Content Pillars – How to identify them and why you need them
Introduction
As a service business, coach or consultant are you attracting and working with your absolute ideal customer who is a dream to work with? If not and you are struggling to attract the right clients, it could be because you don’t have a clear target customer defined. That’s why knowing your customer will allow you to attract the people you can best serve.
In this blog, I will explore various strategies on how to get more of the right clients.
- I’ll delve into why you’re not getting (the right) clients and the root solution to this issue: knowing your customer.
- I’ll also tackle the advantages of niche marketing.
Whether you’re a new coach / consultant, just starting out or a seasoned professional looking to grow your business, you will learn how you can position yourself for success in your industry.
Knowing your customer – 5 common reasons why you’re not getting clients
One of the biggest hurdles that coaches face is attracting the right clients, especially in the early stages of their business.
So let’s start with the 5 common reasons why you’re not getting clients:
#1 Lack of visibility
Your potential clients can’t work with you if they don’t know you exist.
You need to increase your visibility through your website, social media, speaking engagements and networking events.
Lack of marketing skills and experience can worsen this, you can learn more about visibility here.
#2 Unclear messaging
Your messaging is unclear for your potential clients to understand what you do and how you can help them.
You need to be able to articulate the value you offer and how you solve their problems in a clear and engaging way.
#3 no target market
Your messaging may also be too broad and not clear on who your ideal customer is.
Trying to appeal to everyone, means you are attracting no-one.
Understand your ideal customer profile, narrow your focus and target a specific customer type will help you better understand their needs and how to market to them.
#4 Not standing out
There may be many other coaches offering similar services in your specialised area.
Find ways to differentiate yourself from the competition and communicate your unique selling point (USP).
This is done through your branding, the unique services you offer, your approach and just being YOU.
#5 Lack of niche
Trying to appeal to everyone rather than focusing on a specific niche can dilute the message and make it harder to stand out in a crowded marketplace.
There are many advantages of niche marketing. As a coach focus on developing a clear niche and positioning yourself as the expert in that area. More on this later…
Narrow your focus and target a specific niche to stand out in the market place!
GET TO KNOW your customer ON A DEEPER LEVEL
Many coaches struggle to attract clients because they don’t have a clear understanding of who their ideal customer actually is, and as a result, they struggle to communicate the value they offer.
In order to attract more clients, it’s essential to know your customer and the problem you solve for them.
This involves understanding the needs and pain points of your target market so that your services are aligned to meet those needs.
People don’t buy your services, they buy the transformation you offer and that comes down to successfully helping others achieve this transformation and sharing the proof of these success stories.
People also buy emotionally so your messaging needs to be backed up with facts and practical evidence to support your emotive claims about what is at stake.
Effective marketing relies on a clear understanding of your target customer so you can speak to them directly. Rather than trying to appeal to everyone.
People don’t buy your services, they buy the transformation you offer.
start with the problem you solve…
Before you figure out your ideal customer type you need to go deep on the problem you solve.
When you understand what your clients’ are struggling with, you can focus your marketing efforts on showing how you can fill these needs and attract new clients.
There are several steps to knowing your customer:
- Research their problems and pain points they are experiencing that is keeping them stuck
- Understand what is at stake if they don’t solve this problem.
- Help them see you as the solution because you have overcome their very problem.
- Position your offers to be the solution and use multiple customer types to be super specific.
Thorough market research will provide you with many of these answers, so you can tailor your services to address the pain points.
Allowing you to position yourself as the solution to their problem and make it easier to attract new clients.
However, mostly you will know the answers to these questions because you have already worked with someone previously or perhaps you were once your ideal customer and you found a way to overcome the issue and now want to share this with others.
If you understand what your clients are struggling with, you’ll know how to direct your marketing efforts to solve their problems.
Knowing your customer – 5 steps to attract more coaching clients
As we discussed earlier, knowing your customer is the first step to finding clients. You need to have a clear understanding of your target market and what problems you can solve for them. How do you do that?
Here are five steps to get more coaching clients:
#1 Meet them where they are at
One of the most important things you can do to attract coaching clients is to meet them where they are at. This means understanding the specific problems they face, the pain points that they encounter and the transformation they are seeking. By focusing on the gaps you fill, you can position yourself as the solution to their problems.
For example, if you are a life coach targeting women in their 30s who are struggling with work-life balance, your messaging should focus on the specific pain points and transformation they are seeking.
“Are you feeling overwhelmed by the demands of work and family? Let me help you find balance and regain control of your life.”
I will be teaching a Thought Reversal Messaging Workshop on meeting people where they are at. You will learn how to use the power of storytelling and the process of thought reversal messaging to attract and connect with more clients. Find out more about the workshop here.
#2 Use market research
Market research involves gathering information about your target audience, including their demographics, psychographics and buying behaviours.
By understanding your target audience’s needs, preferences, and behaviours, you can create more effective marketing campaigns that resonate with them.
For example, you can use online surveys, social media analytics, and customer feedback to gather information about your target audience.
You can also research industry trends and best practices to gain insights into what is working for other coaches in your niche.
#3 Create your ideal customer profile
Creating an ideal customer profile focuses your marketing efforts on the clients you want to work with and the clients who need you the most.
This involves defining the specific characteristics of your ideal client, including their age, gender, income level, values, interests and pain points. This ideal customer profile allows you to create marketing messaging that speaks directly to their needs and interests.
For example, if you are a business coach targeting female entrepreneurs in the tech industry, your ideal customer profile might look like this:
- Age: 30-45
- Gender: Female
- Income level: $75,000+
- Values: Work-life balance, innovation, empowerment
- Interests: Technology, entrepreneurship, personal development
- Pain points: Lack of funding, difficulty scaling, imposter syndrome
#4 Consider nicheing
Nicheing is a strategy that involves focusing on a specific area of expertise or a particular target audience.
By narrowing your focus, you can position yourself as an expert in your niche and attract clients who are specifically looking for the services you offer.
For example, if you are a career coach, you can niche down to focus specifically on helping mid-career professionals transition into leadership roles.
By specialising in this area, you can differentiate yourself from other career coaches and attract clients who are specifically looking for this type of expertise.
This is just one of the advantages of niche marketing. You can learn about niche marketing here.
#5 market TO YOUR IDEAL CUSTOMER
Once you have created your ideal customer profile, you can use it to develop targeted marketing campaigns that speak directly to your ideal clients.
This involves using the language, imagery, and messaging that resonate with your target audience.
For example, if your ideal client is a busy working mum:
- Your marketing campaigns might focus on the benefits of coaching, such as saving time, reducing stress and improving work-life balance.
- You can use images of happy families, peaceful work environments and empowered women to appeal to their values and interests.
- You can use language that speaks directly to their pain points, such as:
“Are you feeling overwhelmed by the demands of work and family? I help you find balance and regain control of your life.”
The information you gather about your target audience can help you create more effective marketing campaigns that resonate with them.
Advantages of niche marketing
For many coaches, the question of whether to niche is an age-old issue.
Nicheing allows you to stand out uniquely in a crowded market and focuses your efforts to attract your ideal customer.
Focusing on a niche necessitates niche marketing. Niche marketing is the practice of targeting a specific, well-defined market segment with a unique product or service offering.
This approach has several advantages, such as:
- Less competition: By targeting a specific niche, you’ll be competing with fewer businesses. This can make it easier to stand out and attract clients.
- Better client fit: By specialising in a niche, you’ll be better equipped to understand your client’s needs and provide solutions that meet their specific needs.
- Higher perceived value: When you’re a specialist in a particular area, you’ll be seen as an expert, which can increase the perceived value of your services.
- Easier marketing: By knowing your target market, you can create more targeted and effective marketing campaigns that resonate with your ideal clients.
- Opportunities for growth: By building a strong reputation within a specific niche, you’ll create opportunities to expand your business and potentially enter into related niches.
However, it is equally important to recognise when you need to niche your business.
An example is a coach I worked with from the start of her business. She’s a widow with two young children and over time had mastered ways to deal with grief and move forward in life, whilst still honouring her loved one. In time she wanted to share this and help other widows. Initially she started her business as a ‘break up and bereavement coach’. She felt that some of her experience could also help people going through divorce. In time she shifted this to being a ‘grief and loss coach’ so that it was more targeted and aligned with her experience. This was super specific but didn’t happen overnight. She was able to try out her messaging in her marketing and then discover what content was being engaged with. The results showed that speaking directly to the widow was the most powerful and this was also her direct experience. So she became the UK’s first Widow Coach and now helps widows all over the world.
It is clear from this case study that nicheing down is a journey, not a destination. It doesn’t need to be rushed. But it is worth considering over time.
One of the things I hear all the time is:
‘but I can help so many more people, I don’t want to alienate them’…
Use your discretion
Nicheing takes courage and confidence. But just because you are being specific doesn’t mean you can’t help those who don’t quite fit the mould. It is at your discretion who you work with and that decision can be done on a case by case basis.
Saying no to the wrong type of customers allows you to say yes to more of the right type of customers!
When you are seen as a specialist in a particular area, it increases the perceived value of your services.
Conclusion
The challenge of attracting clients lies in really knowing your customer. A successful coaching business requires more than just knowledge and passion. It also requires an understanding of your target audience and their needs.
You will find yourself on the way to attracting coaching clients by:
- Meeting your clients where they are
- Conducting market research
- Creating an ideal customer profile
- Considering the advantages of niche marketing
- Using your customer avatar to market your business
At the heart of it all, taking the time to really meet people where they are at is what will allow you to understand your target market so you can create a clear and compelling message that resonates with your ideal clients. This will make it easier to attract new clients and build a successful coaching business.
When you understand your target market and create compelling messages that resonate with them, you will build a successful business.
Meet them where they are at (not where you think they should be!)
If you found this helpful and you’d like to learn more about standing out from the crowd – then I have an offer that is for you!
Too much emphasis is placed on profiling your ‘ideal customer’ and nicheing down. Yes this is a part of the process but first I want you to meet your customer where they are at.
The problem they have that they have tried to solve on their own. The problem you solved yourself. By going deep with the problem you solve you are able to create content that is engaging and resonates because they know you get them and can help.
In this Thought Reversal Messaging Workshop, I introduce you to:
- the journey you take clients on.
- How first they are struggling and after working with you they are successful.
- The power of storytelling and also the process of thought reversal messaging to properly connect.
Sign up now to save your space – limited number of spaces available.