Social media is no longer solely about keeping in touch with family members and friends. Every online coach and business owner that you know has an online presence. It’s no longer an option; it’s essential for the growth of every online business. According to Statista, there are 420 billion active users on social media, and brands who have a social media presence experience an 88% increase in exposure and 69% increase in leads generated. 

The question is, how do you use social media as a tool to spread brand awareness and get more clients for your coaching business? Here are six ways to attract clients from Instagram and Facebook through organic marketing strategies, completely for free.

1. Share informative content to add value

We need to understand the psychology behind why our target audience uses social media before creating our posts. 

These are some questions to think of:

• What is my audience looking for when they search for a particular hashtag or keyword?

• Why would my audience open up Instagram and Facebook?

• What are they looking for and what are they hoping to achieve?

When you start looking at it from your audience’s perspective, you’ll be able to shift your approach. Social media is a place to be social, and it should not be treated like a marketplace. According to Backlinko, 54% of social browsers use social media to research products. This is a huge opportunity for you to use social media as a platform to add value by sharing informative content. 

The benefit of sharing informative content is that you’ll naturally be seen as an expert in your niche, making it easier to be seen as a credible resource as compared to being perceived as a salesman. As such, you’ll spend much less effort trying to “convince” your audience to purchase from you when you share your offer.

Related: Coaching: The Best-Kept Secret to Growing as an Entrepreneur

2. Use storytelling to connect with your audience

Most marketers are already aware that they need to post informational and educational content. With 71% of small businesses using social media to market themselves, how do you stand out and differentiate your brand from the rest? 

One of the laws of business is that people do business with those whom they know, like and trust. The simplest way to build a connection with your ideal client is to use storytelling as part of your content marketing strategy. 

The aim of storytelling is to evoke an emotional response and inspire action by using a narrative to communicate a message. Storytelling makes your brand more memorable and it helps your audience perceive you as someone relatable. When crafting your brand story, you get to use your brand voice and show them what you stand for and why it matters to them by aligning the beliefs of your brand with theirs.

3. Share your progress to inspire your audience

People take action when they are inspired. Contrary to that, people won’t move forward if they don’t have the motivation to do so. A great way to inspire your ideal clients to take action is by sharing your progress with them. 

When your prospects see your backstory and how far you’ve come, they will look up to you as the expert who can guide them. With that being said, where you used to be is where they’re currently at, making it very relatable to them.

4. Showcase results by sharing testimonials

What do the top coaches have in common? Results.

Your prospect wants to make a decision, and they want to know that it’s possible for them too. People need to trust you before handing their money over to you. Showcasing results by sharing your clients’ testimonials gives you a credibility boost as you’re not just talking about yourself. It removes that barrier between your prospect and you. Instead of seeing your accomplishments as insurmountable, it helps them to see from the perspective of, “If others have done it, I can do it too!”

Related: Why Does Coaching Matter for Entrepreneurs?

5. Monitor social media engagement levels

While content is king, social media relies heavily on the algorithm and engagement levels. The more engagement a post receives, the more the algorithm will push your content to more users, giving you a visibility boost as the snowball effect takes place. The algorithm is in complete control when it comes to visibility and going viral, especially when more people like, comment on and share a post.

Once you’ve been uploading content regularly, you’ll start to notice the trend on how each post performs. Digital marketing is all about testing and making improvements through data-driven results. Constantly monitoring and tracking your analytics will give you better insights on what types of posts you should continue creating and which ones to tweak to improve your overall performance. To make it simpler, post more of what your audience enjoys engaging with and stop posting content that doesn’t gain much traction.

6. Include calls to action to direct users to the next action step

Last but not least, your content strategy needs to have purpose and intent. Every piece of content that you’re creating needs to be contributing towards your goals and objectives on social media. 

• What is the next action step that you want your prospect to take? 

• How will it benefit them and why should they care about it? 

• Are you trying to grow your email list or get more sign-ups for your masterclass? 

Ensure that your call to action is clear in every post so that your ideal clients have a direction to take. They need to know what you’re here for, how you can help them, and why they should take the next step by acting right away. Having clarity will make it easier for them to move down the sales funnel as they don’t need to guess what’s the next step for them, while giving them a reason not to scroll past your post.

Proven ways to attract coaching clients 

There are several proven ways to attract coaching clients, and you’ll find that every coach has a unique approach, just like every other business owner. It’s important to realize that not every coaching business is the same and you need to focus on what works best for you. 

The most important thing to do is to establish your authority as the expert and ensure that you are focusing on lead-generating activities that will fill up your sales funnel. The biggest mistake is to fall for the shiny object syndrome and try everything as that’s the fastest route to losing your time, money and energy. Master one thing, be known for it and position yourself as an expert to attract clients consistently.

Related: How Lucrative is Coaching as a Business?