Creating an Irresistible Group Coaching Program
Counting down to launch date means making a business plan, fitting your group program and webinar into your calendar, coordinating with JV partners and having something definite to promote.
You can get a buzz going while you are in the creation process—and the easiest way is to make your beta-testers your first affiliates.
Don’t make the mistake of communicating just via your experimental Facebook Group. Create a strong follow-up series for your beta-testers and affiliates too as a way to further enhance connection and keep them excited.
(Think of regular communication by email as putting down an extra, balancing anchor.)
Your email series should include:
Links to resources you’ve created for them to use, to help spread the word
Topics they might want to blog about
Reminders that you are available for an interview
And any other call to action you can think of, to encourage them to spread the word.
Don’t bug them: Instead, make sure your emails are timely, containing only what they will genuinely find fun, helpful and interesting at that point in time.
Give them a reason to promote you—and the best reasons involve why their audience will care about what you’re creating. If you can get your beta-testers/affiliates excited about what they’re seeing evolve—and then provide a clear opportunity to share the news—you will get much better results in buzz creation.
Step One: Planning the Perfect Promotion Strategy
Not to sound like a broken record, but number one on the list is creating a plan—and implementing it. Meet your deadlines. Prioritize content creation. Have things ready on time, so you can release a continuous stream of promotion.
Also make sure that your content:
Delivers—so that people can actually get excited about promoting it, or feel happy that they are bringing their subscribers such great news
Connects—If you are truly empathetic to their needs, focusing as much of your energy as you can on helping them transform their lives and solve their problems… if you are focused on being truly helpful (and not on your own needs)… connection will follow
Keeps your promise—If people know what they are going to get is quality, your reputation will grow—and so will the buzz
Your best way of connecting is through others. So make sure that you have attracted and recruited ideal beta-testers, affiliates and JV partners—and give them something to promote!
Give your affiliates and partners a copy of your promotion schedule.
Let them know clearly:
When they should release specific emails or posts (and why)
When you are releasing posts or interviews (and with whom)
When you are releasing ads (if you are advertising)
Which contests you are running
When winners will be announced
Your promotion should start with a dynamite landing page that clearly states what you are promoting (e.g. your freebie webinar OR your group coaching program itself, if it is the incentive for an upgraded, longer-term group coaching program).
A quick, professional way to set up landing pages that work (and are current and modern) is by using LeadPages®. You’ll be granted access to a multitude of templates you can use as a guide. LeadPages® is one-click-easy to set up plus you can host your landing pages there, as well as track and A/B split test.
Remember, nobody wants to send their subscribers or fans to an embarrassing landing page—so consider saving yourself time and headaches, and getting them done quickly, by using LeadPages®.
Your perfect promotion strategy should also include exciting incentives to keep momentum going. Use strategies such as:
Weekly affiliate contests
Emails reporting ongoing results
Flash prizes
New resources
Shout-outs and praise
It’s all about making sure people want to promote you, are excited about doing so—and love having something wonderful to share.
Also make sure your affiliates know how to contact you and ask you questions. Being able to respond to them quickly is a vital part of building trust and enthusiasm!
As for the strategies themselves, create your own perfect mix, based on what works best for your affiliates (i.e. if their subscribers are big video fans, make videos they can promote!).
That also means taking the time to get to know everything you can about your affiliates’ audiences!
It is all about personalizing everything—from your incentives to your product to your sales promotions.
Use strategies such as:
Creating 50 or 100 tweets for your affiliates and beta-testers to share
Creating infographics designed to build excitement or raise awareness of your webinar or group topic
Creating an actual email follow up series for your affiliates to use on their lists
Deciding whether or not you need to advertise, setting up a daily budget and creating your ads
Taking extra time to visit social media sites and interact
Creating a Facebook Page for your event (and creating an event!)
Deciding which other social networks you need to target
You also need to be able to pay affiliates promptly for any sales—and on time. Even if you are giving a free webinar, have that system set up for when people convert through to your paid group coaching program. One of the easiest ways is to use a reliable shopping cart that has affiliate management built in. Check out 1ShoppingCart and Infusionsoft.
Step Two: Deciding on the Perfect Incentive
So you’ve decided either to offer a mini-challenge-type group, webinar, eBook or video (most likely the mini-challenge or webinar). How do you make sure it is exactly right for your ideal audience (and your JV partners’ and affiliates’ audiences?)
Know what they are asking for
Offer something for free that others are making them pay for
Make sure it promises—and delivers—a transformative, exciting result
Remember that your interaction and helpfulness are what is going to really connect with people: Not an inanimate object like an eBook.
Try to make it unique—but do make it special
Offer the top value and quality you are capable of producing
Be real, and warm, and there to support them before, during and after using it
Never make the mistake of thinking you can “just” give them your eBook, before you’ve checked to see if this is exactly the right incentive or gift. And don’t present a webinar without writing a solid, core script—and practicing till you get it to be second nature (and you don’t need your script or cue cards).
Give the best!
Step Three: How to Position Your New Group Coaching Program
Double-check where you are planning to position your new webinar and group coaching program in your funnel. Have you got it in the right place? Have you overlooked any factors that might affect this placement? (For example, forgetting to take into account that you really want to get out of one-on-one coaching and focus on groups—and pricing your first group coaching program too low).
Be creative in your packaging. How you are going to present your group coaching program could be a deal maker or breaker with your ideal client. How does she like to learn? What is her lifestyle like? When is she free to participate?
These are all questions that greatly affect how desirable your new offer will be.
It’s not just about the content: It’s also about ease of use and accessibility. A comment on a closed group sums up the sort of thing group coaching creators sometimes overlook. A member of this Facebook Group was talking about an offer with a weekly webinar as its main delivery. She said: “I would kill to take this course, but Saturday mornings are totally sucked up by my kids’ sports activities. It’s just not going to happen.”
Are you planning to deliver content on a weekend, oblivious to the fact that it’s one of the worst webinar time slots for many communities? Have you set your weekly Hangout for 8 p.m. your time on Thursdays, forgetting that it is midnight or later for the bulk of your ideal audience in another time zone?
These are all details you have to consider. Take care of them, and you’ll automatically have a superior product.
When finding your connections and leveraging those you know, it is important to consider their lifestyles and commitments too, before setting up arbitrary arrangements.
Step Four: Writing the All-important First Email Series
Number one, when writing an effective email series: Know who you are writing to, as well as what you want them to do.
Even when you are actively promoting your webinar or group mini-challenge and providing emails for your affiliates and partners to send out, keep your tone warm and nurturing. When you remind them to send out “email # 4” tomorrow, they should not feel nagged; but as if you are looking out for them—and you won’t produce the effect you want unless you really do care that they make the most from your promotion. Point out the benefit that email will be to their own subscribers and remind them you are available to answer questions (and how to contact you).
Take time to create great subject lines.
This is not some secret mystery: It’s really easy as pie! Create subject lines that either make the right person curious or clearly tell them what important information is inside. Example: “Keto 30-Day Group Coaching Challenge: Early Bird Special Ends Today”.
Note that the “ends today” creates urgency. The reader reaction is “Whoops, I’d better look at that right now”.
And by reminding them WHICH early bird special ends (the “Keto 30-Day Group Coaching Challenge”), you are increasing your chances of getting it opened by the very people you want, one hundred per cent.
Provide your affiliates with an effective email series that they can just program into their Autoresponders and send out with minimal or no changes.
Create your own email series (one you can rinse-and-repeat for your next Group Coaching Program). It should include:
Welcome letter, giving them necessary information such as where to find affiliate resources
A copy of your promotion schedule, so they can adequately prepare and be ready
Surprise bonus or resource announcements
Reminder emails about reminding their subscribers
Contest announcements and information
Contest results—a winners list and thanks to all who participated
Reminder emails on each promotion point as it comes up
Timely tips or suggestions
At least one quickie poll or survey
Reader questions addressed—either directly in the email or letting them know where to find the Blog post or FAQ section, if you created one because several people asked the same question.
Send out emails to past clients and inactive subscribers. Sometimes, all it takes is a “Taking You Off my List?” subject line to jolt people into checking out what you have to say again. And past clients often appreciate being told when you’re putting “something special” on—it tells them you still think of them and look out for their well-being. (Never under-estimate that!)
Track your email effectiveness. Take the time to learn how to use your Autoresponder’s tracking options.
That way, you’ll know what works and what doesn’t!
Step Five: Warming Up Your New Community—Before it Even Gets Started
Build your new community right from the beginning. Don’t wait for your group coaching program to start!
Create a private Facebook Group with a highly relevant vanity URL that is searchable in Facebook. Create guidelines and a mission statement for the group—and use it straight away to start answering questions from affiliates and beta testers.
If you want to make this group public, still keep it “Closed” (not “Secret”) but share news of it through posts and use calls to action slanted at your ideal participant, asking them to request to join. (As soon as they see how enthusiastic your beta testers and affiliates are, these “civilian” members are far more likely to sign up.)
Create a hashtag at Hashtags.org—and use it. (Share it with your people as well!)
Consider connecting on other social media platforms—such as Periscope or Instagram.
Periscope is good at building excitement with its live-streaming video format, if you want to tell people about your offer that last day. (And tell your affiliates you’ll be live-streaming on Periscope too.)
Instagram has multiple features you can turn to your advantage! For example, using your own Hashtags, finding influencers and celebrities in your field to follow, and finding specific people you want to contact.
Instagram is a great, visual storytelling format!
Step Six: Cutting Through the Confusion—How to Put it Together and Make it All Work
We’ve covered a lot of ground in these four modules, but avoiding confusion all boils down to keeping it simple.
Don’t focus on a million and one alternate ways of doing things. Be aware of them enough to be able to pick and choose for your unique community and their needs—and that’s all. Focus on what your ideal participant wants, expects, needs—and once you’ve determined on your best incentive and delivery options, make a plan and work your way through your checklist, item by item.
Let’s go over the steps…
Determine whether or not it is the right time to add group coaching to your business
Find out what repeatable and transformative thing they want that you are more than able to provide
Research your ideal participant and test the market (mini-webinar, video, poll, etc.)
Create a strong identity and name for your program
Make sure it contains your own unique stamp and twist
Beta-test your coaching group. Invite successful, active clients, fans, peers and past clients to take it for free
Iron out any bugs and add any resources
Prepare your introductory incentive (webinar, eBook, mini-challenge, etc.)
Prepare all content, re-purposing your existing highly-relevant material
Create a launch plan
Prepare a separate promotion strategy and plan:
Create email series and calls to action to encourage beta testers to share
Start blogging and posting about your topic
Start following and researching potential JV partners
Set up a foolproof affiliate system
Set up all technology (remember you can outsource!)
Research potential JV partners more thoroughly
Make sure all content is ready (including landing pages and affiliate resources)
Contact potential partners
Track all your interactions with them so you don’t skip any important stages (e.g. sending “Thank you” letters and commissions!)
Decide what platforms to integrate your promotion campaign across. Do so!
Once you’ve created a plan on paper (virtual or real), you will feel more organized—and remember, it’s just about putting one foot in front of the other (and not giving up!)
So, concentrate on creating the most fun, dynamic, transformative group you can think of—and get started today! And if you’d like help, let’s chat! You can schedule your free session here.
