The Value of Marketing Coaching
When you’ve been thinking about Marketing Coaching one question you’ve probably asked is ‘What’s the value of Marketing Coaching?” Or, perhaps it is “What am I really going to get out of it?” or “Is it worth the money?”
Marketing Coaching is a relatively new and extremely obscure term. There aren’t a lot of “marketing coaches” out there leaving the space largely undefined. The challenge with that vagueness is it will be hard for you to find a clear definition of just what a marketing coach is and the value it can have to you.
In the nine years I’ve been doing marketing coaching I’ve seen a leveling off and even attrition because just being a marketing coach isn’t sustainable unless you yourself are running marketing for clients. Just like an accountant can’t continue doing people’s taxes without staying up to date on the ever-changing tax law, a marketing coach can’t stay relevant if he or she isn’t continually working in the area with which they’re coaching.
What is Marketing Coaching?
A marketing coach is typically someone who has more experience than you in marketing and they are focused on helping you achieve your overall marketing strategy. You may not even know what that strategy is, and if that’s the case, they can help you craft it through a marketing plan. They are the ones who can see the bigger picture, have worked with others just like you and therefore are able to provide direction and hold you to a higher standard than you might hold yourself.
An exception to this would be an experienced marketer may be in a new position or just opening up his or her own marketing company and will hire a marketing coach to help with accountability. Sometimes marketing coaches are hired simply to be another set of eyes on projects or even be a sounding board for equally experienced marketing professionals. Iron sharpens iron and smart marketers know the value of surrounding themselves with strong marketing minds.
What Won’t a Marketing Coach Do?
Just like a coach in any sport, a coach doesn’t do your workout for you and neither is a marketing coach going to write your content, post your social media or write your marketing plan for you. You wouldn’t learn for yourself – and after all, that is the reason you work with a coach – to learn, to make yourself better.
What to Expect with a Marketing Coach?
Every marketing coaching experience is going to be as nuanced as the individuals involved, but in general you can expect the following:
- Regularly scheduled marketing coaching sessions
- A type of support such as email or text support
- Accountability for the goals you set
- Feedback on your active projects or work
- Suggestions and/or help brainstorming
- Training on areas of expertise of your marketing coach
Certainly there may be some marketing coaches that do not offer support in between sessions, or you may need to pay for their premium package. If that is a feature that is important to you, be sure to ask about that specifically.
I know some of the biggest questions come up randomly and therefore I believe the ability to email me and ask me my thoughts is of critical value to my marketing coaching clients so I offer email support with all of my one-on-one marketing coaching packages.
The Difference between Group Marketing Coaching and One-on-One Marketing Coaching
Whenever you pay for a professional’s dedicated time, you are paying not just for that person’s time – you’re paying for that person’s expertise. You’re paying for the years of knowledge they bring. You’re paying for their years of experience.
The value of Marketing Coaching is that you don’t have to have worked with global companies, or worked in a thousand different marketing scenarios to get the right answer at the right time for your specific marketing challenge. You’re paying a professional with decades of experience to help you trouble shoot or simply to advise you.
The value of Marketing Coaching is your coach is meeting you right where you’re at – regardless of your level of marketing knowledge. You won’t surprise them with your questions. They will be able to share wisdom of experience of working with all sorts of customers over the years.
In fact, many times marketing coaches will even know in advance what some of your challenges will be and can help you plan and mitigate some of the landmines that your business will go through.
Are You Ready for a Marketing Coach?
If you’ve been kicking around the idea and trying to determine the value of a marketing coach for yourself — or possibly the marketing person in your organization — then I encourage you to reach out and have a conversation. Any reputable marketing coach is going to interview you as much as you will be interviewing them. Why is that? Simply put, great coaches have limited time. The really good marketing coaches are running businesses and coaching takes up time and a lot of energy therefore they hand-select their clients. Don’t be offended, you want the best match for you and you certainly don’t want to spend your money with someone who isn’t the right fit for you. Coaching is highly personal and you need good chemistry between the two of you in order for you to get the most out of it.
If you’re ready for a marketing coach, reach out, and let’s have a conversation about the type of coaching program that would work for you. As the owner of Vision Force Marketing, I’m living and breathing marketing – every single day. You can reach me at Leah@visionforcemarketing.com or call 630.313.2805.