“I’m a Fabulous Coach, Why am I Not Getting Clients?” « « Byrd Media Marketing Byrd Media Marketing

“I’m a Fabulous Coach, Why am I Not Getting Clients?”

You ARE a fabulous coach and if this is your chosen field, you have been told that since before you decided to coach professionally.

Am I right?

You coached friends, family, and your community for ‘free’ and then decided to go with what you love and make a living at the same time. Perhaps you thought that same knack would carry into the social media scene. So you set up your Facebook fan page, got connected on LinkedIn, uploaded some excellent videos to YouTube, and chose the perfect name for your Twitter account. And then?!

Your friends joined in for sure (they love you know matter what). Current clients? No problem. But when it came time to connect to a thriving community, your efforts fell short.

Are you shocked at yourself? Shouldn’t a relationship expert be able to translate that knowledge and energy into the world wide web?

Yes! But it doesn’t happen automatically.

Here are a few tips for putting your best coaching foot forward and making the most out of your social media networking efforts:

1. ENGAGE in the community: Set up the accounts and then participate!

I am going to spell out what this means in three simple steps and then explain it for you (you will realize that you already know what they mean after I tell you, you are a fabulous coach after all!):

First Step: LISTEN.
Second Step: ASK.
Third Step: CONTRIBUTE.

Listen: Get on your social networks and listen to what is going on. Read posts from your friends, colleagues, and networks. Search terms that have to do with your niche or client base and read what others have to say. Click their links, read their blogs, find out what’s going on in the world you want to reach.

Ask: What if your first five posts on any social media network were questions? How would you feel if no one answered? Would you wonder if you were asking the right questions? How would that change your approach? What might you discover about yourself and your community?

Contribute: Now it’s time to participate, but there is an essential courtesy here that could help you get your feet wet without getting swept away: ‘RT’! Retweet! Why not find things that interest you and then pass them along to others? Starting with a RT mentality means you are willing to listen to others and pass along their expertise.

Then, wade in a little further and share some quotes (not your own, silly – from Famous People!). At some point your participation WILL include links to your website and services. But just as you don’t run up to a group at a party and start blabbing about how great you are, you wouldn’t want to ‘join a conversation’ online that way, either.

2. EVALUATE your plan.

After you’ve settled into your new online activities and gotten into a routine, ask yourself: am I keeping my content fresh? Do you keep an eye out for new information and news headlines that may be relevant for your coaching clients or colleagues? If you are using a blog to reach out to clients, have you kept it up to date?

People who gather ’round and want to hear what you have to say lose interest if the content they find stays the same each time they check the site.

3. EXPECT visitors.

Each of your social media networks will ask for a profile including a picture, description of what you do, and other information about you and your business. Continuity is key. How do you want to present yourself? Figure that out and present a united front across all profiles. That doesn’t mean you have to ‘wear the same outfit’ to every event, but bring the same message and realize that you, as a trustworthy brand, will gain recognition if you stay consistent.

Links. Links. Links.
Posts, twitter parties, and your pack of followers should all lead back to one thing: YOU (or better yet, your website), and when they get there, they need to be able to find out who you are, what you do, why they should let you help them (credentials and testimonials), and how they can contact you. Your website should also be a reflection of your coaching style and should always be up to date and free of technical issues, broken links, or dead ends.

Wondering how to pull this all together and get started (and how to stay on top of it once you get it all set up)? A social media marketing strategist can help!