Branding for Coaches
How to stand out in a crowded marketplace
You don’t need to look far to find a coach these days.
Everywhere I go, I meet business coaches, life coaches, executive coaches, leadership coaches, mindset coaches, health coaches, and the list goes one. Some even call me a branding coach!
The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. The process of coaching often unlocks previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity and leadership.”
So yup, I guess I am a coach.
The (ICF) estimates there are 71,000 professional coaches worldwide and 23,000 based in North America – so there is a lot of people in this space.
In this blog post, I’m going to be sharing how – as a coach - you can stand out in a crowded marketplace and become known for something. (*if you’d like to watch the video version of this, scroll to the bottom of the post.)
So how do you stand out?
The first step is figuring out who you want to work with (your niche) and how you want to help them (your brand promise). This goes beyond business coaching or life coaching – it’s figuring out what makes you different? How can you best leverage your skillset, experience, personality, and values? There may be a lot of coaches, but there is more than enough room for you – I promise!
A survey by the ICF showed that more than 50% of coaches earn less than $30,000 per year. There can be many reasons for this, however what this tells me is that not only do you have to be amazing at what you do, but you need a powerful and memorable brand to back you up.
Why will they choose you?
We’ve worked with many coaches over the past few years, and they are all SO different, and yet when they came to us, many said they did the same thing with the same type of client. They often had generic or lackluster brands. They did know that in order to grow, to attract well-paying clients, to become a thought leader, they had to get clear on their brand and have the confidence to put out their unique position into the world.
I love that through our unique approach to branding, every coach we’ve worked came out with a unique brand, audience and differentiator. You can tell just by looking at the logos we’ve designed for them how different they are from each other. (check them out below)
Let’s take a look at a couple of them.
Shelagh Cummins came to us wanting to rebrand her coaching business away from her name and to level up her messaging. Her new business – The Road to Seven – transforms solopreneurs into thriving and profitable 6 and 7 figure CEOs.
She wants her clients to have ambitious dreams and profitable results.
Her goal is to be the global leader in educating, coaching and financing women entrepreneurs to build a profitable business that delivers freedom and fulfillment.
Shelagh is clear on who she serves and what makes her different. She has powerful programs she’s developed that help her stand out.
Another coach we worked with – has a very different business and niche. Kelly Swartz of Awoken Beauty is an erotic expert and health coach.
Through erotic self-awakening, Kelly empowers women to improve their relationships and claim their sexuality.
Just like Shelagh, Kelly is clear on who she serves and what makes her different.
The clearer you become on your unique place in the market, the sooner you’ll be able to attract the right clients.
There is a huge difference between the way Shelagh and Kelly are positioning themselves and they each bring their unique expertise to the business and brands.
. . .
To showcase the broad range of coaches – here are a few others we’ve worked with.
After going through an unexpected divorce, Alicia Robertson of Lemonade Life changed her focus to help women change their story and thrive through divorce and beyond with grit and grace!
Guardian at the Gateway founded by Angela Ward brings save and legal psychedelic medicine as a tool to help people heal in a deep way. She guides her clients through the wildness of rebirth to a place of profound healing and harmony.
Meredith Holly of Eris Conflict Resolution is a lawyer and life coach. She is all about stopping sexual harassment, create a safe and healthy work environment, and helping you keep the career you love.
As an educator and homeschool mom, Karen Fischer created Lead Like a Duck as a way to transform the way adults think; empowering them to lead children toward a life of hope and fulfillment.
Catherine Perry retired from a successful corporate career and knew she has so much more to give. She is now a certified coach, change leader and vision board facilitator who helps mid-career women, take a courageous leap to a bold new life.
Larisa Makuch is a results coach who is trained in NLP and Hypnotherapy and is a certified consultant with Bob Proctor’s ‘Thinking Into Results’ program. She created Abundance Academy to help people bridge the gap between dreaming and doing so you can create the impact and financial abundance you deserve.
The most important thing to stand out – is to do the deep work first. Understand who you want to work with, what makes you different and what your promise is to the world.
If you’re ready to do the deep work, like all the examples I shared, then I invite you to join us for the next session of Brand Camp.
Click the link below to check out the detail.
www.labcreative.ca/brand-camp