The 5-Step Results-Winning Marketing Strategy for Coaches and Consultants

It’s no secret: an effective marketing strategy is critical to any business’s success. But many small business owners aren’t sure what their next marketing steps should be.

The truth is, marketing is not an elusive exercise. Marketing is a communication back-and-forth between the business and the consumer. 

There is a process you can follow that establishes your brand, reaches your demographic, and tees up the sale. For coaches and consultants, it is useful to think of marketing as a relationship between you (the coach) and your client (the coachee).

Marketing Communication is Relationship-Building

Just like any relationship, you need to connect with prospects and stay in touch. Through social media posts, email marketing, blogs, podcasts, your website, and more, you can share about your business, how you can help them, and that you care.

As a coach or consultant, this makes sense. You are in the business of helping people one-to-one. You establish working relationships with clients and guide them to their desired results. 

Consider your client, who is seeking out your services when they have a need, and perhaps confused or uncertain about their next steps. When you consider that consumers receive over 5,000 marketing messages per day, it only makes their current state that much more confusing.

You need a clear message and a direct call to action to not only stand out but to serve your prospect. Clearly communicating your brand message shows empathy to your prospective client. You help them find their solution when you are clear.

Step One: Establish Your Brand Message

Brand messaging refers to the way your business communicates with your customers. It is foundational and core to creating and maintaining a brand. An effective marketing strategy begins with a clear brand message.

StoryBrand is a framework we follow and guide clients through. At its core, StoryBranding establishes a clear brand message, including:

• Your ideal customer.
• What problem they face.
• Your unique solution to their problem.
• The clear path they need to take to engage your brand

Your brand message serves as the foundation for your marketing materials. Once your message is established, then it becomes a matter of implementation across channels.

A clear brand message makes all of your marketing easier by repurposing the key words and phrases you want associated with your brand.

While you may think it is lazy to repurpose and it may make communication a bit redundant for you, the truth is, you are doing your customers a favor. By streamlining what you talk about and communicating it in the same way consistently, people begin to associate your brand with one thing.

Step Two: Develop Your Website Messaging

Your website is your business’s “home base”.

You should always point back to your website in your marketing materials. After all, your website is where the sale actually takes place!

In addition, everyone who is interested in working with you will visit your website first to try to figure out what you do – and if your solution would be the right fit for them. 

So, the words on your website need to be clear. You only have about 5 seconds to capture your customer’s attention. As Donald Miller of Building a StoryBrand says, if you confuse, you lose!

Here’s how to engage more customers on your website:

• Your long-scroll homepage is the perfect spot for your brand message. 
• Invite customers into a story, positioning them as the hero with aspirations.
• Your business is their guide who helps them avoid failure and achieve success.
• Establish a clear and assertive call to action, prominently displayed throughout your site.

A clear brand message as told through story makes sense and is compelling. Who doesn’t love a great story? A story arc encourages people to keep reading and scrolling. 

And in today’s digital world, a website is a must. A website with a strong homepage wins customers.

Step Three: Set Up Your Funnel

Ready to turn your website into a money-making machine?

A funnel moves prospects through an experience with your brand and prepares them for the sale. Here is how to implement a funnel:

On your homepage, you’ll want to include a free downloadable PDF customers can get in exchange for their name and email address. The free download should deliver value. It should help your prospect understand their problem and start making steps toward solving it.

Your free download can be a guide, a checklist or something your customers will find educational or inspirational. It should also be a branded, high-design content piece. Make it enjoyable to look at!

Perhaps most importantly, your free download should reveal how different your coaching and consulting is.

But your download should not be a hard-sell. Teach, share, give value, and end with an invitation to do the next thing like book a call or listen to your related podcast.

Once customers download your valuable PDF, their contact information will be added to your email list. This means you can send them an automated email sequence that talks more about: 

• The problem your business solves.
• Other customers you’ve helped.
• Why your solution is a great fit.

From there, you can start sending them weekly or bi-weekly nurture emails to keep their customer journey going.

Building this simple funnel is the perfect way to grow your email list.

Make sure you utilize email marketing software like Mailerlite. With this tool, you’ll be able to segment your email list, trigger automated email sequences, and track analytics such as open rates and click through rates.

Step Four: Create Your Content Plan

Content plans take the guesswork out of creating your marketing collateral.

Your content plan determines exactly what you need to talk about across your marketing collateral for up to one year. Plus, it will help you quickly create on-brand content that gets results!

To create your content plan, it is an activity of brainstorming and categorizing topics. Set aside a couple of hours to go through this process.

1. Create 3-6 pillar topics based on the problem your business solves. Ask yourself, “what broad topic areas do my customers need to understand in order to solve their problem?”
2. Establish 4-5 subtopics for each pillar topic that dive deeper into the success you help your clients achieve. This is largely a matter of organizing everything you know about your subject matter into nuggets that are easy for your customer to consume.
3. Next, brainstorm 5 post ideas or titles for each subtopic that your customers would find educational, inspirational, or motivational.

Your content plan will become your go-to resource every time you create social media posts, emails, or blogs.

As a result, you’ll stay on top of your digital marketing, boost engagement, and drive more sales!

Step Five: Communicate Your Message

Now it’s time to share your expertise and express your authority to the masses.

Your brand message and content plan are your secret weapons for success. Reference them regularly to create results-winning content through the following six channels:

1. Social Media (choose 1-3 channels and consistently post there)
2. Ads (Facebook, Instagram, and Google make up 85% of all ads on the internet!)
3. Email marketing
4. Long-form content (blog, video, or podcast)
5. Keynotes
6. Professional listings

Before you get overwhelmed, realize that material can be repurposed. A blogpost has inside it numerous social media posts. A podcast carries the opportunity to email your list to say hello and share the link to listen. A keynote lines up with your free download.

The ultimate goal is to drive traffic to your website. Content should include links back to your site to download your free resource, book a call, register for an event, or make a purchase.

Feel Confident in Your Marketing Strategy

This process goes round and round as your customer’s journey with your brand continues. Additionally, by engaging this strategy, you increase your online presence and boost traffic to your site. This makes it possible for more prospects to find and follow you. 

This strategy is logical and it is simple. But doing this on your own is not easy. Most service provider businesses need at least one consultation with a marketing strategist to begin implementation. An outside perspective can be invaluable.

To implement this strategy for your business, schedule a complimentary call today. At Bright Brand, we craft service provider businesses into brands that customers understand, buy from, and love.