I have been engaged as a coach for over twenty years, and a lot has changed. As with any profession, coaching concepts and strategies have continued to evolve.
It seems that coaching is as much a science as it is an art.  As we consistently offer our clients opportunities to venture onto paths of innovation and creativity, we have continued to discover a range of ways to enhance supportive skills.

Three years ago, when I joined the Board of the ICF Michigan Charter Chapter, I envisioned the prospect of the coaching profession playing a lead role in today's workplace.  Now, as I look at the accomplishments of our Chapter, I am excited by the potential of breathing life into this vision.  

The advancing capabilities of our Chapter are exceptional. No one can contest that we have done our due diligence in preparing our coaches to excel as benchmarks. Our coaches are fully capable of assisting organizations, businesses, and educational establishments in matters of ethics, equity, inclusion, and career development.

As we enter 2019, we must remain committed to last year's conference theme to do what is necessary to transform ourselves; to strive to create partnerships in all facets of our profession.

With the goal of being recognized as the gold standard of coaches, we plan to engage in the following endeavors:

• Invite several organizations and educational institutions to various events that will help us understand and address their coaching needs
   
• Expose them to ICF Michigan coaches' outstanding reputation
   
• Display the niches and specialties that we offer that are of
  obvious value - services that can provide local perspectives and economic advantages that may not be available from larger, distant, or internal coaching programs

Also, our website will be updated, making it more user-friendly, with an enhanced search feature to identify coaches and specialties quickly.   

As we continue to guide people and organizations confidently into the future, these are the next steps toward our goal of actively seeking alliances that will make ICF Michigan Charter Chapter the leading 'go-to' coaching organization that it deserves to be.

So, with great anticipation, I say, Happy New Year! - Advance and Be Recognized!

By Lisa Wozniak, Woz Marketing

Keywords can be an intimidating subject for many private practice owners looking to market their practice.
After all, it impacts just about every area of your marketing efforts. The videos you create, blogs and social media posts you write, hashtags you use, newsletters you write and even your website are all impacted by the choice of keywords you use. If you engage in Google AdWords campaigns, your choice of keywords is even more critical.

But, why are they so important? What do they do?

Keywords Impact SEO

Your search engine optimization is the lifeblood of your marketing efforts. The higher you crawl in Google, the better. You want to make it as easy as possible for people to find you. If they can find you, they can call you, right?

You'll want to make sure that your website has keywords that are relevant to your business and the services you offer. They need to be visible on your pages and in your back tables for Google to pick them up.

This is relevant to more than just your website, however. You'll want to ensure that your blogs, videos and social media posts are also keyword rich. Especially if you're providing links in these areas that point back to your website.

ARTICLES OF INTEREST   

Coach, Mentor and Consultant: How to Use All 3 Roles to Serve Your Clients

Finding Your Niche Means Facing Your Gremlins

Lead with Greater Ease: Go Below the Waterline

Outsourcing - or not

Please don't hesitate to contact our dedicated Board members with questions, observations or suggestions. 

Jackie Browning President

Cheron Freeman, President-elect

 

Kaan Aksu, Member Relations

Venus Brown,Community Outreach Chair

Beth Buelow, Education and Training Chair

Beki Fraser, Past-President

Matthew McCarty, Marketing Chair

Cathy Mott, Secretary

Jennifer Wilson, Treasurer

Kathy Vlietstra, Administrator

There are lots of great reasons to join ICF Michigan, whether you are just starting out as a coach or have an established career...

Check them out here! 

 

COACH CAFÉS