Working as a coach, you’re more than likely going to have an online presence. This means – for personal branding – your online identity will need to accurately represent your identity offline. So to keep it authentic and get it right, there are few key elements to keep in mind:

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1. You

 When it comes to personal branding as a coach, you are your most important asset

I’ve spoken before about the parallels between how we show up in our personal life and how we show up in our professional life. 

If you’re not showing up for yourself in your personal life, I’d bet you’re missing a beat in how you show up for those in your professional life, too.

This first step is almost like a self-audit in how you look, how you feel, how you act, how you talk…How do you feel in yourself? Are you happy with yourself or could you use some work in a few areas? 

Taking care of yourself is like watering a plant. If you’re not nourishing yourself, how can you expect to feed and nourish those around you?

Ask yourself; how are you showing up for yourself?

Does it compliment the essence of the brand that you want to radiate? Or does it contradict it? I mentioned in a previous post, that as a coach you are your most important client. 

It’s integral that the work you’re doing for others, you are doing for yourself as well. And making sure all of that compliments and enhances the brand you’re looking to portray.

You’re your own walking advertisement.

These are the parts you want to look at first. Because people buy from people. 

Take some time to really look at yourself and see if you are being the best version of yourself. Because if you’re not, this is the first place to start.

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2. The Impression You Give in Real Life 

Once you’ve nailed down you – the second piece is; what impression are you making on those around you? 

Think about when people come into contact with you. Do they want to work with you? Do they clearly see what you’re all about? Or is it unclear?

If you’re arriving to a client-meet all ruffled, unkempt, and unprepared, it’s going to put people off. And it does put people off. I can guarantee you that. 

Working as a coach, you need to embody the service it is that you are providing. This is a huge part of branding for coaches.

So what energy are you bringing to those around you? It is one that is representative of what you do? Or is it contradictory?

It’s such a pervasive pitfall to jump ahead and distract yourself with working on your social media or website before you’ve done the work you need to do on yourself. 

Look at how you’re impacting those in the real world. Really hone in on how you’re engaging with those around you before you launch into the online stuff. Once you’ve nailed that, then you can think about all of those extensions of yourself. 

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3. Your Online Presence 

The next step is packaging all of that previous stuff up and really amplifying it on your online digital presence.

What you should be seeking in your website and online presence is a solidified and consistent welcome to your own personal brand – you.

Think of it like a tree;

You are the roots. The trunk is your real-world ripple effect. And the branches are your online presence, reaching out to those around you.

Those branches are an extension of yourself, but are always coming from you. 

The nature of coaching is integral. So your socials should come from the heart and be in line with what your mission is. 

Make sure with your website and social media embodies what you do, and who you are as a person. 

Bearing in mind, each time that you post – is this complimenting my branding as a coach?

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Tips & Tricks

A little tip for this that I like, is to hand your Instagram feed to someone else. Someone who perhaps doesn’t know you that well, and ask: “What impression do you get of me?” 

Is it a consistent impression, or is a bit inconsistent?

If your stream is disorientating then there’s a little bit of room for improvement. 

 If it’s consistent but perhaps is giving off a different vibe or suggesting something different to what you want, it needs a bit of work. 

But if it’s consistent and it enhances the image that you’re trying to portray, brilliant. You’re all set. 

Branding for coaches is all about consistency.

You could even go as far as to send out a survey to your outer circle – and you can see if there is room for work. There are loads of options. But don’t be afraid to ask for feedback. 

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Inspiration from the Experts

There’s a beautiful quote from Warren Buffet;

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.

If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.“

It’s so true. And for personal branding for coaches, I think it’s really appropriate.

Your personal brand is important but it’s also a delicate creation. So it’s really important that attention is paid to it. 

The extension of your personal branding (online) Warren Buffet is saying, is essentially ruled by word of mouth. As they say social media is like word of mouth on steroids, which is important to remember. 

How important and valuable social media is in the right context, to speed up the growth of your personal brand. 

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In Conclusion…

Once you’ve done the foundation work on yourself, bringing that essence to your interactions and then on a digital level, the real accelerator comes on social media

In the physical world we might bump into ten, twenty people in an average day. But on social media, we might bump into 500 or 1,000 people, with the reach of stories etc. 

The main take away is how each key point here is built upon from the previous one. You can’t expect to have a great social media presence if you haven’t done the work on yourself first. 

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