New Year, New You – SMS Marketing for Life Coaches

Although it is a relatively new trend in the UK compared to the well established US market, Life Coaching has grown over recent years to become a significant area of business and represents over half of all activity within the wider coaching sector. As we continue to see economic turbulence and a dramatically changing world, there is every indication that life coaching will continue to see sustained growth for many years to come.

Although many businesses at this time of year are focussing on maximising their revenue over the Christmas period, coaches by nature need to be looking ahead and preparing to take advantage of the New Year, a time when people traditionally seek to make changes in their lives. As with any business, the key is to stay ahead and get the word out early. Now is the ideal time to do that, and SMS Marketing is an ideal tool for coaches to reach out to both new and existing clients.

In this article, we look at some of the many ways that life coaches can use SMS Marketing to help develop their business and increase income in the New Year.

Promotions and offers

Whether you are targeting existing or potential clients, SMS Marketing is a great way to let people know what promotions or offers you have available on your coaching programmes for the New Year. From a free initial consultation to a percentage off a block booking, a simple SMS message with the right call to action could be all you need to get the diary filled. An example might read:

“New Year, New You. Book a block of 10 Life Coaching sessions with me, Jill Jones, this January and get 10% off, total price £225. Visit jilljonescoaching.co.uk for more information.”

Voucher codes

Although offering an all-around discount like that shown above can help to increase sign-up, many customers have come to expect something rather more personalised. A highly effective alternative is to use SMS Marketing to send a personalised text message that appears to be a unique offer for a select customer:

“Dear John, we’d like to offer you a very special 15% discount off a Life Coaching course when booked now for January 2018. Simply log onto jilljonescoaching.co.uk/booknow and enter voucher NY2018 to secure your personal discount now.”

Do make sure that you have obtained the express permission of the recipient before sending out SMS Marketing messages such as this. Click here for more information on the rules for opting in.

SMS Marketing for booking confirmations

For any appointment based business, missed appointments are not just a frustrating occurrence that wastes valuable time, they can also be costly to the business. SMS Marketing is a perfect way to make sure that your clients don’t miss their appointments. With almost 100% open rate, you can virtually guarantee that your client will read their message – much more so than if you sent the same by email. In addition, your clients will almost always have their phone on them or nearby, even if they are away from their computer. This means that a simple SMS confirmation message is by far the most effective way to send them a polite nudge and eliminate no-shows. Try something like:

“Hi Claire, just to politely remind you that we have a coaching session booked for Mon 15th Jan at 14:00. If you can’t make it, call me on 07983 536352 and I’ll be happy to reschedule. Jill.”

Try to keep your communications as personal as possible rather than cold and corporate, as life coaching is a very intimate and personal customer relationship and this should be embraced in every aspect of the business relationship.

Feedback Surveys

In today’s world of business, customers should always be encouraged to provide feedback on their experience and life coaching is no exception. In fact, it is best practice for coaches to develop and implement a client feedback system to provide a basis for self-improvement and professional development.

SMS Marketing makes it possible to remotely gather feedback from customers, avoiding the need for awkward conversations that could potentially change the dynamics of the relationship. Choose a limited number of questions that can be scored using a simple number system and send them in a series of SMS messages. For best practice, be sure to first ask the customer by SMS if they are willing to participate.

As an alternative, you could send them a link to an online survey which can be completed by smartphone, however, this typically generates a lower response rate.

Motivational quotes, articles etc

As well as the general day to day business functions that can be served by SMS Marketing, another powerful way to increase revenues is by sharing valuable and motivating content by SMS message. Why not send your clients a daily or weekly (consider inviting them to express a preference) motivational quote by SMS, and be sure to share links to motivational and inspirational articles that you think will be of value to them – ideally authored by yourself. This will show that you really do care about their personal development, and also help establish yourself as a knowledge leader in the field, all of which will enhance your reputation as a coach.

To speak to a member of our award-winning team now about how we can help to grow your life coaching business through SMS Marketing, call us on 0800 954 5305 or reach out online for a quick response.