Marketing as a coach isn’t easy…
But doing it well can make the difference between a booked-out calendar filled with high-paying clients…
and one that’s completely empty.
So if you want to know what it really takes to market yourself as a coach like a pro…
Marketing as a coach isn’t easy, but doing it well can make the difference between a booked out calendar filled with high paying clients and one that’s completely empty. So if you wanna know what it really takes to market yourself like a pro, keep watching to learn 10 big marketing mistakes that scare coaching clients away. Hey, my name’s Jason Moss. I’m a multi-six figure business coach and I’ve helped thousands of coaches around the world launch and grow their businesses. And look, the 10 marketing mistakes I’m about to cover in this video, super important to avoid if you want to get clients, but there are a number of other key pieces you’ve gotta have in place in your business too in order to attract high paying clients consistently. So if you wanna know what those pieces are, I put together a free client attraction guide that walks through all the details.
You can click the link above or down in the description below to go download that for free right now. Marketing mistake number one is talking down to your people. The truth is marketing is nothing more than having a conversation with your ideal clients. When I’m recording a video like this, when I’m thinking about, at least when I’m doing a good job, is about you, about having a conversation. It’s like you and I are sitting down together and we’re talking and we’re having a chat. This is what marketing is about, whether it’s social media content, whether it’s written content, whether it’s your videos or posts, nothing more than you having a conversation at scale. And this is what really good content does. This is what good content feels like. It feels like a human conversation between you and somebody else. The problem is that it’s very easy when you’re creating posts or when you’re recording videos like this, it’s very easy because you’re, you’re not in front of your ideal client, you’re not actually having a conversation with them.
It’s very easy to feel disconnected from the fact that you’re actually having that conversation. And so when you write a post, if you’re just like, oh, I’m kind of in this place where I’m writing content and not really thinking about the people who are actually gonna read it, it’s very easy to start to write in a way that just doesn’t really feel good to the people who are on the other side. And one of the biggest things that comes up here is just writing in a way where you’re really talking down to other people. And I’m not throwing you under the bus if you’re doing this, ’cause I’ve done this in the past before. It’s being overly aggressive with pain points and being, you know, writing things like are you struggling and failing to get clients in your business? And just communicating in a way that if you actually asked yourself, like, would I talk this way if, if I were sitting down with my ideal client?
If the answer is no, then there’s a disconnect. And the truth is, if you’re communicating in this way, it makes it much more difficult for someone else to feel really connected to you. And oftentimes, you know, people are gonna read your posts and just say, it doesn’t feel good to me. And they’ll, you know, scroll past it versus if you can really take a moment before you write a piece of content, before you record a video to close your eyes and imagine who is your ideal client and what their dreams and desires are and what they really want, and have that moment of connection before you start writing. Before you start recording a video, your content is gonna land much better and you’re gonna write in a way that just facilitates that connection and that relationship in a much deeper way. So just remember, marketing is a conversation. And when you’re having a conversation with someone, you want to treat them as a human being.
You wanna speak to them in a way that is empowering, in a way that’s uplifting, in a way that reflects how you would actually communicate if you were communicating in person. The second biggest marketing mistake is generic informational content. So when it comes to showing up online, we are flooded in a sea of lightweight informational posts. Things like three tips to lose weight in 2023, things like how to get clients and do it in 30 days or whatever. All this like lightweight, generic stuff that just doesn’t really connect and doesn’t really land with people. The truth is, especially with what’s going on in ai, because it’s so easy to go into chat g p t and just type in write me a 300 word post with three tips on how to lose weight and how to eat better, it’s so easy to create that content. We are in a sea of that generic informational stuff and it just doesn’t stand out anymore.
It doesn’t actually really connect with people. The thing that really connects with people, especially on social media, is personal stories, is you showing people who you are is getting real with people. So the more that you can show people who you are through storytelling, through speaking from personal perspective and sharing lessons that you’ve learned in your life versus just kind of like generic and informational stuff, the more your content is gonna stand out and the more you’re gonna be able to connect and your marketing is just gonna be able to resonate and land with the people you wish to serve. The third big marketing mistake is not making enough invitations. Invitations are when you basically tell people, Hey, here’s what I do and how I can help you. And if you’re interested in taking that next step, here’s what to do next. Sometimes coaches will come to me because they’re having trouble getting clients, and one of the first questions that I’ll ask is, well, are you making invitations?
Are you making it clear to people what you do, how you can help them, and what to do next on a regular basis, on an ongoing basis in your business, through your content, through your website, through social media, posts your stories? We need to do this. This is not something that people are just gonna wake up in the morning and say, oh, I see that you’re a coach and I see that you’ve got programs and I see that you can help me and here’s exactly what to do next. People don’t know that information unless you tell them that The reason why most coaches don’t do this more often is because they’re afraid of being salesy. They don’t want to show up in a way that you know is gonna turn other people off. The truth is, you have an incredible act of service to give to, to offer to somebody that your coaching is able to facilitate a transformation that’s gonna make somebody’s life so much better.
So it’s of service for you to be able to tell people that. It’s kind of like if you were walking through the desert and you had a backpack full of water bottles and you saw someone who hadn’t had a drink of water in three days and they were on the ground and they were super dehydrated, it would be of service for you to go over to that person and say, Hey, I’ve got some water. Do you want it? Same thing goes for your coaching, right? So you’re here because you’ve got something really important to share with the world. You’ve got something that can make people’s lives so much better and it doesn’t do them any good when you’re not talking about it, when you’re not telling people about it. So don’t be afraid to make those invitations and when in doubt make more of them.
The more that you show up and tell people about what you do and talk about it, the more aware people are going to be of what you do and how you can help them and what to actually do next. The fourth big mistake I see coaches make with their marketing is weak invitations. So sometimes the issue is not that you’re not making these invitations, just that they’re kind of like lightweight. Like I, I see a lot of coaches that I read their social media posts and we do a lot of these content reviews inside coaching launchpad where I’ll take a look at your social media content and give you specific feedback on what to do to improve. And I’ll take a look at posts and they’re these amazing posts, super valuable, helpful, insightful. And then at the bottom it’s like, uh, dmm me to chat.
So nobody wants to chat with you
We can have a conversation about, you know, how we can get you on track to becoming the full-time coach that you really want to be. That’s an example of a really powerful invitation. So what did I do there? I laid out what that transformation really was. In other words, you’re here, you want to be there. And I also told people, here’s exactly what to do next. So rather than saying, you know, reach out to me, which is kind of vague and unspecific, I said, Hey, go click the link in the description or go click the link in the comments down below right now. Here’s what’s gonna happen next. So I’m alleviating that uncertainty of like, well, what’s gonna happen after I submit this application? So we’re giving people very clear steps and we’re telling people exactly what to do and we’re laying out that transformation from A to B.
And these are some of the keys to making really effective invitations in your content. The more that you can do this, the better you can do this, the more people are gonna be reaching out to you. Fifth marketing mistake is trying to market to everyone. I see a lot of coaches, I go on their websites and it’s like, you know, can help you with your finances and your relationship and your health and your career. And it’s like the catchall coach. We’re trying to be everything for everyone. And if this is you, it’s gonna be very difficult to stand out and to market online in a way that’s actually gonna attract people to you. And the reason for it is if I have a specific problem, I want someone who can give me a specific solution and I want someone who can speak about that problem in a way that makes me feel seen and heard and understood.
As an example, if you’re a coach who wants help launching your business, you’re seeing a video like this, you’re probably like, wow, this guy is really like a pro at helping coaches. Because this is all I do. I’m not a generic coach that just works with anyone on any anything. I’m someone who has really designed my entire business around solving this specific problem, helping coaches launch and grow their businesses and get clients. The result is hopefully if you’re still watching this, you haven’t clicked away at this point. Not only are you paying attention because I’m creating content that’s relevant to you and my message is tailored and specific so you feel like this is worth paying attention to because it’s speaking very directly to your specific challenge. But you also see me as an expert who can really help you with this specific thing that you’re wanting help with and this is how you get paid as a coach.
This is how I’ve been able to scale my business past multiple six figures in just a couple years. It’s not rocket science, it just takes having a very specific lane and being really narrow and clear in terms of my messaging and how I communicate that. So if you’re trying to market to everyone or you’re trying to solve like five or six different problems or work with five or six different groups of people in your business, one of the best things you can do is choose a lane and say, okay, which one of these groups of people do I really wanna focus on? How do I really refine and tailor my marketing and my messaging so that when those people see what I do, they go, wow, this person is speaking to me. This is one of the biggest keys to standing out in today’s world.
The sixth marketing mistake that I see quite a bit is downplaying what makes you different. The thing is, people don’t just wanna work with you because of what you do. They also wanna work with you because of who you are, your values, your unique personality quirks, the fact that you really like Tabasco sauce, the fact that you are really into hiking in Colorado and the fact that you still have some money mindset issues that you struggle with. These are all opportunities that you have. These are all things that if other people knew, they would feel more connected to you. And there are certain people that are gonna see those things and go, ah, this person’s not for me. But on the flip side, the people who see those things are gonna go, wow, not only is this person a really good health coach, they’re also uh, really into hiking outdoors in Colorado.
And I also live in Colorado, I really like that. And so the more that you dial up who you are and bring that fully into your content and talk about those things, the more touch points that you give for somebody else to feel connected to you on a deeper level. Now, most coaches are afraid of doing this because they’re afraid that if they talk about those things, there’s gonna be certain people who are gonna be turned off and not gonna wanna work with them. And that’s true. The truth is you can’t be everything for everyone. And if you try to water yourself down to the point where you’re palatable for everyone, you’re not going to make a deep enough connection with anyone for someone to really feel like you are the person for them. And so it takes you being bold, it takes you owning who you are and bringing that to the table fully.
The other advantage to this is when you actually do this, you’re going to attract more of the types of clients that you really love, people who are a lot like you, people who share your values and your unique perspective on the world, people who you’re really gonna enjoy working with. So the more that you dial up who you are in your content and really bring those things to the table, the more of this will actually happen and it’s gonna make it so much easier to attract great coaching clients to you. Seventh fig mistake I see when it comes to marketing is coaches who are using a lot of stock photos in their social media content. The truth is, stock photos look like stock photos.
And if you’ve ever seen them, you probably know they don’t look authentic, they don’t look human, they don’t look like someone who’s like a real human being. They look kind of like posed and stiff. And I think there’s nothing wrong with stock photos for certain, you know, situations. But if you’re looking to really build a connection in a relationship between you and someone else, the best thing that you can do, rather than leaning on stock photos, is show people who you are use pictures of you. And by the way, these don’t have to look super professional. As a matter of fact, you posting selfies and more casual pictures and things that are taken with your iPhone, oftentimes those things are actually gonna get more visibility on social media because when someone sees a post that looks really polished and it’s like a really professional photo on it, it looks more like marketing and people are gonna be more likely to actually scroll past it when they see it.
Versus if someone sees something that just looks authentic and down to earth because it’s like a picture of you with a selfie and like a really authentic story of you and your life, people are gonna be much more likely to read that stuff. So my recommendation is don’t use a bunch of stock photos in your marketing. I would recommend using personal photos of yourself instead. Eighth big mistake when it comes to marketing is sharing too much. So I’ve talked a lot in this video about how important it is to show people who you are, but on the flip side, sometimes I see coaches that I check out their social media and their content feels like it reads more like a like a diary and it’s pretty messy and there’s just a lot of like uncomfortable details about your life and it it’s just like oversharing to the point where it’s like vulnerability.
But beyond that, it’s like to the point where when I see that I’m like, oh, this person really doesn’t have their stuff together. Their life is kind of a mess. You don’t want that. You wanna come off as someone who’s an expert, who is a professional, and you also wanna show people who you are and share vulnerably, and there’s a balance to that. And so we don’t want your social media to read like a diary. It’s important to include some of those pieces into your content, but there’s definitely an important balance to be struck here and you wanna be careful of sharing too much. Now on the flip side, mistake number nine is not sharing enough. And I actually feel like I struggle with this. This is something, a trap that I fall into quite a bit in terms of my marketing. Sometimes people check out your social media content or your posts and all of your posts are like really professional and you’re talking a lot about how you can help people, but there’s not that sense of like humanity and that like vulnerability and that authenticity of like, people don’t get a sense of like who you are through your content because everything just comes off very professional.
There’s just this kind of like stiffness. This is the result of not sharing enough. And it’s important to integrate aspects of your own personal life, bring people into that through your marketing so people do feel connected to you on a deeper level. For somebody to wanna work with you, they need to not just see you as an expert, but also someone that they really like and connect with. On a human level, we wanna do business with people that we feel connected with. This is how we work as human beings. It’s important to include aspects of your personal life in your marketing as well, so that you’re balancing that out. You’re not oversharing, but you’re also not oversharing too.
And then the last mistake, mistake number 10 is looking too professional. This might sound a little bit strange to you. Isn’t the whole point to look professional as a coach? Isn’t that what people want? I think there’s some truth to that, but again, this is about balance. And sometimes if you look too professional, you come off as clinical and there’s a disconnect between you and the people that you’re here to serve. And people don’t feel that resonance and that human connection. So in terms of your branding and your photos and how you show up online and the stories you tell, it’s important that we come off as human. A lot of coaches try to kind of iron their humanity out of their marketing. It’s like, well, let me make sure every photo I put out is super professional that I, you know, never tell people about my personal life and any of that.
If you do that, it’s very difficult for people to feel connected to you. So it’s super important that you balance that professional kind of image with something that is also a little bit more authentic. And this could be just sharing more selfies. This could be letting people into like your family life and talking about your kids and talking about some of the mistakes that you might make, letting people into some of the messiness. Again, there’s a balance to this. So hopefully learning about these 10 marketing mistakes was helpful to you. And look, any one of these mistakes, if you avoid them, you’ll be further ahead than most of the other coaches out there. And your content is going to stand out in a much better way. It’s gonna help you attract more clients and just in general grow your audience and connect with new people who are gonna be a great fit for what you do.
But the truth is, when it comes to marketing, this is one big key to success. Avoiding these mistakes, there are a number of other keys you’ve gotta have in place in your business too, otherwise very difficult to attract great clients consistently. So if you wanna know what those other keys are, I put together a free client attraction guide that walks through a process that I take all of my clients through to help them sign 2, 3, 4 clients per month consistently. This walks through the roadmap in detail. I’d love to share this with you. It’s completely free. You can just click the link above or in the description down below to get free access to that right now. And I hope you do check that out ’cause I think it’s really valuable and I think you’re gonna find it super useful. Now, before you go leave a comment down below and let me know, of these 10 mistakes that we covered in this video, was there one that stood out to you?
One aha moment that you had, one thing that you’re really gonna shift and change in your business, in your content, in your marketing as a result of watching this video? I’d love to hear what your biggest takeaway was. So leave a comment down below and let me know. We’ve got lots of incredible videos coming on this channel that are gonna help you as a coach. So if you want more content from me, subscribe down below as well. And just remember what you do as a coach is so important. You’ve got something so valuable and so significant to share with the world. So I hope you keep showing up, keep marketing, keep creating content, keep doing the work, and I’ll see you in the next video.
