How to Create a Social Media Calendar for Your Coaching Business
If you’re a coach and want to grow your online presence and keep your followers engaged, it is essential to consistently post valuable content. Unfortunately, this does require a whole lot of pre-planning and creative thinking that you may not have that much time for. This is where a social media content calendar can come in handy, as it is a way for you and your marketing team to carefully schedule the right kinds of posts at the best times possible.
But what exactly is a social media calendar and how does it work? Basically, It is an organised system that helps you plan what content to create, which online platforms to use, and when to publish your posts. You can even use some tools to schedule your social media posts ahead of time, allowing you to optimise your productivity. If you’re interested in implementing this into your daily workflow, read on to learn more.
Types of Content to Include in Your Calendar
To create a well-rounded marketing strategy, you should include different types of content in your calendar. In the coaching niche, there are four main content types that you want to post in order to meet different goals.
1. Educational Content
As a coach, you are an educator before anything else. You must present yourself as knowledgeable and trustworthy on social media, which makes it necessary to provide educational content. You can, for example, write informative blog posts, record insightful podcast episodes, and create detailed infographics. Showing that you have something important to say and that you know what you are talking about positions you as an expert in your field. This type of content thus functions as a sort of lead magnet for people who have just discovered your content.
2. Inspirational Content
Coaches are meant to be great motivators who empower and uplift the people that they work with. You can convey this by posting success stories or sharing an inspiring quote that can motivate your audience to take action. Posting this type of content on social media is also a good way to show your audience that you want the best for them. Doing so also taps into your target audience’s deep desire to better themselves, making them more likely to check out the rest of what you have to offer.
3. Connection Content
While educational and inspirational content more or less show people what to expect from your coaching programme, connection content focuses more on you as a person. It is the type of content that humanises your business, giving your audience a closer look at the coach they’ll be working with. Some forms of connection content include behind-the-scenes posts that can detail your current projects, your filming or recording setup, or your business’s backstory. The point of connection content is to nurture that relationship you’ve built with your audience and allow them to get to know you as a coach on a deeper level.
4. Sales Content
Jumping in right away with a sales pitch will make you come off as pushy and will turn people away from your offer. That’s why you must first spend ample time engaging and connecting with your audience. After you’ve built up an authentic relationship with them, only then will they become more open to your offer.
This is the point where your sales-related content comes in. As a rule of thumb, it’s best to post sales content after you’ve shared at least four posts that focus on education, inspiration, or connection. You’ll also want to split your sales content into two parts. Begin with a soft pitch that promotes some type of freebie. Then, follow up with the hard pitch, which is the sale you want to land.
Crafting a strategic mix of these types of content involves plotting your posts properly on a social media content calendar. Doing so will greatly improve your relationship with your audience while increasing your sales.
An Example of How to Put Together a Social Media Calendar
In order to properly fill out your social media calendar, you must envision every step of the customer journey from start to finish. For instance, if your goal is to double your sales for a new programme, you can’t open pre-orders and assume that the sales will instantly flood in, especially if you’re new to the industry. That being said, building up your audience will require patience. In some cases, you may have to curate your content months in advance.
In the first few weeks of your social media campaign, posts about working with a coach or highlighting your coaching style are excellent ways to grab the attention of cold leads. Then, you can start sharing useful and actionable tips and tricks for the next couple of weeks to give warm leads an idea of how useful your coaching programme can be. At this point, they’ll likely be interested to know more about the person behind the business, which is the perfect time to start sharing your coaching origin story or your behind-the-scenes sneak peeks. By the time you launch your product, they’ll become hot leads that are so invested in you as a coach that they will feel more compelled to purchase your offer.
At the end of the day, a social media calendar is a tool that can make your life easier, as long as it is properly implemented. Though setting it up may initially take some time and effort, it will ensure a smoother and hassle-free digital marketing experience for you and your team. Take advantage of this system now to start building a solid connection with your audience sooner rather than later.
Need guidance on your social media calendar? Get in touch with MRS V today.