How can you use social network sites to grow your network as a coach? It’s not so much what you know, as who you know. But in an information economy, and running a service-based business like coaching, building a successful practice must be a combination of both
How do social networks help? Traditionally, we’ve had a fairly limited, geographically based reach for the work we do. It’s been built up from our ‘strong ties’ – people we know personally such as our family, friends and previous and current business contacts. Building our network outside this has meant finding the right face-to-face opportunities to grow a business.
If you are an internal coach, it’s been about getting involved in the right projects, with the right people, to grow your reputation. Yet face-to-face networking can take time, requires travel and can be very expensive.
Social networking is something you can do from any location (if you have a smartphone), at any time. Even if you only use social networks from one location, you can still get an account and start building your network for free. It will only cost you where you want premium accounts or features, or training and guidance.
The successful coaches out there know how to mix three key elements: visibility, credibility and outreach.
Here are some top tips and resources to help you make the most of these social networking tools.
Nurture your contacts
Don’t just build up new relationships in your business. Often the strongest are those with a social or business tie from previous work, or because of someone we already know. Your own email can be a good place to start to connect or to remember just how wide your network is. LinkedIn has one of the best sets of resources to help you nurture your current network.
Make it work
- Build up your LinkedIn profile and summary. This will give people the confidence that they are connecting with the person they expect to, and shows you are an active LinkedIn user
- Use a picture of yourself that shows how you are at work, and review your profile to check it covers your core messages as a coach. Include your experience and roles to make it easier for people to find and connect with you
- Invite your current contacts by importing from web-based mail or by downloading your contact list from your Outlook Express
- Give recommendations to anyone you have worked with to show your appreciation
- Use the inbox and compose mail to communicate with people directly from inside LinkedIn
- Ask for recommendations of your work from both past and current roles. Building up recommendations helps show how you do business
- Schedule notes in your diary to keep in touch
- Use the Outlook Connector and Status updates to keep up to date with what your contacts are doing. Then share relevant tips and resources. Hopefully they’ll return the favour!
Fatal flaws
- Focusing on your current business only – LinkedIn is a holistic view of your overall experience and career, as well as how you can add value
- Sending out ‘spammy’ emails from LinkedIn. Think about what you’d feel was appropriate for you and then use it as your guide
Expand your network
Once you’ve got going, you are more likely to realise the power of tools like LinkedIn and how you can take a “little and often” approach to networking.
Make it work
- Use the group directory feature to find relevant groups to join. Start participating in discussions, which will raise your visibility and credibility
- Check out the members – once you are a member of a group you can contact them directly
- Put your LinkedIn details on your email address and on your business card to make it easy to connect
- Follow up face-to-face networking meetings with emails. Ask if they are happy to connect with you on LinkedIn
- Use the advanced search function to look for other people in your industry – you can even narrow this down to your location. Search by job title or key word
Fatal flaws
- Sending out boiler plate emails that LinkedIn creates when you invite someone in your network. Always personalise your professional emails. LinkedIn works on the idea of trusted connections. If you don’t know someone that well sound out whether they’d be happy to connect or gently remind them why
Keep up to date
Make it work
- Get the most of social networking by scheduling yourself a regular reminder to use LinkedIn
- Respond to requests as soon as you get them, and send back a message when you’ve connected with someone
- Follow up face-to-face events over the next two to three days so it’s easy for people to remember you
- Schedule time once a month to check your profile and summary and see if anything needs tweaking or changing
- Schedule some time at least once a week to check the groups you are a member of, and ask yourself whether they are achieving their goal
Fatal flaw
- Doing everything at once when building and nurturing your network
The advantage of using LinkedIn is that you can take a variety of small, regular actions and add value to your business, by being of value to others.
The more you put into your network, the more you’ll receive. Think value add and you can’t go far wrong.
About the author
Claire Chapman is a professional coach and the UK Social Media Coach. She offers training, coaching and brainstorming for business owners to create their own social networks. See www. twitter.com/coachclaire and free tips at www.uksocialmediacoach.co.uk
Coaching at Work, Volume 6, Issue 1