Renegade Professional News 

By Kendall Silva

What is the best way to attract clients through your discussion posts?  In this article, I will describe the 3 main purposes for starting a discussion thread (giving value, information gathering, and branding yourself) that will help attract clients to you.  When all 3 of these purposes are present, then you will not only help more people, and attract more clients, but you will also get more out of it that will help you and your business grow.

Giving Value:

There are many types of value that can be given through a discussion.  So think about the value of your post when you are deciding what type of discussion to start.

Get people thinking – When you say something inspiring that gets people to reflect upon themselves, this is a great contribution to their success.

Get people talking – Look for a hot topic. What gets people excited?  When I say excited, I do not necessarily mean jumping for joy, just… jumping!  What gets them riled up?  What topics create posting frenzies?

Invite people to share their stories – Start by either sharing your own story on this topic, or at least show some personal interest in hearing their stories.  Remember, you always want to show yourself in your posts.  Remind them that you are a real person with real reasons to want to hear what they have to say.

Specific topics– When addressing a particular topic in which your post will have a suggestion or tips, it is good to be specific.  That way, if someone needs that information, they can look at the subject and know they can find that exact information there.  It may not end up being the most active discussion you start, but it will help people.

Broad topics – If you are trying to start a conversation for market research purposes, it is good to keep your topic broad.  Ask many different questions in your post that will get people thinking and talking.  There may be a particular part of the topic that you specifically want to address, but look for the right time to do it.  Once people are thinking, their minds open and engaged, it will be a great time to ask a more specific question.  So get them started by keeping your topic broad, then pull them in to a specific area with a powerful question.

Information Gathering:

If you post a new topic, you get to ask questions that you genuinely want to know the answer to.   Discussions are valuable places for market research. A simple discussion thread can tell you so much about people in general.

What ignites their passion?  What types of marketing have they ‘heard before’?  What are their thoughts on coaching?  How well does the value that others have given translate into their lives?  What methods have they tried?  What is working for them?  What is not working?  Do they have needs that are not yet being met?  What questions do they have?  What are their concerns?  What can you learn about the people posting here?  Is your topic attracting the crowd you intended to attract?

Branding Yourself / Exposure:

The more active you are on social sites, the more people will see you, see the value you offer, and associate your name with that value.   This will make them much more likely to come to you when they need more assistance.

Think about using the same picture on all of your social sites.  Your picture, over time, becomes safe and familiar, and people will begin to find comfort in that familiarity and trust your consistency.

While it is okay to change your profile picture, I do not recommend doing it often.  Find one great picture of yourself and stick to it for a good while.  Otherwise, you might stifle your efforts to be seen frequently enough that people recognize your name and picture and associate it with value.

To learn more about how to use discussion areas to attract clients to YOU, visit “Are You Missing Out On A Valuable Social Marketing Platform?” in which we discuss what to look for in discussion threads to provide opportunities for efficient marketing and branding.

Ready to practice some of your skills in a safe environment of coaches and students?  Come on over to the Coaching Cognition Fan page, and join the discussions today!

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