When it comes to online coaching marketing, many experienced life and business coaches are overlooking one of the most promising platforms for creating relationships with new potential clients: LinkedIn. In fact, a surprising number of professionals don’t get much further than creating a profile and connecting with a few existing colleagues, due largely to the fact that LinkedIn appears at first glance to be:
- Less Fun than Twitter or Facebook
- Fairly Inactive Compared to Similar Services
- Disturbingly Similar to Homework
Like so many other things in social media and practice marketing, however, all three of these perceived faults are complete misconceptions. Once you scratch the surface of LinkedIn, you’ll quickly find that the platform is packed with potential clients talking shop in various groups, as well as other coaches in your niche you may want to connect with.
Focus on Your Target Market in Your Profile
The biggest mistake that users make when they are creating and managing their accounts is to treat their profile like a standard resume. Just because LinkedIn is built around giving professionals a place to connect doesn’t mean that you need to throw your marketing savvy out with your dirty limericks. Instead of presenting yourself as some sort of job applicant, use your LinkedIn profile to explain how your professional services can help improve potential clients’ lives.
Find Out Where Your Ideal Clients Like to Gather
When it comes to finding new coaching clients on LinkedIn, the best place to focus your energy is on LinkedIn Groups. Depending on your target coaching niche, your target market will either be located in one central group or spread across a few different spots on the service. Once you have found a couple of groups that are active with potential clients, simply jump into the fray and join the conversation. By spending 10 to 15 minutes a day creating new relationships within your target market, you’ll soon start seeing some positive conversions from users who have discovered your coaching website on LinkedIn.