Online courses are very much in demand ever since the pandemic occurred. Designing an online course is similar to writing a book. The difficult part is to promote and sell it which is why we have put together the most effective strategies to grow your online courses.
Writing a course is not difficult. Any one with the skills and expertise can write and create an online course. But the most important part is to promote and sell the course. It requires time and effort.
In order to successfully promote an online course, one needs to implement some effective course marketing practices. These strategies can be implemented easily by any course creator and at any stage of the business.
10 Effective Strategies to Promote your Online Courses
We have jotted down ten effective strategies which will not only help you launch a fast-selling online course but also grow your online course in the future. You can apply these strategies virtually to any course for long-term outputs.
1.Content Marketing
One of the most important strategies out of the ten is content marketing. If you do not know what it is, it is the creation and sharing of online content which is designed specially to induce interest in a brand.
Instead of focusing on selling a certain product, content marketing focuses on developing interest in a product or brand. Eventually, sales becomes a part of the process. Content marketing has many forms, a few of which you would be already aware of. These include:
- Vlogging
- Social media content
- Blogging
- Infographics
- Podcasts
- Ebooks
- Short Online Courses
Content creation would come naturally to you as a course creator which is why you must have an outstanding content marketing strategy.Â
2.Launch a Video Channel
An excellent strategy for promoting your online course is by launching a video channel. Video is a relevant medium to use to capture the attention of viewers who could be interested in taking your online course.
A video channel on TikTok or YouTube lets you reach your target audience in an engaging way. It can get your online course out in the world while giving your audience ideas and building momentum.
Consistently creating video content is key for any online course creator as it will help you get higher rankings on Google and would help you reach tens of thousands of people for absolutely free.
3.Optimize for SEO
Another effective strategy to promote your online course is through SEO optimization. However, SEO is not as simple as it might sound. It changes throughout the year when Google adjusts its algorithms due to which keeping pace can become hard.
A simple trick is to create quality content and optimize your content. When you will create quality content it will already tick most of Google’s requirements and when you will optimize your content you will reach a larger audience.
SEO is very important for promoting your course as it can help you reach a large audience which otherwise you would not be able to reach without paying for ads. But mind you, SEO cannot make any bad content turn into good content, so work on the quality of the content first.
4.Create a Free Mini-Course
A marketing strategy which many people do not know about is to create a free mini course. If you have created an online course, it is great but it is not enough. In order to get it promoted you need to create a free mini course or multiple courses.
The reason behind this is that creating a single course will not make you a course creator. Students would want to take a course from someone whom they think is capable. If it is your first course then people might not know you and which is why they might not be willing t pay for it. However, if you create a free mini-course or multiple courses, it would work as a marketing strategy to get you and your course promoted.
5.Conduct a Live Webinar
Hosting live webinars lets you talk about topics in-depth while letting you give a lot of value to your audience. Live webinars are very valuable tools for course creators as you can show your teaching skills and the quality of your course in them.
Conducting a live webinar would let you have direct access to your students and they can access your expertise and knowledge and get a glimpse of what the course would provide them. You can include a live question and answer session at the end of the webinar also.
We advise you to focus on the scope of teaching and providing value as you develop your live webinar. In order to create a good webinar you need to be a good teacher and course creator so work on your skills first in order to create effective content.
6.Get Reviews From Your Existing Students
If you have any previous courses or any existing students, a very smart strategy to boost your online course is to get reviews from your old students about your teaching and knowledge. Reviews are always helpful as they help develop trust.
If students will see positive reviews about your courses they will automatically be drawn towards taking your course. Getting reviews is an effective strategy which has worked for many teachers.
Once you have started your online courses business and learned to grow it effectively, there is no going back.
7.Promote Your Course Through Social Media
Social media is an excellent way to promote and grow your online courses. You can post on your social media apps and gain the interest of your social media circle.
However, if you want to run online ad campaigns on social media you can do that too conveniently by paying for those ads and promoting your online courses among people who might be interested according to these apps.
There are various web design hacks that you could use to create content for your social media marketing and it works like magic.
8.Start a podcast
Podcasts let you share your ideas, generate a locker for quality content and create authority. By launching a podcast you can gain the interest of your target audience. As times have changed, people do not prefer to read all the time. Instead, they prefer content on the go which is why podcasts will not fail.
You need to be consistent in creating quality podcasts and release a show every week in order to see its effects on the sale and promotion of your online courses. A good way to keep it consistent is to have seasons.
9.Publish a book on Amazon
A trending strategy that is working for many businesses these days is publishing an ebook on Amazon. The trick is to partner with someone with a similar niche. For example, you may find a book author whose book may align with your course’s topic.
You can ask them to mention your course in their book and reach a totally new audience, while they can get a commission out of the sales. This way you can promote your online course, generate momentum and build your audience.
You can also publish a book on your own and mention your course in it.Â
10.Create a Lead Magnet
Lead magnets are free pieces of content that are available to the public. To successfully promote your online course, you can create a lead magnet that can drive the audience to your online course.
You must make sure that you add relevant content to it so that the audience does not ignore it. A lead magnet can be anything from case studies to emails. It also includes polls, surveys and quizzes. You can choose whichever aligns with your course topic.
Lead Magnets are an easy and effective way to make your online course reach audiences globally.
Conclusion
The above ten marketing strategies for growing and promoting your online courses are the most powerful ones. They will help you run a successful business and free up your time, energy and money to create more impactful online courses for your students.