Find out how to sell your online courses and create a new income stream for your business. Get the tools you need, as well as tips on creating classes that will have students wanting more.
If you’re a business owner, blogger or influencer and are looking for ways to monetize your online presence, one option is to sell an online course. Creating an online course to sell on your website might sound like an overwhelming project, but with a solid strategy in place and the tech resources you need at your fingertips, you can sell online courses and create a new income stream for your business.
What is an Online Course and Why Would I Want to Create One
An online course is a type of e-learning that teaches people something new. In some cases, it may be a way for entrepreneurs to grow their skills by teaching them something they haven’t tried before. Online courses provide a unique way to offer your expertise or knowledge on any topic, from cooking skills and business management tips to instructional videos for the latest software. In addition to offering step-by-step guides or tutorials in video format online, you can also sell written content as an eBook. Or include both formats of course material for those who want it.
Amid a fast-paced, tech-driven world, there is always room for more knowledge and skills no matter what your profession. Think of an online course as one way to help people learn something new while earning money at the same time! If you’re feeling stuck in a job that doesn’t make use of your full skill set, an online course may be a way to grow your skills—and your business.
The Benefits of Selling Online Courses
More and more, you’ll find online entrepreneurs selling courses on their websites. This is a great way of building a strong customer base. Furthermore, when you create an online course, you’re creating value for people all over the world without ever having to leave your office!
A great way to generate more income from your business is to create an online course. You are an expert who already provides products or services and adding online courses will allow you to increase the revenue your business brings in without drastically increasing your costs.
How to Sell Your Online Course Successfully
In order to sell online courses successfully, you need to have all the necessary tech resources in place so enrolling students into your program goes seamlessly. When you’re selling online courses, it’s just as important for the experience of buying your course and receiving the content that you’ve purchased.
If you are adding an online course to your existing WordPress site, then you need to be confident that your learning management system (LMS) is set up correctly so that customers move smoothly from purchase to enrollment to course completion. If you are a techie person and are planning to set your website up yourself, then you will need to find in-depth resources to help walk you through the integration of different plugins. Another option is to hire a professional to build your site and get through the complications of the tech setup. Once your site and online course are set up, you should be able to handle the rest, such as marketing and sales.
You might also consider selling your online course through an established platform like Udemy or Skillshare. These sites already have a large customer base that you can tap into by uploading your content there instead of setting up your own site to sell courses from scratch. In addition to the website hosting fee, these platforms charge a commission for each course you sell.
What is the User Experience (UX)
User experience (UX) is a term that means a lot of different things to a variety of people. In the context of selling online courses, UX design is how your website and course look and feel for students enrolled in it.
Does the user land on your website and easily know what you are selling and how to purchase it?
After someone purchases the course, are they redirected to a well-designed dashboard where they can access not only their course but their account information for your site?
Do you have a cohesive, modern design that bolsters your brand? Are the colors, fonts, white space and graphics designed in an eye-pleasing way?
If you want to maximize the chances of someone purchasing your online course, it’s worth taking a little time and effort to invest in creating an attractive UX design.
The flow of your site and the user journey that is taken from the landing page to purchase to enrollment to taking the course should be the foundational focus when you build your website.
Tips for Creating a Compelling User Experience
Every online course site should have a landing page that is compelling and highly functional. It’s important to include an attractive headline with the benefits of enrolling in your program, plus images or videos to illustrate those benefits. Make it easy for people who are interested but not yet ready to buy by including contact information so they can get in touch with you for more information.
Once someone has purchased your course, they should be seamlessly redirected to a dashboard where they can access their account page and the courses they have enrolled in from one place.
The UX design of your site is important because it determines how likely people are going to buy into what you’re selling–or if they’ll be turned off by the experience of trying to buy from you.
Here are some more tips on creating a compelling user experience:
– Create a standout design that’s responsive for mobile devices so it looks good on smaller screens like phones.
-Map out the user journey on your site and make sure that every page has a logical, easy-to-find path for learning about and purchasing your courses, as well as logging in to your site and accessing the course after a course has been purchased.
-Create an outline before you start designing so that you know what’s going into each section.
-Add pictures or videos to your content.
-Use a conversational tone that is accessible and easy for people to read.
-Differentiate from other courses by providing value with every chapter or module you publish. If possible, create chapters in small chunks so it’s easier for students to follow along without feeling overwhelmed. This will also help them stay motivated throughout the course.
Tips for Creating a Successful Sales Page
What makes for a successful course sales page? The answer is simple: great content! This means having engaging, informative and helpful material that people want to learn about in order to benefit from its teachings. It also means making the signup process as easy and quick as possible so people can purchase your course without any hesitation.
Content is what sells an online course, but there are several other factors to consider when creating a successful sales page:
-Use testimonials and reviews on your course sales page from happy customers who are fulfilled by their purchase in order to encourage others to enroll. This will build trust with future customers by showing them real examples of success stories.
– Testimonials can also come from influencers who endorse courses such as celebrity entrepreneurs featured in TV series on business/entrepreneurship!
– Create compelling title copy with detailed descriptions of the benefits from taking different sections of the course (e.g., “Discover How To Build An Audience” vs “Learn The Secrets That’ll Grow Your Following”) – Provide previews of content for potential customers before they buy (this will help you weed out those who aren’t really interested in your course).
– Offer a price that is reasonable for what the content offers (if you’re selling an eBook, it might be just one or two chapters of information while if you are providing live webinars and video tutorials, it will require more time to create so the price will be higher).
– Offer different payment options (e.g., pay for the course in installments, get it now with a credit card or use PayPal) to provide flexibility and convenience for customers so they’re not discouraged from purchasing because of difficulty making a purchase online.
– Use bullet points on your sales page instead of walls of text to make it easy for people to quickly scan your sales copy.
– Create a sense of urgency by mentioning limited time offers or early bird discounts in order to encourage customers who are looking for additional reasons why they should buy now instead of later.”
– Make sure to include images of the person who created the course (if not yourself) as well as testimonials and reviews from previous students. These will help provide more social proof so potential buyers feel confident enough with their decision to buy!
Final Thoughts on Selling an Online Course as Part of Your Business Strategy
Online courses are an excellent way to generate additional revenue and grow your business without making any big investments in the future. If you have expertise that people want to learn, this is one of the most flexible ways to make money online from home!
If you’re interested in selling an online course as part of your business strategy, please email us at sara@vbieducation.com to learn more or fill out the form on our website and we will be in touch to set up a call to discuss your needs.
