by Sarah Philipp, Director of Learning at Nudge Coach
In this post we’ll explore how COVID changed coaching, and how it accelerated a shift to potentially more scalable online coaching business models.
There’s no doubt that COVID has changed a lot of things. Especially the way in which we work.
While online coaching existed long before COVID, there has still been a shift in how online coaching is delivered and perceived.
Let’s talk about this and how it impacts your established or brand new online coaching business.
Coaching before COVID
Before COVID, online coaching was certainly available, but it was more the exception than the norm. Most sessions happened “knee-to-knee” in an office or even a coffee shop.
Despite the conveniences of online coaching, clients tended to believe there was a limit to how much value they could get from a session that was remote versus in-person.
There was an inexplicable but very real impression that something would be lost if at very least the initial coaching session was not .
COVID hit, and we saw this great scramble to move everything online out of necessity. This had a devastating impact on a lot of businesses, but it forced us to expand our thinking and perception of what a worthwhile coaching experience could be like.
Coaching in the time of COVID
The impact of COVID not only evolved how people coach, but created more opportunities for coaching in general. The box of “we have to meet face-to-face for this to work” got blown wide open, and we should be thankful it did for three reasons:
More opportunities for coaches.
Better coaching experiences for clients.
More access to each other and better diversity in coaching programs.
The scope of what we consider “coachable” has grown since COVID, and that has increased coaching opportunities.
Areas in which you’d think there is no getting around face-to-face sessions, online coaching is popping up.
Skin health coaching for example is an online coaching service that is growing. This is an area we may have assumed in-person sessions to be critical. Talk to an online skin coach, and you’ll find out that’s not the case.
The ability to reach more potential clients in more places has also grown. This has allowed coaches and aspiring coaches to get more precise with the kind of coaching they provide, as well as get more creative with how they structure their programming.
The niche online coaching opportunity
Getting more specific was challenging when your target demographic pool within your local community was small due to population or lack of diversity.
However, with more available outreach online (and the right marketing), this is not as much of an obstacle.
For example, before the shift to more online coaching, if you wanted to do real estate coaching for folks looking to buy their first investment property, but you only wanted to work with new parents of twins who are also entrepreneurs (the parents not the twins), someone would probably say “well, good luck finding enough clients who fit that profile”.
Not anymore.
The more specific the better! Niche coaching businesses will make up a surprising portion of the success stories from the “creator economy” that’s exploded since COVID.
How could any self employed new parent of twins choose any other real estate coaching program? No way! They’re definitely going to choose yours because it feels like it was made for them and that you were in their heads while you created it, and they’re right.
This is how the client wins. The more specific the programing - the more tailored it feels to the client - the more engaging and effective it will be.
Another example of this is a life coach who may have had to cast a wide net and do very generalized programming with a broad demographic.
With online coaching, that same life coach can now focus on doing far more specialized coaching on how trauma and stress impact the Vagus Nerve for example.
Something not everyone may think they need, but those who do are going to jump at the opportunity to do this kind of coaching. Which means the coach and client are able to take advantage of what will be a really symbiotic partnership.
Clients now have access to not only being coached from the comfort of their own home, but also access to coaches, communities, and content that they can relate to.
Any client any place has the ability to connect with a community of like minded folks who may be experiencing similar challenges and situations. And expert or peer support that may not have been available to them before.
Clients can now find coaches and programs that speak to them.
My mom would always tell me “it’s not what you say but how you say it”, and she’s the director of this Director of Learning, so we know she knows what she’s talking about.
Coaching is no different in that it’s not just the information we’re delivering, but how we’re delivering it.
The real life experiences of the coach, their training, their background, their tone and so many more factors that impact the coach-client relationship. Clients now have the ability to find and work with coaches they relate to and programming that applies to them.
They are no longer limited to just what they can find in their immediate area.
We’re also able to access one another. I recently enrolled in a mindfulness coaching program. I was connected with folks from all over the world with all different backgrounds.
There was a lot of diversity in that Zoom room yet we all related on at least this one thing… we all wanted to grow in our mindfulness.
From there, we linked on many other things. The opportunity for all of us to connect like this offline would probably not have been possible. Could online coaching bring us all together and save the world?
Quite possibly!
So, we’ve got more people exploring interesting niches within coaching, more people having access to coaches who can help them, and more access to each other. How could there possibly be a downside to this?
Zoom fatigue
I know we’re all sick of Zoom, but Zoom fatigue is something that can actually impact your online coaching business.
Clients who are on “Zoom overload” are clients who are more likely to cancel with you or frequently reschedule. You definitely don’t want something like this to stand in the way of the impact you’re able to have with your clients.
Check in with your clients regularly to make sure they’re feeling up for meeting via Zoom, and offer them the alternative of a regular phone check-in or the option of turning off their camera.
Encouraging them to schedule in a few minutes before and after their session with you to step away from their screens can also help ease this discomfort.
Post COVID coaching business strategies
So, did you miss the online coaching boat? HECK NO!
You’re just in time to do the kind of coaching you’re passionate about and reach all your most ideal clients.
COVID changed the way we work and live forever, but in the case of coaching, I think it’s for the better. It gave us permission to pursue more convenient, effective and scalable strategies for staying connected with our clients, like what we call Nudge Coaching.
Some of the challenges facing coaches are the same, and some have a new twist on them. How do I find enough clients (online)? How do I connect deeply with them (remotely)? How do I create a coaching program from scratch (that’s delivered online)?
If you’re wondering how to start an online coaching business from scratch, or you’re reassessing your current online coaching business model, there has never been a better time than now.
This guide is a great place to start exploring the right model for you.
And if you’re ready to start creating a new coaching program from scratch
Start with what you’re passionate about and who you are the most excited about working with and go from there.
