By now, you have completed designing your comprehensive online course. You have done the research and are beaming at the final product chock-full of concise, vital information for your target audience. Now you are left wondering: how can I reach my target audience and optimally capitalize on my online course? In this article, we will share with you helpful tips for marketing your online course, so it can reach its full potential!
Lesson #1: Promote through organic means.
- Prior to launch, it is imperative that you promote some of your materials online for free (e.g., a small selection of your course) to widen your audience and prepare them for your launch date!
- Share helpful information on social media channels (e.g., YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, blogs) to engage your audience and let them know about the course you are planning to offer.
- Create different types of media to promote your course on these sharing platforms. Create videos, podcasts, and blogs so you can reach your audience through multiple mediums (How to Market Your Online Course, n.d.).
Lesson #2: Promote through paid ad campaigns.
- Promote brand-recognition and your online course through paid advertisement campaigns. For example, you can run facebook or pinterest advertisement campaigns (How to Market Your Online Course, n.d.).
Lesson #3: Market your course through email campaigns.
- As stated before, you should promote some of your materials online for free (e.g., a small selection of your course) prior to your online course launch. When releasing these materials on your own website, it may be helpful to allow viewers to see your free content only in exchange for their emails. When casual site visitors give you their personal email in exchange for your content, these interested users may be strong leads that would be likely to purchase your course if they enjoy the free content you deliver.
- Utilize the emails you collect through this method to market free materials to site visitors–and ultimately, market your online course via email (How to Market Your Online Course, n.d.)!
Lesson #4: Create persuasive copy to entice site visitors to purchase your course.
- Once your course is launched, what copy should surround it to entice purchases?
- Discuss your expertise! People will be inclined to purchase a program from an individual who presents themselves as an authority source. If you have a doctorate, share that! If you have received widespread recognition or awards for your field of endeavor, share that too! Interested students will be impressed and more likely to purchase your program if they feel they can acquire skills most effectively from your teachings (Voelker, n.d.).
- Share testimonials from students you have piloted your course to for free. This will also serve as helpful copy to encourage users to become paying students because they will hear first-hand how your course positively impacted others (Voelker, n.d.).
Lesson # 5: Create a seamless student registration process.
- When students decide that they want to purchase your program, the last thing you want is for them to encounter a slow registration process which is likely to discourage enrollment.
- Promote your course by highlighting how fast and simple it will be to not only register, but also how simple and fast it will be to complete the course due to your course’s user-friendly interface (Voelker, n.d.).
- With CertCentral, create your comprehensive program fast on an easy-to-use online course platform. When it is time to administer your CertCentral online program–simply set a course price and activate your course. An enrollment link will automatically be generated and you can then copy and paste that link into your personal website for easy enrollment! Sign up for an Enterprise Account, and CertCentral can be customized to look like your very own platform with your personal branding. Students will then click on the link, enter their credit card information, and then immediately be brought into your course to begin their learning journey!
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