How to share your message so it results in more clients
I see so many coaches and new business owners out there spending way too much time creating content and writing posts for their website, and social media, that aren’t really even helping them get any clients.
So I wanted to write a post about how you can make sure that your content is actually being useful for your business, whether you are posting on your blog, making videos, or posting on social media
I know there’s an overwhelming amount of advice out there about social media being THE thing that will help you create a thriving coaching biz.
But here’s the cold, hard truth: You’re wasting time posting all day on social media (or doing any marketing) if you don’t understand the winning formula for your content.
That formula is sharing your clients problem + sharing your point of view about why they have that problem and what they can do to fix it.
This is all about your messaging.
There are a few layers to your messaging that I want to walk through first.
BIGGER PICTURE “WHY” (You might call this your bigger “purpose” if you’re a coach-type)
This is WHY you are doing what you’re doing; why you believe in what you believe in; the bigger reason you’re starting your business in the first place (and not the selfish reason of “I want to be my own boss”, but the bigger impact that you hope to have on the world with your work). Why does it matter to you, and why should anyone else care? It could be something about wanting to help create connection, or authenticity, etc.
Usually it’s a big concept.
This one is usually easy for most coaches. It’s usually the one they want to share about in their content.
But it’s NOT the one that will lead to paying clients. It might lead to “likes” and sound inspirational to people, but it’s not going to get people to hand over their credit cards, because it’s not specific enough to THEM.
The thing that is missing here is CONTEXT. We need to ground this idea in something that is actually going on in our clients lives, something they want help with or want to change.
PROBLEM/CONTEXT
This is where you take that big idea and actually make it tangible. Choosing a niche is a big part of this. How is lack of connection or lack of authenticity actually showing up in your clients lives? How is it impacting them day to day in ways that they can see and are looking for help with.
Giving your big message real-world context is what will have it actually connect with people and speak to exactly what is going on for them, instead of it just sounding like a nice idea but not one they really connect to their lives in any way.
If you are talking about authenticity — what SPECIFICALLY does that mean in someone’s life? Are they not showing up at work and speaking up because they fear what people will think of them? Are they having trouble dating because they keep being got please the other person?
You need a problem that people actually want to pay to have solved.
POINT OF VIEW
Your point of view is all about why you believe your clients have the problem they have, and what you believe they need to do to change it.
You can think of it as if you’re standing with a megaphone saying to everyone “The best way to [solve whatever problem your clients have] is to [whatever your approach is]”.
Even if other businesses serve the same niche with the same problem, it’s your perspective about why they have it and what to do about it that will differ and help you find your place in the market.
For example, my POV is that the reason you aren’t getting anywhere in your new business is that you haven’t nailed your foundations. All the marketing strategies in the world won’t work if you don’t have a clear and specific niche and know how to speak to them.
By sharing this POV you instantly get an idea of how I can help you, and you can assess whether what I am saying makes sense for your situation.
The only way you will get clients is if they can 1) see that you understand their problems and 2) feel confident that you have a solution for them.
If you can’t describe it or get all wordy and stay with the higher level stuff, no one will get it and their eyes will gloss over and they will head for the virtual drink table before you even finish your 5 min rambling elevator pitch..
And this plays out in ALL your content.
Imagine the difference between sharing content that shares your bigger picture, like how you believe in “connection”, or “authenticity” as general concepts….. And then how much stronger that content would be if you got really specific about where lack of connection or authenticity shows up in people’s lives (with real life examples) and then shared your point of view about why this happens and what they need to do to fix it.
EXAMPLES:
Life coach:
Vague message: Being authentic means being true to ourselves and embracing our individuality. Let’s live life on our own terms and be proud of who we are!
Specific message: Keep having misunderstandings and unfulfilled expectations in your relationship? Want to blame your partner? Not so fast! If you are struggling with connecting with your partner or never feel understood, it’s helpful to look at whether YOU are actually being vulnerable and letting them in. No relationship can thrive if one person isn’t sharing their full self. Sure you could change your relationship (and I bet you have a few times!), but my guess is the problem will still persist if YOU don’t change and learn to let people in….Annoying right?
Business coach:
Vague message: You deserve a business and life you love! Go get ‘em #bossbabe! Believe in yourself!
Specific message: Your business isn’t thriving because your mindset is trash! When you try to over-use strategy to make up for lack of confidence it just doesn’t work. You have to actually BELIEVE that earning money is possible for you, and working on this belief is the single most important thing you can do help your business, far more useful than any shiny new strategy.
Career coach:
Vague message: When you embody what you desire from others, you are powerfully teaching them what you are seeking. Desire calm in a confrontational situation? Embody total peace. You cannot change the world by telling it to change. You must SHOW it.
Specific message: Want to know why you feel anxious all the time at work, even though you’ve been to therapy and are reading all the self help books? I bet YOU think it’s because work is too hectic/your boss is crazy/there is too much for you to do etc. You want to blame it on some outside thing. Which only makes you more anxious because you can’t change those things! But it’s NOT actually the circumstance. Wanna know how I know? Because two people can be in the same circumstance and one will have anxiety and one won’t. So we KNOW it’s not the circumstance. It’s actually how your brain has been trained to respond to the circumstance… Isn’t it a relief that you don’t have to go uprooting your entire job just to change your circumstance, and all we need to do is re-train your brain to respond differently?
You can see that it’s the specificity of naming the problem + sharing your point of view about WHY they have that problem, that is the winning combo!
If you do this with ALL your content, I can almost guarantee that you will see much more traction than just sharing nice ideas that aren’t really grounded in any specific tangible problem for the people reading.
Give it a try in your next social media post, video, or blog post.
(And if you are struggling to even figure out your niche and identify the specific problems you solve. We can help! Check out our Uncage Your Business program and let’s get you niched in and creating content that resonates!)
Here is what one of our past students, Lizzy Goddard, had to say about the program 4 years after she graduated:
I have the multiple 6-figure business I have today because of Uncage Your Business.
Uncage Your Business was one of my first business investments 4 years ago.
I have since gone on to invest $10,000s in every kinda course, 1:1 coaching, group program, mastermind, live event, etc imaginable. Let’s just say I know what’s out there. Loudest voice in my mind 90% of the time? Becca’s.
We never really know the impact of our choices until some time has passed. 4 years is a lot of time, especially in the lifecycle of the online business world.
I have the multi-6 figure business I have today, the business I’m wildly obsessed with, I’m the business woman I am… all because of Uncage Your Business.
Uncage Your Business taught me how to be, how to think, how to make decisions, how to take decisive action. UYB is showing you the philosophy for being successful in business. It’s going to influence everything from this point forward.
Your business success does not depend on what you know, it depends on what you DO. And if you don’t know what to do then you need a framework for that, so get your bums into UYB!
Want to join Lizzy in building your dream business? Get your butt in here!
