4 Rookie Mistakes Online Coaches Make | Coaching Coaches

Today’s blog is all about the top 4 rookie mistakes I see online coaches make, and how you can avoid them!

Building your coaching business can be a confusing process. Seriously though, I know what it’s like to try to piece together a business model based off what you’re reading in blogs, and watching on youtube videos, and listening to on podcasts. I've been there too.

There’s so much to think about! Everything from:

• your branding
• the kind of content you’re going to be creating
• who your ideal clients are

... to:

• planning out your entire social media strategy
• figuring out how you’re going to start getting clients.

I get it, coach… there's a LOT!

In saying all that,  check out these 4 very common coaching mistakes I see happen over and over again that are simple for you to avoid.

Coaching Mistake #1:

Setting Impractical Content Creation Goals 

It’s easy to get really excited when you’re planning out all the juicy, valuable, amazing content you intend to produce for your online community and clients.

But coach, it’s imperative to test out how long it takes to creatively express yourself, and produce the highest quality content possible.

And guess what? It’s going to take you longer than you think.

It’s one thing to have a big vision, but setting a goal to have a 12 module course completed in only 4 weeks creates unnecessary pressure on yourself, and ultimately sets yourself up for failure. One of the most effective coaching skills you can acquire early on in your career is realistic time management. 

And to give you an idea… I’ve created 6 online courses.  Each module within my online courses typically takes me anywhere from 20-40 hours to complete.  That includes research, scripting, designing, recording, editing, and anything else I’ll need to make it a complete module.

Also, it typically takes me about 5 hours to plan out and schedule FB group content for the month.

And lastly, it takes me about 6-8 hours to create, plan and schedule Instagram content for the month... and that’s not including making sure I have fresh, relevant photos.

So in saying all that, now it’s your turn. My challenge to you is to take a week to test out how long it takes you to create and schedule content so you have a benchmark for future planning and set yourself up for success!

Coaching Mistake #2:

Having General Ideal Client

Terms like life coach, business coach, and social media strategist are VERY general and broad, so the chances of stopping someone’s scroll when they see content trying to target these groups is extremely challenging.

They’re all great places to start though!

So, let’s say you're calling yourself a business coach. My questions for you are:

• What kind of business coach?
• Who is your ideal client avatar? Give them an actual persona!
• Are you coaching coaches, or other professionals?
• What techniques do you use in your coaching that’s unique?
• Do you focus on mindset?
• Do you help people leave their 9-5?

The more you can hone in on your ideal client, the more likely you are to attract your ideal client. 

A lot of new online coaches say “yes” way too much. They understandably want to build a client base, but it’s important to think long-term and only work with clients who truly align with your mission.

Your goal is to work with the people who you can support in getting really amazing results. Remember, it’s better to be working with less people who are getting great results, rather than a lot of people who are getting mediocre or even poor results because they’re not the right fit.

Coaching Mistake #3:

Not Utilizing SEO 

You’ve probably heard the term SEO, but do you know what it is? SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which basically means optimizing your content so that search engines - like Google, Pinterest, and YouTube - find you.

So what’s all the hype about? When your content is SEO rich, it’s able to stand out in the infinite crowd of content on the internet and get found by the PERFECT people for you. 

Once it’s out there, it’s out there forever. That means that a blog or YouTube video you publish now has the potential to be found by someone years from now! 

Here’s an example of this… when I launched my online course called Sales Page Slay Method I created six pieces of searchable content that included my freebie. Searchable content is content that lives on search engines.

Now, these pieces of content have already had thousands of views and within 4 weeks, hundreds of downloads to my email list. That's why focusing on search engines and SEO is important!

The easiest way to accomplish this is by using keywords correctly. Your longtail keyword is what people are putting into the search bar. (See the example below)

Think about what your ideal client would be searching for when they’re showing up to google, youtube or pinterest, and create content around those phrases.

The easiest way to figure out what people are searching for is to simply enter your keywords and phrases into the search bar on Google, Pinterest, and YouTube and see what the other suggested phrases are. 

A huge mistake I see new coaches making is hustling way too much on social media. They exhaust themselves and eventually burn out.

There’s a balance between showing up consistently on social media and spending all day on IG stories that disappear in 24 hours. When you focus your energy on searchable platforms on the other hand, they will work FOR you for years to come. 

Coaching Mistake #4:

Stop Marketing Efforts When They Get Clients

It’s extremely important to continually market your business, no matter what. This industry tends to put a lot of focus on monthly income levels, however I want you to start thinking of building long-term wealth, even early on in your business. 

What I typically see is that new coaches will get super excited about enrolling a few new clients, or they have a few people on payment plans, and then when the payments plans stop they’re scrambling for clients. 

Even when business is booming, don’t stop your marketing efforts… which is just another reason to focus on searchable platforms. You just never know what opportunity is out there waiting to find you. 

So Coach, now that you know these 4 mistakes, be sure to AVOID them as you build your online coaching business.

Lastly, if this video was just what you needed in your coaching business, please let me know by sharing it with your coach friends.

Until next time, keep building your empire!

XO, KellyAnne

PS --->>> If you want to join a free community of online coaches who are building their coaching businesses just like you, I’ve created a Facebook group to help support your journey and connect you with likeminded people.  CLICK HERE to join that now!

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