Building an online coaching, mentoring or course creation business is one of the best ways to make scalable, increasingly passive income in your spare time. It suits those who like helping people and like the idea of coaching or mentoring others using a skill, know-how or passion that they already have.

But there’s an old adage that really applies here: “Help everyone helps no-one.” Thinking that you can help everyone is the shortest route to helping no-one in particular!

Sigh! We know it’s true - even if we don’t like to admit it. But working out WHO will best be helped by us can be a tricky exercise. This group of people, let’s call it your ‘audience’ needs to be specific enough to identify just the right group of people but not too specific that it misses people out.

Why Identifying Your Audience Matters

Understanding your audience is essential because it allows you to tailor your services and marketing efforts to meet their specific needs. It helps you create content that resonates with them, design services that solve their problems, and market your offerings effectively. When you understand your audience, you can speak directly to their needs and desires, building trust and rapport. This connection not only attracts clients but also fosters loyalty and long-term relationships.

So, in this edition, we will guide you through the process of revealing your perfect target audience, ensuring you connect with the right people who will benefit most from your expertise.

Steps to Identify Your Audience

1. Define Your Ideal Client

• Consider the type of person who would benefit most from your expertise. Think about their demographics such as age, gender, occupation, and location and their psychographics such as fears, values, dreams and interests. You might not be able to answer all of these and some won’t be relevant or will have very broad ranges. That’s ok - just thinking about it can help you work out more details about your audience.
• Define the type of person you would not be able to / want to help. This can actually be easier than the first step - and is just as important. There’s no point building a business around a client that you can’t stand working with!

2. Analyse Their Pain Points

• Identify the biggest struggles your target audience faces in your niche. What are the problems they need solutions for?
• Consider what frustrates them and what obstacles they need to overcome. Understanding their pain points helps you position your coaching as the solution to their problems.

3. Understand Their Goals

• Determine what your audience aspires to achieve. What are their short-term and long-term goals?
• Understand their desires and what success looks like for them. Knowing their goals allows you to tailor your coaching to help them achieve these aspirations.

4. Research and Validate

• Conduct surveys and interviews to gather insights directly from your audience. Ask questions about their challenges, goals, and preferences. You can do this in person or online.
• Use social media and online forums to see what your audience is talking about. Engage in conversations and observe the discussions to gather valuable information.

Digging Deeper: Questions to Help You Identify Your Audience

To further refine your understanding of your audience, consider the following questions:

• What sort of people have the biggest struggle with your topic?
• What sort of people are most like you were when you also struggled with this problem?
• What things do people facing the problem you are addressing have in common?
• What are their biggest goals and desires?
• How can your solution help them achieve these goals?
• What are their biggest challenges and frustrations?
• How can your content help them overcome these frustrations?

By answering these questions, you can gain deeper insights into your audience's needs and preferences, helping you create more effective coaching programs and marketing strategies.

Real-World Examples of Target Audiences

Some times it's easier to look at what won't work to help you see what will. Here’s some examples of bad audience definitions and how you can fix them;

a. Too General:

Life Coaching: This is too broad because it doesn’t specify which aspect of life the coaching focuses on. Life is a vast area, encompassing everything from career to personal development, relationships, health, and more. Without a specific focus, it’s hard to attract a targeted audience.
Better Defined: Career transition coaching for healthcare professionals seeking to de-stress their lives.

b. Too Specific:

Online Coaching for Left-Handed Graphic Designers Aged 25-30 Living in Berlin: This niche is too narrowly defined, significantly limiting the potential audience. While specificity is good, being too specific can result in a very small market.
Better Defined: Online coaching for graphic designers looking to improve their freelance business.

c. Too Vague:

Personal Development Coaching: Similar to the first example, this is too vague because it doesn't specify which aspect of personal development it focuses on. Personal development can mean different things to different people, such as confidence building, productivity, or emotional intelligence.
Better Defined: Personal development coaching for young IT consultants looking to enhance their productivity and time management skills.

d. Too Broad:

Health and Wellness Coaching: This is too broad because it encompasses a wide range of topics, from fitness to nutrition to mental health. Potential clients might not understand exactly what kind of help they can get.
Better Defined: Health and wellness coaching for busy accountants to improve their work-life balance and reduce stress.

e. Too Many Focus Areas:

Fitness, Nutrition, Mental Health, and Career Coaching: This tries to cover too many areas at once, making it unclear what the primary focus is. Clients might find it confusing and be unsure if the coach can address their specific needs well.
Better Defined: Fitness and nutrition coaching for new mothers looking to regain their pre-pregnancy health and energy.

The Importance of Connecting with Your Audience

Building a strong connection with your audience is vital for the success of your coaching business. When you understand who your audience are and their needs and desires, you can create content and services that resonate with them. This connection builds trust and loyalty, making it more likely that your audience will become long-term clients.

Download the Ultimate Online Coaching Guide

I hope you found this helpful. If you're ready to investigate more if launching a coaching, mentoring or course creation business is for you then I've produced a top-level guide called Ultimate Online Coaching Guide. You can get it from therawleader.com/ultimatecoaching. Enjoy!