“Does a coach have to be on social media?” In the last NLP Coaching and coaching certification training in Amsterdam this was a topic we all explored.
Every class, there seems to be a new coach who makes disgusted faces by the idea they may be required to market themselves on social media. This is directly linked for many to what a student of mine eloquently called: “social media second-hand car salesman ambulance chaser coaches.”
It is a controversial topic, as the social media and sales coaches make it seem that we must be to be relevant and successful.
Does a coach need to be on social media? Yes, and no.
My coaching company doesn’t have social media or a website.
In my personal experience directly connecting with people, in seminars I attend as a student, I provide as a teacher, social entrepreneurship events and encounters with people account for 95% of my coaching clients. I include referrals in this number.
When I am able to demonstrate my skill set, I always walk out with a client. Either for the NLP training or my coaching company. I usually have a waitlist, and the pandemic only made this waitlist longer. I refer clients on to my former students all the time. When I feel they are a better fit.
The trick is to get people to attend a workshop. I do this in two ways:
1. Teaching through Global NLP Training allows me to upsell into coaching and get referrals to former students. This is a soft-sell, meaning all I do is mention that I coach former students too.
2. I organize workshops against a donation for a good cause and ask others in my network to facilitate me visiting their company or putting their friends and family in a room. Next to a coach, and trainer, I am indeed a social entrepreneur.
However, the outcome is clients that live in the location where I gave the workshop unless the client traveled to take the workshop.
A hard requirement is here that you connect and get out there!
My NLP Training Company does have Social Media & Website.
My aim on these is gathering clients for live trainings around the world, And these clients I need to gather mostly through google as well as referrals as a primary source. And secondary through the blog, YouTube channel, and social media.
I know enough about advertising that my aim through these is not advertising. For me, it is about teaching! To showcase how I talk and teach. And that sells! I don’t make silly dance videos, point at words in the air or lip-synch to movie clips.
I don’t have a huge following on social media. But the following that I do have turns into sales. Most people I have trained with a large following actually were unable to monetize.
I recently trained a student who is an advertising expert. She also indicated that the level of success someone has making money on social media entirely depends on your values. Having very little of them, that is.
Do You Need Social Media as a coach?
No, if you can get clients by being a networker, by connecting people, by giving workshops, by getting out there.
And yes, once you meet these people, they will go check you out on social media. And that social media content makes them feel they want to coach with you. Videos and podcasts are very direct ways to showcase what you can do. Photos can show who you are. Blogs are amazing for content, but most people want to SEE and HEAR their coach. In order to understand how they make them feel. To know they have mastery, and don’t sell fluffed air.
In a sense for a coach their website is where they have their suit on, on social media, YouTube, podcast and blogs is where they show up as they are. In short, a coach doesn’t need to be on social media if they do get out there.
