Monday, April 1, 2013

3 Best Practices for Coaches Using Social Media

By Tanya Smith, Online Business Strategist


























When the amazing Will Deyamport, MSEd asked me months ago to write a blog post about using social media for coaching, I wasn't sure I would be the best person to fit the bill. For one thing although I am a business coach, I do not profess to be a social media expert.

I have, however, successfully used social media were getting the word out about my business over the past 3-4 years and it has become an integral part of how I do business.

In this article, I will share with you 3 ways in which I have applied social media to my business practices as a coach with favorable results. Whether you're new to coaching or simply new to doing business online, a few of these best practices may resonate with you.

Market Coaching Services


I use social media to communicate information about upcoming offers as well as to promote 
events and programs. When I say “promote”, I don’t mean starting out of the gate that I began to blast short ads all over Twitter every 15 minutes. Promotion is done in conjunction with sharing great resources and information that apply to my target audience.

My philosophy is that social media has been a tremendous part of my overall marketing 
strategy; but it is not the marketing strategy.

One of the biggest mistakes new business professionals tend to make is to assume that 
social media in itself is the marketing plan, but it’s important to understand social media is simply one of several vehicles in a larger, broader strategy to build and promote your business.

Let me share an example. I recall a client who had about 3 followers on Twitter. When she 
promoted her brand new, fabulously irresistible coaching group, she tweeted mini-ads about once every couple of days. There were no other promotions, no offline networking, no other advertising means. What do you think happened?

Of course, no one bought into the program and no one saw the tweets.


However, we worked to develop and introduce a four-part, free video series structured 
around the client’s target audience and their biggest need. She pushed back the start date two months later, and over a period of time she had engaged in ongoing online conversations through forums, blogs, and other media talking about the topic and building her credibility as an expert.

This time when she launched the program, there was a packed group.


Provide Services To Clients


Another way I have used social media is as a platform to provide coaching services and 
products.

In the past, I created a tab on my Facebook fan page that collected questions for which I 
could provide answers during my ongoing coaching group each month.

Another idea I have seen implemented is that of coaching over Google + hangouts. As the 
moderator, you are able to control the privacy of your group and only allow those you specifically invite to the calls to participate over video.

What I like most about this concept is that you not only get to engage your small group in 
conversation, but they also have the opportunity to interact with you visually. This creates deeper, more authentic relationships and connection – and that works great for a coaching environment.

Find Helpful Resources


Finally a third way in which I have successfully engaged social media is by using it to find 
helpful resources to maintain my business.

When seeking out specific administrative service providers, I have interacted with my 
network on Twitter or LinkedIn or Referral Key to find referrals from people I trust. This cansave a considerable amount of time and money for your business. Just like the days before online business became the norm, there is significant value in working with people for which others have had a great experience.

There are coaches who do not yet fully integrate social media into how they operate, but I 
have found social media to be quite advantageous to my business.

If you do decide to apply social media to your business growth strategies, think smart - 
evaluate where your market currently spends time online, consider how social media fits into your larger plan, and think about how much time you're willing to invest.

If you'd like more information on how to create a social media strategy that fits your 
schedule, I've created a workbook to help you map out a plan for when to post, where to post, and more. You will find this guide at http://www.tanyasmithonline.com/social-mediaplanning

About the Author: Tanya Smith is a creative business strategist and coach specializing in 
showing independent service providers how to do business online. Her company Be Promotable provides fresh actionable strategies and virtual resources to promote business owners as power players in their market. For more information, visit Tanya’s social business card at www.about.me/tanyasmith and get updates on upcoming online business resources at: www.tanyasmithonline.com.

6 comments:

  1. Mr. Deyamport,
    Hi, my name is Kelli Francis, and I'm from EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. Thank you for sharing Mrs. Smith's plan on using social media to expand businesses! I found many helpful tips here on how to prosper as a business owner while sharpening my senses on modern technology usage. Although I plan on becoming an educator and not a business owner, the future can surprise us, and in a way, running a classroom can be much like running a business. I feel that the amount of dedication, hard work, and wise decisions that are poured into our students, the more positive and effective the results will be in our schools. I will definitely refer back to these concepts, and I look forward to reading more of your posts soon!

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    1. Kelli,

      Thank you so much for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. I am happy that Tanya's post spoke to you. She is an amazing person and well versed in the uses of social media.

      Dr. Will

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  4. Mrs. Smith and Dr. Will,

    I truly enjoyed reading this article. I was thoroughly intrigued by your article. It gives a new perspective about your techniques and tips. The ideas you provide truly portray how social media can benefit a person and their business ventures. Social media seems to be the most up to date way to reach and build a clientele. Beyond this, we are given the opportunity to collaborate and learn from others. The resources are there to complete virtually any aspect of creating and maintaining a successful business. Thank you very much for your insight! It was a pleasure to read!

    Leah Garvens

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    Replies
    1. Leah,

      Thank you so much for leaving a comment on my blog. I am humbled that you chose to stop by my blog out the many Dr. Strange recommended. I hope that you continue to find the content on my blog to be useful.

      Dr. Will

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