I talk to so many people about marketing and all they talk about is what technology they use, the marketing tasks they do on a regular basis and the processes they go through.  Ugh!!  There is so much more to marketing than that!!

• Marketing is an education platform.

• Marketing is a relationship machine.

• Marketing is a way for you to reach out and help people understand what is possible.

• Marketing is the place where you can open minds and hearts.

• Marketing is the first step in creating change.

• Marketing is your first coaching platform.

No matter what you DO in marketing, you need to make sure you are BEING the coach.  Every little corner of your marketing systems, your marketing language, and your marketing strategies must keep these things in mind.  You see, many people become internet marketers and have great success at it.  Many coaches have followed the advice of big wig internet marketing trainers and they’ve experienced the succes that comes from it.  How much more success could be gained if the “being” of the coach was carried through every little piece of the marketing puzzle?

Here’s an example; Michelle Ward, The When I Grow Up Coach has been invited to be interviewed on a call.  Michelle is energetic, kooky and crazy fun to talk to (I know, I’ve had several conversations with her).  She also has some great info. to share.  So, she put her fun personality totally out there in her blog post inviting her community to sign up for the call.  Here’s the page - http://is.gd/2dPhK.  Go read it!  Can’t you just imagine how much fun she would be on a coaching call?  It oozes through her marketing, doesn’t it?  The coach (Michelle) is totally present in her invitation.  Take a look at her blog design, picture, colors etc…it all matches, doesn’t it?  Even her font matches!!  This is what I’m talking about!  She’s giving you an experience of her coaching throughout all her marketing.  Now, don’t go trying to get all creative like Michelle did.  That’s HER, not YOU!  So don’t sweat the creativity…just make sure your marketing feels and looks like who you are on a coaching call.

I see too many coaches passing off their marketing work to someone who is technical and doesn’t have knowledge of coaching or what it can do for people.  A coach may know how to create great copy , which is great!  It’s a MUST!  Then they hire skilled labor to put the marketing into place.  This skilled labor knows technically what to do, but has no idea how to make the sales process “FEEL” like that particular coach’s brand of service.  It’s that personal touch of consistency that makes all the difference in the world for increasing your response to a marketing campaign.  So, hire someone who can translate your unique coaching brand into the process of marketing for you.  Especially if you aren’t the one doing most of it!

What do you think?  Leave a comment and let us know.

If you are at all active on Facebook, you’ve seen all sorts of things flying around about Facebook usernames or Vanity URL ’s recently.  I’ve had several people ask me; Why should I care?  Well, there are several reasons getting your own personal Facebook username is important.

First off, for those who aren’t sure what we are talking about…you can now get your own personalized URL for Facebook.  For example, I got http://www.facebook.com/lifeenthusiast last Friday when they went live.  You can read more on the Facebook website at http://www.facebook.com/help.php?page=897.

NOTE:  If you signed up for Facebook after 3pm Eastern time on June 9, 2009, you will not be eligible to get your username until June 28.

So, why should you get one of these Vanity URL’s for Facebook?  Here are a few reasons:

1)  It’s MUCH easier to send people to this shortened link than that really long profile URL that you would have without it.

2)  A domain name ranks better with Google than content, so if you have a branded facebook URL you are more likely to be found and ranked higher by Google.

3)  Claiming your name keeps other people from using it on Facebook.

The next question I’m asked is “What name should I use?” That’s a question you need to ask anytime you sign up for a username on a social network.  You need a social brand that is consistent amongst all your networks.  You’ll notice my username on Facebook is lifeenthusiast.  On Twitter I’m life_enthusiast.  On LinkedIn I’m lifeenthusiast etc… you see how I’m branding myself across all the networks so that my social brand is Life Enthusiast.  FYI - on Twitter, I have a profile for lifeenthusiast that points over to life_enthusiast.  I’m not sure how long Twitter will let me keep it, but for now, it works.

Now, I’m not saying you have to come up with some super duper coachy name that describes who you are as a coach.  I’m not even suggesting you get creative and come up with a new identity across social networks.  All I’m suggesting is that you be CONSISTENT.  Now, I just happened to choose Life Enthusiast when I signed up for Twitter because I liked it.  Many of the social networking experts recommend you brand your name.  I find that my last name, Beireis, is a bit hard to spell (let alone pronounce) so I chose a different name to be known by.

If you are going to use your name, then by all means, use your name.  Just make sure you use it across all networks!  So, when you go in to get your Vanity URL at Facebook, make sure it’s consistent with your username on your other networks.  Remember, Facebook will NOT let you change it later, so whatever you choose, you are stuck with it.

Oh, and if you have a Fan Page (Business Page) and you have over 1000 Fans, you can claim a Vanity URL for that too.  If you don’t have 1000 Fans, then you will be eligible to claim your page URL on June 28.   I’ll be on Facebook claiming mine that day, that’s for sure!

Happy naming!  Let us know what you decide and why in a comment.

As I continue on my business building journey, I’m reading and exploring what it is that experienced coaches need to keep growing their already successful businesses.  A couple weeks ago, I stumbled upon an amazing new take, written by Melanie Benson-Strick.  If you don’t know Melanie, she is the “Million Dollar Lifestyle Business Coach.”  Melanie has some awesome resources on how to build an effective team and she’s very experienced at working with coaches to help them build successful businesses.  Let’s face it, who DOESN’T want a million dollar coaching business?

Anyway, let me get back to the point.  Melanie has written a new “The CEO Factor Manifesto” that is extremely valuable for any coach who is looking to build a 6 or 7 figure business.  As I read through this manifesto, I noticed all the permissions it gave me to be creative, do what I want to do in business, and keep building my business “as if” I was already at that 6 or 7 figure mark.  Not only that, she gives some great ideas on how to build a team that is effective for you, where you can sit back and do what you want to do, instead of spending all your time managing.

My favorite part is that Melanie really gets to the heart of structuring a business to support your lifestyle and who you are.  It’s so important that we remember life comes first and business comes second when we are so passionate about our business and it’s so close to our hearts.  I really love the way Melanie takes the idea of outsourcing and helps you grasp the mindset needed to create an effective team.  I will probably read that pdf 100 times over.  Honestly, I think any virtual business owner needs to read this manifesto.  Go download it at http://www.theceofactormanifesto.com.

Let me know what you think!  I’d like to hear what you, as a coach, gleen from this incredibly helpful piece of information!

Are you an experienced coach who is hearing that you MUST be on Twitter?  Have you jumped in?  Do you find yourself wondering what you are doing there?  You are NOT the only one!  The word has gotten out.  Twitter is a great tool for marketing your coaching business, but it doesn’t do you any good unless you know how you want to BE on Twitter.

You may want to grab something to take notes with because I’m going to help you create a few lists that will help give you some direction.  As you create your lists do a brain dump.  Add whatever comes to mind and you can filter it out later (if you even need to).  This is all about creating possibility.

1) First thing to think about is who do you want to connect with via Twitter? Do you want to connect with potential clients, joint venture candidates, high profile connections in your niche?  Someone else?  All of those?  Be as adventurous as you want to be.  If you are adventurous as a coach, I suggest you implement that mentality here and be adventurous.  Reach for those you really want to reach for.  The possibilities truly are endless when it comes to Twitter.  Brain dump and add them all to your list.

2) Next, what do those people want? As an experienced coach, you’ve made connections like these in other arenas.  You know what they are looking for.  You know what gets their attention and what makes them take the next step.  Again, make a list.  Put it all down.

3) Now, who are you being as a coach? You’ve probably been asked that question by one coach or another.  Have you written it down?  If so, pull it out and have it handy.  If not, do it now.  Write down how you are with your clients in different situations.  Are you tough, but gentle?  Write down as many phrases, words or sentences as you can think of.

4) Lastly, take a look at who you are being as a person? Again right this down.  As a whole person who are you being in this world?  How does that overlap with who you are as a coach?

Now you have lots of information that can help inform the way you will BE on Twitter. Think of Twitter as a way to create a community of people YOU want to be surrounded by.  Take the answers to #1, above, and start building your community.  “Follow” those people who fit your criteria.  Look them up on http://www.twellow.com or http://www.twittersearch.com .   Get yourself a desktop application that can help keep you organized while you do.  I suggest http://www.tweetdeck.com, so you can group your community by the type of connection you want to make.

As you respond to other tweets, think about the connection you want to make and what that person wants.  Listen to what they are asking in the tweet and use your list of what they want, from #2.  Here’s the tricky part.  At the same time you are giving them what they want, be yourself!  I suspect that who you are as a person has a lot of overlap with who you are as a coach.  So, be yourself.  Listen to your intuition.  Follow your gut and BE the person you feel you want to be in that moment.  The list is just a guideline for when you get stuck.  Your gut knows better than anything.  As in all coaching.  Trust it, try it, see if it sticks and let it go.

When creating your own tweets, look at what your community wants. Answer that call in general terms.  You don’t have to give away all your secrets or even coach people via Twitter.  Start your day with a tweet about some topic with which you already know they struggle.  Give them 140 characters of wisdom that will make them think about new possibilities.  Give your followers hope.  Give your followers something that will move them slightly forward.  Any of that will get your followers wanting more.  In my own personal experience on Twitter, I’ve found that people respond to wisdom that gives them a new perspective.  Send one of those every day and you will build your following in no time.

The great thing about Twitter is you can BE yourself! Many people choose to share their personal lives as well as their business life with the Twitter community.  Set your boundaries however you want to set them.   Just remember that it is a SOCIAL network.  People want to get to know who you are.  They also want to know a bit about what you do.  Whatever the topic, if you are BEING the coach and person you are, then they will be most attracted to that!

Of course there are a lot more technical things I could go into as well as marketing strategy.  You can find a lot of that at http://www.twitterhandbook.com.  I recommend you DO get this guide which is a great Twitter reference and starter kit!

If I’ve missed something here, or you have a story to share about trying these strategies, I’d love to hear about it.  So, please share.

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!