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Stop wasting time and make social media really work for your business
Your expertise is solid. Your results speak for themselves. But winning new clients through social media still feels like throwing content into the void. While other coaches seem to attract endless opportunities from their posts, your social presence isn’t delivering the same results.
Many coaches get stuck in the content creation hamster wheel, churning out posts without seeing real business growth. But there’s good news – social media can become your most powerful client acquisition tool when you understand the psychology behind how people actually hire coaches through these platforms.
Most coaches approach social media backward. They create content, hope for engagement, and wait for clients to appear. This passive approach rarely works. The key is understanding how clients actually make buying decisions on social platforms.
Your potential clients check your social media before making a decision. But they’re not just looking at follower count or post frequency. They’re looking for evidence that you’ve helped people like them succeed.
75% of B2B buyers use social media to make buying decisions, according to LinkedIn, with similar numbers of consumers buying products seen in social media posts. They’re seeking evidence of expertise through your content, social validation through engagement from others, and proof of results through client success stories.
When they see others engaging meaningfully with your content and sharing positive experiences, it builds their confidence in working with you.
Many coaches burn out trying to maintain a perfect social media presence. The reality? Consistency beats perfection every time. Regular, focused engagement builds more trust than sporadic bursts of perfect content.
Your ideal clients need between 7-13 touchpoints before they’re ready to work with you. This means showing up regularly with valuable insights rather than occasional polished performances.
The traditional model of giving away free content and hoping for immediate sales is outdated. Today’s clients expect a clear value exchange at every stage. Your social media strategy needs to demonstrate value while qualifying potential clients.
This shift in approach separates coaches who consistently win clients from those who simply collect followers. It’s about creating meaningful interactions that build toward a natural next step. In fact, your coaching prospects begin their decision-making process months before they enquire, so being there in key buying moments is crucial.
Let’s break down the exact steps to turn your social media presence into a client-winning machine. Each strategy is designed to be implemented immediately and refined over time based on your results.
Forget trying to go viral. The real power of social media for coaches lies in meaningful micro-engagements with potential clients. Start by identifying 20-30 ideal clients that are active on your chosen platform. These should be people who match your target client profile and are actively posting about challenges you can help solve.
Create a simple spreadsheet to track your interactions. Include their name, key topics they discuss, challenges they mention, and dates of meaningful interactions. This might seem excessive, but top-performing coaches consistently track their social media relationships just as carefully as they track their client relationships.
Spend 20 minutes each day engaging with their content meaningfully. This means reading posts carefully and responding with genuine insights or questions that advance the conversation. For example, if a potential client posts about struggling with team motivation, don’t just say “Great post!” Instead, share a specific insight about team dynamics or ask a thoughtful question about their situation.
The key to making this work is consistency. Set a daily reminder for your engagement time and treat it like any other important business task. Within a few weeks, you’ll start seeing these micro-engagements develop into deeper conversations and potential client relationships.
Client success stories are your most powerful asset on social media, but many coaches struggle to share them effectively. The key is creating a systematic approach that respects client privacy while showcasing real results.
Start during your client onboarding process. When you begin working with a new client, discuss how you might share their journey and successes. Create a simple agreement that outlines what can be shared and how. This might include permission to share anonymous results, specific metrics, or full case studies.
Throughout your coaching relationship, document key milestones and wins. Keep a running log of specific challenges overcome, strategies implemented, and results achieved. This makes it easy to create compelling social proof when the time comes.
When sharing success stories, focus on the transformation journey. Start with the initial challenge – something your ideal clients will relate to. Then outline the key mindset shifts or strategic changes that led to success. Be specific about results but remember that not every win needs to be quantifiable. Sometimes the most compelling stories are about subtle but important changes in confidence, clarity, or capability.
For example, instead of posting “Helped a client increase revenue by 50%,” share the story of how they overcame their fear of raising prices, implemented new packaging strategies, and gradually built the confidence to charge what they’re worth. This narrative approach resonates more deeply with potential clients who see themselves in the story.
Your content strategy needs to go beyond generic advice. Each piece of content should serve as a filter, attracting your ideal clients while gently disqualifying those who aren’t a good fit.
Start by mapping out four or five core content themes that reflect your expertise and methodology. These might include mindset shifts, strategic planning, leadership development, team dynamics, or whatever aligns with your coaching focus. Create content that demonstrates your unique approach to each theme.
When writing posts, start with a strong hook that speaks directly to your ideal client’s situation. Follow with insights that showcase your expertise but also challenge common assumptions. End with a clear indication of how you help clients tackle similar challenges.
Write in your natural voice but be intentional about weaving in phrases and concepts that resonate with your target audience. If you work with startup founders, use language they use. If you coach executives, maintain a more corporate tone. This subtle positioning helps attract the right clients.
Check out our guidance on creating great posts for LinkedIn.
Each social media platform offers unique ways to connect with potential clients. Rather than trying to master them all, focus on maximising one platform’s features before expanding to others.
On LinkedIn, posts are your opportunity to demonstrate deep expertise. Write detailed and compelling content that tackles complex challenges your clients face. Use real examples (anonymised if needed) and provide actionable insights. When commenting on others’ posts, write mini-posts rather than quick responses. This positions you as someone who thinks deeply about industry challenges.
If you’re using Instagram, Stories offer a perfect way to share your daily insights and behind-the-scenes glimpses of your coaching practice. Use the Close Friends feature to share exclusive content with potential and current clients. Create Guides that compile your best insights on specific topics, making it easy for new followers to find your most valuable content.
For Twitter users, focus on creating valuable threads that break down complex topics into digestible insights. Quote tweets are your opportunity to add expert commentary to industry discussions. Create filtered lists of potential clients and engage with them consistently.
The difference between coaches who win clients on social media and those who don’t often comes down to their follow-up system. Create a simple but systematic approach to nurturing relationships.
Start by categorizing your social media connections into tiers based on their potential as clients. Tier 1 contacts should receive the most attention – aim to interact with their content at least twice a week. Schedule regular check-ins by setting aside time each week to review their recent posts and engage meaningfully.
Use your platform’s native features to stay organized. Create Twitter lists, LinkedIn folders, or Instagram close friends groups to easily find and engage with your priority contacts. Set up notifications for your most important potential clients so you never miss their posts.
When moving from social engagement to direct connection, be patient and natural. After several meaningful interactions, send a personalized message referencing specific conversations or shared interests. Offer value first – perhaps a relevant resource or introduction – before suggesting a call or meeting.
Tracking the right metrics helps you refine your approach over time. Create a simple monthly review process focusing on meaningful interactions rather than vanity metrics.
Record how many genuine conversations you start each week. These are exchanges that go beyond basic comments to real discussion about challenges and solutions. Track which types of posts and comments lead to these conversations.
Monitor how potential clients move through your social media ecosystem. Are they progressing from casual followers to engaged community members? Are they reaching out for more information? Keep notes on what triggers these transitions.
Review your content performance by likes or shares as well as the quality of engagement it generates. A post with fewer likes but several thoughtful comments from ideal clients might be more valuable than one with generally high engagement.
Success on social media comes from consistent, strategic action. Start by choosing your primary platform based on where your ideal clients spend their time. Set up your tracking system – a simple spreadsheet works fine at first.
Dedicate your first week to observation and planning. Study how your ideal clients interact on the platform. Note what types of content they engage with and what challenges they discuss. Use these insights to guide your engagement strategy.
Begin with just 30 minutes daily of focused social media activity. Split this between creating one piece of valuable content and engaging with five potential clients’ posts. Keep your interactions genuine and insight-driven.
Remember that building a client-winning social media presence is a marathon, not a sprint. Focus on forming real connections and providing consistent value.
Be prepared to pivot as you learn what does and doesn’t work for you. Be patient, and you’ll begin gain traction and swelling your influence online. The clients will follow.
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