So you say you want to be an internet marketing coach? You say you want to help people build successful businesses using social media and other online marketing channels?
But do you really know what it takes?
As tempting as it is to get online and call yourself an internet marketing coach just because you know how to set up a facebook business page, its essential to learn about what it is and what it entails before jumping into the fire.
When I first began establishing myself and my business online, I would come across “gurus” who said — just get out there learn a few things within your niche and bam — you’re an expert.
But as I quickly found out, saying you’re and expert and having people actually believe you are an expert are two totally different things.
So this article series is geared toward moving you beyond the title of internet marketing coach and into the realm of well-respected-I-know-what-the-hell-I’m-talking-about-internet-marketing-coach.
We are going to be addressing some the more common roadblocks that stop potentially fabulous internet marketing coaches, consultants and trainers from being, well, fabulous.
What Does An Internet Marketing Coach Do?
An internet marketing coach devises a comprehensive strategy for how businesses and entrepreneurs can use social media and other online marketing strategies to get more sales and leads. Bottom line — it’s about showing other people how to put money in their bank account. Period.
They may advise you on the many technical aspects of social networking sites as well as help you use the internet as an effective marketing channel. Some internet marketing coaches will write content, monitor your blogs and pages, create marketing campaigns, or even get your ebook published on Amazon. Others may do something totally different.
Your job as an internet marketing coach is to define your skill set and what you have to offer small businesses or solo-entrepreneurs so that you can communicate it clearly and effectively and in such a way that moves potential clients toward a buying decision.
What is your philosophy on social media marketing and the Internet?
What do you feel the role is of internet marketing in a small business and what are some realistic results that your clients’ business could have from an online marketing campaign?
Also do you have previous experience that can boost your clout level? If you are a new internet marketing coach who may not have nabbed their first client yet, persuading people to give you a shot can be a risky business. Not only for the client but for you as well.
People can’t afford to “TRY” consulting out, they need to know it’s going to work, and you can’t afford to get a bad reputation because you don’t deliver as promised.
How do you overcome this obstacle?
Showcase the results you’ve achieved yourself if you don’t have enough clients to get a testimonial. Refer people to your own personal case study. Show them what you’ve done with your blog, your social media profiles, your ebook, your email marketing campaigns, your leads, your sales, etc. That’s what makes the Internet so awesome, is that it’s public domain and anyone can see what you’ve already established online.
If someone Googles you — what will they find?
Will they get the feeling that you are a well-respected, they-know-what-the-hell-they’re-doing type of internet marketing coach or some wanna be this-looks-kind-of-shady type of internet marketing coach?
Look everyone starts at the bottom but if you want people to trust that you know what you’re doing before they hand over their hard earned money for coaching, you have to be able to show people you are someone that can get them measurable results and positive changes.
Which means you must study all types of marketing and advertising…and not only know it but know it well. Internet marketing is more than social media and online marketing methods. A lot of people approach the Internet as a hobby and think it makes them an internet marketing coach.
It doesn’t.
If you don’t know what you’re doing or not confident in your skills try interning or doing an apprenticeship with an industry leader or even a social media agency. Gain the experience you need and understand all the required marketing and promotional aspects you’ll need to know to truly be effective as an internet marketing coach.
Now this next one is a doozy and it can prevent you from growing your business if you try to get too greedy.
The lure of becoming an internet marketing coach is that to some degree you can set your own rates, work hours and clientele.
However, this is an obstacle that may prevent you from ever getting your business off the ground…
Price!
I’ve seen this time and time again, and have learned from personal experience as well, that you cannot and should not, get online demanding to make the same amount of money as an established internet marketing coach. Not only do you not have the clout, you don’t have the experience, referral base or demand.
While there may be exceptions to the rule, because you have a skill set that is extremely rare, more often than not you are going to have to work yourself up to a “guru” status pay rate.
So what should you be charging for your Internet Marketing Coaching services?
This is an area that is extremely varied. You can find internet marketing coaches starting at $100/hour up to contracts for hundreds of thousands of dollars if you are working with a large agency.
But word to the wise…
You will be better served if you went after businesses that are comparable to your business. So if you are an Internet Marketing coach that works a home, by yourself, with no outside help, you will probably want to target small business owners, solo-entrepreneurs and network marketers. If you have a small team of people that can handle the demands of a medium to larger sized company, go for the large fish. Just make sure you can deliver.
Setting Clear Expectations As An Internet Marketing Coach
Not only is it important for you to be realistic about the growth of your internet marketing business, your clients must have clear expectations so they know exactly what to expect from you and the consulting process.
Open your mouth and ask potential clients “what do you expect to achieve from working with me.”
If you cannot meet those expectations you either need to be able to clearly communicate to your prospect that those expectations are not realistic or they need to find someone else who can help them achieve those goals if you cannot.
Once you lay everything out, its simple to see if goals are being met throughout the consulting process.
How To Combat Leaches
One of the major challenges you’ll come across as an Internet Marketing coach are leaches. They suck up your time, try to get you to consult them for free, and when you nicely tell them the price for sharing your knowledge and expertise with them, you never here from them again.
This has happened to me on more than a few occasions and there is a fine line between lending a helping hand and being taken advantage of. Here is my advise to you:
Get some balls!
Don’t be afraid to cut people off, shoot potential prospects your price list or tell people you have to get off the phone.
When I first started consulting, I would find myself taking on people’s problems and helping them without being compensated for it…opening up the door to resentment and frustration.
But to be truthful, it was no one’s fault but my own and letting people take advantage of your time and skill will be no one’s fault but your own.
Tell people up front what your worth, that you don’t have time to play games and if they are serious about getting some coaching…
Choose a package!
Finding Your Ideal Internet Marketing Coaching Clients
The best clients in my opinion are those that tried to implement some social media or online marketing strategies on their own but have not yet seen great results. These are the people who know the value of leveraging the Internet but realize they need some outside help to get to the next level.
There are also many business owners that can do it on their own but don’t have the time, or the will to do it.
These clients are everywhere. They are in your church, in your neighborhood restaurant, in the same social networking circles, they are already online searching for coaching and consulting. It’s your job to let as many people as possible know what you do and how you can be of benefit to them. PROMOTING your Internet Marketing Coaching business is the key (but we’ll talk about that in another training).
So hopefully today I gave you a lot to think about. If you are really looking to become a legitimate Internet Marketing Coach, that helps business owners and entrepreneurs get tangible results, do it the right way. There are people waiting to be helped, waiting for solutions and waiting for someone like you to improve their business growth and profits.
Internet Marketing Coaching can be a game-changer for many small businesses, home business owners, network marketers and entrepreneurs. Improve your skills, educate yourself in all aspects of marketing and advertising and be ready to deliver. Success is imminent.
As we quickly approach the mid-point mark of 2012 it’s about that time to assess our accomplishments thus far. Are you on track? Have you achieved any of your goals? Are you still trailblazing toward success?
Most of us have no problem feeling motivated when we first set our goals, but that inner fire has a tendency to die pretty quickly. It might be due to an intimidating obstacle that stands in our path, or a sense of impatience when we don’t see results as quickly as we’d like.
How do you regain your motivation when you run out of steam, and can you do anything to KEEP yourself feeling motivated? Yes!
Motivation is a state of mind, just like discouragement. And like all mindsets, you can choose which one you want to focus on. – <a href=”http://clicktotweet.com/LfhGa”>Click To Tweet</a>
Here are some great tips for staying motivated, even if you’re not yet seeing the results you want:
Remember Your Dream
If you haven’t already, write a detailed description of your ultimate dream. Pull up a mental vision of your dream, your goals, what you desire and consider how it will change your life for the better. Write down as many details as you can. What type of person will you be? How much money will you have? What will your home look like? What will your relationships be like? How will you FEEL on a daily basis?
Write it all down– and read it to yourself every single day.
Yes…every single day!
Download the Success Map Kit here to get started.
When we are confronted by fear and frustration, it’s easy to forget what we’re fighting for. It’s easy to let the importance of our dream dwindle away, and hope that maybe “someday” we’ll have the determination to make it happen.
Don’t let your dream die! Keep it sharp and clear in your own mind. Honor it and vow to keep moving toward it, no matter what it takes.
Reinforce the Benefits
If you find yourself losing steam and feeling overwhelmed by obstacles, take a sheet of paper and write down the benefits of your dream.
Make a list of the BENEFITS of your dream. A “benefit” is something you stand to GAIN.
So, for example, if part of your dream description goes something like this, “I am happily working for myself, doing work I love, and earning $100,000 per year” – then add these words to your list of benefits:
- Happiness
- Freedom
- Abundance
- Passion
- Fulfillment
Keep going until you have a long list of everything you stand to GAIN by continuing to work toward your goals.
After reading through this list and comparing it to how you feel right now, you should be more determined than ever to keep working toward your goals because acceptance of anything less is unthinkable.
See Obstacles as Temporary Detours
One of the most common reasons we lose our motivation is because we feel overwhelmed or intimidated by unexpected obstacles. We can have the strongest motivation in the world, and suddenly one little thing will throw our plans off-course, and we freeze. We let our dreams fall by the wayside. Or worse, we view obstacles as “signs” from the universe that we’re not “meant to succeed.”
Rather than allowing this to happen to you, simply CHOOSE not to let it bother you. Say to yourself, “An obstacle is nothing more than a detour on my path. I’ll find a way around it because I’m NOT giving up!” Just thinking a thought like that can empower you to begin moving forward again, even if you were initially intimidated.
Hint: a funny thing about obstacles is that they are usually as daunting as we CHOOSE TO MAKE THEM. If we moan and groan and fall to the ground in hysterical tantrum, the obstacle seems to grow bigger and more intimidating. If we instead shrug our shoulders, roll up our sleeves and put on our battle gear – the obstacle shrinks to the size of an mustard seed, and we can sidestep it gracefully.
Affirm the Possibilities
Another way we might lose our motivation is by beginning to doubt that our dreams were ever possible in the first place. When we first set our goals, we are convinced we can do it. But if results don’t show up right away, we might start to doubt ourselves, or doubt that our dreams are “realistic” enough. After all, if it was meant to be, if we were meant to be successful, it would happen quickly and easily, right? Logically we might know that’s pure BS, but emotionally we might feel like God is just toying with us.
If you feel your conviction begin to dwindle, blast the doubt right out of your head by reading success stories of others who have accomplished the impossible. Seek out written stories or tv programs about people who have overcome immense personal challenges to achieve success, and affirm that if they did it, you can too.
Better yet, WRITE YOUR OWN SUCCESS STORY! Here’s a good opener for your story:
“___________ (your name) never believed he (or she) had what it took to be successful, but that all changed when he decided to begin believing in himself. He decided to stop listening to the limiting beliefs that others tried to instill in him, and he made it his mission to rise above doubt and fear. With an iron determination, he went on to accomplish what others believed was impossible.”
Make your success story as long as you like, and customize it to your unique situation. Read it whenever you need an emotional boost.
Avoid Burnout
Sometimes we get SO motivated that we might take on too much, too fast and end up feeling burned out. You’ll know when this happens to you, because you start feeling stressed and overwhelmed, and irritated by even the littlest kinks in your plans.
You start feeling annoyed about having to work on your goals, and decide you’d rather take a nap. HONOR that feeling. Go with it. Climb into bed and have a good rest. It’s ok to take a time out. Go see a movie with a friend, or curl up with a good book by yourself. Go dancing, take a cooking class, go to the spa.
Do something completely unrelated to your goals, and feel good about it. We all need rest, recreation, and a reminder that there is more to life than pursuing our goals.
Hopefully these simple tips will make a huge impact in keeping you motivated as you pursue your aspirations as a successful online entrepreneur. Don’t forget to check out our FREE Business Success Mapping Kit.
Now let me know what you thought about this blog post by leaving a comment below.
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How to begin to build relationships with your target audience online.
You have to build a relationship. You have to build a relationship. You have to build a relationship…
If you want to grow online and actually make sales you have to build long-term, meaningful relationships with your target audience online.
You need their names and their email addresses.
This is why I consistently continue to grow online. It’s because I’m building relationships with people. I’m letting people get to know me. I’m taking calls and answering emails when other “gurus” are telling you you have to pay for their time.
You’ve got to be honest and open. You’ve got to let people know when they suck, when they aren’t doing things the right way. You have to let them know that building a business online is not a cake walk and it’s going to take them rolling up their sleeves, facing disappointment and fighting for every lead they get until they get the hang of things. You also have to let them know that if they work hard, the rewards are great, and that there are people out there who can help them, encourage them and put them on the right path to success.
While not everyone is comfortable with honesty, for fear that they’ll lose a sale or deflate the fluff and hype, its part of the overall relationship building…and it will mean more to your prospects to be honest and willing to connect than just grabbing after their pockets.
In the long run those that make the most money online are the ones that have good information, good content, good videos, good social media and most of all good intentions.
Learn more about the building relationships with your online audience. Get our EPIC SOCIAL MEDIA STARTER’S KIT – It’s Free!
How to build your online audience..
You have a great product, your services are top-notch and the clients and customers you do have love ya!
But how do you make everyone else understand your value as well?
To grow an explosive business online, you must build your online audience. Not just any audience, but targeted people who want what you have. How do you do this?
With focused lead generation and list building. Building your fan base is not as easy as many make it out to be…let’s keep it real, but if you consistently follow a few simple strategies you can go from zero to thousands of raving fans fast!
I have over 15,000 subscribers to my social media lists, email lists, youtube channel and facebook fan page. By using some of the strategies that I’ve put in place online and offline, you can have that many people and more ready to listen to you, ready to get to know you, and ready to share your message with others.
Nothing breeds success like a loyal audience. When you create something new, they grab it, they share it, they refer others.
You don’t have to spend years building up an audience online…You just have to know:
- Who your target online audience is
- How to woo them and win them over
- How to convert them into raving customers
Learn more about the building your online audience. Get our EPIC SOCIAL MEDIA STARTER’S KIT – It’s Free!
How can you tell if your online marketing is effective?
When you are getting started online there is really no way to gauge if your online marketing is effective…you are in the first phase of building your ultimate online presence and it takes time to establish yourself online.
So instead of relying too heavily on marketing metrics and super-fantastic results, let me give you some suggestions on how to saturate your market with your brand.
- Make sure all of your social media network profiles are 100% complete. That includes Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google +, YouTube.
- Make sure you add your online website or blog to your email signature.
- Include your web presence on customer mailings and other print media including customer receipts.
- Have your website on your physical products, bags, containers or packaging.
- Point people to your site through your social media presence.
You have to aggressively put your business in a state of promotion by marketing it and putting it out there for the public to see. Saturating your market, your products, your services, your blog posts, your content, etc. will help you gain viral buzz and exposure. It is the best way to attract a new, fresh stream of people who wouldn’t have know about other otherwise.
While market saturation is one of the first steps to growing your business on the Internet, it is one step of many…
Learn more about the process of leveraging the Internet and Social Media to grow your business. Get our EPIC SOCIAL MEDIA STARTER’S KIT – It’s Free!
What is your ultimate goal with a web presence?
What do you want to get out of being online? I believe strongly that when you make any business decision, no matter how big or small, you need to know your purpose and motives. Here are a few that may have crossed your mind:
- Do you want new leads, customer or clients?
- Do you want to build a relationship your target audience?
- Do you want to continue building a relationship with current customers?
- Do you want to showcase clients’ testimonials?
- Do you want to showcase special promotions or offers?
- Do you want to establish yourself as an authority in your field?
- Do you want to increase traffic?
These are all great motives – ones that you can accomplish by building a web presence online.
It starts with a simple website…a webpage…a profile.
Ready to get start building your ultimate web presence?
Learn more about how to begin leveraging the Internet and Social Media to grow your business. Get our EPIC SOCIAL MEDIA STARTER’S KIT – It’s Free!
I’m kicking off a new series called Midday Marketing Moments which will provide super quick, fast and simple social media and internet marketing tips to get you going. These will not be a full-blown blog post, more like a daily idea that we post around midday giving you a quick tip that will hopefully make your business flourish online.
Let’s get started!
According to webpronews.com, more than half of all consumers begin their purchasing decisions online. This is regardless of whether the product or service is available online. The research, the reputation, and the contact information – these are all things your potential client, lead or customer is looking for.
If they don’t find you when they are looking – you are invisible. You DON’T EXIST. They cannot purchase from you if you don’t pop up into their range of vision.
Small businesses and solo-entrepreneurs need to Be found. Be online. Be visible. Be valuable…In the modern world of business, you must have “online real estate.”
A few questions that may be keeping you from embracing the Internet to grow your business:
- I can’t afford some fancy website
- I am not technical enough to build a business online
- I already have a traditional business. I don’t need to be online
- I don’t have the time..I’m already super business as it is.
- I tried that before and it didn’t work well for me.
While these are all valid concerns and objections…you must be online…It’s non-negotiable. The more you fight it, the further and further behind you are of your competition.
You need to consider a Web presence as a necessity…a must…and while many traditional business owners tend to complicate online marketing it is as simple as this:
Online marketing is utilizing the Internet – websites, blogs, social media networks, search engines- to get information about you, your products, and services out into the world.
This is not a passing fad or trend, it’s the Internet and it’s not an option!
To learn more about how to begin leveraging the Internet and Social Media to grow your business get our EPIC SOCIAL MEDIA STARTER’S KIT – It’s Free!
Take a look at all of the well known social media marketers online today. You’ll notice that many expanding their job title to include social media marketing mentor. Many of them offer some form of mentoring program, consulting service or one-on-one coaching program. Yes, successful social media marketers these days are moving in to the mentoring side of social media marketing…Why?
Because there is an extremely high demand particularly amongst new marketers and small business owners and it’s just a smart idea to share that knowledge with others while creating a secondary income stream online. We’ve talked a lot about multiple income stream creation on this blog and I encourage any of you who hold expert knowledge on a specific topic to consider coaching and consulting services to boost your income.
Many social media and online marketers out there take it for granted that basic knowledge to them should be basic knowledge to everyone, but to a novice who’s jumping online for the first time, establishing a successful business on the internet may be the hardest thing to learn. On the other hand a social media marketing mentor who doesn’t overlook the fact that beginners may not know a single thing about marketing on social networks can help these new marketers to become successful while cutting down their learning curve and increasing their profits significantly.
Why Should You Consider A Social Media Mentor?
Success breeds success. A social media marketing mentor will be there to guide you, provide helpful tips and eliminate unnecessary frustration by helping you create an actionable blueprint from the very beginning instead of you struggling to figure things out by trial and error, which could take months or even years.
A social media mentor will help you avoid being overwhelmed with too-much-information. They’ll steer you away from bad purchases, and they’ll keep you from implementing a plan that is destined to fail. This not only saves you money, but allows you to learn from the onset that there are no magic bullets to overnight success and that any “guru” that tells you they can make you rich tomorrow is a LIAR.
These are the things you must learn to stay away from early and a mentor can teach you this.
Also, a social media marketing mentor will be able to show you from experience what works and what is a complete waste of your time. They already know how online marketing works and if they are successful they can share those insights with you as well. It would take years for you to gain this knowledge by yourself and as a novice online it is critical to get off to a good start and start driving results as quickly as possible.
This is probably the most valuable asset of having a mentor. They can teach you the how, what, when and where of making money now, granted it may require a small investment in the beginning. Mentorship is the gateway to success. It is the foundation from which you can grow and develop in the social media marketing world and before you know it you’ll be seeing the results that take most people months or even years to achieve. These are the types of results that can quickly boost your profits and allow you to move closer to your ultimate business and lifestyle goals.
Without a doubt having a social media marketing mentor at the beginning of your online marketing career can save newbies lots of money, time and frustrations. It will also save them from giving up.
Do you think having a mentor could have changed the success rate of your business? Share with us the impact having a mentor (or not having one) has had on your business…
To learn more about my one-on-one social media marketing mentor program click here.
7 Questions to Getting Testimonials that Boost Business
Whether you are a small home business or large corporation, the power of testimonials can do wonders to create buzz and momentum for your brand. Testimonials are extremely important for your business.
Why?
Testimonials give credibility. Testimonials are social proof. Testimonials address concerns and answer questions that may keep a potential customer from buying your product or service.
Especially for small businesses building online, providing strong testimonials to prospects can be the difference between success and failure. People want to buy from people they know, like and trust…and when a buyer knows that other people are using, purchasing, enjoying and having success with your products it makes it 100 times easier to move your prospect to a buying decision.
Don’t be shy about asking for a good testimonial to be used in your small business marketing. If you’ve never asked a client or colleague for a testimonial before follow these 7 simple questions to create powerful testimonials that boost business.
- What hesitations did you have about purchasing our product?
- What changes have you noticed in your business since buying our [name of your product or service]? (quantifiable)
- What specific feature did you like best about our product or service?
- How have you benefited from our product or service?
- Would you recommend our product or service? If so, why?
- Is there anything else you would like to add?
- Would you be willing to submit a 15 -30 second video testimonial?
Once you have asked for the testimonial how do you use it to boost your business sales and profits. Here are 13 quick tips to making your testimonials count:
- Add their name, location, profession or website and a photo.
- Add a powerful headline or title to your testimonial.
- Bold key words for impact.
- Ask for testimonials while your customer is using your product or service.
- Add links to your testimonials within blog posts, newsletters and marketing media
- Ask other small business owners if they’ll swap testimonials with you.
- Encourage your customers to use their testimonials as a way to showcase how your product, service, employees or cause helped make their life easier.
- Use those Flip cameras to easily record video testimonials of your customers praise. You can then upload the testimonials to a YouTube page, or your Web site and blog.
- Create a dedicated testimonials page on your Web site or blog where people can see a number of testimonials on one page
- Use social media as a way to get testimonials and create engagement: Share your testimonials on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
- Speaking of social media, make sure you are regularly looking for testimonials about your business on Facebook and other social networks. Highlight or pin any testimonials to your Facebook Page. Also take a screen shot and save testimonials about your small business for further use.
- Get permission to use testimonials: Always try to get permission from your customer if you plan on using their testimonial in other marketing literature like videos.
- Offer freebies on great testimonials: Customers give you testimonials because you provide value to their lives. Show your appreciation and take care of them even more so that they continue to advocate for you and rave about your business. It’s not about bribing them to say good things, it’s about creating a long-term relationship based on value.
Have any other tips you’d like to add on how to boost your small business’ social clout with testimonials? Please leave a comment here. If you like it, please help us by liking, tweeting and sharing below!
Want More Social Media Advice For Your Small Business! Join thousands of solo-entrepreneurs & small business owners upping their business game each week
Nicole S. Cooper has personally taught me the principles that have allowed me to not only turn my passion into profits but double my online business from 2010 to 2011, and then again in 2012 and we are not even out of the first quarter.
I began following Nicole when I was looking to transition my business online and just happened to come across one of her YouTube videos. We later connected at a networking event and the rest was history. Not only has Nicole become a trusted mentor we became fast friends – sharing common goals, experiences and passions for helping others succeed.
She has been the one person who I’ve been able to learn from, implement what’s she’s taught and get results – immediate results! Full of ideas, quick wit and drive, Nicole has completely transformed the landscape of my business. She’s the owner of the MLMPLRStore and it seems as if everything she touches turns to profits!
Nicole is a keep-it-real type of gal and she recently shot a video to help you understand how powerful internet marketing can be for turning your passion into profits. She’s the one that made me understand how simple it is to build a business online – how to turn a thought into an empire by trusting your talents and putting them to good use.
The strategies I’ve learned from Nicole have made the biggest, fastest impact on growing my business – hands down. Nicole charges top dollar to coach and consult entrepreneurs, so it’s always a treat to get some great advice – so here is your opportunity to absorb some great nuggets!
Watch the video below for a dose of great content! Hopefully it ignites a fire in you so you begin turning your passion into the thriving business you deserve. Enjoy
Be sure to check out Nicole’s MLMPLRStore – She has some killer content on there for online marketers
Looking for more tips and strategies that work? Get Your Free Membership To The Go Guide and become a part of our exclusive community.
