Help Me Get Traffic to My Coaching Website

Hi Annette,

I'm so frustrated that I'm sinking thousands into my website and not getting the kind of return on my investment I thought I would. Any suggestions?
D

Hi D,

I want you to know I'm behind your success as a coach. I'm not only a web designer. I want to see my clients succeed because when you do, I do as well.

Here's what I'd do, if I were in your shoes.

1. I'd get a mailing list of potential clients or companies together...If you want to work within a certain industry, there are ways to get the names, addresses, and email addresses of key personnel. I'd start by defining a narrow niche and saturate that first, then expand outwards to related niches.
2. I'd write a flurry of newsletters (bi-weekly or monthly) with very CONCRETE tips, not some of the "airy fairy" stuff I see some coaches write. I'd mine your expertise from your experience in business for this.
3. I'd send hard copies of all newsletters to key personnel from above, inviting them to subscribe to the electronic version.
4. I'd include either a testimonial or a sample coaching scenario in each newsletter, so readers can gauge your effectiveness and relevancy to what they are needing.
5. I'd do some FREE seminars for those key personnel, so they can get a feel for you, your expertise, and how you work.
6. I'd do an audiopodium and announce it on the newsletter, website, voice mail, and anywhere else you can.
7. I'd put all back issues of your newsletter on your website. Unfortunately, you have chosen an email management program for your newsletters that doesn't offer an archival feature. I'd fix that right away.
8. I'd look at your site stats to see if there's a way to find out where your site visitors are coming from and if you can contact them.
9. I'd give an incentive to your current coaching clients to refer others to you.
10. I'd find some busy coaching-related websites, such as IFC, MentorCoach, CoachU or any other coaching consortium and ask them to link to yours. This will drive targeted traffic to your site.
11. I'd subscribe to every major coaching referral service there is.
12. I'd network within my desired niche...out the wazoo!
13. I'd stop paying for marketing seminars for coaches and spend the money DOING marketing.
14. I'd start a blog.
15. More.......I'd have more, but my brain is empty for the moment!!

I was vacuuming (my house, not my brain) and came up with a few more ideas....

16. I'd start an online community, such as a discussion board or blog, focused on the needs of my niche.

17. I'd find the newsgroups my niche subscribes to and "lurk" there until I see what kind of issues they are concerned with. Then I'd start posting, but not "flaming" = advertising to the list. This is not allowed, but you can post a link to your website using your email signature.

18. I'd find a way to do a chat with your niche. For example, ivillage.com does featured chats for women. There are also free chat features you can add to your website and host your own topical chat.

20. I'd do an online survey or focus group to determine the needs of my niche and how to best meet them.

21. I'd cull through Chamber of Commerce websites to find possible leads for business coaching/life coaching (as we all know how stressed business owners are!)

22. I'd develop a "prospects" file (mine is now 2 inches thick) and touch base with those people regularly.

23. I'd get a toll-free phone number and use it in advertising to my niche. See www.CallWave.com.

24. I'd advertise my services in specialty magazines and trade journals my niche reads.

25. Okay, I'll stop at 25. That's a nice "round" number.

Thanks for Asking!

Annette