Originally Posted on The Coaching Tools Company as 20+ of The Best FREE Business Building Resources for Coaches on the Web!
Updated for 2019/2020!
Have you noticed how much we coaches get marketed to online? Sometimes I feel totally overwhelmed by all the information, fast-paced videos, sales pitches, squeeze pages and more. I get a little annoyed too - especially at the impersonal, never-ending stream of people promising to give us the golden answer and save us from our problems - and possibly even ourselves!
Well, I also said in a past Teleseminar for Noomii.com (practical business building tips) that while coaches get marketed to a LOT, there is a good side to this. Because it also means there is LOTS of FREE stuff and useful content out there - to learn and grow from.
So, I thought it would be good to share some of these resources - especially those that have helped me grow my business. And please note, as I write this, I am NOT an affiliate and do not receive any money or benefits from any of the people I mention below.
Please Note: Some of these resources/people may well have squeeze pages, requiring you to sign up for a newsletter and be part of the sales machine, but that doesn't stop you learning from the newsletters, introductory free calls, sign-up bonuses etc. There is some great information to be had and YOU simply decide when you want to unsubscribe from their information.
Below is a list of people I have gone to over the years when I've needed need help or information. I have remained subscribed to many of these newsletters for years.
Here are 20+ of the Best FREE Business Building Resources for Coaches on the Web!
How to Get Clients
- Christian Mickelsen. Yes, Christian sends a lot of emails. Yes, many of his followers are health and dating coaches. However, his advice is helpful - and importantly - practical. In addition he is a whizz at copywriting and coming up with punchy headlines - it's very inspiring to watch him come up with marketing copy "on the fly".
- I mostly listened to his free audio and webinars, and there are also some great blog articles and special reports. His main free special report is "Get Clients Today, for free"
Social Media
- Mari Smith, Facebook expert extraordinaire. I've learned TONS from Mari (and there is still a LOT more to learn and put into practice!)
- Listen to her free trainings, watch what she does and how she does it. Get her newsletter, free social reports and information on her free webinar - 7 Steps to Facebook Success.
- LinkedIn - Read 21 Steps to Create the Perfect LinkedIn Profile from Melonie Dodaro. In the past I've found more business traction on LinkedIn than on Facebook - but my clientele are professionals in Finance, Law & Technology. On Facebook these days people are building relationships and getting to know you, while LinkedIn is more business/employment focused.
- Pinterest - Some of the best articles about Pinterest I've read are from Problogger.
- This is an AWESOME Post: How to get started on Pinterest.
- Also, check out Create a Pinterest Persona, Pinterest Basics for Bloggers, The 3 Step Guide to Creating Pinterest-friendly Graphics for Your Blog.
- Sue B. Zimmerman and her team provide 4 Strategies to get more followers and buyers to make Instagram a successful place to market your business.
- Check out her FREE Instagram Strategy Guide here!
- Social Media Examiner provides some great YouTube videos to help you navigate the always changing social media landscape. Whether you want to learn about updates and changes to Social Media or how to set up advertisments the team over at Social Media Examiner have it all!
Newsletters & Publicity
- Linda Claire Puig on Email Marketing, Newsletters, Copywriting and more. Sign up for her newsletter at 6FigureNewsletters.com and get her Freebie "75 Best Newsletter Success Strategies".
- Joan Stewart, Publicity Hound. PR, How to get Free Publicity and so much more. I would recommend her free newsletter for all sorts of ideas around publicity, press releases, blogging or social media ideas.
Also, if you want specific help she sells "Special Reports" (mostly $7 each) on a large number of helpful PR-Related topics. I have bought a few of these, and there are also larger products and webinars you can pay for.
Business Advice From Coaches Who Have Been There, Done That…
- Steve Mitten and his Info, Resources & Marketing Page For Coaches. There are some great recordings on there about niching, the early days of coaching, coaching and the hero's journey. Get good solid advice about building a coaching business from an ICF (International Coaching Federation) Past President, Business Coach and Master Coach.
You can also subscribe to Steve's YouTube Channel here >>
- Ben Dooley. Ben Dooley is a master coach and a coach mentor. He has a blog, newsletter, and I highly recommend checking out and joining his Coaching Skills Forum calls (even if you're an experienced coach) as we can always hone and sharpen our skills. In fact we've just started some of Ben's archived CSF Calls here. Also, you can buy Ben's ebook and get the first 16 pages free at the bottom of the page here: "Finding Your First Five Clients" .
You may also have seen some of the guest posts from both Ben and Steve on our blog too!
Blogging and Article Writing
- Blogging for small business - Copyblogger. How to create great content - copywriting, email marketing, SEO and social media. Sign-up for the newsletter and register (also free) to get access to free ebooks and a huge library of information...
- Blogging, online business, social media - Darren Rowse at Problogger. If you want to learn about blogging, sign up for his newsletter. Great ebooks to purchase (usually $15-30 each depending on special offers running etc) like 31 Days to a Better Blog.
* Image Licenses: Be sure you check the license of the images you use for your business. Some images are free for editorial usage - but if you want to use an image in a paid product, there may be restrictions on the image use, or the price might increase. Some images are not allowed to be adapted, some are not to be used commercially at all. Some images require you to attribute the image creator. Please be careful using images in your business!
- Stocksnap says right on the homepage that their images are "Free from copyright restrictions" and expressly uses the Creative Commons CC0 license.
- Unsplash says (when this article was last updated that is), "All photos published on Unsplash can be used for free. You can use them for commercial and noncommercial purposes. You do not need to ask permission from or provide credit to the photographer or Unsplash, although it is appreciated when possible."
Sales & Marketing
- Get Your Free Marketing Workbook and other free marketing resources from Robert Middleton.Note: I bought Robert's workbook for creating a "Client Attracting Website" a few years back, and it's now been updated.
- Sales - Jeffrey Gitomer's Sales Blog It's sales all the way here. Perhaps more product than service oriented, but lots of great tips and advice. Get his newsletter on how to turn sales whines into wins, or do a search to find what you'd like to know more about on Jeffrey's blog.
Website
- Kenn Schroder professional website designer for coaches( AND resident web designer over in our Coaches Helping Coaches Facebook Group) can help you with all of your website needs! He's got a fantasitc a blog with juicy articles, and handy tools for creating a coaching website that attracts clients. Check out his top blog posts here.
- Christina Hills helps non-techie people create their own beautiful websites in WordPress. She has her own unique method for helping people easily get their websites done without getting stressed out by web technology. Discover the Essential Pages to Attract More New Clients with her handy Website Creation Checklist!
*BONUS* Resources!
- The first time I connected with Marcy Nelson-Garrison at Coaching Toys, a 30 minute chat quickly turned into an hour and a half! Whereas our tools are digital, Marcy mostly sells physical coaching toys from cards to games to books and more - which kind of makes her our sister company to The Coaching Tools Company.com! Marcy has selected products that help us round out our practice and expand our coaching repertoire - a TON of fun and exciting resources! Plus get her FREE eBook, 20 Online Resources for Creativity and Play when you sign up for her newsletter. Go check it out!
- It's so important to learn how to write Article Headlines that people want to read! Just type in your headline, and keep trying to improve your score with Co-schedule's Headline Analyzer plus there's a Powerful Word Checklist and more (you'll need to register, and after that you're good to go!).
- And last, but not least, check out our Free Coaching Tools & Resources here >>
We'd also love to what free resources you found helpful - or could not have done without!
Just comment below and we might add it to the list!
The Last Word: Finally, when it comes to building your business, REMEMBER, always do what works for YOU. If it doesn't FEEL right, it's probably a NO. But to grow our businesses (just like life), sometimes we need to step up, and step outside our comfort zone to try something new and challenge ourselves...
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