There's one thing coaches I speak with seem to really fear about using Facebook to market their business…
…it’s having to “promote” themselves.
Coaches, at least the ones I know, like to focus on “giving” and “solving” – NOT on “selling.”
If this sounds familiar, then let me take a moment to remind you: coaching is a BUSINESS, and businesses need to be promoted by someone.
But here’s the good news…
Marketing on Facebook is best accomplished when it’s NOT promotional.
Facebook, after all, is not a platform where most people go to shop – or seek out ways to spend their money. But they may be there to find support from friends, guidance from people in groups, or, perhaps they just popped on to escape life for a few minutes.
So, if you are thinking that Facebook doesn’t actually sound so scary after all, here’s a few pointers on how to make it work best for your coaching business (without selling your services):
LIMIT YOUR PROMOS
“Wait, David, didn’t you just say that we shouldn’t promote on Facebook?”
Well, let me try to clarify that: The overwhelming amount of content you share should NOT promote anything. Instead, it should:
Entertaie, Educate, Inspire, or otherwise help your prospective clients appreciate what you have to offer them (and, at the same time increase the level of value they perceive you providing them).
This kind of content is what Gary Vaynerchuk refers to as ”Jabs” in his terrific social media handbook “Jab Jab Jab Right Hook.”
“Without a proper combination of jabs to guide you customer–I mean, your opponent–right where you want him, your right hook could be perfect and your opponent could still dodge it as easily as a piece of dandelion fluff. Precede that perfectly executed right hook with a combination of targeted, strategic jabs, however and you will rarely miss.”
If you consistently provide the kind of value-based content that your audience appreciates (and that can absolutely include well-curated resources from others)… your audience will fully embrace your occasional promotional content— as in 10% to 20% of your posts — because you’ve shown them the goods through all the other content you’ve shared previously.
USE FACEBOOK ADS STRATEGICALLY
Here’s the thing about Facebook Ads – just like your regular posts, they work best when they are not promotional (at least not most of them).
The most effective kinds of ads on social media don’t really feel like ads at all. Instead, they are promoted “content” that bring people to destinations online that accomplish the same kinds of goals as discussed above – entertain, inspire, educate, etc.
The big difference is, this time, you have the ability to position your content (like an image, video, or even a link to a blog post) as a natural extension of your non-salesy posts…
But, running ads to this kind of content will allow you to tap into Facebook’s super smart advertising tools – and use the actions of people who click on your ads to help determine what further, more promotional ads to display to them in the future.
Here are a couple of great examples of posts which don't sell directly… but they are most certainly part of a campaign to promoted the businesses behind them.
Sandi consistently delivers wonderfully inspiring messages in her posts. Sometimes it's an image. Sometimes it's a faith-focussed quote. Sometimes it's a quick video. But the posts she pays to promote go a long way toward “seasoning” her audience to appreciate who she is.
Pat Flynn has established an empire based around his podcasts and niche websites. He makes money from affiliate promotions, sponsors, and paid speaking engagements. So his promoted posts on Facebook help drive traffic to places where he can grow his audience, like his website where people can listen to or find a link to download his latest podcast.
This simple video was shot before the NYC marathon which was scheduled to take place the day after halloween. It's brief, amusing, and has a call-to-action to get people to sign up for the NY Times' weekly video newsletter.
In all three examples, there is nothing being sold – nor is anything overtly promotional.
This is the kind of content which Facebook users appreciate… and it will help you grow your business far more effectively than directly promoting your latest course, workshop, or even the oh-so-common “free” consultation.
TAKE A DEEPER DIVE
Facebook marketing and ads can be such an overwhelming subject. But when you dissect it and get to the core of what you are trying to accomplish, it can be a wonderfully profitable marketing channel.
If you're a entrepreneurial coach who wants to increasing your income using social media sites like Facebook without wasting time and money on the wrong marketing activities then my FREE guide, “Social Marketing Mistakes” will help you find success with social marketing – FAST!
