Marketing Help For Coaches

This article continues from Part 1 (http://www.marketinghelpforcoaches.com/public/386.cfm)

Step 4: Know your audience. Think about which people are going to be most likely to want what you're offering. If this is difficult, then go back to Step 1 with a target audience in mind and think about what's on their minds at the moment. Once you've got a group of people in mind, find out where they hang out – where do they group together? Are there forums set up for them? Do they read the same blogs or websites? Is there an association or club that they might be members of? Then start hanging out with them. Lurk in the background watching, listening and noticing what they're talking about and having challenges with. Is there a match with the products/services you have in mind?

Step 5: Find out if there's actually a demand. You might have come up with a great idea for a product or package of coaching sessions, but if no one wants it, you're going to have a hard time getting anyone to buy. You can use tools like Google Adwords and Wordtracker to find out what people are searching for online. If you want to cater for REALLY hot topics, use Google's Trend service. But nothing beats actually talking to people in your target market to find out what they really want and to gauge their reactions to your product/service and the way you get your message across. Another way to do this is to create a survey or poll to find out what people want. You could even test the water with a simple Google Adwords campaign where you see how many people click on your ad for it – you'd direct them to a simple squeeze page where you say something like, "The product's not quite ready, but give us your name & email and we'll tell you when it launches".

Step 6: Go ahead and create your product/service and message. Until you know there's a market out there, don't invest too much time developing products or creating messages. Once you've got an inkling that people are likely to buy it, then it's worth investing the time. It's NOT a case of 'If you build it they will come'.

Step 7: Work out how you're going to get leads. Get a strategy for generating interest from people in some of the things you offer. Don't try and sell people on an all-singing all-dancing programme of coaching the first time you have contact with them. Concentrate on getting their contact details and permission to market to them in the future. HOWEVER, there is an exception to the rule. If someone calls you or visits your website and they've got credit card in hand and they want to make a purchase TODAY, sell them something! Don't get too precious about your lead generation process or sales process. Not everyone will follow the pattern of 1) Capture email address, 2) Put on newsletter list 3) Email them 3 times and make an offer 4) Buy a low-cost e-book and so on. If they want to buy from you – help them out!

Step 8: Build relationships. Get to know your subscribers, clients and customers as well as the other people and companies operating in your market. There may be numerous opportunities for collaboration and cross-promotion if you open your mind to it.

Step 9: Remember to have fun. Review your own Wheel of Life from time to time. It's all too easy to focus so heavily on your business that everything else in your life turns to sh*t. Keep in touch with friends, don't neglect your hobbies and interests and remember to laugh. Don't take yourself too seriously after all if you're going to be coaching other people you need to do this from a good place, without any baggage from your world getting in the way!