Helping Hands For Coaches

So, what do you do when you’re without your computer – but you just have to share this photo with your ‘followers’? Most of us have a camera with our phone – and if you can send that photo to an email address, then you can share instantly! TwitPic allows you to share with your twitter followers your instant photos. Also, once you upload your photo to TwitPic, you’re a part of their ‘Public Timeline’ – exposing your profile to an infinite number of viewers at that moment. So have fun in the moment – and share your experience! 

Want some twitter buttons on your site to get more followers? TwitterButtons has about 35 different buttons available for you to use! Just copy the HTML code, make sure to delete the “YourLink” and add your own before you put it on your site.

Here’s my favorite:

And some more examples:

Do you play phone-tag with your current coaching clients? Wish there was a way to just have them log-in and book an appointment online – but worried about the cost?

I’m really enjoying my Genbook system – it’s free to start (and as little as $20 per month if you want all the features), and prospects and clients find it’s easier to get a hold of me. Like you, my time is my business, so when I’m with a client or a prospect, I can’t help another one at that time. Now, clients and prospects save time by simply booking an appointment with me online – anytime, day or night.

I’m also utilizing Skype to talk with my clients – this also is a great way to ‘compact’ my time. I can have several ‘IM’ (or Instant Messaging) conversations going on at the same time, and still help everyone. Plus, when I talk to clients that are also Skype users, we can have video conference (great for those coaches that like to see their clients while they coach). Oh, and the cost – free. Gosh, I love that word

Most of you have probably at least heard of Twitter by now, if not – get ready! It’s an amazing Social Media tool that can really help you get connected to other entrepreneurs, experts in your field, and of course, prospects and clients! But, I must warn you – it is addicting! You’ll find yourself tweeting live events, while walking to meet with a client, and during your own teleseminars! But, this is what makes Twitter so unique – it helps you to be and stay on people’s mind, even if you’ve never met them. Take, for instance, I’ve been following Warren Whitlock co-author of the Twitter Revolution (with @coachdeb), for a while – but I didn’t think he would recognize me – but here we were, last Friday at the Social Media Conference in San Diego, and he said, “Hey, don’t I know you? I’m following you, aren’t I?” Wow! I was floored – and what floored me more was how many times it happened after that! Now, wouldn’t you like to be known before you enter a networking group? Would you like a room full of potential prospects to feel warm towards you before you spoke? Twitter can do that for you.

So, I know I’ve been holding back from my coaches about this awesome tool – but, I don’t like to promote something until I have a grasp of it myself. So, read further for my resources, and how to get started (you won’t believe how easy it is!)

To get started on Twitter, I recommend going to Twitter, sign-up for an account, add your profile photo (go to ‘Settings’ in the upper right to customize your profile), and then type your first post – just a 140 characters. I  then recommend you to start following people that automatically follow others, as John Chow suggests. He recommends that you get beyond the 100 ‘followers’ count  to be ‘socially proof’.  How do you know if they’ll automatically follow you? Just see if their ‘followers’ count matches their ‘follow’ count.

Once you hit the 100 followers mark, then you need to make your tweets interesting. Whenever I mention Twitter, the main question I get is “Why does anyone want to know what I had for breakfast?” Good point – they probably don’t! I think some ‘Not Dead Yet’ moments are fine (for instance, “Drinking some coffee with the hubby at my favorite coffee shop: http://theneighborhoodcup.com/“), but generally that’s not going to get you a huge following. So, before you post, notice if what you’re about to tweet is interesting to your potential following (yes, you should have a goal of who you want to have follow you – mainly your target market).

One issue that I came across when I first started tweeting was understanding other tweets! It’s like it’s in a different language – one that’s constricted by 140 characters! Thanks to my friend, Mari Smith, I was able to understand the @ symbol in front of people’s names, and the short hand that tweaps use.

Some musts to help you save time while using this great Social Media tool:
TweetScan – a ‘search’ tool for Twitter – find your target market easily
Tweet Deck – a desktop software that allows you to know what’s going on in the Twitter world, without having to go online
TwitScoop – find out what’s the hot topic right now and join the conversation
TweetLater – want to be sure a tweet goes out at a certain time but not sure if you’ll remember to tweet it? Use this tool to schedule tweets to post in your account.
BudURL – want to see if all this Social Marketing is working? This tool will take your URL, and track the results – who’s clicking from where.
SocialToo – allows you to auto-follow followers, and can let you know when people stop following you.

Some Free Resources on Twitter that I used to get started:
GeekPreneur Twitter Handbook
Guy Kawaski : How to Use Twitter as a Twool, and Looking for Mr. Goodtweet: How to Pick Up Followers on Twitter
Warren Whitlock and Coach Deb: Free Twitter Handbook
Duct Tape Marketing: Free downloadable eBook on Using Twitter for Business
Twitter Lingo: by Mari Smith
Have another resource you found helpful? Add a comment and the link! Thanks!

As Warren said last Friday, the main thing is – Twitter has no rules – you can decide on how you want to brand yourself on Twitter. So, have fun and Happy Tweeting! Oh, and if you liked this post, please follow me at http://www.twitter.com/rachelpradhan  See you there!

Now that Indra Successful Coach Marketing and Blaze Interactive, our two companies, build websites utilizing WordPress, you’ll see some more video tortorials on how to utilize this great software as a content management system. All of our clients have been able to easily pick-up how to use WordPress once their website launched, but I thought it would be helpful if they have some extra support as well.

If you are a life or business coach, or an entrepreneur, on a major shoe-string budget, then I would recommend WordPress as a way for you to quickly and easily build a website. WordPress.com is the free version of WordPress in which you can set-up a blog in minutes. Their free templates aren’t the greatest, but it can easily be customizable. If you want your own URL, and host your own WordPress Website – then I recommend WordPress.org. For hosting the WordPress website, I always recommend BlueHost.

When we build a website utilizing WordPress, we first focus on the design of the site – utilizing our own 6-step design process that really captures the essence of our clients. We then build the site utilizing the WordPress technology, allowing our clients to easily make changes once the site launches. It’s also more Search Engine friendly than basic HTML websites.

This first video is how-to make basic changes in your WordPress website.

The second video is how-to make basic color changes to your WordPress website.

Just a reminder – your ‘Admin’ page to sign-in is your URL (or web address), plus /wp-admin. So, for example, for http://www.helpinghandsforcoaches.com it will be http://www.helpinghandsforcoaches.com/wp-admin.

If we didn’t help you develop your website, and you would like custom HEX colors (the series of numbers/letters that tells browsers what colors to show) – then you can visit this website: www.2CreateAWebsite.com

For all my peeps in SoCal: mark your calendars for December 9th! Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Growth 2.0 Conference” is a free full-day conference in Long Beach, California. There will be such workshops as low-cost marketing, sales secrets, and a keynote with the author of “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”, Robert Kiyosaki.

If you register, be sure to look for me during the networking sessions. As an entrepreneur, it’s an event that I won’t miss!

Mari Smith, the “Pied Piper of Facebook” (so-called by Fast Company Magazine), will be speaking at Helping Hands for Coaches next Friday!

Perhaps you’re:
=>Wondering how Facebook differs from other social networking platforms such as MySpace or LinkedIN?
=>Not sure how to market your business on Facebook?
=>Not sure what’s the right and a wrong way to use social networking sites for business purposes?
=>Not sure how to get started?

I’ve been on Facebook for a while, but I don’t get the results I’m looking for – especially considering the amount of time I’m on it! Do you feel the same way? Or are you just getting started, and are excited about all the games and applications – but don’t see how it all fits with your business? Then don’t miss the class: “Facebook Fortunes for Coaches: How To Attract Your Perfect Top Paying Clients Using the #1 Social Network” Click HERE to register!

I’m really looking forward to our class on Niching for Life and Business Coaches, with Wendi Liechty is a Business & Marketing Coach and founder of www.TheCasualEntrepreneur.com. She has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs including coaches, wellness professionals, designers and other service providers develop clear and compelling business and marketing concepts that are truly outside the box!

Participants always walk away with a renewed focus and enthusiasm for business and tangible steps that can be easily implemented right away. Wendi’s approach breaks through the limitations of traditional, outdated marketing strategies. She offers unconventional, highly personalized wisdom for modern day business goals and challenges so entrepreneurs can experience the success and freedom they crave. So be sure to sign-up for this interactive class! Remember – our teleclasses are always free and interactive – so get your questions on niching ready and I’ll see you on Friday! Register here: http://helpinghandsforcoaches.com/live-teleclasses/

ICF-OC had it’s 4th annual “Accredited Coach Training Program” event last night, and what a great event it was. I met many wonderful coaches, as well as the representatives of 5 ICF Accredited Coaching Schools:

Coach for Life
Phyliss Francis, MA, CLC, PCC
www.coachforlife.com

Newfield Network
Carol Courcy, MCC
www.newfieldnetwork.com

iPEC (Institute for Professional Empowerment Coaching)
Keith Miller, CEC
www.iPECcoaching.com

David Darst, CPCC, PCC
Coaches Training Institute
www.thecoaches.com

Christopher McAuliffe
Accomplishment Coaching
www.accomplishmentcoaching.com

What I found interesting with some of the schools, was that they have started to offer business support – such as providing contracts, accounting, and even websites. This is great! I proves that websites are an important part of starting a new coaching business, but I would add to it the website: such as a blog so that prospects get to know you as a coach and a person (remember, people buy from people they know, like and trust), and an eNewsletter with their own brand so that coaches can market directly with prospects and current clients.

But remember, if you’re a new coach, don’t start off too big and become overwhelmed with the website project. Start small, with just a few pages. You can always add to what you’ve got – a website is not a printed product, so it can change and grow as you do. Just take our new launch, http://powerfulmindcoaching.com/ – she was making changes the day we launched – and she can do it easily with the online management software that we developed. She can quickly add pages, change content, and add PayPal buttons – all without contacting us. So, are you ready to get started quickly? Remember, Indra Successful Coach Marketing is here for you!

What a fabulous class on search engine optimization and internet marketing! I hope all you life and business coaches found some of the SEO techniques I shared useful – and hopefully not overwhelming. I know I covered a lot in this class:

-The basics of SEO
-How to find good Keywords and Keyphrases relating to your coaching business
-8 SEO techniques you can use to increase your Internet exposure for your coaching practice
-and Black Hat techniques that can get your coaching website banned from search engines

At the end of the class, I mentioned that there is a 9 week course that all of you can take in order to help you understand SEO more extensively! To learn more about the class, which starts September 5th, please click here: http://helpinghandsforcoaches.com/workshops/ (**PS: There is only room for 10 students! So, if you want to learn more, make sure to click the link and sign-up today!)

To listen to the class, click the below audio: