What makes a great website? If you’re a coach, your answer is probably a website that helps you get more clients and make more money. So why is it that some websites attract clients like crazy, while others don’t?
It’s because great websites focus on the right things. You don’t attract clients by having the prettiest or most professional looking site. And it’s not about using great graphics, videos, or WordPress, though those can all be great, and I recommend using them.
In this article, I’ll take you through four easy steps that will help you have a great website – one that attracts your ideal prospects and turns them into clients. It starts with understanding that online marketing for coaches is about building relationships, not about selling stuff. And your website is an integral part of the process.
Here are the steps to get more clients:
Step 1 – Focus on Attraction
To attract your ideal client, you first need to know what they like and don’t like. That means you need to know your niche really well.
Some people are attracted to yellow-highlighted text. Others are annoyed by flashing red arrows. Some people love video, while others might prefer written information.
What colors are they attracted to for your type of service? Red is attention grabbing and a high energy color. Greens are usually soothing, and blues inspire trust. What words and phrases grab their attention, especially industry specific words?
Make a list of everything that you know attracts or repels your ideal client. Then use this information when creating your website content and graphics. Not sure what your ideal client likes most? Just ask them. Give them two to five choices on a headline, color scheme, or graphic and ask them which they prefer and why.
Step 2 – Make it Easy
Once you’ve made your site attractive, you need to make it easy to them to find information. Remember that 90% of the people searching online are looking for information. So offering great information is an easy way to attract people to your site.
- Easy Navigation – Keep it simple with no more than seven navigation choices in any one grouping. If you have more pages, use drop-down menus to put them in sub-pages. Or you can create a secondary navigation elsewhere on the page.
- Easy to Read – Avoid clutter. Group the page into two to four sections so the content is easy to scan and read. Use the layout of an attractive magazine page, and avoid looking like a messy bulletin board full of posted notes.
- Easy to Find Relevant Information – Include great content and organize it in a logical way so it’s easy to find. Put titles on your web pages and blog posts that include descriptive keywords. And don’t forget to include a search box on your site.
Step 3 – Give Clear Directions
Your site is attractive, and you’ve made it easy for them to get great information. Now you want to make it easy for them to work with you. Without this step and the next, you won’t have clients. You’ll just have fans who love your site – which is good but doesn’t pay the bills.
Start with an opt-in form that offers valuable, free information in exchange for their name and email address. If you plan this well, your free offer will be irresistible to your ideal client and build a list of prospects for your coaching business. At the same time, it will filter out people you don’t want to attract or work with.
Have clear instructions (text, audio, or video) on what you want them to do, such as “Just enter your name and email address below to receive your free report “How to Have a New Job in 30 Days or Less.”
Your instructions should tell them what you have for them, why they want it, and what you want them to do next. The above example does all three of those clearly in just one sentence.
Step 4 – Follow Up
To build a relationship, you need to interact with someone on a regular basis. In online marketing, that means following up with prospects who are interested in what you have to offer.
Start with a series of email messages that are automatically sent to anyone who signs up for your free offer. Next, send a newsletter out regularly – two to four times per month.
Other ways to follow up include sending emails that offer free teleseminars, webinars, or complimentary consultation (or strategy) sessions.
Summary
You want to attract more high-paying clients and grow your coaching business. Your website needs to be an integrated part of that process, not just a pretty online brochure.
It can be as simple as a one-page website with a free offer and opt-in form. Or you can use a WordPress site that helps establish you as “the” expert they want to work with.
In just four easy steps, you can turn your mediocre website into an online marketing system that helps you get more clients and more sales more often.
Are you ready for a coaching website that attracts your ideal client? I’d love to help. Contact me at 423-463-0003 or email admin@karenbrunet.com for a complimentary consultation. Find out how easy it can be to take your site from mediocre to Mother Lode.
