Scatter Your Seeds: Ways to market your Coaching Offer right now (without social media)

Marketing your coaching doesn’t have to mean posting more on social media. In this ep, I’m sharing a load of creative ways to get your work in front of the right people, that are creative, proven and designed to suit your preferences. If your marketing feels a bit stuck, inconsistent, or overly reliant on socials, this will give you plenty of grounded ideas to start experimenting with straight away. 

AND if you would prefer to never market in public, you can still have a full practice of clients - I'll share how. 

🌱 PLUS: all the ideas (including links) are available in a free download here: https://saspetherick.myflodesk.com/seeds 🌱

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Apply now for Ripen www.saspetherick.com/ripen 

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Website: www.saspetherick.com | Instagram:  @saspetherick

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Hello and welcome to Courage and Spice for Coaches, where you build your self-belief and your business in under 30 minutes a week. I'm Sass Petherick, your host. I'm a coach, supervisor, and unapologetic self-belief nerd. My mission is simple. I want your coaching practice to feel like a right fucking bitch. Let's go! So it has been a really weird week. I had for the first time ever a post on Instagram go completely bonkers viral. Like Monica Lewinsky shared my post. Linda Hamilton, yes, that Linda Hamilton from the Terminator movies liked it. It has been viewed well over a hundred thousand times now. I've got over 10,000 likes and hundreds of new followers. So great news, right? Well, the post itself was a bunch of memes about Generation X, which is of course the best one, just in case you're wondering. So it's pretty much nothing to do with coaching. I don't know if anyone who's now following me is actually a coach or a potential client, but I don't know. It was such a huge learning experience, and it made me realize that I do hold back on socials because I have this fear of being misunderstood. Like that feels really crunchy to me. So I know that I have kept opinions to myself and ideas, and I'm I overthink, you know, how something's gonna land. Um, partly because you know, I just I kind of can't be arsed with the weirdness that I see on socials, and also I think, you know, it's kind of I guess my thing that I I do care and I do think about stuff quite a bit. So, anyhow, after this post, several people pointed out a couple of spelling mistakes and incorrect grammar, including one woman who had such a stuck-up for us about it. She was just really mean, and I so I blocked her because no, you cannot come into my digital house and be a total bitch. Like, no, and there was the inevitable boomer moment, you know, when someone's just like itching for a bit of conflict. I think they call it rage baiting. Anyway, I just don't play that game, so they also got blocked. Several people kind of shared random stuff that wasn't even related, like a couple of people dumped on the post on me, the world, like it was kind of fascinating because while it was all happening, it was just such a like tidal wave of attention. I I kind of couldn't find that crunchy feeling of oh my god, I'm being misunderstood while it was all happening. Like, I just had this realization, oh you're interpreting this whatever way you want, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it because it's actually nothing to do with me. Like how you interpret this is nothing to do with me. So it was truly a weird couple of days. It felt really exposing to have so much attention on this post, but I also was like, oh, it's nothing to do with me, like no one knows who I am. Like it's the attention is not on me, it's on this post, and that was super liberating because I was kind of way less bothered than I imagined I would have been by all of these like rando people who have feelings and opinions. So it was it was kind of a fascinating experience, and I think as well because this was unrelated to my work, I was really unattached to it all. Um, and I sort of feel like it all counts. Like, I I honestly don't have much of a strategy when it comes to socials. I think chasing the algorithm is crazy making. So my approach is just to show up human with a lot of love and hope and try and you know be myself as much as possible. It's which is kind of how I try to show up everywhere, to be fair. So fascinating experience. I'm curious to know like if you also maybe have desires to go viral and what you imagine it might be, because that for me was fascinating. Anyway, so that happened, and speaking of being human, I'm planning after this episode to take a little break from the podcast. We have about five weeks before our little family moves back to the UK, and we have a lot happening in that next month. I have no idea how I'm going to say goodbye to people, to be fair. And I'm also really excited to be planning a couple of in-person events in the UK this autumn, next spring. There is also the non-trivial matter of delivering my TED talk in the same week that we move countries, which I have to completely memorize 18 minutes word for word, you know, with stage presence that will be on video forever. So I'm kind of I've bought like four different outfits to wear. It's ridiculous. I actually can I just also tell you, I feel like we're just catching up over a cup of tea. Anyway, I just had the first treatment of IPL, that intense light pulse laser-y thing on my face. Oh my god, it's insane! Like, I'm so happy with the results because I've got like some sunspots and some weird capillary shiz going on. So, anyway, had that done last week. It was kind of painful, but not as bad as I thought it was gonna be. And um I have another treatment coming up in a couple of weeks. Anyway, there's a lot of prep going on over here, and I always want to be giving you super helpful stuff that I have time to think about and you know share properly. So I've decided to take a bit of a break, and that means I will be back in June from my little office in Bristol. And speaking of June, from the 1st of June, I'm going to be raising the price of Ripen. So if you have been listening in, sitting on the fence, want a little nudge that will save you some cashola, now is the time to apply. So you can do that via the link in the show notes. So, enough of the admin, let's do this episode. I want to give you something super juicy to play with ways to market your coaching offer right now without just posting more on social media, because I think we understandably get a bit weirded out by that kind of marketing for lots of reasons. I've mentioned this on numerous previous episodes. And some of the things I've experienced this week as well, right? Being judged and criticized and rage-baited and trolled and dumped on by strangers on the internet. Totally understandable that none of us really love that. And I also think it's a total shame to avoid this massive free shop front that social media provides us with, um, because of that risk that a few random people have poor impulse control and may project that onto you, right? But the good news is that there are also so many ways that you can market your coaching offer that does not involve social media, right? So let's chat about that because this is one of the things that I really love to do in Ripen is once we get your offer really designed as in the most client-centered way possible, like to actually come up with a marketing strategy that you are super excited about and really fits your personality and what you love to do. I think that can be just oh, it feels so good to do that. So I wanted to share uh what I think is quite a helpful metaphor and how I sort of think about running a coaching business, which is I think it's like having a garden, right? And so we start a garden by scattering seeds, right? So this is our marketing. We scatter seeds in the hope that some people will say, Oh, yes, please, I'm interested in you, I'm interested in your work, I'm curious about coaching with you, tell me more, kind of vibes. And so they will want to be connected to us, they will follow along, they'll engage, they'll sign up for a free thing and join our email subscribers list. And so they go from being a seed to becoming a bud, right? And that's when they start growing in our garden, right? They've asked for more info, they want to know more. And honestly, your email list, I think, is more important than your website. Like, have an email list, do it, always be interested in growing it. If you're wondering where your next client is coming from, it's gonna be from your list. And unless your clients are 100% referrals from other people, your next client is on your subscriber list. So these buds are the gold in your business, right? These these people that have opted in, they've seen one of your seeds, one of your marketing seeds that you've scattered, and they've said, yep, I want to know more, and they've opted in and become a bud. The first impression you make on these people really matter. So you just imagine you're showing someone around your garden, like welcome them in, show them the bits, right? They've said they're interested. So take that opportunity when someone signs up to your email list. This is an opportunity to set up a welcome conversation, a short series of emails that gives that person the beginnings of a relationship of sorts with you, right? So it links them to our work, to our paid offers. It helps them to get to know us a little more and to know what to expect. Now, some people will stay buds for years, even decades, if you're in this for the long haul. And some will become paying clients. These are your saplings in your garden. Some of these saplings will become return clients. Lovely trees, right? And I have had trees who by every offer, they work with me for years and years. We love the trees. So if you want that kind of practice where people get so much value from working from you that they just stick around, the first step, and this episode is all about scattering those seeds, right? And so what I really encourage you to answer is where could you be scattering your seeds? Like, where could you show up and say hello to your people? Like, where are the spaces and places that your clients are already hanging out that you can show up? And I think answering that question is really gonna help you. My recommendation is to choose one or two places that you know your clients already are, and showing up there feels really good to you. So one is a place that is kind of short form content that you can show up really frequently, and one that is probably longer form content that you show up semi-regularly. So for me, my two places, my sort of non-negotiable places, uh are Instagram and this podcast, right? So I'm showing up on Instagram a few times a week, pretty frequently, and I'm showing up on the podcast semi-regularly. Like when I'm in the groove of it, it's a weekly podcast episode. But I have done this in the past where it's fortnightly and I've taken breaks from it. But the beauty of that semi-regular, longer form content is that it is there forever. Like I have people who find the podcast and then say, Oh my god, I've just like binge listened. And that's amazing, right? Because all of that content is is you know introducing you to your client, it's sharing your vibes so that client can get to know you and say, Oh, I think this might be a person I want to work with. So, short form content, frequent content, somewhere where you're willing to show up at least once a week. And yes, of course, social media is the obvious place to do this. Massive free audience of every future client you could have. Why wouldn't you? Right? So think about just where are your clients? It's likely to be LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook and show up there. Right. And I also suggest somewhere else where you can go a bit deeper less frequently. And so play to your strengths here. If you love to write, Substack is definitely worth checking out. Um, if you prefer speaking, start a podcast or pitch yourself to other podcasts and see if you like it. Um, and for more camera-friendly folks, right? If you love video, then YouTube is ideal. It is the largest and fastest growing global media company in existence, right? And just know that social media is what we call poll marketing. You create content that draws people toward you. You're showing up with content that's designed to probably educate and entertain, and you're hoping that people will be pulled to you. So poll marketing has the vibes of, oh, this is for me, right? Now, there's also push marketing, which has more of a forward motion to it, where you initiate the contact, you're placing your work in front of people who may not be actively looking. And push marketing has the vibes of here, have a look at this, right? I made this for you. Now, what I thought we would do in this episode is talk more about creative ways you can do push marketing because I think this gives you so many more opportunities to get creative. And by the way, I'm going to share quite a few ideas here, but I've created a Google Doc with everything I'm going to share today, including tons of links, and you can download this in the show notes. Okay. So, first thing, let's think about using social media just a bit more creatively. So, if you comment on other people's posts, one way you can take this a step further is by reposting with your take. So, this works really well if you want to add in another point of view or maybe even disagree with someone who has a bigger audience. And I see this working so well with health and fitness influencers and coaches who amplify really positive messages and also skewer so much of the total bullshit that's out there about health and fitness. I've also seen people do this where they bring in some of their thinking to some kind of uh pop culture TV or movie, right? So they're using heated rivalry to share showcase their memes, or they are talking about lovers blind to share about relationship coaching, right? This kind of thing. So this is just about using other creative content and bringing your take along for the ride. I think this can be so fun to do. Another way to use socials a bit more creatively is to contribute to existing groups and posts. So think about particularly Facebook and Substack, where there are comment sections that tend to be quite lively and engaging. Groups are a way of kind of indirect marketing where you can contribute your thoughts and comments, or maybe even a free workshop, or something like that. But you're you're doing this in a way to demonstrate your ideas and thoughts and trusting that people will remember how you made them feel. So this can be really effective if you're willing to put in some energy and effort here. There is also the option to contribute a workshop to you know any kind of group that invites that. You can you could pitch that to whoever is the facilitator, and there may actually be groups out there that look for this anyway. So you may remember, gosh, I think it was last year, but it might have been the year before. I interviewed Sally from The Portal, which is a learning platform in the UK with some fantastic teachers, very coaching friendly. The link is in the Google Doc. That is another venue where I think for a thoughtful coach, that could be a great place to you know contribute a workshop that is relevant for that audience, and I always recommend just going along and attending a few and seeing what the vibes are. If it feels like a fit, that's a great place to contribute. Okay, let's broaden out even further to traditional media. Journalists are always looking for expert quotes. So if you want to be quoted as blah de blah coach in The Guardian, The Times, relevant newspapers, online articles, you can register for alerts on some sites where they will email you a request to say, I'm looking for someone to comment on this, and you can get back to them. It does require you to be kind of timely in your responses, but it's a great way to get quoted in newspapers. And further to this, like traditional media is far from dead, right? So think about the magazines and the newspapers you would love to contribute to. You can send a short email, give a clear subject line that sounds like a story, send a few lines on your idea and why it matters now and why you're the best person to write it, and see what they what they say. I've been commissioned by loads of magazines in the UK to write various um articles and pieces, and it's a really fun experience. I do think sometimes just the the act of pitching your idea is so worth it, right? Because you're you're organizing your thoughts and sending something out and seeing what happens, right? And further to this, like think about relevant conferences that your clients are likely to attend. This could be industry or interest-based, but can you go along and again check out the vibes? Maybe the next time they run that, you could apply to teach a workshop or speak, stretch yourself, right? Like I mentioned earlier, I'm doing a TEDx talk next month that blows my mind. And all I would say is the trick is particularly if people put out requests for speakers, nail the brief, right? Put yourself in the shoes of the person who is choosing who's gonna speak and do exactly what they ask, right? Think about what they are gonna be looking for. Don't be afraid to share who you are. Okay, so one of the reasons why we go to conferences and why we do speaking engagements and workshops in real life is because we want to meet people, right? So networking groups are also amazing places to meet clients or people that will refer you to clients. And in my experience, being there in person is so much better than online stuff. Plus, you get to leave the house and dress up a bit, right? Like that's always fun. But I think there's something about actually meeting other humans that is so underrated. I think we've all got a bit out of practice over the last few years. I'm seeing a real desire, a real hunger for us to be in the same room as people that we care about, right? So this is a great opportunity. Look for networking groups that you can attend in person locally. Now, at the other end of the spectrum, if the idea of leaving the house fills you with horror, if the idea of marketing is actually quite ugly to you, do you know you could become an associate coach? Which means you don't have to do any marketing. You just have clients rock up and you coach them. The way this works is you're employed by a company who Finds you clients. So if you're familiar with things like BetterHelp, which is a model for therapy over Zoom, it works like this. And of course, there are trade-offs, right? Like you pay a cut of your session fee to the company. You may not even be able to set your fees, like you kind of get what you're given. You also won't get that much of a say in the clients you work with. You'll probably have hours that you can set, but then you'll be expected to be there on a pretty regular basis. Now I work with a coach who has been an associate coach with a couple of companies for years. She loves it. It has enabled her to travel widely and work when she wants. Amazing. She's not ever had to kind of do marketing. That's one of the reasons why we're working together is, you know, I think about eight or ten years in, she's like, Yeah, I think I want to do my own thing now. So, so this can be a fantastic way to build experience. In the Google Doc that you can get in the show notes, I've listed four places where you can go and register. And on the other end of the spectrum from that kind of full tech, you know, online coaching, you can go analog like community notice boards in your local health food shop, so worth checking out. Like a leaflet pinned to a board still works. I think this is super charming. And of course, you can use a QR code to send folks to a relevant web page. You could look for digital local notice boards, but this really helps with being clear, being very clear about who you work with and how you help them and why they need to get in touch with you. Again, just going through the motions can be incredibly helpful, right? It's not a wasted opportunity. And really, when you are advertising on a community notice board in that very succinct way, you are creating an ad. And you can do this digitally too. I'm gonna be experimenting with ads in the coming months, and yep, I hate the idea of paying money to the Zuck too. Totally, but I'm also willing to play the game to have more impact and to reach the coaches I want to work with. So, from what I can see, and I'm just researching this at the moment, the best way to use ads, particularly as you are starting out, is to use the ad for a free thing. This has the lowest ad spend for the highest reach. Now I would say make sure your freebie is already converting, right? This means people are already signing up for it, people are perhaps buying your paid services after experiencing your freebie and your welcome sequence. And you know, a 1 to 5% conversion rate is fantastic, right? That's what we expect. And also, lastly, don't forget to have conversations with people you meet, like yoga class, netball practice, the sideline of your kids' football. If you're at a party, you do a book group, like let people know about you and your work. Every muggle knows someone who needs a coach, right? Everyone has got that person in their life. And here's what I would also offer as a top tip. Marketing your offer comes last. So when someone finds your viral posts or listens to your interview on a podcast, you are going to get the most massive payoff to this when you already have a clear pathway for your seeds to become buds. So your bio says exactly who you help, your website is clear and compelling, you have a relevant and helpful freebie, you have a welcome conversation set up for your email subscribers. Your coaching offer is client-led. You're talking to the outcomes your people are already looking for, and you've designed your offer to give them the best chance of creating those outcomes. You create a clear pathway to your paid offer, and that is totally relevant to the audience that finds you. This is when marketing starts to feel fun because you get the payoff, right? It's like a little engine that's operating even when you aren't. This is what gets your garden growing, right? And so, look, if you want some help to pull all of this together so your practice feels really coherent and clear, and it's an easy yes for your clients, get in touch. From the first of June, I will be raising the price of ripen. So if you've been sitting on the fence, now's the time to apply. You can find all the ideas I've shared today in the Google Doc. You can download in the show notes, and I'll be back in June from my little office in Bristol with this TEDx talk behind me. And so looking forward to sharing more. So until then, take the best care of your heart, and I will see you soon.