The Most Effective Organic Social Media Marketing Strategy for Life Coaches
Here are the 7 steps to success for defining a highly effective social media strategy which builds an audience who know, like and trust you.
1. Identify your target audience
The first step in creating a social media strategy is to be very clear who your target audience is. For a life coach, this may include individuals looking to improve their personal or professional lives, or those who are seeking guidance and support in achieving their goals. However it's important to narrow it down as much as possible - remember:
The narrower a niche, the easier they are to market to.
When identifying your target audience, it's important to be specific. You should consider factors such as age, gender, location, interests, goals, and challenges that your audience is facing. On top of demographics, consider their psychographics. Psychographics are what interests them, how they think about things. This will help you to create content that is relevant and appealing to them, and to choose the right platforms to reach them.
For example try to write a similar paragraph about your audience and get as specific as possible:
- Define your niche: "I specialize in career coaching for women in their 30s who are looking to advance their careers and achieve their professional goals.
- Research your audience: "Based on market research and social media analytics, my potential audience is primarily female, aged 30-40, and located in urban areas. They are interested in personal and professional development, and are facing challenges such as imposter syndrome and work-life balance."
- Define your ideal client: "My ideal client is a woman in her 30s who is ambitious and driven, but who struggles with self-doubt and a lack of confidence. She is looking for guidance and support in achieving her career goals and improving her work-life balance."
By understanding who your target audience is, you can create a social media strategy that is tailored to their needs and interests, and that is more likely to resonate with them and inspire them to take action.
2. Choose the right platforms
Not all social media platforms are equally effective for reaching your target audience. Some platforms, such as LinkedIn, may be more effective for reaching a professional audience, while others, such as Tiktok, may be better for reaching a younger demographic.
When choosing the right platforms for your social media strategy, it's important to consider the unique features and audience of each platform. This will help you to create a strategy that is tailored to the strengths of each platform.
Here are some potential considerations for choosing the right platforms for a life coach:
- LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a professional networking platform and most suitable for career development related content. Even if your coaching is not directly related to careers, but specifically targets audience with problems in professional setting(e.g. work stress), it should be your destination. While it’s mostly text based, video aspect on LinkedIn has been growing fast too.
- Facebook: Facebook is a popular social networking platform that is used by a wide range of demographics. Life coaches can use Facebook to share content, engage with followers, and promote their services. You can create a Facebook page for your business, and share blog posts, videos, and other content that is relevant to your audience. You can also use Facebook ads to target specific demographics and interests, and to promote your services to a wider audience.
- Instagram: Instagram is a visual platform that is popular among individuals looking for inspiration and guidance on personal growth and development. Life coaches can use Instagram to share visually appealing photos and videos that showcase their services and success stories. You can also use Instagram stories and Live streams to share more personal and behind-the-scenes content, and to offer advice and insights in a more informal and engaging way.
- Tiktok: TikTok is a short-form video platform that is popular among younger users. Life coaches can use TikTok to create engaging, fun, and informative videos that showcase their expertise and personality.
One potential advantage of using TikTok for life coaching is that it provides an opportunity to create more informal and light-hearted content that can help to break down barriers and connect with your audience on a more personal level.
3. Create engaging content
Once you have chosen the right platforms for your social media strategy, the next step is to create engaging content that will attract and retain your audience's attention. This is an important part of any social media strategy, as it is the content that you share that will ultimately determine whether your audience is interested in your services and whether they take action.
Here are some potential tips for creating engaging content as a life coach:
- Provide value: The content that you share should provide value to your audience. This can include tips, advice, and insights that are relevant to your audience's challenges and goals. Giving away your tips and advice for free might seem scary at first, but it pays in the long term. In social media, trust in your expertise comes directly from the value you give.
- Be authentic: The content that you share should be authentic and reflect your personality and be as specific as possible. This will help to differentiate you from other life coaches and make you more relatable to your audience which will lead to stronger connection and more trust.
- Be consistent: Consistency is key in social media. By posting regularly and consistently, you can build a loyal following and keep your audience engaged. You can use a content calendar to plan out your posts in advance and make sure that you are posting regularly and consistently. Get your free content calendar template here (https://pensight.com/content-marketing-calendar-template )
- Use visuals: Visual content, such as photos and videos, is more engaging than text-based content. Consider using visual content, such as infographics, images, or videos, to make your content more appealing and shareable.
4. Use hashtags and keywords
Hashtags are important for reaching new audiences. Here are a few things that might help:
Search for relevant hashtags on Instagram, follow these steps:
- Open the Instagram app on your mobile device
- Tap on the search icon (magnifying glass) in the bottom menu
- Type a relevant keyword, such as "career advice" or "women in business", into the search bar
- Scroll through the results to see the hashtags that are associated with your keyword and the numbers behind them
To analyze the results, don’t only look at the numbers behind the hashtags, but also to the accounts that use them - are they relevant, new, growing, and active. Get in the shoes of your audience and think if they would like the posts you see under these hashtags.
To choose the right hashtags on Instagram, follow these steps:
- Select a mix of popular and less popular hashtags that are relevant to your audience and your niche.
- Use a combination of general and specific hashtags. For example, you might use a general hashtag such as #motivation, as well as a specific hashtag such as #careeradviceforwomen. This will help you to reach a wider audience, while also targeting potential clients who are interested in your specific niche.
- Monitor the performance of your hashtags. Use Instagram analytics or a social media management tool to track the engagement and reach of your posts with each hashtag. This will help you to understand which hashtags are performing well, and to adjust your strategy accordingly.
5. Engage with your audience
Social media is not just about broadcasting your own content – it's also about the direct feedback to your audience. Respond to comments and messages, and encourage your followers to share their own experiences and insights. This will help to build a sense of community and trust among your followers. Be prompt, friendly, and helpful. Here are some specific ways to do that:
- Respond to comments and messages from your followers in a timely and friendly manner. This shows that you value their feedback and are willing to engage with them.
- Ask your followers for their feedback and opinions on specific topics or challenges. You can also use this feedback to improve your services and to create better content.
- Share user-generated content, such as success stories or testimonials, on your social media channels. One of the key ways people build trust is via other people’s validation - take advantage of it.
- Host live events or Q&A sessions, it’s one of the most important ways to solidify your community, and we advice to do it at least once in a couple of weeks. You don’t need to prepare much, just let your followers ask questions and receive personalized advice and feedback.
6. Collaborate with other pros
Collaborating with other professionals, such as therapists or business coaches, can help to expand your reach and build your reputation as a life coach. It often only takes a quick message to set something up.
Here are some specific ways that you can collaborate:
- Collaborate on Instagram posts or Reels - you can produce the post yourself, which references the work of another creator and send them a quick message asking to collaborate.
- Consider guest posting on each other's blogs to introduce your services and expertise to a new audience. “Hey, I’d like to write a guest post on your blog about X, I think your audience would love it” is often what it takes.
- Share each other's content on your social media channels to introduce your followers to their services and expertise. Generosity is often reciprocated!
- Consider partnering on a webinar or live event to provide a more in-depth and interactive experience for your audience. You can share your expertise on a specific topic, and invite your collaborator to provide their perspective and advice.
7. Offer promotions and discounts
Offering promotions and discounts can be an effective way to attract new clients and retain existing ones. Here are some specific ways that you can use promotions and discounts to drive business on social media:
- Offer a discount for new clients: for example, "Sign up now for your first coaching session and receive 25% off the regular price. Use code NEWCLIENT at checkout. Only available for the first 10 clients!". Pensight makes it really easy to create discount codes that can be limited in time and number of uses.
- Run a special promotion: "For a limited time, get 3 coaching sessions for the price of 2. Sign up now to take advantage of this offer. Offer expires [date]." You can do that with Coaching Bundles on Pensight, it only takes a couple of minutes to set up an offer like that.
By following this guidance, a life coach can use social media to connect with potential clients, promote their services, and build a successful online coaching business.
