How to Get Coaching Clients Without Social Media – 5 Ways

by Welly Mulia - November 8, 2024

Tired of feeling like you have to post on social media all the time to get coaching clients? 

Good news — you don’t need Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), or TikTok to build a successful coaching business. 

Yep, this means no silly dances too.

Many coaches and course creators find that moving away from social media actually allows them to focus on more sustainable, long-term strategies that bring in better clients.

Let’s explore how to make this work, shall we?

attract clients without social posts

Building a Successful Coaching Business Foundation 

The Basics 

Before you get to marketing strategies, you need a foundation. Think of this as building a house — you wouldn’t start with the roof, would you? 

Many coaches jump straight into marketing without this crucial groundwork and wonder why their efforts aren’t converting into paying clients. 

Your Ideal Client Avatar 

figuring out ideal client profile

First, get super clear on who your ideal client is. 

Are they busy professionals seeking work-life balance? Entrepreneurs looking to scale their business? 

The more specific you are, the easier it is to find and attract them. Create a detailed avatar including: 

  • Demographics (age, income, location, education) 

  • Psychographics (values, beliefs, lifestyle) 

  • Pain points and challenges 

  • Goals and aspirations 

  • Where they currently seek solutions 

  • What they’ve tried before 

  • Their objections to coaching 

For example, instead of saying “I help entrepreneurs,” specify “I help female e-commerce business owners earning $100K-$500K who want to scale to seven figures while working fewer hours.” 

How to Get Coaching Clients Without Social Media – Way #1: SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is your secret weapon. 

try search engine optimization

While social media requires constant feeding, SEO is like planting a garden that keeps growing. 

Focus on keywords your ideal clients are searching for. If you help entrepreneurs with time management, create content around: 

  • “Productivity tips for business owners” 

  • “How to delegate effectively” 

  • “Time management for entrepreneurs” 

  • “Business systems and automation” 

  • “Work-life balance for CEOs”

Technical SEO Basics 

  • Optimize page titles and meta descriptions 

  • Use header tags 

  • Include keywords naturally 

  • Create internal links between pages 

  • Ensure fast loading speeds 

  • Make your site mobile-friendly 

  • Create location-specific pages if relevant 

Local SEO

Don’t forget to claim and optimize your Google My Business listing. 

This is especially important for coaches who work locally or offer hybrid coaching services. Include: 

  • Business hours 

  • Regular posts and updates 

  • Photos of your workspace or virtual office 

  • Client reviews 

  • Services

  • FAQs  

Content Marketing Strategies 

Content marketing is about sharing your expertise in valuable ways. 

Your blog is the foundation of this strategy. Create a content calendar around: 

  • Challenges your ideal clients face 

  • Questions they ask 

  • Industry trends and insights 

  • Success stories and case studies 

  • How-to guides and tutorials 

  • Expert interviews 

  • Resource roundups 

Expanding your content marketing beyond blogging can make a big difference in getting coaching clients without social media. 

Create video content to reach those who prefer visual learning. Host webinars or online workshops to dive deeper into specific topics and give potential clients a taste of your coaching style. 

And create a podcast series to reach another segment of your audience and share your insights and advice in a more casual way. 

Collaborate with other coaches or industry experts to expand your reach and offer different perspectives. 

Don’t forget to repurpose your blog posts into infographics, slideshows or downloadable guides. 

This not only uses your content more efficiently but also caters to different learning styles. 

By diversifying your content formats you can drive more traffic to your site and become a thought leader in your niche and get more clients without social media. 

Blog Post Best Practices

When writing blog posts: 

  • Use attention grabbing headlines 

  • Include practical tips 

  • Break up text with subheadings 

  • Add images 

  • Include examples and case studies 

  • End with clear next steps 

  • Optimize for SEO 

  • Insert internal and external links 

Guest Blogging / Posting

Guest posting on other websites puts you in front of established audiences. 

Look for websites your ideal clients already read. 

For example if you’re a business coach look for entrepreneurship websites. 

When guest posting: 

  • Study the site’s content style 

  • Pitch unique angles 

  • Deliver big value 

  • Include your bio and call-to-action 

  • Comment on the post 

  • Share the post with your network 

Podcasting

Podcasting is great for coaches. Being a guest on podcasts gets you in front of existing audiences. 

Consider starting your own podcast if you like talking and have valuable insights to share regularly. 

Focus on: 

  • Consistent publishing schedule 

  • Good audio 

  • Interesting topics 

  • Expert guests 

  • Practical content that’s easy to implement

  • Clear call-to-action 

Way #2: Email Marketing and List Building 

email marketing trumps social media

Building an Email List Using Lead Magnets

Create lead magnets that solve immediate problems. 

These should be specific, practical and deliver quick wins. 

Here are some examples: 

  • Productivity assessment tool 

  • Goal setting workbook 

  • “Mistakes” challenge where you uncover the most common mistakes people make

  • Business systems checklist 

  • Templates for writing engaging emails while invisibly selling

  • ROI calculators 

  • Self-assessment quizzes 

Lead magnets are a great way to get coaching clients without social media. By offering valuable resources you’re giving potential clients a taste of your expertise and building trust and credibility. 

Consider creating lead magnets for specific niches or pain points within your coaching business. 

For example, if you’re a health coach you might create a meal planning guide or a fitness tracker. As a business coach a financial planning spreadsheet or a business strategy session might be more relevant

And make sure your lead magnets look good and are easy to get. 

Use landing pages to capture email addresses in exchange for these resources and grow your list and nurture potential clients through targeted email campaigns. 

By delivering value through your lead magnets you can build a relationship with your audience and convert them into clients over time. 

Email is your direct line to clients. Start building your list now with your lead magnets. 

Your email strategy should be total and systematic. 

Welcome Sequence

Your welcome sequence should look like this: 

  • Day 1: Welcome email with your introduction and lead magnet 

  • Day 3: Share your coaching story and philosophy and a client success story 

  • Day 5: Deliver value with tips or insights related to the resource they downloaded 

  • Day 7: Share common problems and solutions in your niche 

  • Day 9: Invite them to book a consultation with an offer 

Newsletters

Newsletters keep you top of mind. Mix in: 

  • 60% educational content 

  • 20% stories 

  • 20% promotional content 

Newsletter best practices: 

  • Use great subject lines 

  • Keep paragraphs short 

  • One main call-to-action 

  • Personal touches 

  • Behind the scenes 

  • Segmentation based on interests 

  • Test different send times 

  • Monitor open and click rates 

To implement email marketing, you need a tool like BirdSend.

Way #3: Partnership and Networking 

a strong referral program is powerful

Your network is your net worth in coaching. Start with people you already know. Create a networking strategy that includes: 

Immediate Network Activation: 

  • Let your existing contacts know about your coaching services. Show how you’re different from other coaches and how you can help their connections.

  • 1:1 calls with potential partners who have your target audience. Get to know their audience so you can help them.

  • Give special discounts to early adopters to try out your coaching services. In return you get constructive feedback to improve your offerings. You might even get some testimonials.

  • Ask for intros to potential partners from your immediate circle. A warm intro helps in building trust and credibility.

  • Share your expertise in relevant communities by helping out other members. You can also contact the community or group owner and ask if they’re open to you giving a free webinar session to the community members.

Create a Referral / Affiliate Program

If you don’t know what an affiliate program is, see here.

Offer current clients or anyone who might have access to your audience:

  • 10-20% commissions based on how much the coaching service or package is

  • A free coaching session for clients who refer you to their network

  • Make it easy for people to refer you. Provide them with intro templates and resources

  • Make sure to use a reliable tracking software to accurately track referrals and how much commissions need to be paid. Then pay out the commissions on time. Transparency and punctuality is key to strong referral relationships.

  • Thank referral partners regularly. For those who keep referring you clients, you can also give them a special gift (e.g. Amazon vouchers) on top of their commissions.

Local Networking

  • Attend Chamber of Commerce events to meet and interact with local business owners and professionals. Folks going to these events are business-minded and don’t mind being pitched (if you do it correctly).

  • Also attend industry conferences to stay up to date with things happening in your field. Network with other professionals while you’re there. You never know who is going to refer you clients.

  • Host local workshops to show off your expertise. Make sure you attract the right type of audience, otherwise it’ll be a waste.

  • Speak at business breakfast or luncheons to reach a bigger audience. Tell your origin story, then transition into how you can help them.

  • Partner with complementary but non-competing businesses. For example, if you’re a fitness coach, you can partner with businesses that sell fitness equipments to cross promote services.

  • Join mastermind groups in your field to connect with like-minded professionals to share knowledge and support one another. You might even get collaboration opportunities

How to Get Coaching Clients Without Social Media – Way #4 Paid Marketing 

Yes, organic traffic is free, but you’re paying it with your time. So if you have more money than time, consider paid advertising.

Google Ads

  • Start with a small daily budget ($20 – $50) 

  • Target long-tail keywords 

  • Write intriguing and enticing ad copy (while avoiding click-baiting)

  • Use ad extensions for easier management

  • Set up conversion tracking 

  • A/B test to find the winning ad creative

  • Monitor and adjust 

Meta Ads

  • Create custom audiences from your website visitors 

  • Create lookalike audiences from your email list 

  • Test different ad formats and creatives

  • Set up tracking pixels 

  • Monitor cost per lead and adjust 

Webinar Marketing

  • Show the audience how you can help solve their pains and problems

  • Plan the webinar at least a month in advance

  • Send multiple reminder emails (2 days prior, 1 day prior, and 1 hour prior, and 10 minutes prior)

  • Include interactive elements by asking the audience questions

  • Make a relevant and compelling offer (make sure if they don’t buy, they’ll still get value out of the webinar)

  • Send the webinar replay so those who didn’t attend can watch (and potentially buy your offer)

  • Follow up via emails (the saying “the money is in the follow-up is true”

Way #5 Community Building 

With social media, it’s a “shotgun approach” in terms of audience targeting. You don’t really have a say in who you want your posts to reach.

With a community though, only those who’re interested in your topic will join.

Here are few ways to build goodwill and trust with your community:

1/ Workshops / trainings

Once a month, host online trainings that cover recent trends or industry news. This is useful for members because they can keep up to date just by attending or watching the training.

2/ Guest expert trainings

You can also invite relevant experts to give trainings.

For example, if your community building is about running a successful agency business, members most likely have problems with productivity, mindset, cashflow management, etc.

3/ Implementation workshops

This is where members can apply what they’ve learned live with other members / students.

This is a good, practical way for them to actually “acquire” skills, not just learn about them theoretically.

4/ Hot seats

get customized strategies in hot seats

This is where a select few members get focused 1:1 coaching from you in front of the group.

Because of the nature of the personalized interactions, each session can usually only accommodate not more than 3-5 hot seats.

Members who haven’t got their chance to be “hot-seated” can wait until the next hot seat session.

5/ Challenges

Create relevant and measurable goals for your members. You can also encourage them to come up with ideas. These goals will keep members engaged and focused, and ultimately achieve something positive. This will further build goodwill.

6/ Daily action steps

This is to get participants moving towards their goals. Breaking down goals into smaller tasks will get results and engagement.

7/ Accountability

This is done through regular check-ins, progress tracking and peer support. Accountability is what keeps participants motivated.

8/ Celebrate wins (and “failures”)

Recognize achievements and milestones.

Celebrating success will keep morale high and get more participation.

But the reality is — there are much more setbacks / “failures” than wins.

Encourage members to celebrate failures and share them too as doing so will make your community more “realistic” and humane.

9/ Recognize helpful members

Showcase their contributions and achievements like giving them a special badge.

Humans like to be recognized — so use this to your advantage. Once someone is awarded a badge, they don’t want to lose it.

This means they’re more likely to continue with their helpful contribution within the community.

10/ Set rules and guidelines

This is to keep your community positive and supportive.

For example, most communities (especially paid ones) don’t allow self-promotion. Make this clear right from the very beginning to set clear expectations.

Measuring Your Results

attracting clients without social media is possible

Track these each month:

  • Website traffic (20% growth)

  • Email list growth (100 new subscribers)

  • Consultation call bookings (weekly goals)

  • Client conversion rates (25-30%)

  • Revenue per client (track averages and trends)

  • Client satisfaction scores (9+/10)

  • Referral rates (20% of new clients)

Use these:

  • Google Analytics

  • Email marketing analytics

  • CRM system

  • Financial tracking software

  • Client feedback surveys

  • ROI calculators

  • Performance dashboards

Remember, you can attract coaching clients without social media. Focus on being helpful to your audience and you’ll build strong and trusting relationships.

Your ideal clients are out there looking for help to overcome their problems. And you have the expertise to solve them.

By being visible in the right places and delivering high quality service you’ll build a thriving coaching business without the social media overwhelm.

Oh and before I forget, thank you Imgflip for the fun images.

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