Social media comparison, an undefined sales strategy and business-related information overload often get in our way of defining a marketing strategy and sticking to it. By overcoming these three barriers and taking consistent action to market our business, we set ourselves up for a fully booked coaching schedule.
Written by Nicole Dobransky, UESCA Coaching Mentor
Have you been trying to finally reach a full roster of long-term, reliable athletes?
Maybe you’ve seen some progress, but not as much as you’d like. Or maybe you’re able to get referrals, but it seems like every time you get one new athlete, you lose one.
Let me be the first to tell you: You’re not alone.
In fact, many of the run coaches I mentor inside my Runner Rising Academy have the same challenges. They never know when a coaching application will come in, and often struggle to define a system to grow their business online. Some of the coaches I work with are also concerned they’re not doing the right things on social media to engage potential clients.
Instead of blaming the algorithm or the economy, I want you to know that you can create a thriving, growing online run coaching business that brings in consistent new athlete inquiries.
I find there are often three obstacles standing in most run coaches’ paths. Let’s walk through them and their solutions.
1. Social Media Comparison
Let’s say you open up Instagram, have an idea for a post and start scrolling for the right music or video. But you start to compare yourself to the runners and coaches you see—the ones with hundreds of likes and thousands of followers. It doesn’t feel authentic to you. It feels like a song and dance to get attention, so you end up not posting anything.
Social media is a skill. It is not about being beautiful, fast or especially creative or witty. That matters if you want to be an influencer, but you’re a coach.
The solution: Write in your unique voice. Once you learn and apply the skills of marketing on social media—not to get views, but to get paying athletes—you’ll feel more comfortable creating posts without comparison or looking for inspiration from other runners and coaches. Your posts will be seen as genuine and relatable to the runners you want to work with.
Try this today: Think about your favorite athlete that you work with now and answer these three questions:
- What goal are they working toward now, and what are they not willing to do to get it?
- What is the biggest struggle they’re dealing with during their training right now, and what is one way your coaching is helping them?
- What question did they ask you recently, and how did you respond?
Those are your next three post ideas. They are coming right from you, not from social media trends. AI can’t write this for you! That’s what makes it good.
Your Instagram stories and posts should help your favorite kind of athletes not only relate to you, but also see how you can uniquely help them achieve their running goals and overcome the struggles that they may not even realize are holding them back.
2. Undefined Sales Strategy
If you’re leaving referrals and athlete inquiries to chance, it’s difficult to establish a consistent income. So, when you see “coaching” in an email subject line from a current athlete, you may feel filled with anxiety: “If an athlete cancels, how will I replace them?”
Posting one Instagram story that says, “I have 2 spots open for 1:1 coaching,” is not a sales strategy. Perhaps someone who has already been thinking about hiring you will see this and message you, but chances are low that a runner who just started following you will reach out.
The solution: Develop a planned sales process that you rinse and repeat.
Each month or two, you should have a five- to 10-day window where you actively sell your coaching services. You don’t need to feel icky or salesy about it (I share more on this in a podcast episode) because you’re not pressuring anyone. You’re connecting with them and helping them see how coaching can help them achieve their running goals.
Try this today: Pick a week within the next month and make a clear call to action for at least five days within that week.
A call to action should give the reader distinct next steps to get in touch: “To learn more about how I can help you train for your next marathon, comment COACHING below.” (Include a direct link to your website when possible.)
Add your call to action at the end of an email newsletter, a story series, an Instagram Reel caption, etc. Within the content, show the runner that you understand their goals and/or struggles and highlight your unique training philosophy and coaching style.
3. Business-Related Information Overload
You may think you’re learning by reading the latest coaching books, listening to podcasts, downloading freebies and following business influencers who have built their own brands. But what you’re really doing is adding more to your mental to-do list.
By engaging in too much external content, you’re watering down your own running philosophy, beliefs and the marketing you put out because you’re trying to do too many things and listen to too many different people.
The solution: The truth is, your marketing strategy is not inside another podcast. It’s in your mind. You know your athletes best, and you just need to learn how to communicate how you can help them.
Do this today: Go for at least one technology-free run or walk per week to think about your business. Choose one or two business or run coaching podcasts or one book to listen to at a time—or work with a UESCA mentor.
When you hear something, ask yourself if it actually makes sense for you to do. If it does, put it on your calendar one week from now. If it’s still a priority in one week, then start taking steps to implement it.
Final Thoughts
You need a plan, and you need to follow it—not just for a day, but for months and years. You don’t need multiple opinions and strategies, but one proven system for bringing in new clients and building your business.
You deserve to have a full roster of athletes, feel secure in your coaching business and confident in your ability to level up, which I share the realities of in this podcast episode.
We all experience moments where we feel frustrated in our business. These are perfect opportunities to shift our approach so we can end up closer to where we want to be.
You’re a great coach. It’s about learning the right marketing skills to showcase how you can help more people.
About the Author
Nicole Dobransky is a full-time run and endurance nutrition coach and the creator of the Runner Rising Academy, a group business coaching program that helps run coaches create and implement a marketing system to attract new athletes online so they have more time to do the things they love—like running!
