| The buzz word in coaching these days is - | | | | blogging, a book - speak about the experience |
| platform. But what is a coaching platform and | | | | through talks, forums, serving on panels, being |
| what are the beginning steps to creating one? | | | | interviewed). |
| A platform is a tool used for promotion. It's a | | | | (5) Get your name in front of your target |
| way to sell yourself as an expert and to sell the | | | | audience (offer to do talks for groups related to |
| products or services that you have to offer. It's | | | | your target audience, submit articles to the |
| a method for publicity and can be a way of | | | | publications they read, blog on the blog sites they |
| branding yourself. | | | | read, attend events that they would attend, ask |
| The beginning steps to creating a platform: | | | | to be interviewed for newsletters or publications |
| (1) Define your niche (who is your "specific" target | | | | that they would read with someone else doing |
| audience - the better you can define this, the | | | | the writing). |
| better your chances are at creating the exact | | | | (6) Brand yourself (create a "theme" around your |
| products and services this audience needs). | | | | expertise and package it under a marketing |
| (2) Find out what this audience needs (do online | | | | umbrella - for example, Alexandria Brown calls |
| surveys, teleconferences, forums with your | | | | herself the "E-Zine Queen" - she works with |
| target audience and find out what they need, | | | | entrepreneurs in creating top-notch electronic |
| what they want and what they're willing to buy to | | | | newsletters with messages that sell their services |
| get the answers or services they're looking for). | | | | and products, then assists them with the creation |
| (3) Create your own website or blog site where | | | | of an electronic mail campaign to sell their |
| you can share your experience and your offerings | | | | products ). |
| with your target audience. | | | | These are the "starter steps" that are needed to |
| (4) Paint yourself as the expert (why are you | | | | launch a platform. You don't necessarily have to |
| interested in serving this audience, do you have | | | | do them in order (although # 1 and # 2 are |
| any experience with serving this audience, have | | | | recommended first - the others can all happen |
| you had a personal experience that this audience | | | | simultaneously). |
| can relate to - if so, write about through articles, | | | | Here's to building your coaching platform! |