The second instalment of our Coaching Toolkit series is here, and this time, Aarti Parmar, one of our expert trainers and Certified Brand Strategist + Coach, is sharing her ten key steps for creating a powerful personal brand with you as a coach.
So, whether you’re still in training or have been life coaching for a while, you’re going to want to read this blog from Aarti!
As a life coach, establishing a strong meaningful brand is essential for attracting clients, ethically outmanoeuvring competition, and standing out in a crowded market to achieve long-term success and impact.
We live in a much more digitally connected world, and it’s never been so important to get intentional about your brand identity for your business and you - personal branding is the new marketing!
But as a life coach, how do you go about elevating your brand mindfully in order to build awareness, presence and authenticity?
By following these ten key steps, you can create a powerful brand that maximises your value, resonate with your audience, and positions you to become the obvious choice as a trusted authority in your coaching niche.
Begin by reflecting on your coaching practice. What motivated you to become a coach? What values and principles are important to you? What brings you joy? Understanding your own beliefs and motivations will provide a solid starting point.
Evaluate your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This analysis will provide insights into areas where you excel and areas that may need development. Taking the time to do this will give you a steer of your next actions. Consider what sets you apart as a coach. Is it a particular approach, a personal experience, or a specialised skill set? These unique qualities that will form your personal and business brand identity.
Define the overarching purpose of your coaching practice. What impact do you want to make on your clients' lives? What is your ultimate goal? And understand the drive behind your WHY, that’s going to provide you with enthusiasm and momentum regardless of life and business throws at you! Your mission, purpose and vision statement should succinctly encapsulate this.
List out 3-5 values that guide your coaching practice. These values will serve as a compass for decision-making and shape the way you interact with clients, your team and strategic partners / collaborators. It’s what will make your brand meaningful to those that resonate with those values.
Get crystal clear on who you are serving, and who you seek to influence. After all your coaching business is set up to serve others, make it as easy as possible for them to understand why they need you, why you are the right person / company to take them from challenge to solution to outcomes they. Make it easy for them by understanding your ideal client profiles.
Craft a concise statement that encapsulates your brand's essence. This statement should convey your values, purpose, and unique qualities in a clear and compelling manner. Pepper it in everywhere from your communications online platforms, to when you are networking, delivering proposals, talks, presentations etc, it will help to set you apart and ensure you feel good and confident.
Consider the visual elements that will represent your brand, such as colours, imagery, and design elements. These should align with the values and personality of your coaching practice. Ensure it is consistent on all channels to create visual memorability.
Develop a narrative that tells the story of your coaching journey, highlighting the pivotal moments and experiences that shaped you as a coach. This story will serve as a powerful tool for connecting with your audience.
Once you've defined your brand, test it with a small group of trusted individuals. Ask for feedback from this group on whether it accurately reflects who you are as a coach and resonates with your intended audience. Does it reflect what you intend, eg if you want to be known as a caring, dynamic, ethical…does your brand come across as that?
Seek input from clients, and business buddies. Ask them what they perceive as your strengths and the qualities that make you stand out as a coach. This external perspective can be invaluable in shaping your brand identity. See if it is true to you and add this essence into your communications if it isn’t there already. Become obviously obvious with what you want to be known for and bang the drum about it consistently.
Remember, this in an iterative process and may evolve over time as you gain more experience and insight into your coaching practice. It's crucial to regularly revisit and refine your brand identity to ensure it remains genuine and relevant to both you and your clients. You are the one representing your brand, it must be clear for you so that you can represent it with certainty and conviction on and offline.
By following these steps, you can position yourself as an influential coach, attract your ideal clients, attract more opportunities, and create the lasting impact and growth you desire. Unlock the full force of your business by clarifying your brand and using it mindfully!
Aarti Parmar is an award-winning Certified Brand Strategist and Qualified Coach who loves to educates and empower entrepreneurs to mindfully define their brand to use it with intent, joy, and impact. Her signature Brand Maximiser Framework combined with coaching and consultancy guides aspiring legacy leaders maximise their value, attract their aligned audiences and be the obvious choice. With over 18 years’ experience of working with solopreneurs to global brands both in the UK and overseas. Aarti has empowered thousands of business owners to steer their brand to lead with purpose, communicate with certainty and enjoy commercial growth. She believes if a brand isn’t clear on the inside, it will not be clear on the outside!
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