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Professional Coaches: How to Get Started with your Digital Marketing

Lori Osborne • August 19, 2022

Coaches: Here are tips and tricks to help you get started...

A colorful banner with the words `` digital marketing '' surrounded by icons.

The coaching industry has taken off in recent years, making it a viable but competitive business for many trying to make a living as professional coaches. Professional coaching is estimated as a $1 billion dollar industry in the United States and nearly $3 billion worldwide.


What is “professional coaching”? The International Coaching Federation describes professional coaching as the process of “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.” This covers coaches helping all types of professionals and individuals.


In this guide, we are going to cover the concepts of digital marketing and how to apply overall best practices to your website and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) as a professional coach.

 


What is Digital Marketing?


Digital marketing, according to Hubspot, refers to - “all marketing efforts that occur on the internet and businesses leverage digital channels such as search engines, social media, email, and other websites to connect with current and prospective customers. This also includes communication through text or multimedia messages.”


 

Where Do You Start?


Once you identify the services you are offering, it is critical to clearly identify your target audience or “customer avatar” and be as clear as possible. Are they typically male, female, or a mix? What age range? What are their goals, aspirations, and pain points? Why do they need you?

 

Once you have identified this and are very clear, work on getting answers to these questions: 

  • What colors, fonts, and design elements will best appeal to your ideal client? These are what you want to use when defining the overall feel for your visual brand.
  • What will be the communication style on your website and social media platforms?
  • What other design elements will appeal to your ideal client? For example, would they appeal to videos with short snippets of words versus more words? Will statistics, diagrams, or charts appeal to them? Will they want some DIY guidance or will they depend solely on 1:1 time with you? All of these things greatly impact how you approach your digital marketing.



Your Logo


When considering your logo, remember that it should be the base for all of your marketing materials and a visual connector across all platforms. We have found the best way to get started with determining your business’s and client’s archetype by taking a brand quiz by Kaye Putnam, a brand expert. This quiz will help you pick colors, fonts, and commonly used words.

  • Pick two fonts for the logo – one is fancier (for headings) and the other one is easy-to-read for the main slogan/tagline.
  • Canva can be used to design a logo. Just make sure you are using fonts that are also available for your website, preferably without extra cost. Also make sure all images used are allowed for professional logos since not all are. You also want to make sure your logo is done in the best formats for reproduction on the web and in print. We highly recommend hiring a professional graphic artist (or BizBolster!) if at all possible.



The Rest of Your Brand


Is there a background you can use with your logo to compliment it? Consider finding something that works with your logo that you can use as the banner and accents on your website, business cards, social media platforms, and all promotional materials – basically ANYTHING you use for marketing!   

 

 

 

Your Website - The Hub of Your Business


A web presence is necessary for modern businesses. Social media is a great place to share about yourself and your business and to communicate directly with clients and prospects, but you don’t own the data and you can lose access to your connections at any moment and without warning. On the contrary, you OWN your website, the contact list you build from your website, and the contacts you store in your CRM (i.e. MailerLite, KEAP, etc.).

When someone visits your website, they are likely a prospective client, and this is your opportunity to interact with that person to start building a relationship with them. As networking and referral expert Bob Burg says:

 

“All things being equal, people do business with, and

refer business to people they know, like and trust.”

 

To help establish and grow the relationship, consider some or all of these things for your website:

  • Freebie (AKA opt-in or lead magnet) - something that demonstrates your expertise as well as your understanding of their pain points. This needs to be something OF VALUE to your ideal client such as a download, an e-book, a training video, a guide, etc.
  • A free consultation IN ADDITION TO the freebie
  • Webchat option for live interaction with prospects
  • Education and resources on your website such as blogs, informational videos, podcasts, articles, etc.


 

What should I consider when building my professional coaching website?

 

When building your website, or having it built, there are several things to consider, including:

  • Hire a Professional: We highly recommend hiring a professional, preferably one who understands your business, best website practices, and SEO (Search Engine Optimization). If you have to do it yourself, be sure to keep the look consistent and the functions very user-friendly!
  • Platform: If you know you are going to want to support your own website once it's built, then select a user-friendly site. We develop websites in Duda, Kajabi, Wix, and Shopify. We strongly discourage Squarespace because it’s not SEO friendly and WordPress because it is far more difficult to use and requires regular maintenance to maintain functionality and security.
  • Call to Action: Make sure your Call to Action is CLEAR and easy to navigate. Most likely this will be your free call. Ideally, this should be a button at the top of the page and across your website that takes them to your automatic scheduling software (Calendly, Acuity, etc.).
  • Opt-in/Lead Generator: Make sure you have access to the freebie/opt-in built-in close to the top of your website it is clear and prominent. Also, do not use a pop-up for your opt-in as this is something that Google strongly discourages because it blocks text.
  • Keep your look consistent, user-friendly, and clear. Use the same fonts, colors, and visual brand throughout your website (and all other marketing materials!).
  • Remember your customer avatar – speak to their pain points and in language they will relate to.



Options and Resources for your Website:


With your website as the hub of your business, you can use it to provide additional services for your clients. You can also integrate it with other tools for more options and efficiencies. Below are a few to consider:

  • Online Courses: The best course platform we have found is Teachable. It is designed specifically for online courses and is incredibly user-friendly. You can also easily integrate it with your website so the transition from one platform to the other is seamless.
  • Events: One of the best ways to BE SEEN is by hosting webinars, workshops, and training for potential clients or affiliates. When hosting events like these, consider the following:
  • Your website: First and foremost, you want to display upcoming events on your website and drive people there frequently to see what new events you have going on. (Also consider adding events where you are speaking to other groups, networking meetings you attend, etc.)
  • Meetup: Start a Meetup group and schedule your training events there. Meetup does a great job of promotion and you can get hundreds of leads by offering free webinars.
  • Eventbrite: Eventbrite also does a good job of promoting your events to people signed up for similar events so be sure to add your events here, too.
  • Facebook & LinkedIn: Both offer Events as an option in your profile. Be sure and post all events here, too!
  • Email Distribution: Be sure to tell your list about everything you are offering and have going on!
  • Affiliate Shares: Ask other businesses you work with, especially your affiliates and strategic partners, o share information about your events as your well!
  • Membership: If you have courses associated with membership, you may want to consider using Teachable to handle both. If you want membership as part of your website, we recommend using Duda or Wix as your platform. You can also add membership to WordPress. Membership is a great way to build a residual income and a community.
  • E-Commerce: You can also sell low-ticket products or services through your website. Almost every platform allows you to build E-Commerce into your website, though the cost and complexity can vary greatly from platform to platform.
  • CRM/Sales Funnels/Nurturing Sequences: CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software is just like it sounds – it is used to send and store mass lists of customers and potential customers. Some considerations for CRM systems:
  • MailerLite: It is free for up to 1000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month and grows from there at very affordable rates. It also integrates well with just about any platform and is very easy to use.
  • KEAP: Keap is an excellent system for managing your contacts, building funnels and landing pages, online scheduling, automation, invoicing, and more. It typically runs $99-$249 per month depending on your needs. Keap also integrates very well with a variety of platforms.
  • vCita CRM: vCita is similar to KEAP and is also an excellent system that typically runs $19-$75 per month. (This can be purchased with your website through BizBolster.)
  • Wix: If your website is on Wix, it has a built-in CRM and email automation system, a nice way to keep everything in one place.
  • MailChimp: We do NOT recommend MailChimp mainly because it easily and frequently loses connections to websites and has developed a poor reputation with email providers due to high instances of SPAM. We also find it very confusing for most people.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)


What is SEO exactly? According to Mailchimp, “SEO means Search Engine Optimization and is the process used to optimize a website's technical configuration, content relevance, and link popularity so its pages can become easily findable, more relevant and popular towards user search queries, and as a consequence, search engines rank them better.”

 

Showing up at the top of Google searches is one of the greatest challenges in digital marketing, primarily due to the complexity and secrecy around Google’s algorithms. It is also a slow process. It typically takes three to six months before you see any significant changes in traffic from SEO improvements.

Image representing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services

There are several free tools to consider when improving your SEO:

  • Google Business Profile (formerly - Google My Business) is for those focusing on local traffic and literally puts you on the map. Google Business Profile works with Google Maps to provide full information about your business – your address; services and products provided, business hours, contact information, etc; images from or related to your business; your reviews; and even posts! (We recommend regularly posting high-quality social media posts on your Google Business Profile!)
  • Google Analytics provides tracking and analysis of your website traffic.
  • Google Search Console is used to index your website’s sitemap, allowing you to communicate your website specifics to Google. This is also a great place to check regarding issues that come up with your website and what Google is seeing.

 

 In May 2021, Google made a massive change to its algorithms, putting more emphasis than ever on the user experience, most importantly:

  • Current, relevant, and keyword-rich content
  • Website speed
  • User-friendliness
  • Current, positive reviews
  • Security (SSL certificates)


 

Current, Relevant, and Keyword-rich Content


Google will always favor new and relevant data over old, stagnant data. Therefore, Google is looking at areas like blogs on your website, podcasts, images (both on your website and Google Business Profile), and videos (both on your website and on YouTube).

Podcasts and blogs are great ways to increase keywords on your website. According to the marketing experts at Hubspot, businesses that regularly blog attract 55% more traffic than those that don't!


 

Website Speed


In Google’s most recent algorithm update in May 2021, they stressed loading speed as a key factor. It can affect by image size, videos, and the platform itself. Ideal images should be 500 px by 500 px to 2000 px by 2000 px and under 1 MB. For videos, YouTube or Vimeo are ideal stories platforms because it reduces the load on your website. YouTube is the best option to load videos because of its customer-facing SEO algorithm.

 


User-friendliness


How easily can someone navigate and move around your site and read text? Nothing must be off the screen in desktop or mobile views. Over 60% of Internet users are on mobile these days so mobile optimization is critical. Google is strongly discouraging the use of pop-ups for every platform because it blocks the data your website viewer is trying to see.

 


Website Security


EVERY website must have an SSL certificate – that is the piece that gives you the lock icon and the “s” at the end of HTTP. SSL certificates come free with most platforms. It is not expensive and not difficult to install, but can have a major impact on website accessibility and showing up in searches so it’s critical to have in place.


 

Reviews


The more reviews and the better the reviews, the better Google will respond. Again, this is current, relevant data in Google Business Profile (and on your website if you’re posting there, too). Positive reviews are also excellent for your business's overall reputation management. Did you know that

• 79% of consumers trust online reviews

• 87% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses

• 73% of U.S. consumers only consider the last month’s review

• 48% of consumers would consider less than 4 stars reviews

Investing in an automated or manual review request and follow-up process to improve the number and quality of your reviews is a valuable tool.

 


Final Thoughts


At BizBolster Web Solutions, we help Thought Leaders amplify their authority with strategic, on-brand websites that attract and convert their ideal clients. We go beyond web design—we craft digital platforms that reflect your expertise, elevate your brand, and position you as the go-to expert in your industry. Through custom branding, messaging, and website development, we ensure your online presence works for you, not against you—so you can show up with confidence and grow your business.

 

 

References:

5 Signs It’s Time to Refresh Your Website… Before It Hurts Your Credibility!

By Lori Osborne • March 17, 2025
🌺Spring is a season of renewal , a time to clear out the clutter, refresh what’s outdated, and make space for new opportunities. Just like your home, your website needs a spring cleaning, too. Your website should work for you 24/7, building trust, showcasing your expertise, and engaging the right audience. But if it’s outdated or ineffective, it could be quietly diminishing your authority and impact . “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci If your website feels cluttered, disconnected, or outdated, it may be working against you instead of amplifying your influence. Here are five key signs it’s time to refresh your site before it holds you back. 1. Your Website No Longer Reflects Who You Are Today ✨ Your business has evolved, but your website hasn’t. ✨ Your messaging is outdated, and your brand no longer feels aligned. ✨ You’ve shifted your focus, but your site still speaks to the past. Just like nature renews itself in spring, your online presence needs to evolve , too. If your website no longer represents your voice, mission, or expertise, it’s time for a refresh. 2. You’re Not Seeing Meaningful Engagement from Visitors ✨ Your website isn’t sparking interest or attracting the right audience. ✨ You are not receiving inquiries, messages, or responses to your Call to Action. ✨ Visitors aren’t spending time exploring your site. Engagement is about connection, not just numbers. A great website should make visitors feel like they’re in the right place and eager to learn more about you. If your website isn’t inspiring interaction, it may need clearer messaging, fresh content, or a better user experience. 3. Your Website Looks and Feels Outdated ✨ Your design no longer matches your brand’s personality or style. ✨ The fonts, colors, and layout don’t reflect your level of professionalism. ✨ Your site runs slow, feels clunky, doesn’t function properly, and/or has an outdated look. First impressions matter. Research shows it takes ONLY 0.05 seconds (Yes, that’s only 50 milliseconds!) for someone to form an opinion about your website! And if it looks outdated, visitors may assume your expertise is outdated, too! “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ~ Maya Angelou How does your website make visitors feel? If the answer isn’t clear, professional, and inviting, it’s time for a refresh. 4. You’re Hesitant to Share Your Website ✨ You don’t feel confident sending people to your site. ✨ You rely more on social media than your website to build your online presence. ✨ You feel like your competitors’ websites look and feel more professional. Your website should be a powerful extension of your brand and authority, something you’re proud to share. If you find yourself apologizing for your website or avoiding it altogether, that’s a clear sign it needs an update! 5. Your Content Isn’t Sparking Conversations ✨ Your blog or thought leadership content feels stale or inconsistent (or is missing altogether). ✨ Your website isn’t encouraging visitors to engage with you beyond their visit. ✨ There is no clear next step for people to continue the conversation (no Call to Action!). A strong online presence goes beyond having a website—it’s about building relationships. When your site is fresh, insightful, and aligned with your brand, it keeps visitors engaged and encourages them to take the next step in connecting with you. Spring Forward with a Website Refresh! If any of these signs sound familiar, now is the perfect time for a website refresh . Spring is a season of new growth—let’s make sure your website reflects the Thought Leader you are today. 👉 Click Here to Book a Free Strategy Call Today! "Can't say enough good things! Lori and the team at BizBolster Web Solutions are great to work with. Her creativity when creating our site for us and her knowledge of the online marketing arena are priceless…” ~ Stacy Summerlin, Summerlin Benefits Consulting

The #1 Website Mistake That’s Keeping You Invisible

By Lori Osborne • February 21, 2025
Your website is your digital handshake - the first impression potential clients get when they discover your brand. But what if that first impression is COSTING you business instead of bringing it in? The harsh truth? Most websites aren’t doing their job. And the biggest mistake that keeps businesses invisible online isn’t a lack of traffic, fancy design, or even outdated branding. It’s unclear messaging! Why Expertise Alone Isn’t Enough You might be the best in your field. You might have spent years speaking on stages, coaching high-level clients, or publishing valuable insights. But if your website doesn’t clearly communicate: Who you help What you do Why you’re the best choice Then potential clients, event organizers, and media opportunities will pass you by. They will bounce to someone else who makes their expertise clearer—even if that person has half your experience. What Your Website Says About You (Without You Realizing It) Imagine an event organizer searching for their next keynote speaker. They land on your website, but instead of a clear, compelling message, they see: A vague tagline that doesn’t explain what you specialize in No clear next step to book you or request a media kit A homepage filled with inspirational quotes, but no real proof of your impact Within seconds, they leave and find someone else. Or consider a corporate decision-maker looking for a consultant to help their executive team. They visit your website but can’t find: A clear description of your signature framework or methodology Case studies or client results that prove your effectiveness A direct way to schedule a call Instead of chasing down details, they move on to a competitor whose website makes their value immediately obvious. Your website should work for you 24/7, acting as a client-attracting and opportunity-generating machine. If it is unclear, vague, or overwhelming, it is actively pushing high-value opportunities away. Three Quick Fixes to Boost Authority & Visibility The good news? You don’t need a complete overhaul to fix this mistake. A few strategic tweaks can turn your website into a high-converting, authority-building platform. 1. Make Your Headline Crystal Clear Your homepage headline should instantly communicate your unique value. What it should NOT be: “Inspiring change through leadership and transformation.” “Empowering others to reach their full potential.” “Welcome to my website.” What it SHOULD be: “Helping Organizations Develop High-Performance Leaders Through Executive Coaching.” “Keynote Speaker on Leadership & Influence | Trusted by Fortune 500 Companies.” “Helping Entrepreneurs Scale Their Businesses Without Burnout.” Pro Tip: If an event planner, potential client, or media contact can’t tell exactly what you do within three seconds, your headline needs work! 2. Speak Directly to Your Ideal Clients (Not Everyone) Many Thought Leaders make the mistake of keeping their messaging too broad, trying to appeal to everyone. Generic messaging: “Helping people create success.” Vague promises: “Unlock your full potential.” Instead, speak directly to your audience: “I help women in tech advance to leadership roles with confidence.” “I train corporate teams to master resilience and productivity.” “I help entrepreneurs turn their ideas into bestselling books.” When your messaging calls out your specific audience, they immediately feel like you understand them. This builds trust and positions you as the go-to expert in your space. 3. Add a Clear Call-to-Action (CTA) Everywhere Many Thought Leaders hide their call-to-action - or worse, they don’t have one at all. If your visitors don’t know what to do next, they’ll leave. Your CTA should be: Clear (“Book Me for Your Next Event”) Consistent (Every page should have one) Action-Oriented (“Download My Speaker Kit”) Where to put your CTA: At the top of your homepage At the end of every section In your navigation bar On your About page Inside blog posts In your website footer Pro Tip: Test different CTAs to see what converts best. Instead of just “Contact Me,” try “Schedule a Strategy Call” or “Get My Leadership Training Guide.” Position Yourself as the Go-To Expert Your website should make it immediately obvious why clients, event organizers, and media should choose you. That means: Showcasing your expertise with testimonials, client results, and media features Building trust instantly with professional design, clear messaging, and credibility markers Making it easy to work with you by offering direct next steps for hiring, booking, or collaboration If your website does not position you as the expert, you will be overlooked, even by people who need exactly what you offer. How to Get the Right Clients and Opportunities Coming to You Fix your messaging: Make sure visitors instantly understand who you help and how Simplify your offer: Decision-makers should not have to dig through paragraphs to figure out what you do Add Authority markers: Reviews, testimonials, case studies, media features Make your website works: Clear CTAs, mobile optimization, SEO-friendly structure, accessibility Is Your Website Invisible? Let’s Change That If your website is not bringing in consistent, high-quality leads, it is time to fix what is keeping you invisible! Want a website that positions you as the go-to expert? Let’s refresh your website so you can attract, engage, and convert the right clients - without wasting time or losing business. Click Here to Book a Free Consultation today!
A colorful background with a yellow star that says 5.0 rating

Do Reviews Really Matter?

By Lori Osborne • August 5, 2024
Yes, reviews matter! Quite possibly more than you realize! But why are reviews so important? Quite simply: Reviews offer the power of someone else saying how incredible you are without you saying a word ! And with multiple reviews, it is the power of MANY people agreeing and sharing how incredible you are without you having to say a word. Reviews are a form of social proof, meaning that people often follow – and trust – the actions of others. Therefore, when a business demonstrates social proof through positive reviews, the likelihood of others purchasing their product or service is greatly improved. Getting Reviews At this point, you might be asking “But how do I get reviews?” . You have to ask for them! Unfortunately, I know, it is not always that easy! I have found many people are hesitant to ask, concerned that they will put the customer on the spot. Typically, though, most people won’t leave a positive review without being prompted to. It’s sad, but the average person will complain about a business they feel has wronged them before they think about praising a business. Therefore, you really do have to ask! And you usually need to ask more than once! I have found that having a Reputation Management program in place that sends texts and/or emails to your recently fulfilled clients drastically improves the chances of them leaving a review. It is even better when the system kindly asks more than once as a reminder since people are so easily distracted in today’s world. How do you get reviews? ASK FOR THEM!!!! Choosing a Reputation Management Program Now that you know that the most efficient and effective way to collect reviews is through using a Reputation Management service, how do you choose which Reputation Management program to use? The best Reputation Management services automatically post the review to other places, including your website, to improve visibility and your overall Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Even better is when the service reposts the review to your website and posts to your social media and Google Business Profile that you got a review! (Unfortunately, no Reputation Management program can directly repost the actual review to a different platform because all review platforms require a login to leave the review so the system knows it is legitimate.) Many Reputation Management programs do allow the customer to post their review to multiple locations very easily, including Google, Facebook, BBB, Yelp, and more. It is worth noting that research has shown that Google reviews are generally the most effective, but The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has also shown to be excellent for professional services. Exceptional Reputation Management programs also offer both written and video review options, which is fantastic since video is so effective for marketing these days! And since you usually just add a link to the program itself on your website (through an API), you don’t have to worry about it being text or video. The API (Application Programming Interface) takes care of that for you! Another option many Reputation Management companies offer is automatic replies to reviews. If you find that you and your team do not have (or make) the time to reply to reviews, this can severely hinder the success of having the reviews at all. In Brightlocal’s 2024 Review Survey, it was found that 93% of consumers expect a response to their review, and 34% expect the response within two to three days. Ideally, the response should come from the person working with the customer who left the review to ensure accuracy and authenticity. However, any response, even an AI-generated response, is far better than not leaving one at all.
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