If you read my previous post, “The Motivation to Succeed”, then you will recall I promised to share with you the 10 most common marketing mistakes that coaches make when setting up a business.
The best time to think about marketing your coaching business is as soon as you start training. It is common for people to have spent a great deal of time training to be a great coach but little or no time developing effective marketing know-how.
When I trained as a coach (with The Coaching Academy) back in 2005, I already had an extensive business background and was able to set up my coaching business quickly and easily. However I do realise this is not the case for everyone which is why I set up the Entrepreneurs’ Business Academy for Coaches (EBA for Coaches).
Our September Marketing Fundamentals day sold out 4 weeks before the big day. Our next 1 day course will take place on the 26th November, you can book your place here.
The number 1 marketing mistake was “failing to view coaching as a business”.
Here’s marketing mistakes 2 and 3 and how to avoid them:
• Marketing Mistake 2 – Having a Brochure Website
Many coaches, when they first set out, will spend a lot of time creating a marketing brochure which they then gave it to a web designer, with a brief to ‘please make this into a website.’ The end product is normally a ‘brochure website’ which is usually not very user friendly and will generate less productive results.
Websites need to include some form of data capture, which means that visitors to the site have the opportunity to enter their e-mail address in exchange for something of value (like an e-book). This should be easy to find and use, and require minimal information.
Your contact details should be clearly visible on every page, any photographs if used, should be relevant and professional. If you are using other people’s images, make sure you have cleared the necessary permissions.
Remember, your website is your shop window. You don’t want people to walk by.
• Marketing Mistake 3 – Using a domestic email address
I have two main rules for email use: the first is, when people contact you, make sure you get back to them really, really quickly. Business moves very fast now and if a potential client is approaching you, the chances are they will be approaching others too. As my friend and mentor Peter Thomson says “another day older, another day colder.”
The second is, register an email address that reflects your business domain name. Using Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo and so on, sends an unprofessional message. If you were to buy airline tickets online from British Airways, it wouldn’t inspire you with confidence if the confirmation came back from BA@hotmail.com.
Make sure your email address includes your company name and looks professional.