Entrepreneur contributors do not necessarily agree with the opinions expressed.
Social media is more than just keeping in touch with friends and family. Everyone you know is an online coach or business owner. This is no longer an option, it's essential for every online business' growth. Statista estimates that there are over 420 billion social media users. Brands with a social media presence see an 88% increase their exposure and 69% more leads.
How can you use social media to increase brand awareness and attract more clients for your coaching company? These six methods will help you attract clients to your coaching business via Instagram and Facebook organic marketing strategies.
1. To add value, share informative content
Before we create our posts, it is important to understand why our target audience uses Facebook.
These are just a few questions to consider:
What are my target audience searching for in a specific hashtag or keyword search?
Why would my audience use Instagram and Facebook?
What are they trying to find?
You will be able shift your approach if you look at it from the perspective of your audience. Social media is social media, but it shouldn't be considered a marketplace. Backlinko reports that 54% of social users use social media for product research. This is an enormous opportunity to make use of social media to share informative content and add value.
Sharing informative content has the advantage of making you appear as an expert in your field. This makes it easier to be perceived as a trustworthy resource rather than a salesman. When you share your offer, it will take less effort to convince your audience.
Related: Coaching: The Best-Kept Secret for Growing as an Entrepreneur
2. To connect with your audience, use storytelling
Marketers are well aware of the need to share educational and informational content. How can you differentiate yourself from other small businesses that use social media for marketing? 71% of them use it to market their products.
People do business with people they trust, like and know. Your content marketing strategy should include storytelling to establish a relationship with your ideal client.
Storytelling is a way to incite emotion and motivate action. Your brand will be more memorable if you use storytelling. It also helps to make your audience feel like they can relate to you. You can use your brand voice to tell your audience what your brand stands for and why it is important to them.
3. To inspire others, share your progress
When they feel inspired, people take action. People won't take action if they don't have the motivation. Sharing your successes with your clients is a great way to motivate them to take action.
Your prospects will be impressed by your past and the accomplishments you have made. It is important to remember that where you were once is also where they are now, which makes it relatable.
4. Share testimonials to show off your results
What does it have in common with the best coaches? Results.
Prospects want to make a decision and they want to be able to do so. Before they give their money to you, people need to feel confident in you. You can show results by sharing testimonials from clients. This will give you credibility and help you to not only talk about yourself but also your clients. This removes the barrier between you and your prospect. It helps prospects to not see your achievements as impossible. Instead, they can look at them from the perspective of "If others have done it", I can too.
Related: Why Coaching is Important for Entrepreneurs
5. Monitor social media engagement levels
Social media is heavily dependent on algorithm and engagement levels. Content is important, but algorithms are also crucial. The algorithm will push your post to more users if it receives more engagement. This will give you visibility and a boost in traffic as the snowball effect occurs. When it comes to visibility and virality, the algorithm has complete control, especially when more people comment, like, and share a post.
You will start to notice a trend in how each post performs once you have been posting content frequently. Digital marketing is all about data-driven improvements and testing. You will gain better insight into which posts to continue creating and which to modify to increase your overall performance by constantly monitoring and tracking your analytics. It's easier to post what your audience loves and stop posting content that doesn't get much traction.
6. To direct users to the next step, include calls to action
Your content strategy must have purpose and intention. Each piece of content you create must contribute to your social media goals and objectives.
Which next step do you want your prospect take?
What will they gain from it and why should they care?
Do you want to increase your email list?
Your call to action should be clear in each post. This will ensure that your clients know where to go. Your ideal clients need to understand why you are here, what you can do for them and how they can help. Clarity will help them move down the sales funnel. They won't need to guess the next step, but they will have a reason to not scroll past your post.
How to attract clients as a coach
There are many proven methods to attract clients as a coach. Every coach is different, just like every business owner. You need to recognize that every coach business is different and focus your efforts on what works for you.
It is important to be a recognized expert in your field and to focus on the lead-generating activities that will help you fill your sales funnel. It is easy to get lost in the rush to try everything. To attract clients, master one thing and be recognized for it.
Related: How lucrative is coaching as a business?