You know the one thing that is your lifeblood, the one thing that keeps your income steady, is finding clients. Luckily, there are several ways to keep a steady stream of clients coming in through your door. Here are just a few:

1. Advertise in ezines. There are online newsletters everywhere that accept advertising. Find publications that reach your target market then create your ad to showcase your expertise. Don’t try to be everything to everyone or you won’t attract clients.

2. Article marketing. The key here is to stay on topic. Don’t submit articles about subjects unrelated to your coaching. One of the most effective types of articles is one that presents a problem your particular target client faces and solves it. This gives your client useful information and makes you invaluable to them. You become an expert in their eyes. And make sure your author bio is very compelling and contains a link to your Web site.

3. Network with your clients. Joining coaching associations to network with fellow coaches as a way to foster business relationships is a great idea, but don’t limit your networking to these memberships alone. Join associations or online forums for your target market as well, and you’ll find yourself in the “inner circle”. Of course, joining the group isn’t enough; you have to get involved, too. For instance, in the case of online forums, you should pose questions to the other members and be ready with a quick, relevant answer when someone else asks for help. If you become a valuable resource for them, they may just end up as clients.

4. Guest Post. An often over-looked opportunity to get more exposure for your coaching business is guest posting for a blog that also targets your potential clients. For example, if you coach moms on how to start a home-based business, then search for blogs that cater to work-at-home moms.

This is just a sampling of the many ways to get yourself in front of your prospects and attract more clients for your coaching business.

Leave a comment telling us others methods that work for you.

It’s Third Degree Thursday!

I know I often focus on finding quality PLR to provide good content on your Web site, blog, and in your newsletter, so I wasn’t surprised when I got this recent question:

“I’ve created a great info product from PLR for my coaching clients and would like to sell it online. What’s a good way to ‘get it out there’?”

I won’t lie and say there’s only one way to market a product, because you and I both know there are literally hundreds. So I’m going to choose a somewhat broad method – viral marketing – and give you a few different techniques with which to implement it.

What is Viral Marketing?

Viral marketing is one of the least expensive forms of marketing, but can also be one of the most effective means of marketing an information product, even if your product is still in pre-launch. Viral marketing is the digital age’s version of word-of-mouth marketing. It’s essentially the same thing as word-of-mouth marketing, but the difference is that viral marketing passes information from person to person via the internet. There are a number of means by which this can occur, through links, emails, blogs, videos and podcasts just to name a few.

How’s it Done?

Again, there are numerous means of viral marketing, so I’m going to touch on just a few of the most popular methods.

1. Social networks like Facebook and Twitter are a good place to start when beginning a viral marketing campaign for your info product. These sites work by finding and building a list of friends based off common interests. When marketing your coaching product, the interest would be the topic of your info product.

The same goes for businesses, like your life coaching practice. You can make use of these social networks by getting in contact with your clients and alerting them to your new coaching product and any of your services that complement the product.

Since each of your clients have a network of people they are friends with, encourage them to pass on the information to their network. Each person in that network also has a network and so on, and the message is passed from person to person.

2. Video networking sites like YouTube are an extension and specialization of social networks that get a tremendous amount of traffic, so it’s highly recommended that these sites also be considered when marketing your info product.

When tagging a video on a video network site it is important to know the right keywords that people use to find the information you are selling. A little research is in order to find out the right keywords. Once you have them and tag your video appropriately, anyone looking for information or videos on those keywords will pull up your video, which should lead them to your info product.

3. Your blog ties in with all these forms of social networking and video networking through links. Embedding the video in a blog is another great way to gain exposure for both the product and your blog. In addition, by putting teasers, such as “For more Information…,” in your posts, you encourage people to click over to your sales page and get more information about your coaching product.

These are just a sample of the many ways you can use viral marketing to get exposure for a new product. And the more exposure you can generate for your info products in their pre-launch phase, the more successful that product is once it launches.

The great thing about viral marketing is the fact that it does not cost anything to implement. You simply post and allow it to spread.

If you’re launching a new life coaching business, a sure-fire way to quickly connect with your potential clients is by being the expert in solving the challenges they face. But how do you become an expert in your niche?

Research Your Market

To become an expert, you’ll need to do some studying. Many coaches start off by choosing to work with a certain group of people, like single moms, couples seeking relationship help, or small business entrepreneurs. We may have a good idea of some of the issues these groups face, but to really learn their challenges, you need to conduct market research. Learn everything there is to know about your customers and how your coaching will help them.

Set Yourself Apart

Experts within a niche typically have something that sets them apart from all the others in the same field. How will YOUR coaching business be different from other life coaching businesses? Offering a different point of view or a unique solution to a problem will set you apart.

Buzz Your Business 

Obviously, you want to share your coaching message with others, and the best way to do that is to become active in social media groups and forums which reach your target market. Being a guest on some targeted podcasts, or starting your own podcast, will also get your message out there.

Let Others Speak for You

If you have been coaching for a while, then ask your clients for testimonials to add to your Web site. Ask their opinions about what makes you and your coaching unique, how it has benefitted them, and how it can help others. 

Becoming an expert in your coaching niche means learning who your clients are, staying up to date with their needs, and offering innovative solutions to their problems. If you have a genuine interest in solving these needs, then your market will embrace you as an expert and your client base will likely increase as a result.

As coaches, we know that a Web site can bring us many new clients, and depending on how you structure your coaching business, it can be crucial to its success. But if you’ve never had a Web site before, the process can be overwhelming and confusing.

This brings us to today’s Third Degree question:

“I need a Web site for my coaching business, but I am SO not a techie, I have no idea where to begin. What should I do first?”

One of the first things you need to do is find a reliable web hosting company. Of course, this task alone can be quite daunting, but I’ve made it easier for you. I’ve come up with a checklist of essentials that your Web host must have before you should even consider working with them.

Excellent Reliability
Since your site is often the best way for your potential clients to get to know you better, there is nothing more frustrating than finding out your Web site is down, and has been for hours. You must make sure that the Web host you select not only has good reliability, but superior reliability. This is your business on the line, after all. Treat it as such and get hosting that works for you when you need it.

Superior Customer Support
When you do need help, make sure that your hosting will provide it. One thing I recommend is to contact support to ask a simple question about the hosting, before buying. That will give you an idea of what the customer service is like before you make a commitment. Because if they can handle a newbie question in a friendly and supportive manner, without talking down to you, then you can comfortably assume that they will professionally handle any major issues you may face down the road.

The Stats You Need
Several of the most popular hosts do not offer the statistics that every online business owner needs. Why should you be concerned with statistics? Stats tell you, among other things, where your visitors are coming from, how long they are staying, and which pages on your site are getting the most traffic. This information helps you tweak what isn’t working and enhance what is. So make sure you can view your site’s statistics. If the host has a CPanel as their control panel, then you’ll have the stats you need, so find a host that uses a standard CPanel.

Room to Grow
The web host you choose should offer unlimited hosting. This means that, if you add more websites to your package down the road, the price does not increase drastically for each one. Many online businesses start with one site and grow over time. Can your host grow with you?

Bandwidth and Disk Space
Also, make sure that the host you choose is in the ballpark for bandwidth and disk space. Most programs offer approximately the same amount, but if you plan to add a lot of audio or video, you will need to have adequate bandwith. So be sure to look into this as well.

A History of Happy Customers
New hosting companies are popping up daily. Some are being run by a couple of teenagers in their garage. Obviously, that’s not who I want to entrust with my business. I want to know that the company I’m choosing has been around a few years, and has a history of happy customers to show for it. Look for testimonials on the Web host’s site and ask your fellow coaches who they use.

Affordable
Last, but certainly not least, make sure you aren’t paying more than necessary. When looking for a Web host, price is always a factor, so shop around and make sure that the web host you decide upon offers a great price, BUT has all the features you need.

These are the key features that any Web host should offer before you consider doing business with them. Taking the time to find a reliable host at the start of your coaching business will help ensure your success.

If you’re looking for a few suggestions, these are the hosts that I personally use:

Bluehost – I’ve been using this host for a year and have several sites and email accounts with them. I have even registered a few domains through them. The only negative I have experienced was a less than friendly response I received via email on a support question. However, I must say that it is difficult to accurately gauge someone’s “voice” from an email, so I have not let this affect my otherwise excellent impression of them.

Reliable Webs – this is the host for Essential PLR, the site you are on. I didn’t intend to have two hosting companies, because that means I’m paying twice as much per month than I should be. But Reliable Webs has a great deal where you can buy a preloaded blog for a very low price, so I thought I would check it out. Once I purchased the blog, I was so impressed with their service, that I haven’t been able to bring myself to switch my site over to Bluehost. I’ve even considered switching my other sites over to Reliable Webs. (Big sigh.) I’ll have to make a decision soon. I’m a big tightwad and hate spending more than I have to.

Of course, there are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of Web hosting companies out there, so check out several before deciding. Just keep in mind the essential features above.

If you have a coaching Web site, but aren’t using social network marketing to promote it, you are losing out on literally thousands of potential readers and customers. Social network marketing is probably the number one way coaches are marketing their businesses today, because they have the potential to reach many people all over the world.

Of course, the hottest social networks right now are Twitter and Facebook, but check out other communities like Digg, De.lic.ious and Stumble Upon. Yes, there are lots of other social networks you can join too, but you will be plenty busy trying to keep up with these five, so start with these first.

The first step in making social networking work for your coaching business is, obviously, to join the major social networks. BUT, joining them isn’t enough. You must be ACTIVE on the social networks. Interacting with other members is what drives them to check out your Web site and services. Through the interaction, your potential clients begin to trust you as a coach and want to learn more about your products and services.

So, how do you go about making social networking work for your coaching business? One way is to add, follow, or friend people in your target market or niche. For instance, I am a wellness coach that focuses on stress management, so I follow lots of other wellness coaches and businesses related to wellness on Twitter. I get into conversations with them and also let them know when I post to my blog or launch another product or service.

But I make sure that most of what I tweet is about them, not about my business. This is where the relationship comes in. Once your followers and friends know they can trust you, and that you’re not just out to sell them something, but you genuinely want to help them, they will be interested in what you have to say and what you have to sell.

Don’t forget that social networking can be an integral part of your marketing effort, so it takes time and effort. If you don’t have the time to devote to building your social networking presence, consider hiring a virtual assistant or social network manager to do it for you. It won’t do you any good to put up a profile on the social networks if you don’t follow up by building relationships with your potential new clients.

But remember, helping your friends and followers is what’s going to bring them to your site to learn more about you! Don’t let your relationship become all about selling to them.