Cathy Liska This is 7 in a series of 24 blog posts on Business and Marketing.
What is it about marketing that the word itself creates a mental barrier so that it becomes a challenge? Everyone who earns a living is in effect marketing – either themselves as a valuable employee, the products produced, or the services provided. Perhaps it is the misperception that marketing means pushing a product or service as compared to offering. Coaching is a service that by its very nature is best offered and very specifically coaches avoid pushing their services. So with the idea that marketing is simply about making it known that your coaching services are available for those that are interested, focus on how you let people know you are in business.
When you start a business, you plan. When you market a business, you plan. Developing a marketing plan is your opportunity to explore your options and make intelligent choices. The very first step in the process is deciding to whom you are marketing. Many say that after completing coach training it makes sense to wait before deciding your niche because that way it evolves naturally. Others say that by defining your niche you are perceived as more professional and that you know what you are doing. In terms of planning your marketing, without a niche you are marketing to the whole world. With a coaching niche or coaching niches, you define who your ideal client is which makes marketing more effective because you know how and where to market. Start by determining the very broad type of coaching: business, executive, life, or career. From there define focus areas. Examples of niche areas for each type of coaching are listed on the Center for Coaching Certification website.