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The Benefits of Personal Branding for Coaches & 6 Self-Marketing Tips

June 25, 2024

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Emily May

People from all walks of life are building their personal brands online for the fruitful opportunities it can bring. However, some career paths, like coaching, rely heavily on an online presence to build trust and authority with prospective clients and employers. 

With thousands of articles available online about personal branding, it can be challenging to know which marketing tactics will be the most helpful on your coaching journey. 

The ICAgile marketing team rounded up our top six tips to get you started. Whether you are starting your personal brand from scratch or want to incorporate more strategy into your marketing efforts, this article has something for you. 

What Is Personal Branding?

When you’re in the cereal aisle, you don’t have to try very hard to spot your favorite brand because every box design is distinct and easily recognizable. Branding sets products apart from their competition, and marketers spend countless hours brainstorming the details–from colors to taglines. 

Personal branding holds the same concept, but rather than referring to the marketing of a business and its products, it refers to the branding of a singular person and what they offer. A few examples of individuals who can benefit from personal branding include industry thought leaders, social media influencers, and experts selling products or services. 

Benefits of Personal Branding for Coaches

As a coach, developing a personal brand is crucial to ensure your marketing messaging is simple, strategic, and authentic.

There are numerous benefits to building a personal brand as a coach, but the most notable include:

  • Differentiation from other coaches
  • Messaging that resonates with your target audience
  • Career advancement & networking opportunities
  • Industry authority & influence
  • Audience engagement
  • Focused approach to marketing efforts

    • 6 Self-Marketing Tips for Coaches

    graphic for 6 marketing tips for coaches

    1. Define Your Coaching Niche

    The first step to any strategic marketing effort is narrowing down your target audience and the unique problem you solve. For example, an agile coach may target tech startup teams of up to ten people looking to make an agile transformation and need someone to facilitate the process. If you need help deciding on your target audience, reflect on previous coaching experiences to identify the most fruitful and enjoyable moments and identify the types of teams or people with which these are associated. If you’re just starting your coaching journey, identify your “dream” job, client, or team to work with, and target that specific niche. 

    To solidify your place within your niche, consider developing a unique selling proposition (USP) that defines what sets you apart from your competition. Domino’s Pizza promises faster delivery than other pizza shops with its USP: “You get fresh, hot pizza delivered to your door in 30 minutes or less—or it's free." Perhaps the agile coach can deliver on particular agile metrics within a specified time frame. 

    2. Brainstorm Your Coaching Brand Identity

    cartoon of people brainstorming their brand

    Your brand identity encompasses the messaging and visual imagery across your coaching platforms and marketing materials. Start small: choose a color scheme, up to two fonts, and the types of elements you will include in your advertising, like circular elements or squares. Canva is an excellent (and free!) platform for making visually appealing content, and users can save their brand colors for easy access later. 

    However, brand voice is the most crucial element of personal branding for coaches. Your unique personality, approach, and values should shine through your messaging across all platforms and content. Consider guiding your messaging efforts with a personal branding statement: a 1-3 sentence explanation of who you serve, how you can help them, your experience, and your unique selling proposition. 

    Here is an example of a personal brand statement from an influencer on LinkedIn named Chris Do: “As the Founder and CEO of The Futur, I have over 27 years of experience in brand design, strategy, and consultancy, working with clients such as Microsoft, Sony, Nike, and Starbucks. I am passionate about helping people realize their value and communicate it to others, whether through design, content, education, or coaching.” He establishes his authority in the industry, the value to the customer, and the unique ways he delivers his services. 

    Brand identity makes your content easily identifiable on your website, social media posts, or profiles. 

    3. Embrace Authenticity

    Authenticity has become a key component of personal branding. TikTok’s rise in popularity is a testament to this notion, as people share their everyday lives with their followers and gain traction. However, practicing authenticity doesn't mean you need to overshare, especially when building a professional brand; simply showcasing your personality, hobbies, or unique stories can be an asset to your brand story. 

    Why is authenticity an effective technique for self-marketing? Your unique interests and character traits are vehicles for connection. For example, one of your LinkedIn connections is in the market for a coach, with many qualified professionals to choose from. Still, they reach out to you over your competitors because they discover that you live in the same state and enjoy the same outdoor activities, establishing a healthy foundation for the working relationship. 

    4. Leverage LinkedIn

    cartoon of someone using someone LinkedIn for marketing

    LinkedIn is an ideal platform for coaches to market their services, as its users are focused on professional development and networking. To catch the attention of your ideal client, create a well-curated profile with a headline that lists the type of coaching you provide and for whom. LinkedIn offers many additional ways to personalize your profile, like customizing your bio section, pinning posts, and creating a services page. 

    General LinkedIn recommendations for coaches include:

  • Publish tailored content regularly
  • Use related hashtags so that people can discover you
  • Be responsive to comments and messages
  • Make it easy for people to book a meeting with you
  • Add new connections and send messages to potential leads
  • Ask previous clients to leave recommendations on your LinkedIn profile

    • A professional website can help build authority and trust with your customer base, and you’ll want to include the link in your LinkedIn profile. Other social media platforms can be an asset to your personal brand, but be sure that your target audience uses the site(s) and that you have the time to invest in maintaining multiple profiles. 

    5. Advertise Your Continued Learning

    Showcase your commitment to continued learning on your LinkedIn profile and professional website. Potential employers or clients can quickly identify your recent education in the field. By modeling the growth mindset, you will also encourage others to embrace new learning opportunities. 

    When ICAgile students earn a certification, we make it easy to add the course badge and credential ID to their LinkedIn and Credly profiles. Simply by searching your name, prospects can verify the validity of your certification and our consortium, increasing trust. 

    6. Adapt Your Marketing Strategy as Necessary

    cartoon of a coach looking at their strategy

    Marketing efforts aren’t meant to be set in stone. Your services or target audience will likely adapt over time, leading to changes in your marketing strategies and tactics. When analyzing your current personal branding approach to identify potential for improvement, consider your business goals as well as the changing needs of your audience.

    Additionally, utilize word-of-mouth feedback and analytics tools to monitor the effectiveness of your marketing initiatives and refine your strategy. For example, explore which LinkedIn posts received the most engagement from the previous year and use this information to inform your future content. 

    Conclusion

    We hope the tips in this article help you build a strong personal brand that resonates with your audience, differentiates your services in a competitive marketplace, and advances your coaching career. 

    Are you ready to acquire new practical knowledge to showcase to prospective clients and employers? Explore the ICAgile Enterprise Agile Coaching and Agile Team Coaching tracks, which include various certification courses for agile coaches at all levels. 

    We’d love to be part of your learning journey, and we hope to meet you in a class soon!

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    TAGGED AS:
    Agile Team Coaching, Agile Coaching, Enterprise Agile Coaching, Coaching Agile Transformations

    About the author

    Emily May | ICAgile, Marketing Specialist
    Emily May is a Marketing Specialist at ICAgile, where she helps educate learners on their agile journey through content. With an eclectic background in communications supporting small business marketing efforts, she hopes to inspire readers to initiate more empathy, productivity, and creativity in the workplace for improved internal and external outcomes.

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