‍Introduction

Marketing for coaches has changed dramatically over the years. Whether you're coaching in person or online, understanding how to effectively market your business is key to growing your client base and increasing revenue. The truth is, the best marketing strategy is simply being an amazing coach—helping clients succeed, turning them into raving fans, and letting your results speak for themselves.

But beyond delivering a great coaching experience, there are key marketing strategies every coach should be implementing. This guide will walk through the best marketing, advertising, and sales strategies for coaches, helping you grow your roster and create a sustainable business.

Marketing, Advertising, and Sales: What’s the Difference?

Before diving into strategies, let’s break down the difference between marketing, advertising, and sales:

• Marketing: Getting the word out about who you are, who you help, and what you do. This includes content marketing (social media, email, blogs), brand building, and messaging.
• Advertising: Paid marketing efforts, like running Facebook or Instagram ads. This is a way to accelerate lead generation.
• Sales: The process of converting a lead into a paying client. This includes consultation calls, follow-ups, and building a strong offer.

For solo coaches, paid advertising isn’t necessary—you can grow a full roster organically. But you need a system in place for marketing and sales.

Internal vs. External Marketing

There are two key types of marketing every coach should be doing:

1. Internal Marketing: This focuses on celebrating client wins publicly. Even if posts about your clients don’t get a ton of engagement, they make your clients feel valued. Clients who feel appreciated stick around longer.
2. External Marketing: This is your messaging to the outside world—letting potential clients know who you help and why they should choose you.

A common mistake coaches make is posting too much about how they coach. The truth is, your methodology isn’t special—what matters is how you communicate the transformation you offer.

The Five Core Steps to Growing Your Coaching Business

If you’re a solo coach looking to grow your roster from 20 to 50+ clients, here’s a five-step process to follow:

Step 1: Social Media Posting Schedule

• Create a content strategy that balances education, entertainment, and client testimonials.
• Batch-create content: Plan out your posts four weeks in advance to save time.
• Repurpose content: The same video can go on Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts to increase reach.

Content Breakdown:

• Educational Posts: Teach something valuable (lifting tips, mobility drills, mindset shifts).
• Engaging/Entertaining Posts: Skits, trends, relatable gym content.
• Client Testimonials & Wins: Showcasing results to build trust.
• Call to Action Posts: A direct offer (coaching application, free resource download, consultation calls).

Your social media should be a balance of value and calls to action—not just one or the other.

Step 2: Create a Lead Magnet

If you want more people in your ecosystem, you need a lead magnet—a free offer in exchange for an email. Examples:

• Free Strength Training Guide
• 12-Week Training Program
• Nutrition Cheat Sheet
• “Biggest Mistakes in Powerlifting” Ebook

You can run a low-cost ad to promote your lead magnet, but even without paid ads, a strong organic promotion strategy (posting about it on social media) can generate leads.

Step 3: Build a Sales Process

Once a lead enters your ecosystem, your sales process begins. Here’s what that looks like:

1. Call Confirmation: If someone books a call, send them an automated message with homework (example: a questionnaire about their goals).
2. Sales Call Structure:
   
   • Start with rapport-building (make it personal!).
   • Go through your presentation (showcase how your coaching works, the client journey, pricing).
   • Close with confidence—offer clear next steps.
3. Follow-Up System: Most coaches lose potential clients because they don’t follow up. Track your leads using a Google Sheet or a basic CRM, and follow up with leads at least three times.

Step 4: Email Marketing

Email marketing is one of the most underutilized tools by coaches. It’s cheap, has high conversion rates, and keeps leads engaged over time.

Here’s how to maximize email marketing:

• Repurpose social media content into weekly emails.
• Segment your list (clients vs. prospects) and send tailored emails.
• Use a mix of value emails (tips, educational content) and call-to-action emails (offers, client transformations).

If you only post on social media, you’re at the mercy of the algorithm. Your email list is an asset you control.

Step 5: Track Your Sales System

Too many coaches lose leads because they don’t track anything. Simple tracking can double your conversion rates.

Use a Google Sheet to track:

• New Leads (Name, Email, Contact Date)
• Consultation Calls Booked
• Closed Clients (Color-code them: Green = Signed, Yellow = Follow-Up, Red = Not a Fit)
• Follow-Ups Needed

You should have structured time in your schedule to follow up with leads and stay organized.

Should You Run Paid Ads?

For most solo coaches, paid ads aren’t necessary. If you have to run ads just to fill your own roster, something else is wrong (content strategy, messaging, lead nurturing).

Paid ads make sense for larger coaching businesses or those with a scalable model (e.g., group coaching, gym memberships, courses). But if you’re a one-person operation, you should be able to grow organically.

Final Thoughts: Just Do The Work

The biggest mistake coaches make? They don’t take action.

Here’s what you should do right now:

1. Plan a month of social media content (education, client wins, call-to-action posts).
2. Create a lead magnet and start collecting emails.
3. Build a simple follow-up system (Google Sheet or basic CRM).
4. Use email marketing to engage leads weekly.
5. Track everything—if you don’t measure it, you can’t improve it.

You don’t need paid ads. You don’t need a massive following. You just need consistency and a system. Follow this blueprint, and you’ll grow your coaching business without spending a dollar on advertising.

If you found this helpful, make sure to check out CoachLogik, the all-in-one coaching platform built for barbell sports coaches. From programming to athlete management, CoachLogik streamlines your workflow so you can focus on coaching.

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