In this post, you’ll learn what the life coach offer ecosystem is, and how to use that ecosystem on your website to morph it into an automated lead and sales generating storefront.
Recently a life coach asked me how her website ties into the ecosystem of all her online marketing. How does a website work with social media, an email list, etc. to help a coach sign more clients?
To answer this question, I like to think of online marketing for coaches like an offer ecosystem.
I got this ecosystem idea from my mentor Daniel Priestley. (In particular, the principles in his book Key Person of Influence were what I founded my business on. Bookmark that link! But I digress.)
If you understand how all your offers, free or paid, work together, you can structure your online marketing (and your websit!) so that it does a lot of the heavy marketing lifting for you.
Then you’ll have more time for the area’s you love — coaching your clients, spending time with your family, and setting the next impossible goal!
What is this offer ecosystem?
An offer ecosystem is a series of products and/or services that helps you sell and market your coaching business.
One piece of the ecosystem works with all the others to helps new leads become fans, and fans become clients.
There are three parts to a coach offer ecosystem. Here they are:
Now I’ll walk through each of the three offer types, giving in-depth examples for each.
1. Free stuff.
This is where it all starts. A stranger finds the free content you’ve published online or offline, and they start to get to know you. Free stuff is just that — free — and doesn’t require any commitment of information or money to access.
One example of free stuff is this blog you’re reading right now on my website. Anyone can find it and access the content without any exchange of money or information. A blog is valuable, and gives your audience a taste of what it’s like to work with you. If the reader is your ideal client, they’ll be intrigued and hungry for more after reading your blog.
Other examples of free stuff are podcasts, Instagram feeds, and Facebook pages.
By consuming your free stuff, people start to learn what you’re known for. And after someone consumes it, that’s the perfect time to present them with…
2. Offers for leads.
Offers for leads are the second tier of your offer ecosystem. These second tier offers aren’t free. They’re simply a nice way to convince a lead to exchange their contact details for something of high perceived value from you (and that doesn’t cost you much to give).
An example of an offer for a lead is Stacey Boehman’s 5 day training to help life coaches make money. To access the training, a website visitor has to enter their contact details. The training itself is excellent, high value, and (drumroll!) all automated.
Beyond the initial set up, no one in her business has to lift a finger to provide that value to Stacey’s audience. Now that’s an automated marketing win!
Other examples of offers for leads are freebie PDFs, webinars, and e-newsletters.
Basically anything you offer in exchange for an email address qualifies as an offer for a lead. And once you have that email address and are providing this lead with value, the next step is to present them with your…
3. Core offer.
This is the final tier. It’s the final solution to your ideal client’s problem, and what you’re best known for in your coaching business.
For most life coaches, this core offer starts as one on one coaching. Even the highly successful Brooke Castillo started out as a one-on-one coach before she branched into group coaching.
Other examples of core offers are masterminds, group coaching programs, and website memberships.
When someone buys your core offer they’ve usually already consumed your free stuff, and have likely also given you their contact information via an offer for a lead. They’re really warmed up to what you do, and they know and like and trust you.
This is the offer ecosystem that you’ll most often see set up online. One reason why it’s so successful is it gives you many, many touchpoints that all lead up to that zero moment of truth – the moment when a lead finally becomes a client.
This ecosystem works together beautifully to create a successful coaching business.
How does the website tie in?
Your website is really the storefront for this offer ecosystem. You can publish free stuff on your website via your blog or podcast. You can publish offers for leads on your website in the form of freebie PDFs, videos, or webinars.
And finally, you can advertise your core offer on your website, in the form of one-on-one coaching, a mastermind, or a membership, for those who want to schedule or buy.
This is why websites are so powerful for marketing! Your website is really an automated lead and sales generating virtual storefront that, when set up right, can build authority, nurture leads, and line up potential clients eager to pay you, all while you sleep.
Your website shouldn’t just be pretty. It should be smart, too, and by using it to automate your marketing you’ll be able to spend more time doing what you love. Serving your clients, spending time with your family, and refilling your own energetic cup.
Stuck on the technological bit?
If you’ve ever spent hours down a technological rabbit hole trying to to set something up on your website that you had no desire to do yourself in the first place, I can help. Collectively, my clients have generated over $300,000 in their businesses in the last half of 2019 alone.
I’m keen to get as much coaching out into the world as possible, and I know website marketing for coaches. It’s a powerful combination!
If you’d like my help to set up an automated marketing storefront via your website so you can be proud to send leads to it and spend more time doing what you love, send me your project details here.
I’m looking forward to hearing about your project!
Jennie
P.S. When your marketing doesn’t seem to be working, come back to this offer ecosystem and see where you can improve:
- Free stuff: blog posts, podcasts, social media feeds.
- Offers for leads: freebie PDFs, videos, webinars.
- Core offers: one on one coaching, masterminds, group coaching.
If you’d like me help to set up a website that will serve as a powerful tool for automated marketing so you can spend more time doing what you love, send me your project details here.
