Journal logo

17 Tips To Promote Your Local Coaching Workshops On Facebook

How to use Facebook to brand yourself as a coach

By Priya Florence ShahPublished 3 years ago 8 min read
Like

Want to promote in-person coaching workshops or events online? Here’s how to use Facebook to brand yourself as a coach and get known as an expert in your city.

During the pandemic, it became harder for coaches who used to hold in-person workshops and events to get more involved with their local community and promote their coaching workshops to a local audience.

Unless you’re an introverted business owner who’s shy or naturally prefers networking in your comfort zone online, you probably have few to no local connections even though you’re well-known online.

If you want to get more involved with your local community online while you’re waiting for in-person events to start again, the best way to go about it is to start using Facebook.

Here’s how to use Facebook to brand yourself as a coach and promote your local workshops or events.

1. Fix your Facebook profile

Before you join any Facebook groups, you should fix your profile. You want it to be open to the public.

This might be scary because you’re used to using Facebook for personal means, but your local audience needs to know about you to trust you.

So open up the Facebook app and perfect your profile. And while you’re at it, ensure that you’re linking to your online real estates like your Facebook groups, website, and blog.

2. Join Facebook Groups

First, you will want to join a few groups. Start with five to ten groups with the idea that you’re not going to fully participate yet. You’re just trying to find out what’s out there and get a feel for how Facebook Groups work.

If you plan to connect with a local audience, look for groups in your locality. For example, if you live in New Jersey, look for Facebook Groups that are active in your locality so you can connect with people who live nearby.

3. Introduce yourself

Take the time and effort to write up an interesting introductory note to introduce yourself to a new group according to the group guidelines.

In some groups, they don’t want you sharing links; in other Groups, they don’t mind. But your profile is now open to the public, so that means that they can find you if your introduction is interesting enough to them.

4. Monitor the groups

When you join a Facebook group, you want to monitor the activity. See who the moderators and owners of the group are and make note of whether you’re connected to people or not.

Don’t try to befriend everyone right away. If people befriend you, that’s good, but don’t be pushy by adding everyone as a friend. That could just come across as creepy.

5. Read & follow the rules

Never skip reading the rules. Sometimes that’s a pinned post, but other times it’s in the files. Always look at all the files. Some groups let anyone add to the files, so that’s an important opportunity to note.

6. Don’t start selling immediately

In fact, unless invited, avoid selling in a group that’s not yours. Instead, be a presence in discussions that show your expertise. If you show them that you’re an expert in your field, people will come to you.

7. Be a useful resource to group members

When group members ask something that you know the answer to, jump in and help them. The more kind and free help you can offer members, the better.

Don’t do anything free that is going to take more than five minutes, but when you can help solve a problem easily for someone else, you will become known.

8. Choose one group to hyper-focus on

Once you get to know the Facebook groups and their members, you’ll likely notice that at least one group is standing out as preferable and more useful.

Choose that one to get involved with more intimately and at a personal level. At this point, you can even unsubscribe to some of the other Facebook groups if you determine they’re not relevant.

9. Go to your first in-person event

Once in-person events become a thing again, choose the one group you want to get more involved in and go to your first in-person event.

When you go to in-person networking events, talk to everyone; don’t just try to talk to one person the entire time. Work the room when appropriate, making a point to introduce yourself to the leaders.

Wait until your third meeting to start offering to do things and volunteering so that no one gets afraid you’re going to take over.

10. Find out who is popular in your local area

You may have competition locally that you need to get to know about. Who, if anyone, is doing what you want to do locally?

Even if you find someone who isn’t direct competition, it’s a good idea to get to know who is popular in your local area and give out the type of advice, products, or services you want to provide.

Often, you could end up collaborating with them and sharing leads or referring customers to each other. So don’t lose the chance to make a new power acquaintance.

Start your own Facebook Group

11. Start your own Facebook group

A really great thing to do is start your own local Facebook Group. As you join other groups and participate, people will be prompted to see your group via your profile and join.

Don’t promote your own Facebook group in other groups. That’s just poor social etiquette and it will be seen as spammy.

Organise a Facebook challenge and do Facebook lives with a local angle to keep your group members engaged and keep your group buzzing and on point.

12. Start volunteering

Once you’ve become popular in your Facebook groups, you’ll notice that people will start inviting you to lunch, asking your advice, and even asking if you’re willing to volunteer.

Jump at the chance, because leaders who take initiative are the ones that are going to be seen as most trustworthy in the eyes of the group members.

13. Get involved with small business groups

Via your local Chamber of Commerce or another type of business-focused centre, there is a huge need for volunteers who will concentrate on small businesses.

Most of these groups focus on bigger businesses rather than home businesses. So, they need you, and if you get involved, you will become well-known.

If you’re an Indian businesswoman who wants to learn how to start and promote a business online, join the Women In Business Community on SHEROES.

You’ll be part of a safe, women-only network where you can access business advice and business mentoring. You’ll also get access to business tips and advice such as articles on selling on Facebook and promoting your products and services online.

14. Find local events to attend and sponsor

Start attending small business events in your local area. Find some to sponsor too so that people get to know your business name. Even if you can’t be there, the local community will begin to know and trust you more if your name is announced a lot.

15. Speak at local & online events

Send out a one-sheet to your local groups and organizations so that they know they can call on you to speak locally or online and on which topics you’re an expert on.

If you have speaker pages or profiles online, include links to them showing your speaking creds and examples of speeches and workshops that you’ve given in the past.

16. Host Facebook events

Once you’re well-known, or even before you become famous locally, start hosting your own online events on Facebook based on your targeted topic that you’ve chosen after getting to know people and seeing what’s needed in your community.

Your public speaking activities and events can be paid online workshops, free workshops, live video events and webinars, or any form of online event that your audience seems to enjoy and engage in.

Once you get to the point of hosting your own online workshops and events, you’ll have developed the perfect topic. One of the topics you already cover online will likely work best for you.

Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Many of the same rules you use for attracting your audience online will work for attracting your local audience.

17. Fit your expertise with what’s needed

As you attend events and get to know what is happening locally for small businesses, you can start to figure out what part of your expertise is needed most.

When you share your expertise freely by example, you’re going to be more likely to build good relationships with group members.

People like to be around those who are kind, helpful and giving. Show your audience how much you care about them by being a resource to them in a way that is not threatening.

That will enable you to fit into the local milieu without butting up against a fierce competitor in a way that stifles your ability to help and become an expert to the local people.

You can set up online courses and target your local community with the lessons using a targeted Facebook advertisement to get the word out.

Another great way to teach what you know is to write and self-publish a “how-to” book through Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). You can fit this into any niche. It’s also very easy to self-publish today.

Don’t worry; when they really want something, they’ll eventually come to you or even recommend you to others. At that time, be ready with your sales page or link to your online store if it makes sense.

Get more social media marketing tips for local businesses to raise awareness, branding and word of mouth for your local or online coaching business.

social media
Like

About the Creator

Priya Florence Shah

Priya Florence Shah is a bestselling author, award-winning publisher and online branding consultant.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.