Why Create An Online Course?
When you create an online course and sell it online, it can be a great way to earn revenue. You create the course once and you can sell it over and over again. If you have something to teach the world and you have a website on which you can showcase it, then developing online training modules is definitely something that’s worth doing.
When you create online courses it promotes yourself and your expertise, it can make you money, and can also help to build a base of loyal users.
But, just like any other online venture, there are some pitfalls to avoid when you create an online course.
FREE Checklist: How To Create & Sell An Online Course
How To Develop Online Courses That Will Sell
1. Start With What You Like And What You’re Passionate About
Deciding to create an online course is a big step forward and you should put some serious consideration into your topic before you start. You’ll get bored before you’ve finished the course if you’re not producing something that you enjoy. Make a list of all the things that you’re passionate about, whether this is food, sports, finance, music, health and fitness, family and relationships or animals. There are many different things in the world and you’re bound to find a few that you like.
2. Make Sure You Have Knowledge About Your Chosen Topic
As much as it’s important that you enjoy the topic and you’re passionate about it, you also need to have some knowledge about it. Online course creation isn’t like writing a blog where you can share your ideas and opinions with your readers quite easily. With a course, you have to be able to impart some useful information to your students. This is especially true if they’re paying for it.
3. What Is There Demand For?
Ensure that you always check out what courses are already out there and what people actually want to learn. You can find this out by using analysis tools which will show you how many users search for certain phrases and keywords each month. You can then compare this alongside how many online courses for that particular topic already exist. Using this information, it’s easy to gauge how much competition there will be, and therefore how easily or difficult it will be to get attention and succeed with your online course.
4. Don’t Be Afraid To Outsource
The content for the online course is probably going to come primarily from you. But you can save a lot of time and get extra input if you outsource elements of your course. This will help to provide a course that is well-rounded and suitable for a wide range of users. It could also provide you with the opportunity to deliver key messages and information which you may have overlooked when creating the course. Outsourcing enables you to get people who are more skilled and knowledgeable than you to complete tasks that take you too long to complete. This could include things artwork for course materials or building sales pages.
5. Promote The Benefits Of Your Course
People won’t buy your online course unless you have managed to explain what it teaches and the benefits that they will get out of it. Without turning into a pushy sales person, create content about your online course which makes it sound like something people would want to buy. You can offer to guest post on other websites, or create a couple of blog posts and give your new online course a mention at the end.
6. Give Customers a Discount
Everybody loves to feel like they’ve got a bargain. So if you knock the price by 50% for a few days, people will feel more pushed into making a quick decision and paying for it before the price goes up. Be careful not to run discounts and promotions too often. If you’re always running a sale people will avoid buying from you at full price and just want until the next promotion comes around. Another great way to get interest is to offer a module for free to give people the chance to try before they buy.
7. Pay For Advertising If You Can
While budgets are usually very small when you first start out, don’t be too anxious to shell out some money for advertising. Sometimes you need to spend money in order to make money. While it might seem desperate at the moment, it will help you to target your audience and attract people who are genuinely interested in your online course. Since so many people use Facebook, it’s a great way to quickly and easily reach out to your target market. The good news for small businesses is that you can start and run a Facebook ad campaign for as little as $5.
Free Checklist: How To Create An Online Course
If you’re considering creating, marketing and selling or giving away an online course, there has never been a better time to do so. Thanks to the global reach of the internet there are billions of people who can get access to your course. To help you get started, download my free checklist, How To Create An Online Course. You can never create your best course until you create your first course, and you can’t sell your course if you work for perfection, instead of ”good enough”. Get started today.
