Create An Online Course Today
Is it possible to gain personal, professional and above all economical independence by creating online courses?
Today, you can create an online course to do that. It is not a secret that this market is expanding and becoming increasingly bigger.
Consider that in 2011, about $35 billion was spent on the e-learning business worldwide. In 2014, it was a $56 billion industry, while this number hit $107 billion in 2015. Research and Markets has announced that the global e-learning market is going to reach $325 billion by 2025.
That is why in this article you find three things you absolutely need to know about building a successful online course.
1. Audience for You to Create an Online Course
The first thing you need to worry about is to find your audience of reference. Without a public willing to listen, you will rarely find someone willing to buy.
You can have the best product in the world, but if nobody knows about it, you will not be able to sell it.
So, your initial focus should be to research and cultivate your ideal audience. When you analyze it, try to discover what they already know and set your stage for that. There's no reason to teach under their level. Understanding what skills or knowledge your users need to gain will help you create an effective course.
Obviously, this community must draw value from what you share with them and it should be as specific as possible. Here, it's once again about one of the most important points in internet marketing and blogging: the niche.
The more specific your target audience is, the easier it will be to actively engage and create a dedicated community for your online course.
But how to involve this community?
It really does not matter too much which one you choose, but the content you share.
Remember, social media is a powerful diffusion tool, but you must always have a "base" for addressing these users. This base can be your website, your blog, your email list, or your database.
Building a house on someone else's ground is not the wisest choice! - Erik Emanuelli Click To Tweet
2. Tools to Create an Online Course
The second important element is the tools. Without using the right instruments. you can hardly sell or promote your knowledge. You will need the right tools to create your online course.
In practice, what you really need is a software for managing member areas, sales pages and email marketing.
Clickfunnels is just one of the few available. You will need to send emails and manage the creation of any page you use for selling and promoting the course.
You can do it with other tools like WordPress and Optimizepress, but your project may become complex when you need to integrate several pieces.
Also, you will need a payment management service. Again in this case, there are several options with pros and cons.
Content Creation Tools
In addition to this, you will need content creation tools. You can start with your smartphone. By now, almost all phones have excellent cameras and quality is often semi-professional. And good natural light replaces any expensive lighting system.
As far as editing programs are concerned, there are many free ones that do well their job. iMovie or QuickTime are some tools you can use to record screencasts and edit your videos. It is not difficult to use them and you can get great results without having to invest thousands of dollars in expensive softwares.
In alternative to setting up everything on your own (with all the resources mentioned above), there are several services you can use to help you creating and selling your online course. In particular, I recommend Kajabi, a platform where you will have all the tools you need, under one roof. You will be able to set up a membership site, create a landing page, manage your mailing list and send emails, create your online course and even build a website.2
Knowledge to Create An Online Course
It is at point three, but in reality, it is the most important. Obviously, without specific knowledge, you can not create anything we have talked about so far.
It does not matter to be a super-professor with dozens of years of experience. Many times, you just have to be a step ahead of our audience and know something that others do not know.
Try to think for a moment what you are passionate about or if there is something for which your friends or acquaintances contact you for information. You will surely find something you know and somebody else does not.
Obviously, your preparation and skills are proportionate to how much people will pay for your courses.
Keep the modules of your course short. I think fifteen minutes is the target for learning modules.
Also, variety is important. A great course should include a variety of audio, visuals, video, and text. And remember, the more specific the content of your course, the better.
Conclusion on How to Create an Online Course
These are three important things you need to know before starting to create an online courses. I hope this post has given you a general overview of this ever-growing world.
E-learning and online courses are a billion dollar business a year and they are revolutionizing the world where we learn and share information.
Have you already created an online course where you share your knowledge?
Which suggestions can you give?
Please share your thoughts in the comments below on how to create an online course. And don't forget to share the article, if you liked it. Thanks!
