Online courses are gaining popularity. Not only can they be a great source of passive income, but the curriculum you build can have many applications for you moving forward in speaking, working with clients, leading group conversations, and so on. That said, creating an online course is a project, and your course will have more impact for your business if you strategize before you start the process. So, let’s talk about four marketing tips for building your online course that can help you make the most of your material!
If you build it, they won’t automatically come to it. This is important to know. Like any tool you create for your business, it can be a great thing to have, but once your online course exists, people don’t just suddenly flock to it.
Just like with a website or a business card, just because it is there doesn’t mean people will think to check it out. And just like at a networking event, if you show up and stand in a corner all day, you aren’t likely to meet as many people. It is up to you to find a way to draw eyes to the course you have created so that potential course takers can learn about it.
As much as you will map out the content of your curriculum, remember that you also need to map out how you will market your course to ensure that it can bring in revenue and/or new leads!
Once your online course exists, people don’t just suddenly flock to it. #smallbusiness #smallbiz #smb #business #biztips
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Plant other business opportunities within your course. Yes, a lot of the marketing you do for your course will be outside of the course itself. Your content on other platforms, materials from speaking engagements, and your course sales page are examples of tools you can use to drive traffic to the course registration page. But, it doesn’t stop there.
You can market WITHIN your curriculum. Depending on the platform, there can be many ways to do that. Course platforms often build in upsells and discounts to other courses or tools at the point of sale. You can add testimonials, anecdotes, or recommendations for other courses, one-on-one coaching, group coaching, affiliate offers, or membership groups within your course content. You can speak to other offers on video, through slides, through sharing teasers as attachments, and whatever means your platform offers you.
Get to know what your specific course platform allows you to do. Work within those features to make sure that when someone comes to your course, they have a chance to become aware of other things you offer that will complement the curriculum. After all, these are people who have already proven that they believe in your content!
You can market WITHIN your curriculum. #onlinecourse #smallbusiness #biztips #smallbiz #business
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Don’t ignore your course purchasers! This may seem like an obvious thing to say, but it takes planning to make sure you are following up with everyone who signs up for your course. Typically, this is best done with an email sequence that you plan and program in advance.
Some course platforms may have this feature built in. Whether yours does or not, if you have a CRM, you should make sure that you have integrated with it. It could be an automatic integration, or perhaps there is a manual step you need to do to trigger an email sequence. Either way, it is important that you map out and program your touch points in advance so that it can all happen without your having to think about it. Doing a step like this as you are creating the course will reduce the manual labor for you in the long-term.
It also means that when someone signs up for your course, they are now going to be better acknowledged and served as a customer.
Good customer service looks different for different course takers! As you plan out how you want to nurture your course takers, remember that different students want to learn differently.
Some course takers are truly going to dive into your material with a DIY approach and be happy as can be if you have developed a strong curriculum. They will work through your lessons, take copious notes, go through exercises, and they don’t need or want extra help from you.
Some may have the occasional question or want to work with you one-on-one as a supplement to the material to make sure that their specific questions are getting answered.
Others may want to build a community within the course and will get value and accountability from meeting others who are taking the course at the same time.
Good customer service looks different for different course takers! #onlinecourse #smallbusiness #smallbiz #smb #business #biztips
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It is also worth noting that, behaviorally, your audience may differ in how quickly they want to go through course material. Some people want to work through all the modules quickly, and this could be a result of their personal drive or a product of scheduling. Others will get overwhelmed if the content is all available to them so quickly and will work better slowly and methodically. In some cases, you can make decisions up front about whether to release your material in a drip (perhaps weekly) cadence or make all of it available up front. Just know that your students will fit into both of these camps!
The more you can take into account the different styles of learning and support needed as you build the course, the more likely you will cater to the variety of course takers who will work through the material.
Of course, there is a lot to consider when you are designing an online course. Naturally, you will be inclined to work through the curriculum first, but don’t forget about marketing as you do! The more you weave your marketing plan into building the course, the more impact your course will have overall and – long-term – the more students you will be able to serve!
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