Hey healthy ladies!
In this deep-dive blog post, I’m going to walk you through EXACTLY what to do to get crystal clear on your target market (aka your target audience) as a new health coach.
So, let me walk you through my step-by-step process for doing just that!
INTRODUCTION: Why do I need a target MARKET?
Businesses that don’t have a clear target market often have trouble attracting and converting clients; take longer to be seen as leaders in their field; and struggle to grow their email lists and income.
Here’s what knowing your target market can do for you:
Get higher engagement and create raving fans of your work
Build your authority, expert status and credibility
Help you grow your audience of ideal clients and prospects
Positively impact more people’s lives, and in bigger more impactful ways
Give you confidence and clarity in your coaching and content
Yes. ALL of that. Kind of amazing, right?! 😉
That is why target market is (in my eyes) the #1 KEY in business.
You simply MUST know who you are talking to in your communications and in your marketing. If you try to speak to everybody, you are speaking to nobody.
The more you understand and speak directly to your ideal client, the deeper the connection and trust that will develop naturally between you and them. (Which is important, because people buy from those they know, like and trust.)
However, many new health coaches struggle with this key piece.
So, to help you all out, I’ve put together this ULTIMATE guide to help you get clear on your target market — so that you can start attracting new clients as soon as possible!
✨ Some of these steps are simple.
✨ Some of these steps are straight up FUN.
✨Some of these steps require a little more time, thought and reflection.
But they will all provide you with the clarity you’re looking for.
What is target market, EXACTLY?
Target market is essentially: “Who would you most love to work with in your coaching business? Who are you meant to serve?”
(Other words that describe the same thing are ‘niche’ and ‘ideal client’.)
Understand that your target market will evolve!
You need to choose a target market for ‘right now’ to be able to start building your business.
Then the more clients you work with, and the more you build your business, the more clarity you will get! You may find: ‘Oh I see more of THIS type of person coming to me for help’... or ‘THIS is the topic I’m enjoying coaching on the most’.
And that is completely fine!
In fact, it is exactly how it is supposed to unfold.
You will always be refining your target market… getting to know your ideal client better… honing your niche and your zone of genius… alllll the way through your coaching career!
But the most important thing is to choose one for NOW and get in the game. 🙂
People often panic when having to choose a target market, because they worry they will be excluding other groups.
Well, the beauty of target market is that you can speak to one person - one specific target market - and trust that whoever shows up is probably perfect anyway.
After all, they have been attracted to working with you for some reason, and will be resonating with your message, your energy, your marketing, or your program.
Now that you understand what target market it, that it’s always evolving, and why it’s important, let’s start figuring out yours, shall we?
Ready to find your target market? Grab your copy of my free fill-in-the-gap guide to finding your profitable target market by clicking the button below...
HOW TO FIND YOUR TARGET MARKET
1. Uncover the clues to your target market that lie in your past
People can REALLY overthink target market. So at this point I would like to ask you a question that will make it super simple:
“What if your life has already set you up for who you are meant to serve?”
Because the truth is, your past usually holds the biggest clues to your target market. I really believe that everybody has been called to be a coach for a reason. And everything in your life to date has been perfectly designed for this moment where you’re ready to become coach.
Your passions and your life so far hold the clues to who you’re meant to serve.
We’ve all lived unique lives, and very often teach what we need to learn, or what we’ve already learned.
2. Create a Timeline of Your Life
Pull out your paper and pen again. Let’s see if there’s any truth in the idea that your life might have been setting you up to serve others in a specific way.
I want you to start thinking about the major, obvious lessons you’ve learned in your life.
Just start mapping these out. You might want to write them on a page; you literally might want to write them on a timeline. You could even number the years, if you like. Whatever age you are now, or 0 to 10, 10 to 20, or 20 to 30.
Along this timeline, start jotting down a whole lot of thoughts.
Let’s start with your childhood…
What was your family dynamic growing up?
What was your health like? Were you healthy? Were you unhealthy? What kind of foods did you eat? What kind of lifestyle?
What kind of family did you grow up in? What were the relationships? Who were your parents? Did you grow up with foster parents, grandparents? What were they like? What was the family like?
What challenges did you face as a child?
Now start to fill up certain areas on your timeline beyond childhood now…
What were your biggest failures or frustrations in life? What were the hardest times?
Were there family issues – either your own or your parents’ - with marriage or divorce or death or birth?
What about friendships or colleagues? Anything great that stands out? Anything painful that stands out?
Have you travelled anywhere? Pop in your travels on your timeline, and any big things that come to you about those travel times – travel is always such a teacher.
Now let’s look at your wins:
What are the big wins in your life, or big successes? What are you most proud of?
You can come back and fill this in even more detail, and fill in 10 things you’re really proud of.
Are there some celebrations in life that stand out — or are there some things that never did get celebrated, which perhaps you should have celebrated?
Write down some things you could have celebrated, or would have loved to have been celebrated – or even acknowledged – for.
Now let’s think about “support”:
In what areas have you supported others in this timeline?
When have others come to you for advice?
When have others seeked support from you?
And what about the other way round? When have you needed support from others? When have you sought guidance from others? When have you needed advice or needed to lean on someone else to get through a hard time?
Now bring you into today – at the end of the timeline:
Where do you live? What do you love about where you live? Are there any frustrations about where you live?
Are there any current lessons you’re going through or recent lessons you’ve been through?
What are some truths in your life you now know for sure because of what you’ve been through? What makes you so unique because of this journey you’ve been through?
Are there areas in your life that people always relate to you on or always ask you about? Are there things that you feel in your life are normal — or things you feel are abnormal?
Take some time, once you’ve finished reading this blog post, to really build out this picture BIG… and acknowledge to yourself how your life has set you up for a special set of skills that no other coach could ever have. 😉
3. Take “Visual Snapshots” along this timeline…
Next, from this big timeline of your life, we’re going to do a fun but powerful visualisation exercise designed to give you even more clarity on your target market.
It’s called a “snapshot” visualisation exercise.
So as you take in everything on that timeline, soak up what an amazing, full, unique life you’ve had. All the things you’ve overcome, all the things you’ve done in your life… your power, your strength, and your human weaknesses too.
Then I want you to bring into mind the area that you feel called to coach on. Whether its weight loss, body image, digestive issues, gut health, romantic relationships...
You don’t need to have a perfect answer at this stage.
Now I want you to scan from the beginning of that timeline — from when you were young — right up till now, and take a visual “snapshot” of the circumstances along that timeline where you were dealing with issues that you’d like to coach on.
So let’s say, for example, weight loss…
You scan through the timeline, and see maybe at 4 years old you remember your mum telling you something about weight. And then you remember as a teenager struggling with an eating disorder, for example. In your 20’s you remember trying a whole lot of juice cleanses.
Just go along the timeline and take some “snapshots” of anything that’s relevant to the area you want to coach on. Mark them on your timeline.
And when you’ve done that, I now want you to take some more specific snapshots around this area that you’d like to coach on.
I want you to put some markers on your timeline, and take some visual “snapshots” at these exact times…
First of all go back 6 months ago and just take a snapshot and see if there’s anything going on for you in your life at that time around this issue (whatever it is you’re wanting to coach on).
Then go back one year ago and take a snapshot there. Just take a still shot of what was going on for you in your life at that time around that issue.
Now scan back and take a photo around the 2 to 5 year mark. Was there anything major or significant going on for you at that stage around that issue; around the area you’d like to coach on?
And then go right back 5 to 10 years ago and just check – were there any significant moments there that would be good to take a snapshot of around this area?
4. Get clear on your pain-points and desires at those times...
Choose 1, 2 or 3 snapshots from that timeline that really stand out to you as pivotal times in your life. And then jot down a few answers around those times using the following prompts.
During those pivotal times in your life: What were you struggling with?
Write a little bit specifically about your story, around your health, or whatever area you’d like to coach on. What was going on for you at that particular time that stands out for you?
Just write a few little notes to jog your memory so you’ve got it. What were you struggling with? What were you focusing on or obsessing over?
These are the PAIN-POINTS of your target market.
(This is going to be SO useful in your business, as it can get you into the mind of your target market, which will be invaluable when creating your coaching package).
I want you to write what was the biggest struggle at that stage.
And then reflect on:
What were you looking for?
What would you have loved to be free from?
What would you have loved to find an answer to?
These are the DESIRES of your target market.
Whether or not you did find them, or in hindsight it’s more a case of: ‘I wish I could have found this product or service, that would have been so helpful!!’ - think about what you have loved to have bought if it could have solved the problem you were struggling with.
And consider whether - IF you could have found a solution to what you were actually in pain on:
What would you have been willing to pay for if it made your pain go away?
What services would you have loved to buy if they would solve your problem?
You may want to repeat this if you had more than one area on your timeline that really stood out.
5. Which version of you is your target market?
Your target market is most likely a YOU at a different stage in your life — someone who is where you once were, whether it’s 6 months ago, two years ago, 10 years ago.
I have certainly been the target market of both my first AND second coaching businesses!
That is why I can speak to them in a way that connects and resonates so deeply.
I have been in their shoes, and faced the same challenges and struggles. I know them, because I WAS them. And I’m passionate about these topics I coach on, because they interest me! 💗
So, if you could choose ONE time from your timeline when you felt maybe that could be your target market, I want you to go deeper and think: “Could I actually help that person?”
Be honest. If you can’t, you can’t.
But have a think about that person. And then give her a name. Make her REAL. Maybe it’s helpful for you to realise that it’s probably someone out there called, say Shailene, who’s also struggling with this issue, just like you were.
I want you to identify with her, feel for her, and let your heart go out to her.
Can you help her heal?
For many of us, our target market isn’t some abstract person. Our target market is in fact a version of US. For 90% of people, this is the truth.
A REMINDER: TAKE IMPERFECT ACTION, ALWAYS!
I want to wrap up this blog post by reminding you that target market doesn’t drop in overnight. It’s a little bit of “chicken and egg” situation - the more you work with people, the more clear your target market will become.
But you DO need to choose a target market for “right now.” One to get started with.
People often sit on the sidelines because they don’t know their target market — and target market is only really going to come 100% CLEAR once you put yourself out there and start coaching.
So we really want you to take imperfect action and be willing to explore some options.
Even if it doesn’t yet feel ‘perfect’, decide on ONE ideal client that you think at this stage you would like to work with — so you can move forwards with that one and see how it flows. From there you can refine, and fine-tune your target market.
That is how it is supposed to work.
Like this post? Working on your Target Market? You might also love these:
Any questions? Ask away in the comments…
Love,
Amanda xx
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