While the world is now connected to the internet, many people still prefer to learn things the old-fashioned way. After all, technology can be very useful, but it can also be a double-edged sword. That’s why traditional schools still exist, and that’s also why there’s still a demand for in-person classes. As a result, many online course creators have cropped up, providing virtual classrooms where students can interact with professors and each other via chatrooms, forums, and blogs.
If you’re considering creating an online course, perhaps even one aimed at marketers, then keep reading. Below we’ll discuss various tips for marketing an online course – including a few things you might not even have thought of – to help make your course as attractive as possible.
Create A Viral Hook
What is viral marketing? It’s when a brand or product inspires someone to share that experience with their social media followers. As a result, the phrase “viral marketing” has kinda become a catchall for describing almost any kind of marketing effort that spreads organically through a social network. However, that doesn’t mean it is easy to achieve. To give you a better chance at creating something that will go viral, here are a few tips.
Focus On The Audience
Instead of trying to appeal to everyone, whether they like your product or not, aim to attract a specific audience for your content. Once you’ve established that audience, you can craft your content around their interests. For example, if you are writing about fashion, you might want to explore topics like style tips or clothing brands. If your course is about business, you could look at topics like sales techniques or pricing structures.
Plan Your Courses Ahead Of Time
You can never predict what might happen in the future. Just when you think you’ve got a handle on your courses planned, something unexpected can always crop up. That’s why it’s important to plan your courses ahead of time. This will help you identify any potential hiccups before they happen and give you a chance to react accordingly. It also means you can spend more time focused on content that will interest your target audience rather than rushing to put together a piece of content just to have something to show for.
Use Case Studies
Everyone likes to read about other people’s struggles and victories. Seeing things from another’s viewpoint can give you fresh insight into a situation and assist you in solving problems. For example, if you’re studying e-commerce, you might look at other retailers’ experiences with online sales to see how they implemented strategies that worked for them.
When you can present a case study illustrating your point, it can be an extremely powerful and attractive tool. When you consider how ineffective many marketing materials can be because they are usually printed on paper thin plastic, presenting a case study can help ensure your customers understand what you’re trying to sell them. In other words, being able to read about someone else’s success in your niche can give you the boost you need to see some fruit from your labors.
Diversify Your Courses
If you’ve got more than one course, try to offer as much variety as possible. Rather than having the same course every week for the rest of your life, take advantage of the fact that the world is full of information and have your learners explore more than one topic. For example, you might want to offer a course on SEO for beginners or intermediates, as well as an advanced-level course that builds upon what was learned in the former.
Incorporate Videos
While we’re talking about variety, let’s throw in another tip for marketing online courses. One of the most effective ways of presenting information online is through videos. When you incorporate videos into your marketing efforts, you can show someone how to use your product or service, showcase a niche or industry in a nutshell, or address any number of topics in a comprehensive manner. In other words, videos can do just about everything text can do, but they can also be much more interesting to watch and therefore more effective at drawing in and retaining your audience.
If you’ve got some truly fascinating content to share, videos are a great way to do it. Of course, you don’t need to rely solely on videos to make your course interesting. You can also incorporate other types of media into your campaigns, like infographics, photos, and so forth.
Measure Your Results
While it’s important to plan your courses ahead of time, it’s also important to measure your results. Remember: You’re educating your customers, not taking their money. As a result, you want to ensure you’re providing value and that they’re coming back for more. To do this, track the number of viewers who engaged with your content the most. For example, if you’ve got an Instagram account, you can measure the impact of your content by looking at the comments you received as a result of a particular photo. If you’re measuring the success of a YouTube video, you can look at how many times that video was watched or how many comments were left on a given piece of content.
Whatever method you choose to measure your results, make sure to track both short-term gains and long-term growth. For example, if you’re seeing a 1000% increase in the number of people who are viewing your videos, but then see that number plummet to 500% a few weeks later, make sure you account for that. Perhaps you’ve got a virus that’s disrupted your servers, or the video content was just incredibly boring. Whatever the reason, don’t be afraid to adapt and improve your approach, learning from each experience.
Follow The Simple 7-Step Process
Anyone can create an effective marketing plan. All you need is dedication and the desire to learn. To ensure your plan is as good as it can be, follow these simple steps:
1. Set a benchmark for yourself to work towards (e.g., create at least one piece of content per week, or get 100 comments on your blog).
2. Identify your target audience (e.g., millennials, or parents with children about to enter the workforce)
3. Devise a process to reach your audience (e.g., create helpful content that encourages them to action, such as a how-to guide)
4. Craft compelling messaging around what your product / service can do for your audience (e.g., by describing the benefits / features of your product / service)
5. Distribute your product / service to your audience (e.g., by placing affiliate links in your content)
6. Measure the success of your plan (e.g., review your content, analyze the performance of your affiliate links, or look at the numbers of people who engaged with your content)
7. Evaluate and revise your plan (e.g., are you seeing the results you’re expecting from your efforts? Are you able to implement any improvements?)
As you can see, once you’ve got a benchmark in place and you’ve followed these simple steps, creating a viral marketing plan doesn’t seem quite so difficult. With that in mind, let’s move on to the next topic.