Are you a coach struggling to attract new clients? Perhaps you’re feeling frustrated because you know you have the skills and expertise to make a difference, but you can’t seem to get your message in front of the right audience.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many coaches face the challenge of building a sustainable clientele that supports their business and allows them to do what they love most: helping people reach their goals.

In this article, we’ll explore some effective strategies to market your coaching business online and attract more clients.

Whether you’re a seasoned coach or just starting, these tips will help you get noticed, build relationships, and create a thriving coaching practice.

So, let’s dive in and discover how to get more coaching clients!

How to Get More Coaching Clients

Here’s how to market your coaching business online and get more clients.

• Define your niche
• Identify your ideal client
• Build a strong online presence
• Develop a lead magnet
• Leverage online advertising
• Network and collaborate

1. Define your niche

Defining a niche as a business coach involves identifying a specific area of business that you have expertise in and are passionate about.

Many new coaches often disregard this step and try to be generalists, making it harder to show your real value to your clients. More important than a coach who knows is one that is specific in his offerings.

With a clear specialty, it’s easier for clients to explain what you do and how you can help, making it more likely that they will refer you to their friends, family, and colleagues.

So, think about your background and experience in the business world and which you’d like to focus on the most.

• What industries have you worked in?
• What skills and knowledge do you have that can be valuable to entrepreneurs and business owners?
• Which areas of business do you enjoy the most?
• What types of clients do you feel the most fulfilled working with?

By knowing your specialty, you can position yourself as an expert in a specific area of coaching and offer a unique value proposition to potential clients.

2. Identify your ideal client

Notice how your favorite coaches are very open about the type of clients they serve, and as such, are positioned to attract them?

That’s how specific you should be with your client type.

Identifying your ideal client is a critical step in getting coaching clients. Your ideal client is the person who is most likely to benefit from your coaching services, who is willing to pay for them, and who is a joy to work with.

When you know who your ideal client is, you can tailor your marketing efforts, messaging, and services to meet their specific needs and desires.

To identify your ideal client, start by defining your coaching niche and the specific area where you can provide the most value.

For example, if you’re a business coach, your ideal client might be a small business owner who is struggling to grow their business or manage their finances.

If you’re a life coach, your ideal client might be someone who is feeling stuck and looking to make a major life change.

Once you’ve defined your niche, create a profile of your ideal client and use your ideal client profile to create targeted marketing messages and outreach efforts.

Speak directly to your ideal client’s pain points and aspirations, and demonstrate how your coaching services can help them achieve their goals. Use specific content and marketing channels that speak to your target audience, and make it easier for them to find you and see your value.

By focusing on a customer segment, you can develop a depth of knowledge and experience that sets you apart from other coaches.

Access more benefits with Selar Pro. For $20/₦8,000 you can unlock all of Selar’s features and take your business to the next level.

3. Build a strong online presence

A rule of thumb in marketing is to go to where your customers are most active and market to them.

In this case, it means building a strong online presence on platforms where your target audience is most active to make them notice you. It means creating a professional and engaging online persona that reflects your coaching brand and values.

The first step is to start on social media. Optimize your profile by including your type of coach in your bio. For example, Executive Coach | Leadership Coach.

If you want to attract company leaders as a leadership or executive coach, consider building an online presence on platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Search engines.

Next, share content that shows your achievements, clients you’ve helped in the past, and your knowledge of certain areas.

With every client you work with, ensure you collect a review from them afterward. Let them share their experience which you can highlight on your page. 93% of consumers read online reviews before making a purchase. So, failing to showcase testimonials can cost you a lot of new clients.

If you are just starting, focus on offering your services for free to friends and close associates. Then use their results to attract new clients.

Also, be open to attending online events. These events can range from Instagram Lives and Twitter spaces to in-person events and TV shows. Take advantage of every media channel to speak about your craft. It brings more credibility to you.

Check out Fela Durotoye’s strong online presence across various channels for inspiration.

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4. Develop a lead magnet

A lead magnet is a free product or item given to potential buyers to lure them to you. By giving out free products, you have a greater chance to capture the attention of your audience and pitch your paid products to them.

This is why lead magnets are a very important part of your marketing strategy. When you offer something of value, your customers get what they want, you get their attention, and everyone wins.

One way to use lead magnets as a coach is to offer a free discovery/consultation call. It could be anything from a 10-minute call to a 30-minute call where you have conversations with prospects to help them identify a problem, and open their minds to knowing how to solve it.

Clients who enjoy the conversation with you will be more inclined to pay to have longer sessions with you, helping you get more coaching clients.

It could also be by hosting a virtual event. Either a webinar, Instagram live session, or Twitter space conversation where you teach your audience about topics they are interested in and how they can solve a pain point.

Remember, give people the “what” for free and sell the “how” to them.

LEARN How to Use Lead Magnets to Grow Your Business

5. Leverage online advertising

Another way to get coaching clients online is to leverage online advertising. This simply means running paid ads.

It involves sharing your content with a new target audience to drive a specific action, such as visiting your website or making a sale.

Paid ads work best with organic marketing. That is constantly showing up online and sharing valuable content. If you haven’t spent time on your organic marketing efforts, your paid ads aren’t going to perform any better.

Because what happens if your ads on social media bring prospective customers to your page but there’s no content there? Or if you’ve advertised your coaching program and there’s no evidence that it’s worth anyone’s money?

Run ads as much as you can. But pair it with organic marketing to grow your profile as a coach and build up that study stream of clients.

LEARN: How to Drive Traffic to Your Business via Facebook Ads

6. Network and collaborate

Attend networking events in your industry or niche to connect with other professionals who may have clients or contacts that could benefit from your coaching services.

Networking events can be in-person or virtual and can range from formal business meetings to casual social events. Be sure to bring business cards and keep an open mind for connecting with potential clients and fellow coaches.

Join professional organizations or associations related to your coaching niche to connect with other professionals in your field. This is another avenue to get more coaching clients.

For example, being consistent as a coach and improving your visibility online can land you an invitation to the Forbes Coaches Council, an invitation-only, fee-based organization comprised of leading business coaches and career coaches all around the world.

These organizations often have networking events, online forums, and other opportunities to connect with other members and share knowledge and resources. By joining a professional organization, you can build relationships with other professionals and potentially attract new clients through referrals.

7. Write and share thought leadership content

Writing thought leadership content and sharing online is an effective way to get coaching clients online.

With an idea of your niche and a picture of your ideal client, start creating content that shows that you are an expert in your field. One of the ways to do this is by writing thought leadership content.

This means writing content around common situations and including your expertise to help people either understand the topic better or solve a problem easily.

For example, here’s this content by Forbes Finance Council on how individuals and investors can respond to economic slowdowns. Going through the article you’ll see lots of opinions from the council members explaining each point and tying it to reality.

Now compare it to this article written by Ameriprise Financial on the same topic and sharing similar ideas.

Notice the difference in both articles? And how do you feel about the content on both platforms?

This shows you how being an expert in your field can change everything about you and your content.

Ready to get coaching clients online?

Your first client is usually the hardest. But when you get started, getting other coaching clients will become easier.

Build an online presence. Show up in people’s faces. Share valuable content and let people know the value you bring to the table. That’s how you attract coaching clients online.

While these methods may take time to effect, you can quicken the time by using a hands-on approach, monitoring your results, and optimizing your strategies for the best results to get a steady inflow of coaching clients.

And when your clients start to come in, create a coaching program, and host it on Selar for smooth business operation and easy access for your students.

It’s FREE.