Originally Posted on The Coaching Tools Company as 15 of The Best FREE Business Building Resources for Coaches on the Web!
Have you noticed how much "Coaches" get marketed to online? Sometimes I feel totally overwhelmed by all the information, fast-paced videos, sales pitches, squeeze pages and frankly 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, recently I did a teleseminar for Noomii.com (a coach search and listing site) and I remember saying that while we get marketed to a LOT as coaches, there is a good side to this. It means there is also LOTS of FREE stuff and useful content out there.
Anyhow, I thought it was about time I wrote a post about some of my favourite resources - and especially those that have helped me grow my business. I would like to stress that, as I write this, I am NOT an affiliate and receive no 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 and whether you want to unsubscribe from the newsletter.
So, below is a list of my "go to" people over the years when I've needed need help or information. I have remained subscribed to many of these newsletters over the years - although not all!
15 of the Best (mostly) FREE Business Building Resources for Coaches on the Web!
HOW TO GET CLIENTS
- Christian Mickelsen. I mostly listened to his free audios, but there are some great free special reports here like "How To Get A Rush of Potential Clients Lining Up To Have An Introductory Coaching Session With You".
- Michael Port <--- Get 6 Chapters Free from his books, including "Book Yourself Solid" here.
SOCIAL MEDIA
- Mari Smith, Facebook expert extraordinaire. I've learned TONS from Mari (and still have a LOT more to learn and put into practice!). It was Mari who taught me about Interest Lists (see Tip 17 below). Listen to her free trainings, watch what she does and how she does it. Get her newsletter, free social reports and her latest free webinar.
- Read 21 Steps to Create the Perfect LinkedIn Profile from Melonie Dodaro. Personally I've found more business traction on LinkedIn than on Facebook. On Facebook, people are there to socialise. And while that's true to an extent on LinkedIn, LinkedIn is business/employment focused, therefore people on LinkedIn are in a much more business-y mindset than those on Facebook.
- 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. Also, scroll down this article for more great tips. 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 also "Special Reports" (mostly $15 each) on a large number of helpful PR-Related topics. I have bought a few of these. And there are also webinars you can pay for. But I would start with the free newsletter and take it from there.
BUSINESS ADVICE FROM COACHES WHO HAVE BEEN THERE, DONE THAT
- Steve Mitten and his Info, Resources & Marketing Help For Coaches page. 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.
- Ben Dooley. Ben Dooley is a masterful coach and a coach mentor. He has lots of free resources on his site (including great audios and a free ebook" Finding Your First Five Clients"). 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. Ben is in the middle of upgrading his site, so you may need to register before accessing the free resources.You may also have seen some of the guest posts from Ben and Steve on our blog too!
BLOGGING / 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.
- Royalty Free Pictures and Images for your publicity materials, infographics, newsletters, blog articles and more on the Microsoft Office Website Just type what you're looking for into the search bar.
SALES & MARKETING
- Global Marketing Trends - Trendwatching.com. The biggest and best companies use Trendwatching and pay hundreds of dollars for their industry reports. But YOU don't have to. They have a great free newsletter that keeps you in touch with high level global and local societal trends - so you can stay in the know - it's fascinating stuff!
- Get Your Free Marketing Workbook and other free marketing resources from Robert Middleton. I bought his workbook for creating a website a few years back, which is hopefully being brought back later on this year. I'll let you know.
- 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 and get his ebook on how to turn sales whines into wins, or do a search to find what you'd like to know more about.
*BONUS* Resources!
- Last week I finally connected with Marcy Nelson-Garrison at Coaching Toys and a 30 minute chat quickly turned into an hour and a half! Whereas our tools are digital, Marcy sells all sorts of physical coaching toys from cards to games to books and more - which kind of makes her our sister company at The Coaching Tools Company.com! And while the products Marcy has selected for her store are not all business-building they do help us round out our practice and expand our coaching repertoire. Marcy has a TON of fun and exciting resources over at The Coaching Toys Store. Go check it OUT!
- Our latest article about Facebook Interest Lists - and how they can help you focus on what's important to you AND get more people to see YOUR stuff on Facebook!
As I put this list together, it helped me realise how much I have learned and absorbed over the last 10 years or so. But also how much I'm NOT doing yet (mainly down to a lack of time!) and how far there is to go.
I'd also love to hear who and what you could not have done without!
Just make a comment below and I'll 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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