As a coaching business grows, so do the marketing plans.  It’s fun for me to work with successful coaches who are constantly firing off marketing plans they want to implement.  The challenge is managing all those marketing plans.  As a solo coach, there is only so much you can do yourself before your marketing starts eating away at your time for clients.  So, you are forced to slow down on those plans to accomodate your time.

Coaches who work with a marketing team have a different challenge.  There are pieces that need to get to the team by a specific due date.  If you wait until it’s the day before the piece is due, then you create huge amounts of stress for yourself.  Not only that, the last minute details can add up quickly.  Then there is the fact that you are also spending the majority of your time coaching.

So, how do you manage all the pieces of multiple marketing plans?  You learn, plan, & adjust.  Here’s what I mean by that:

1)  You know that you want to put specific marketing strategies into place.  You probably know what that strategy entails and the reason you are doing it.  But take a look at whether you know what needs to be DONE in order to execute each plan.  What systems will you use?  What are the pieces you’ll need to plug into each system?  Are you clear on your marketing message for each strategy? Get the answers to those questions.  Ask your Team Manager to help you.  Ask your marketing coach to help you get clear.  Make sure that you know everything you need to know before you even begin.

2)  Once you are clear on all the information, then outline the implementation for each plan.  Create an outline that starts with the strategy, then go into what pieces need to be put into place.  List the systems you use and note who will complete each task.  Again, your Team Manager can help you plan this out and fill in all the holes.  If this is a release or event, make sure that you include the follow up tasks that need to happen and what that will include.  Look at each piece and estimate dates that you will be able to complete each task.   Now (and this is key!) add a couple weeks to the completion date of each plan.

3)  That extra two weeks is your buffer.  This will allow for surpise problems and issues.  It will allow you freedom to choose your clients over your end of the work.  It will give everyone breathing room to be able to get their work done without pressure.  Sometimes, you will still need to adjust.  Don’t commit to ANYTHING until you are at least 1/2 way through!  Again, this allows you freedom to adjust as things come up.

The most imperative part of running multiple marketing strategies at one time is that you allow room for everyone to do what they need to do.  If you go too fast, you will end up with way too many last minute tasks that you have to scramble to complete.  By knowing what you need to know in advance and outlining everything that needs to happen, you shave time off the process and everyone has room to do their best and get things done correctly, the first time.

What are your thoughts on this?  How do you manage multiple marketing plans?  I would love to read your comment.

If you are like the majority of coaches in the world, this is a busy time of year.  There are holiday festivities and presents to shop for.  There are end of year business things that need to get done.  Not only that, this is the time of year a lot of people HIRE a coach.  So, where does your marketing fit in?  Ugh!

Marketing needs to happen, whether you are busy or not.  I can’t say this enough…consistent marketing brings in consistent income.  So, how can you market consistently when your schedule is all over the place?  Plan, chunk, ask for help, and be flexible.

1)  Plan - Take some time to look at your schedule and look for days that are light.  Mark off those spaces and plan to use them for marketing.  Look for an hour at a time, or even a half hour would get SOMETHING done.  Find the holes and fill them in with marketing.

2)  Chunk - Now that you have designated times for marketing, USE IT!!  Sit down and create your blog posts for the rest of the year (like I’m doing as I write this!).  Do your newsletter early.  Get them all into their respective places and pre-schedule them to go out at their usual time.  Put together your marketing promotions for the month and have them ready to put out to your networks, so all you have to do is copy/paste.  Use whatever time you have for marketing to get as much of your routine marketing done first!  If you have extra time and don’t need it for other personal or business related activities, then do some of the extra, non-routine tasks.

3)  Ask for help - If you have someone on your team that can help you, USE THEM!  That’s what they are there for.  Ask them to take over once you’ve done your part.  Let them take on a little extra responsibility if you need them to.  Plan with them, so that both of you are on the same page and everyone knows what to expect, so things get done when they need to.

4)  Be flexible - Sometimes life DOES get in the way of accomplishing things as we want them.  Be nice to yourself and be flexible.  You can skip one week of your blog.  You can be a day late on your newsletter.  Be transparent and let your readers know that you made a choice.  Share with them the process and how they can be nice and flexible too.  Use it as a coaching opportunity…why not?  You are a coach!

Enjoy the excitement and hustle/bustle of the month of December.  Get as much done as you possibly can ahead of time, so you can relax and be present when you want to be.

Okay, I’m going to be honest with you.  This post is all about one topic that I believe in and at the end there is an opportunity to attend a preview call.  I am ONLY promoting this idea and call, because I believe in it.  I am tired of watching coaches stress over writing their newsletters and/or blogs, so I want to offer a REAL solution.  Before I do that, I want to take a few moments  to explore the challenge of writing.

So, yes, I know you’ve been told to do a newsletter and/or a blog.  Every week, every other week or every month you are required to write an article.  I can’t tell you how many clients I’ve had that dread that moment when they have to sit down and write their newsletter or blog.  It’s like pulling teeth to get some people to do this.

So, first let’s talk about the purpose.  What IS the purpose of a newsletter or blog?  Well, there isn’t just one.  Here are a few and maybe you have more, so please add to it in the comments.

PURPOSE OF NEWSLETTER OR BLOG
1)  Drive traffic to your website
2)  Create relationship with people who are already interested in your offer
3)  Create a list that you can approach with opportunities to move through your marketing funnel.
4)  (this is one many don’t think about, but it’s SO true) Introduce people to your unique message as a coach.  Open their minds, get them to think about what’s possible.

What’s it going to take?

You know that newsletters and blogs are an important part of the marketing for your business.  So, what keeps coaches from sitting down and writing?  What’s it going to take to make this happen?

Plan in advance!

You don’t have to do your newsletter or blog every publication.  You could write a series and have 6 of them completed at the same time.  You could even write an entire year all at once and then it’d be done!! If you plan in advance it can all be done without having to pull teeth to make it happen.

Here it is…the offer.  I’m sponsoring a free preview call offered by my colleague, Linda Puig, that will get all your newsletters and/or blogs DONE for 2009!  If writing your newsletter or blog is like pulling teeth, then this might be a good idea for you.  Please, don’t neglect this very important part of your marketing routine and check out our preview call at http://www.coachesmarketingsource.com/2009newsletters.html.

We both look forward to hearing you there!

This is a question I hear a lot.  Coaches are bombarded with all sorts of information on how to build a list (no, this isn’t another one of those articles!).  It’s great information and their are many experts who have proven techniques for this.  I’ve had lots of clients go to those trainings and come back to me asking for help implementing their list building plans.  The first question I ask is; “What is the purpose of building your list?”  Most often, the response is; because so and so says it works.  That’s all well and good, but list building is a large investment of your time and/or money.  So, you want to make sure you are investing wisely and you know WHY you are investing.  Otherwise, you’ll end up burning out, putting it off and not using the techniques effectively.

So, let’s explore that question.  What good DOES it do to invest in list building?  I’d like to share some results I’ve seen in my own business and in my clients’ businesses:

1)  Credibility - The more you reach your list, the more credibility you gain.  In your internet ventures, there are certain people that have created credibility in your mind.  Have you just seen those people once?  Or are they all over?  Do you get their newsletter or tips?  Do you read them because you know they offer value?  If you answer yes, then their list building efforts have created credibility in your mind, because they are in front of you.

2)  Information - Every time you touch the people on your list by sending them something, they get more information.  The learn about who you are, what you have to offer and whether or not they agree with what you are saying.  They make decisions about you and your offering so they can choose whether or not to purchase something with you.

3)  Referrals - Your list is a referral network.  If you have strong content that matters to your readers, they will SHARE that information with others who will find it useful.

4)  Participants - Do you hold tele-seminars or other free events?  Have problems getting people to show up?  Then your list is where you can find participants.  The bigger (and more targeted) your list is, the more possibility you have for actually getting participants.

5)  Buyers - Yes, list building leads to people buying.  Again, the bigger the list and more targeted it is, the more likely you are to find people who are interested in buying from you.  Now, remember it takes time for these results to come through, but people who see you as credible and have the information they need to know in order to purchase from you, will buy.

6)  Website Traffic - Build your list, and always include a link to your website.  This will drive targeted traffic to your website.  Your list is going to visit your site more than once.  Every time they get something from you that links back to your site, there will be people who will click through.  They learn more about you, see a new program, and find out more about what you offer.  All ways to lead gain buyers.  Not to mention it helps your google ranking to have more traffic coming to your site.

List building is something you invest in for long-term and continual results.  So, make sure it is a part of your marketing routine, but also that it’s not your ONLY marketing strategy.  Know that it will take time to see results.  As you plan out your marketing activities, spread your time amongst several different strategies.  Start full gusto if you want, but make sure you keep up with other activities, so they don’t slide.  Marketing consistency is what will get you results!

There are lots of projects in a Coaching business.  It seems that there is always something to learn and create.  If you have a professional, you can rely on them to pick up the slack on these projects.  However, that’s hard to do unless you plan in advance.  How many times have you started a project only to find it took another week longer than you wanted it to?  Did you feel like you were waiting on everyone else to get their pieces done before you could move forward?  These are signs that there wasn’t enough time planned. 

As a Coach, you know how to create a plan.  You also know that there is information you need in order to create that plan.  So, here are a few rules of thumb to help you plan projects.

1)  Get an estimate - If you are coordinating with a team of professionals, talk to them before you start the project.  Get an estimate of how much time it will take and let them know what you’d like your timeline to be. 

2)  Give notice - Let your team know what you are working on.  Give them a weeks notice or more so they can schedule in their part of the work.  Let them know when you want to have the project completed.  Keep them updated.  If something gets delayed or finished early, then let your team know as soon as possible.

3)  Technology - When it comes to technology, there are usually some delays.  If you think it will take 2 days to create that web page, when something comes up, it will likely be 3-4 days.  So, when planning for a project involving technology, expect a delay and plan for it. 

4)  Take a breath - Sound familiar?  When you are on a timeline and your business is just waiting for changes to happen, it’s easy to forget to breathe and allow the project to take on it’s own flavor.  It’s a journey, just like anything else.  Allow the journey and enjoy the changes as they happen.

Enjoy the process of developing your business.  I wish all of you much success in your upcoming projects this year!!