Marketing coaching for small business owners
Get clear on your marketing and stop second-guessing everything you do.
Running a business on your own means making a ridiculous number of decisions.
And when it comes to marketing, it can be hard to know whether you're doing the right things, wasting your time, missing something obvious or simply making it all far more complicated than it needs to be.
That's where I come in.
I've worked in marketing for more than 25 years, and I work one-to-one with small business owners to help you work out what your marketing actually needs, decide where to focus and turn all those ideas rattling around in your head into marketing that actually gets done.
We'll work together for four months, with four 1:1 sessions and support from me in between.
I'm not going to give you generic formulas, tell you that you simply need to post more on Instagram or make you feel guilty about all the things you're apparently supposed to be doing.
You'll get experienced, practical marketing support shaped around you, your business and what you're trying to achieve.
Four months of 1:1 marketing coaching: £1,500. Payment plans available.
Not sure whether coaching is what you need? That's fine. We'll work that out on the call too. No hard sell, and if I think something else would help you more, I'll tell you.
“I did 12 weeks of coaching with Karen and it was absolutely invaluable.
I was feeling overwhelmed and without much direction, and Karen helped me get processes in place, gain clarity on things I’d been putting off for ages and create a much needed system!
I saw return on my investment pretty much immediately from the work we did together. I couldn’t recommend Goodness Marketing enough!”
Does this sound familiar?
You've probably been running your business for a while and learned plenty about marketing along the way. The problem isn't necessarily that you don't know enough. Sometimes it's that you know too much.
You've read the advice. Done the courses. Saved the posts. Had the ideas.
Now you're trying to work out what actually matters for your business.
Maybe:
you've got lots of marketing ideas but struggle to decide which ones are worth pursuing
you're doing marketing, but you're not sure what's actually working
you know what you could be doing, but finding the time and headspace to do it is another matter
your business has changed, but your marketing hasn't quite caught up yet
you're fed up with wondering whether everybody else knows something about marketing that you don't
You probably don't need another 87 ideas to add to the list. You need clarity, perspective and someone experienced to help you decide what deserves your time.
That's what marketing coaching gives you.
Is marketing coaching right for you?
Most of my marketing coaching clients are solo or micro business owners.
You've usually been in business long enough to know your buyers and yourself. You might have tried plenty of marketing already. Or you might have spent quite a while knowing you should be doing more without ever quite getting off the mark.
What you need is an experienced marketing brain alongside you.
Someone who can help you see the bigger picture, make decisions, generate ideas, challenge your thinking and turn “I've been thinking about…” into “I've done it!”
We'll probably work well together if:
you want practical ideas rather than marketing theory
you're open to trying things
you'd like someone to challenge your thinking when that's useful
you want help deciding what actually deserves your attention
you want your marketing to fit around your business, rather than your business revolving around marketing
And you definitely don't have to be naturally brilliant at self-promotion.
A lot of lovely and brilliant business owners aren't.
What could be different four months from now?
I don't want to turn you into a marketing expert. And I definitely don't want to give you an even longer to-do list.
I want marketing to feel clearer and more manageable, and I want you to know what you're doing and why.
That could mean going from a head full of competing ideas to knowing exactly what deserves your attention next.
It could mean finally having a realistic marketing rhythm instead of lurching between bursts of activity and months where marketing keeps falls off the list.
It could mean feeling more confident talking about what you do because your positioning and messaging actually sound like you.
It could mean knowing which bits of your marketing are working, which need changing and which you can stop doing altogether.
And it could mean finally getting campaigns, emails, content and ideas out of your head and into the world.
The specifics will depend on your business.
We might work on your:
marketing strategy and priorities
positioning and messaging
content
email marketing
social media
campaigns and launches
visibility
lead generation
offers and how you talk about them
Or we might spend a session figuring out why something you were convinced would work… didn't.
Four months from now, I want you to feel much more confident about what you're doing, why you're doing it and what you can happily stop worrying about.
And yes, ultimately I want your marketing to help you get the business results you're after.
“I feel much clearer about next steps forward and excited, rather than overwhelmed.
What do I get from my 121 sessions with Karen?
Clarity, ease, list of action points and buzzing with excitement!”
Marketing coaching that isn’t based on a template
There are plenty of marketing formulas out there. Post this many times. Use this funnel. Follow these seven steps. Be on this platform. 🫠
That isn't how I work.
Your business isn't identical to anyone else's, so your marketing shouldn't be either.
I've spent more than 25 years working in marketing, so I'm not attached to one particular channel, tactic or shiny new trend.
We'll look at your goals, your buyers, your strengths, your values and how much time and energy you realistically have available.
Then we'll work out what makes sense for you.
I'm interested in finding marketing that fits your business. Not making your business fit somebody else's marketing formula.
“Coaching with you has been a full success for me and I want to thank you once again for your encouragement, persistence, questioning, insight and inspiration.
How my business presents to the outside world is now fully aligned with my values and true to myself – something I wasn’t able to achieve on my own.”
What does 1:1 marketing coaching include?
We'll work together for four months. That's long enough for us to do considerably more than have a nice chat, make an enthusiastic plan and then watch everyday business life swallow it whole.
An in-depth pre-coaching questionnaire
Before we start, I'll get to know you, your business, your buyers, what you've already tried and where you're feeling stuck. That means we can get properly stuck in when we meet.
Four one-hour 1:1 marketing coaching sessions
We'll meet monthly on Zoom or in Stockport. Each session focuses on whatever will make the biggest difference to your marketing at that point, while keeping an eye on where you're trying to get to longer term.
Your own coaching dashboard
You'll have one central place for your plans, actions, ideas and useful resources.
Much better than trying to reconstruct your marketing strategy from seven notebooks, three Google Docs and a Post-it note you're sure was on your desk yesterday 🙈
Support between sessions
Marketing questions have an annoying habit of appearing three days after the coaching call. So you can email or Voxer me between sessions when you need input, feedback or a second opinion.
A check-in between sessions
I'll check in to help keep things moving and provide some useful accountability. I will not become the marketing homework police.
What you're actually investing in
You're not buying four hours of Zoom calls.
For four months, you've got an experienced marketer in your corner who already understands your business.
Someone you can bounce ideas off, ask for a second opinion, get feedback from and turn to when you're stuck between all the options and can’t decide which one to give your precious time to.
You'll have space to think properly about your marketing, plus help turning those decisions into action.
And you won't have to explain your entire business from scratch every time you need some marketing help.
Four months of 1:1 marketing coaching: £1,500
Payment plans are available.
No hard sell. We'll talk about your business, what's going on with your marketing and what kind of support would actually help. If I don't think coaching is the answer, I'll say so.
Real businesses, real results
Marketing coaching looks different for every business, because every business starts in a different place. Here are a few small business owners I've worked with.
Finding the confidence to stand out
Julie wanted marketing that sounded like her rather than everyone else in her industry.
We sharpened her messaging, ditched tactics that weren't working and helped her show up more confidently, leading to better engagement from the people she actually wanted to reach.
From marketing overwhelm to clarity
Talia wasn't short of marketing knowledge.
She was drowning in research, notes and ideas.
Together, we clarified her audiences and messaging and created a much more focused marketing strategy she could implement with confidence.
More confidence, visibility and sales
Emma felt awkward about promoting herself and wanted to get to grips with her marketing.
Our work helped her communicate her value more confidently, leading to increased sales, clearer direction and improved brand visibility.
“OMG I’m so happy! My profit this month has gone from 3 figures to 4 figures!! It has almost tripled since last month!!!!
I can only put this down to you and the ‘Karen’ effect.
My online sales (some due to Instagram posts alone) have been record and the average sales value has gone up too.”
When marketing coaching might not be what you need
Sometimes you don't need four months of coaching.
If you already know exactly what needs doing but simply don't have the capacity to do it, you may need done-for-you marketing support instead.
If there's one specific marketing problem you want to untangle, a Marketing Power Hour may be enough.
And if you need someone to step back and create the strategic direction for you, my marketing strategy service may be a better fit.
You don't need to diagnose yourself before getting in touch.
Book a chat and tell me what's going on.
I'll tell you what I think would help, even if that isn't coaching with me.
Marketing coaching FAQs
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A marketing coach helps you make better decisions about your marketing.
I'll help you understand what's happening in your business, spot opportunities and problems, develop ideas, decide what matters and turn those decisions into action.
Think of it as having an experienced marketing brain available to your business without employing a marketing director.
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We'll work together for four months, with one 60-minute coaching session each month.
Before we begin, you'll complete a questionnaire so I can understand your business and marketing.
You'll also have your own coaching dashboard, access to me by email or Voxer between sessions and a check-in between calls.
Sessions can take place online via Zoom or in person in Stockport.
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My four-month marketing coaching package costs £1,500.
Payment plans are available.
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There's some overlap.
A marketing consultant is generally more likely to analyse what's happening and make recommendations.
My coaching is collaborative. I'll bring my experience, opinions and ideas to the table.
And I promise I'm not going to respond to every question with, “Well, what do YOU think?”
We'll work through things together, so you get the benefit of my experience while becoming more confident making marketing decisions yourself.
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If you want ongoing help making decisions, developing ideas and actually implementing your marketing, coaching may be the better fit.
If you want someone to do a deeper piece of research and create the strategic marketing direction for your business, have a look at my marketing strategy service.
Not sure?
That's exactly the sort of thing we can establish on the initial call.
You probably don’t need more marketing ideas
You can find thousands of those for free before breakfast.
What might be rather more useful is someone who can help you work out which ones deserve your time, which ones you can ignore and what you should actually do next.
That's what we'll work out together.
Four months of practical, personalised marketing coaching: £1,500
Payment plans available.
No hard sell, ever. If I think you'd be better off with something other than coaching, I'll tell you.