Elevate Your Coaching Business: Leveraging the Audience of Others to Win-Win-Win with Torie Mathis
Some successful business coaches are portrayed as a lone wolf who tackles everything on their own.
This can make you think that you always have to go at it alone and that partnering with others simply shouldn’t be done.
But nothing could be further from the truth. Choosing some smart partnerships and leveraging another business’ audiences can be a powerful way to grow your reach and your business.
When you are in beneficial partnerships, you can create a win-win-win situation. You win. The business you partner with wins, and the audience wins too. If you’re ready to experience one of these win-win-win situations, try doing at least one of these activities.
Guest Blogging
You probably have some amazing content. You’re already on the right social media platforms. Your coaching clients love your work, and you have awesome services.
But for some reason, you just haven’t been able to get the growth you want.
If this is happening, it might be you simply need more eyes on your and your business. After all, if customers don’t know your products and services exist, then they can’t buy them. That’s where guest blogging can be helpful.
Guest blogging is a simple way to get traffic (a.k.a. eyes) to your website. If you appear regularly on a major blog, you could easily double or triple your traffic in no time.
More targeted traffic means you’ll have more visitors discover your brand, join your mailing list, and buy your products. That’s a win for you!
With guest blogging, the audience really wins, too. They get quality content from a trusted source with a different perspective. They also find a new leader to follow (YOU).
Now that you understand why guest blogging is a win-win-win, it’s time to tackle the big question, “How do I get a site to publish my guest post?”
Guest post
The first step to get your guest post published is to find blogs in your industry, so you have readers that are interested in what you have to say.
If you’re in the marketing industry, you don’t want to guest post on an unrelated niche blog, such as an automotive blog.
Sure, you might get a bit of traffic, but it’s not your target market, so the traffic doesn’t convert to sales.
When it comes to submitting your guest blog post, there are a couple of ways to do it. The first is to write a short pitch for your article.
Your pitch should be a brief paragraph, or so, that sums up your post and what it will cover. You can also include a paragraph about why you’ll be an excellent fit for the site.
The second way to submit your guest post is to write it out and let your article speak for itself. The advantage of this strategy is that the site can quickly decide on whether your work is a fit for their site.
The downside side is that you may spend hours writing a post that never gets published.
Some sites prefer pitches because it makes it easier to evaluate your ideas. Other sites prefer getting to see the whole post before committing to your vision.
If you’re not sure what the blog owner prefers, read their submission guidelines carefully.
One thing to keep in mind when you’re trying to get a guest post published is to stay open to their feedback. The site owner may ask you to edit your article. They may suggest these changes for clarity, length, or style. If you stay open to any changes, it cements you as someone easy to work with and may open you up to make repeat guest posts on the same site.
Guest blogging is terrific for driving traffic back to your site. Use it right, and you can elevate your coaching business in exciting new ways.
Get Featured on Podcasts
You’re starting to get some traction online. You’ve received good feedback about your product or services. But something’s stalling your success.
It might be that your customers don’t know enough about your business to make a purchasing decision.
Customers want to work with business coaches that they feel connected to. While blogging and content marketing are great ways to start building your relationship, consumers want to feel like you really care.
That’s where podcasting can come in. Making an appearance on a podcast is a simple way to be seen as a caring authority in your niche (that’s a win for you!). It gives listeners a chance to get to know the person behind the business, a win for your audience.
Plus, it’s a win for the podcaster. Many podcast hosts spend hours trying to find guests to interview.
When you volunteer to be featured on their podcast, you’re taking one more task off their shoulders (that’s a win for them!).
If you’re not sure how to start getting interviews on podcasts, follow these simple tips:
Start by making a list of podcasts in your niche. There are two simple ways to find podcasts. One is to use Google.
You can also search the iTunes podcast directory. The directory has a list of podcasts that cover a variety of industries. Find the category that is closest to your area of expertise.
As you create the list, you’ll want to note three factors: if the podcast is still active, if it fits into your marketing, and if the host features interviews. If you can’t answer yes to those questions, don’t add that podcast to your list.
Once you’ve found some podcasts that look like a fit, it’s time to start building a relationship with the host. You can start by listening to a few recent episodes. Then subscribe to their newsletter and follow the host on social media. Do these tasks two or three weeks in advance, so the host will remember your name when you reach out.
When you’re ready to contact the host, address him or her by name.
In your email, you’ll want to mention that you’ve been listening to their podcast and you’d like to know if they need a guest. Give some information about yourself. You want to mention your story, as well as how it relates to their audience. If you can’t tell them how you will benefit their audience, they will not have an interest in working with you.
Once you’re accepted, create an opt-in gift on a landing page that is specific for this interview. Have a unique, easy to remember URL that your listeners can look up later. Remember, you want the opt-in gift to appeal to the podcast’s target market.
As soon as the podcast goes live, thank the podcaster and share it on your social media accounts. Spend a few days promoting your interview and reach out the podcaster again. Ask the host if they need another guest and recommend someone else. This is a simple way to network and connect with more business owners.
Find a Guest Host for Your Webinar
Creating a webinar and getting an expert guest to host it is a great way to elevate your business. It positions you as the go-to source in your niche (that’s your win!).
Your audience will know that even when you don’t have the answer for a problem or question, you can connect them to someone who does (that’s a win for you). Plus, your host will gain valuable exposure and have the opportunity to build their network (that’s a win for your guest!).
Despite all of these benefits, most online business owners worry that running a webinar is highly technical and complicated. But don’t let these thoughts stop you.
It can be simple and fun to run your own webinar when you follow these tips:
Choose a topic. When it comes to your webinar, you have to come up with a topic that your audience feels will address their needs. That’s because a webinar is a big commitment for most consumers. They’re agreeing to give up an hour of their time, and they want to make sure that your content is going to be worth it.
You don’t want to choose a general topic for your webinar like “grow your business.” You want your webinar to be focused on solving one problem for your audience. So a webinar on the topic of “7 Ways to get more Clients Using Facebook” is more likely to appeal to your community.
Once you have a topic in mind, look around for guests who could deliver that content to your audience. You can also search for podcasts in your niche that feature guests.
Pick an interviewee who offered valuable advice and reach out to them to see if they’d be interested in hosting a webinar with you. Try to choose someone who you like because you will be chatting with this person before, after, and during your webinar.
After you’ve selected a host and come up with a topic, you’ll need software you can use to host your webinar. A popular, easy to use option is Zoom.
Next step
Next, you’ll want to create a landing page that contains all of the information your attendees will need. This includes the date and time of the webinar. Be sure to mention which time zone you’ll be broadcasting from so attendees won’t miss your event.
Along with the date and time, you’ll want to include a description of the webinar, a few bullet points that list the benefits of attending, and a sign-up form for your mailing list. Be sure to add a strong CTA to the landing page, so visitors know what to do next.
You should have a list in your autoresponder for webinar attendees. When they subscribe to this, you should have a welcome message sent that mentions the date and time of the webinar again.
Then encourage your subscribers to add this event to their calendar. When you do this, your attendees are more likely to show up for your webinar.
Now that you have the right pieces in place, it’s time to start promoting your webinar. Begin with social media by creating a unique hashtag for the event.
Get followers and supporters to use this hashtag when talking about your upcoming webinar. This helps get the word out and should result in a few additional sign-ups.
Before your webinar, you’ll want to send attendees at least three emails. The first email should be sent a couple of days in advance. Talk up the webinar and mention the time/date it will be held.
Your second email should be sent the day of your webinar. Briefly mention the upcoming event, so those who have forgotten about it will remember to tune in.
The third email should be sent an hour before the event. State that your webinar is starting soon. Doing this gives your attendees time to shut down other tasks so that they can give you their full attention.
Keep in mind that not everyone who registers will actually show up. Only 20-25% of registered attendees will actually be there. You can motivate more people to attend by creating a special gift that only live attendees receive. This could be a short workbook, a free module from your eCourse, or an exclusive discount coupon.
Don’t be afraid to try out a webinar event and see how it works for your business. You’ll probably find that hosting a webinar with a featured guest, who provides incredible value to your community, makes everyone a winner!
Why This Win-Win-Win Strategy Is Awesome
It’s not just smart to work with other business coaches and business owners it’s fun, too! You get to form new relationships, grow your business, and even find new friends that you wouldn’t have met otherwise.
So, take time today and reach out to someone you admire.
Brainstorm how you can partner together and elevate both of your businesses!
About Torie Mathis
Torie Mathis helps entrepreneurs, like you, use digital marketing to grow your business without wasting time, money, or your sanity. She is a best-selling author, Army veteran, speaker + trainer, and your digital marketing coach. She'll show you how you don’t need crazy tech skills, buckets of cash, or dedicated staff to market your business. What you need is to be SMART! Find more about her and her Smart Marketing Strategy at toriemathis.com
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