content strategy is essential to give you direction and keep your social media pages on-brand. You can start by defining your target audience and understanding their needs, challenges, and aspirations. This will guide you in creating content that resonates with them.
In this regard, it is good to have a mix of educational, inspirational, and engaging content. You can share valuable insights, tips, and advice that are related to your coaching niche. You can consider creating videos, blog posts, or podcasts that showcase your expertise and provide value to your audience. No need to do it all; pick the mix that caters to your strength and is also right for your identified audience. Also, share success stories or client testimonials in order to demonstrate the impact of your coaching.
It’s beneficial to curate and share relevant content from others in your industry as well. This not only provides value to your audience but also helps you build relationships with other professionals.
Keep the social media strategy simple and effective for the niche you’re in.
3. Be consistent
To build a brand that’s strong and keeps serving you in the long run, you need to maintain consistent branding across all your social media profiles to create a cohesive and recognizable image. To begin with, make sure to use the same profile picture, bio, and handle across platforms. As the next step, choose a colour scheme, visual styling that aligns with your brand identity and ensure that it remains similar across all your collaterals. The same goes for more detailed factors such as tone, verbiage, stance, frequency in posting, etc.
Staying consistent will help build trust and make it easier for your audience to recognize and remember your brand.
4. Establish yourself as a thought leader
Establishing oneself as a thought leader on social media is an effective way for a coach to build their personal brand and gain credibility. It’s all about sharing your expertise and insights in a way that feels most authentic to you. You can start by consistently posting valuable content that resonates with your audience. Share tips, strategies, and personal experiences that showcase your knowledge and offer practical solutions.
Additionally, engage with your followers by responding to comments, asking questions, and sparking conversations. Don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo and share your unique perspectives on industry-related topics – in fact, that is the secret to setting yourself apart and really putting your voice out there. You can even collaborate with other experts in your industry, participate in relevant discussions, and share your expertise in online communities. By consistently sharing valuable content, engaging with your audience, and positioning yourself as a trusted resource, you’ll establish yourself as a thought leader, thus strengthening your personal brand.
5. Remain authentic & relatable
Remaining authentic and relatable is a powerful way to strengthen your personal brand as a coach. When you are true to yourself and can genuinely connect with your audience, it helps build trust and fosters a deep connection.
You can stay authentic to your true self by sharing personal stories, experiences, challenges, and setbacks from your life. By being forthcoming about your journey, including both successes and setbacks, you can demonstrate that not only do you understand what your clients are going through, but that you yourself go through/have gone through similar situations and emotions. Embracing authenticity allows you to showcase your unique personality, values, and perspectives, which helps you stand out in a crowded market.
When clients can relate to you on a personal level this way, it creates a strong bond and enhances your credibility and likability, ultimately strengthening your personal brand.
6. Build relationships
An important point to remember is that social media is not just a broadcasting platform – it’s a space for building relationships. Engaging with your audience and forming genuine connections is where the real magic happens. To do so, you can start by engaging with your audience by responding to comments, messages, and mentions – show that you genuinely care about your followers’ opinions and questions.
Outside of your prospects & clients, take the time to engage with and share posts from other industry experts or clients to demonstrate your involvement and willingness to support others in your field, to foster a spirit of collaboration over competition. You can even participate in relevant communities, groups, and discussions to establish yourself as a thought leader and expand your network.
Building relationships on social media can establish a loyal community around your brand, attract potential clients, and open doors for collaborations and partnerships with other coaches (hello multiple revenue streams). So, don’t underestimate the power of social media to build real connections—it’s a game-changer for coaches looking to grow their brand!
Source: Brandetize, Evercoach, Thinkific, Luisazhou
FAQs
1. What should a coach post on social media?
When it comes to social media, coaches should aim to provide a diverse mix of content that educates, inspires, and engages their audience. Share valuable tips, insights, and strategies related to your coaching niche that can help your followers overcome challenges or achieve their goals. Don’t be afraid to share personal anecdotes or experiences.
Include a mix of content formats like videos, images, or infographics to make your posts visually appealing and shareable. You can make it more dynamic by engaging with your audience – asking questions, encouraging discussions, and responding to comments. Ultimately, a coach’s social media content should reflect their expertise, authenticity, and provide value to their audience.
2. How do I create a social media marketing plan for my coaching business?
Start by setting clear goals for social media and knowing your audience inside out. Figure out which social media platforms your audience hang out on the most. Then, do a bit of research on your competitors and see what’s working for them and chalk out a plan that fits you best.
Develop a content strategy that mixes helpful tips, inspiration, and a bit of self-promotion. Engage with your followers by replying to comments and joining relevant discussions. To keep a track of your progress, keep an eye on your metrics and tweak your plan as needed to achieve those goals. And, most importantly, in doing all of the above, remain authentic to your true self, keep providing value, and build connections with your audience.
About Simply.Coach
Simply.Coach is an enterprise-grade coaching software designed to be used by individual coaches and coaching businesses. Trusted by ICF-accredited and EMCC-credentialed coaches worldwide, Simply.Coach is on a mission to elevate the experience and process of coaching with technology-led tools and solutions.
Content Marketing Manager @ Simply.Coach
Ipsita Nayak is a full-time writer-editor-content strategist and a part-time NLP coach and yoga teacher. She believes conventions are overrated, has a disproportionate need for solo time over social time, and loves a good mix of sci-fi and trashy TV in her free time!
