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Creating an Online Course
Creating online courses without the proper set of tools and guidelines can be a disaster.
There is a lot of hard work that goes into the creation of an online course business.
We understand that the hardest part of creating an online business is engaging the target audience.
In this article, we will walk you step-by-step on how to create your course with the right tools and how you can effectively engage with your target audience.
According to research conducted by Forbes, by 2025 the e-learning market worth is expected to grow to a value of $325 billion.
The growth of this market continues to rise due to the new normal which is set by COVID-19 and is not expected to stop anytime soon.
The online learning marketplace is growing at a fast pace. It has opened new sources of passive income for many online course creators and is an easy way to earn remotely.
If you acquire the knowledge and correct tools to establish a successful online course business, this field can generate enormous revenues for you.
Your online course can help market your brand and represent what it stands for which will help build a strong relationship between you and your clients.
If you stand out from your competition with a unique selling factor then you will witness growing advocacy from your clients. This will help long-term relationships with your clientele along with a steady source of income.
In this section, we will guide you on how you can create your first online course.
When you begin your online course company, you must focus on these three steps:
The key to creating a successful course is to plan out each of these steps carefully. In this section, we will divide the creation process into three stages:
The secret to getting ahead is getting started.
This stage is crucial because it can be the most difficult. However, if you strategize carefully, it will help make the rest of the process easier.
Before you create an online course, conduct market research to evaluate if your course idea is in demand.
We advise you to check if people have questions related to what you can offer and if your competition lags in delivering that information.
Moreover, your course topic should be based on experience (professional or personal), skills, and knowledge. Remember, your interest in the topic can be seen when you deliver the course content.
Furthermore, there is no guarantee your students will be able to identify learning outcomes at the end of the course. Therefore, we advise you to state them at the beginning of the lecture.
This is a critical point in the planning stage. You need to make your course content as relevant as possible.
Here, the art is not in what to add but what to deduct. Filter out only the necessary information from books, hard drives, notes, or from any other information source you have.
Course creators need to be objective and keep the learning outcomes in mind. This will help structure a to-the-point course outline. Only fill the gap left by your competitors and answer the most demanded questions of your students.
Once you have your course content, divide the content into modules. Sequence each module to create a flow in the course material.
In the next phase, you should think about the method to deliver your course content according to popular demand. That can be audio or video presentations, notes, and assignments.
The production phase is crucial in making your online course interactive. We strongly advise you to maintain a balance between audio, video, and practical delivery.
Video content is the most popular method of teaching online courses nowadays. Tools like a green screen, video editing software, screencasting, and an HD Camera will be handy.
There are three platforms you can share your online course on:
A self-hosted Learning Management System is your academy which you can link to your website. It will fall under your brand name which will assist you in gaining popularity and loyalty.
We will discuss these three platforms later on in this post.
Determine where your online course business falls into your income agenda. Consider if this project plays a small part in generating revenues for your brand or if it is meant to be the only source of income.
In the beginning, the prices will be determined on trial and error. You will have to consider several factors such as:
A course creator might believe that once their online course is created, a steady source of income will flow.
However, this is not the case. You need to invest in reliable marketing strategies to make your audience more aware of the courses you are offering.
Consider how the marketing program will operate:
Consider a 2-year plan to market your course properly. Remember, when you stop advertising, you stop selling courses.
These platforms host your course online and help your business grow. We recommend these top three picks:
WordPress provides Plugins with intuitive user interfaces to help make online course creation super easy. You can create and sell your course through WordPress sites at affordable rates. This will work best if you already have a WordPress site with traffic.
When you opt for plugins from other websites, go for renowned companies. This will save your business from collapsing because of off-branding plugins.
These platforms are oriented towards solo entrepreneurs and small businesses who aim to build a site for their brand to sell their course. Some of the more reliable platforms are:
This service provides you with a full package of market solutions, deliver, and sell your course. It does not demand transaction fees on any of its paid or free plans.
This platform is the first of its kind in this field that offers you control over your online course, student data, branding, and pricing from one place.
Previously known as WithCoach, this software allows you to sell a course, digital downloads, and memberships all in one place. There is no limit to the number of courses or users and it has no transaction fees.
This platform helps you create and sell courses and manage a full web presence. The tools may include:
Some platforms do not take a single dime from your revenue but some might. You should make sure you research before you invest in an expensive software.
LMS facilitates education and learning through automation, documentation, reporting, and administration.
As we have mentioned earlier, a self-hosted LMS can be your online school which will fall under your brand name. Creating online courses through this platform becomes much more convenient for a course creator.
Visual content encourages learning more than you can imagine. So make sure you include graphics, pictures, and videos in your subject matter.
Consider software like Adobe Creative Cloud, Affinity products, Canva, Envato Elements, etc to help you design graphics whether it be video or photo content.
Creative Cloud is a compilation of 20+ mobile and desktop apps for video editing, graphic design, photography, and web development with optional cloud services.
Your course is going to become more interactive for your learners if you decide to indulge in these handy graphic design programs. The Adobe Creative Cloud may offer expensive plans but there is no better graphic designer in the market.
In our opinion, this program is one of the best stock photo agencies that offer unlimited subscription plans for professionals, companies, marketers, designers, etc.
If you create a course with the help of digital assets provided by Envato Elements, we can guarantee you will make a ton of sales. We noticed that the demand for this agency is quite extraordinary.
Affinity closely resembles the Adobe Creative Suite in quality, tools, user interface, templates, and features. Affinity Designer is a fine substitute for Adobe Illustrator while Affinity Photo is the perfect Adobe Photoshop alternative.
So if you want to dodge the overwhelming expenses of Adobe, Affinity will serve you well. You can check out our review on Adobe vs Affinity to select the best graphic design program for you.
Course creation is not the hardest part of establishing a well-known online course brand. The real work begins with marketing and selling your course.
In this section, we will discuss what you need to know to successfully spread the word to your students.
The best way to market your course is through social media. It will help you hit an audience of thousands.
Make a Facebook page of your course and share details of your content regularly. Ask your contacts to share your posts to increase engagement. This will help you build a community of learners who support your content.
You can reach a wider audience through Facebook ads. You can use your graphic design tools to make flyers or banners. You could also reach a wider audience by getting your ad sponsored.
Instagram allows you to set up a business account according to your requirements. People can find you through trendy hashtags. Instagram allows you to promote your content through a pricing plan.
Youtube plays ads before videos for at least 5 seconds. You can reach tons of people through this channel. Remember that many Youtube users skip ads most of the time. So make sure the first 5 seconds contain captivating and precise information about your content.
This can help filter out non-interested and interested learners. If you reach your demographic, they will reach you.
This social platform has become a hub for professional networking therefore is the perfect place for you to post about your content. This is an effective way to promote your online course and reach interested learners.
We suggest that you inform your audience about the content you are selling to grasp their attention. You could pre-sell your courses to attract more learners towards your services.
This step is basically to validate the demand for your ideas upfront. An example of this concept is CrowdFunding. You can raise funds to handle the expenses creating online courses will cost.
We advise you to create a course outline to present to your potential customers. You could make a single-sheet outline to notify your audience of what to expect from your course.
Sales to real customers are the proper form of market validation. It will benefit you in the following ways:
If the idea of your content does not fly, you can simply offer refunds and dissolve the project. Either way, no harm.
There is no hard and fast rule of stamping a price on your course. This part is more of a trial-and-error process before you figure out the right price for your course. There are a ton of factors you need to keep in mind.
You will not know the lifetime of customer value until you are in the game for a long time. For the ease of your customers, introduce pricing plans:
You can add value to the price for your audience by offering bonuses or upsells. Consider bonuses like:
Online course creators have reportedly earned approximately 6 to 7 figures from this business endeavor. The market has grown significantly in the past few years and is expected to grow in the future as well.
You can make your online course profitable if you follow these steps:
You can design an effective online course by:
Online classes can prove to be extremely beneficial for students.
It is essential for you to have your own site to promote your course. It will contain all the necessary information your viewers will need to join your online course. This will help them understand where to find and purchase your content.
Yes, providing your viewers the option to obtain your content in multiple languages will help you reach a worldwide audience. Your students will be able to access your material without any language barrier.
It is crucial to create videos as part of your course material. Video material will engage your students in ways blog posts or reading material will not. You can use subtitle tools to help break language differences.
Online course creation is not a tough job. There are a few tips and tricks you need to know before you get started with creating an online course business.
The process to create an online course business can be quite simple as long as you have the right tools to help you create, sell, and market your courses.
We have provided all the necessary information you will require to start this project. Let us know if our tricks helped you establish a successful online course business.
Helping you make passive income by creating, managing, selling and scaling online courses.
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