Beyond Logos: Branding That Speaks to Your Coaching Clients

In the world of coaching, branding is not just about creating a pretty logo or designing a fancy website. It’s about creating an emotional connection with your potential clients and conveying your unique value proposition in a way that resonates with them.

Branding is not about logos, fonts, and colors

When it comes to branding, many coaches get bogged down in the details of design. They focus on creating a visually appealing brand that might look great on paper, but doesn’t actually connect with their target audience. I know I was guilty of this when I started over a decade ago.

The truth is, branding is more about messaging than it is about aesthetics. It’s about how you make your clients feel when they interact with you, whether it’s through your social media posts, your website, or your sales calls.

In coaching, people don’t buy from brands, they buy from people. With the recent onslaught of AI, it’s more important than ever to remember to be a real person and don’t worry as much about crafting the perfect brand.

The two most important questions in branding

There are two questions that are more important than any other when it comes to branding your coaching business:

1. How do you want someone to feel when they land on your social media pages, watch one of your reels, or watch your live video?
2. What do you want them to know before they get on the sales call with you?

Choosing brand elements

While your logo and website are important branding elements, they are not the end-all-be-all. Other key branding elements include:

• Your headshot photo: Your headshot is the first thing people will see, so make sure it conveys the message you want to send. Do you want to be seen as approachable and friendly, or as a trusted expert?

• Your specialization: What do you want people to know about your expertise? What’s your super power? What do people repeatedly ask you for help with?

• A featured testimonial: Social proof is a powerful tool for building trust. Feature a testimonial from a satisfied client to demonstrate your expertise and credibility.

• Your elevator pitch: Your elevator pitch should be concise and impactful. It should quickly convey what you do and how you can help people.

• Your bio: Your bio should tell your story and explain why you’re passionate about coaching. What experiences have shaped your approach to coaching?

• Your link to calendly to book: Make it easy for people to connect with you. Include a link to your calendly in your bio or website so people can book a call with you quickly and easily.

Get started with these 6 elements

1. Headshot photo
2. Specialization
3. Featured testimonial
4. Elevator pitch
5. Bio
6. Calendly link

When our Certification clients are just getting started, the above list is where we have them begin. Once they have these 6 elements in place, they can start practicing and getting clients. Things typically pick up quickly once they have this clarity in place.

Remember, branding is an ongoing process

Your brand is not something you create once and then never think about again. As much as I wish I could tell you to set it and forget it. Branding an ongoing process that requires you to be consistent with your messaging and to adapt your brand as your business evolves.

By focusing on the two most important questions in branding and by choosing the right brand elements, you can create a memorable brand that will attract your ideal clients and help you achieve your coaching goals.

P.S. Save the Date: March 12th

I’ve got something special coming your way to help you build all 6 of these items for your branding profile. I’m still putting the finishing touches on it, but mark your calendar now, MARCH 12th.

While you’re waiting, start with my FREE CAREER COACH START-UP KIT—3 Steps to Launch Your Dream Career Coaching Business!