Marketing Skills 101?

March 2021

Coaching is marketing.

One more time, because I’m so serious about this...Coaching. Is. Marketing.

I want to say something ridiculous and extreme, like 99.9% of coaching is marketing! But that would be untrue. So, minus the hyperbole, I will just say, seriously, a huge percentage of coaching is marketing.

Think about it…

How do you get teachers to voluntarily participate in professional learning on their own time? Engage with you willingly? Want to do a coaching cycle? Show up for voluntary professional learning “events”?

You:

  • are visible

  • grab their attention with fliers and catchy graphics

  • use clever taglines

  • make short, over-the-top dramatic promo videos

  • offer PRIZES!!

In other words, MARKETING.

When a teacher tells me in an excited tone that one of my promo videos was unnecessarily dramatic, I just won the day.

Two tips from Inside the Magic Kingdom: Seven Keys to Disney’s Success (seriously, if you haven’t read this, go find a copy, like, NOW) -

  1. Who and What is your competition? A lot of things are competing for teachers’ attention. So if you want them to care about professional learning, you need to make it appealing.

  2. Details matter. I cannot say this enough. The little things create the big picture and package of what you are selling - exciting and meaningful professional learning opportunities. If you want to hook your teachers, think about the details...the colors and arrangement of your fliers and ads, the music in your videos...the details create a picture of the quality, and of you.

Hard truths, people.

Remember, too, as a coach, you are modeling for teachers...who knew teaching was marketing!?!? In an amazing conversation with a teacher about how to get kids to want to come to a Zoom class, I referenced all the things I do to engage teachers in voluntary professional learning opportunities. It was an ah-ha moment that sparked some very innovative ways for him to connect with his students and get them to show up to their Zoom class.

Win.

So. Words of wisdom for today. If you want your teachers to drink the kool-aid, start figuring out how to market your professional learning opportunities.

Mic drop.

- Ginny