How to Plan Your Coaching Business Marketing Every Month (Plan With Me)

Visibility

Sep 19

The best way to plan your marketing as a coach is to start with your offer, not your content calendar.

Map out what you're selling this month. Pick one platform you'll actually show up on. Choose 3 things you're going to ship. Decide what you're saying no to. Then break it all down into your week.

In the video above, I sat down with my planner and did my September plan with you, live. Here's the process, step by step.

Why Do Coaches Need a Marketing Plan?

Coaches need a marketing plan because without one, you're creating content that leads nowhere.

When I ask coaches, "What's your plan for showing up on social?" most of them say some version of "I just try to remember to post."

Remember to post?

What if you didn't have to remember... because you already know what's going out, where it lives, and what it's leading to?

And honestly, I'm not a "live in the moment" planner. I need structure. I need to see it on paper. If you're the same, this is for you.

No plan. No clients.

Step 1: Map Your Offer Before You Create Any Content

Your offer comes first because every post, email, and video you create this month should point people toward it.

Grab a piece of paper and answer these:

What is it? Name the package.
What format? Group, 1:1, workshop, retreat.
Who is it for? Be specific.
How much is it? Pay in full and payment plan.
When do you meet? Dates and times.
What beliefs do they need to buy? (I got this idea from Simple Marketing for Smart People by Tiago Forte and Billy Broas. Great book.)
What changes for them? The actual result.

I'm going to use my example. My September offer is the Coaching Biz Builder cohort. 12 seats. Live group coaching. For newer coaches, or coaches with 1 or 2 clients who want more. $1,997 or 3 payments.

What changes for them? They know their niche. They know their package and price. And they learn how to create content that sells it.

So instead of guessing, they know what to do every day.

Once this page is done, your content almost writes itself.

Step 2: How Do You Pick the Right Social Media Platform?

Pick the platform you already open 80 to 90% of the time when you pick up your phone.

A couple of months ago, a big-name business guy put out a video saying you need to be on multiple platforms posting 80 posts a day.

80 posts. A DAY.

Some of us can barely keep up with 3 posts a week on one platform, right?

Here's the thing. If you pick a platform you're not already on, you'll spend weeks just learning how it works before you even start talking to people. You're already learning how to build a business. Do that first.

For me, it's Facebook. I love the conversation there. Then I have a secondary platform, like YouTube or my podcast, and I repurpose from there.

Your dream client hangs out where you hang out first.

Step 3: Choose Your One Focus and Your Big 3

Your one focus is the single thing happening in your business this month, and your big 3 are the things that have to go out to make it happen.

My one focus for September: open enrollment for Coaching Biz Builder, 12 seats, class starts September 23.

My big 3 things I'm shipping:

My YouTube videos
Emails to everyone who registered
A live Q&A in my community

Everything else waits until next month.

Step 4: Decide What You're Saying No To

Saying no protects the energy you need to sell your offer.

This month I'm saying no to:

Skipping workouts. The gym is where I disconnect and keep my sanity.
Podcast and speaking invitations. Every yes comes with prep, showing up, and promoting. When you're in the middle of selling your own offer, it gets muddy.
Working on weekends. During my May cohort, I worked so hard (and life was happening too) that I ended up in the emergency room. So now I take 2 days fully off screens. No phone. No desktop.

Your no list matters as much as your to-do list.

Step 5: Set Your Starting Number and Your Goal Number

Write down where your numbers are at the start of the month and where you want them at the end.

Say you start the month at $4K. Your goal might be to double it.

For my launch, 12 out of 12 seats filled is my stretch goal. 10 seats is my realistic goal. Having both keeps me focused without beating myself up.

What gets written down gets done.

Step 6: Break Your Month Into a Weekly Plan

Your weekly plan takes your monthly focus and turns it into tasks you can actually do by Friday.

Every Monday, I answer these:

The one piece: What's the main message going out? (This week: enrollment.)
Where does it live? Facebook and email.
The one call to action: Join.
This week's big 3: Finish emails, schedule community coaching calls, schedule social posts.
This week's numbers: How many conversations am I having?
What has to happen for this week to count?
Anything else on my mind: Cooper needs a bath. The car needs a smog check.

That last one sounds silly. But life shows up while you're building your business. Write it down so it stops taking up space in your head.

Plan for life, or life will plan your week for you.

Do You Need a Special Planner to Do This?

No, you don't need a special planner. A piece of paper works.

I use my Visible 90 planner on a discbound system, so I can pull pages out, add brainstorm notes, and keep everything in one place. If you want a copy, Grab One Here

And yes, I decorate mine with stickers and washi tape. (I'm a recovering planner addict. I have the Happy Planner stickers to prove it.)

Pretty is optional. Planning is not.

FAQ

How often should coaches plan their marketing?

Coaches should plan their marketing at the start of every month, with a quick weekly check-in every Monday. If you're launching, do a bigger plan at the start of the quarter too.

How many social media platforms should a new coach be on?

A new coach should be on one platform. Once posting there is a habit, add one secondary platform and repurpose your content.

What should I post about as a coach?

Post about whatever helps people say yes to your offer this month. Look at the beliefs your dream client needs to have in order to buy, and create content around those beliefs.