Blogging for coaches — an economical, effective marketing tool
Last week I was at the International Coach Federation International Conference in Long Beach, California giving a presentation to coaches about “geek-free” ways to use technology to attract clients with ease. (Download the notes/handout from Geek Free Ways to Use Technology to Attract Clients.) Like many people who are relatively unfamiliar with business blogging, some of the coaches in attendance weren’t sure why a blog would be a good option for them to use to create their online presence.
Why blogs are a great choice for coaches
- Blogs generally cost less to create and maintain than traditional websites. All my blog customization clients use WordPress which is free, so the only costs they pay are for a domain name and hosting (same as what they’d pay for a traditional site) and my customization fees (customarily under $1,000).
- Blogs are easier for a non-technically-skilled person to maintain. No more waiting for your “web gal” or your designer to make those changes for you. You can update your blog yourself.
- Blogs are more attractive to search engines. If you want to attract new clients, you first need to get in front of them and the search engines (SE) will do that. . .if you’re where the SEs can find you.
- Blogs can do anything a traditional site can do and more. Want to sell products? You can with a blog. Want to add audio or video to your site? You can with a blog. Want to have static pages and regularly updated pages? You can with a blog.
- Blogs can simply serve as a static web presence. If you don’t really want to use the article-writing capability of the blog system, you can still use it to create your coaching practice’s static website. While you won’t get as much value from using a blog system in this way, it can still be a great option.
Still wondering if a blog is the right choice for your business (whether or not you’re a coach)? Contact me for a complimentary consultation.
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4 comments. Thank you for sharing! »
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Though I am not a coach, I have worked with a few good ones (including Shonnie). The “blog” provides greater potential for interaction, and seems to be an ideal instrument in which the coach can provide greater value to existing clients, along with giving prospects a sample of their expertise and style.
Comment by Jason Keeling — November 6, 2007 @ 11:43 pm
Thanks for taking time to comment, Jason. As you indicate, a blog allows you to give readers and experience of who you are, what you do, and how you interact with others. For me, knowing such information about a coach or other service professional is essential before I would hire such a person.
Comment by Shonnie Lavender — November 7, 2007 @ 10:00 am
Shonnie,
The ICF link appears to be broken.
regards
Comment by Mark — June 7, 2008 @ 8:58 am
Thanks for the notice, Mark. I’ve uploaded the handout/notes so you can download them directly from my site now using the link in this post above. Hope they’ll be useful for you.
Comment by Shonnie Lavender — June 8, 2008 @ 8:38 pm