How to sell courses online: complete guide!
If you want to start on the Internet, learn in this post how to create and sell your own content.
If you want to start on the Internet, learn in this post how to create and sell your own content.
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| How to sell courses online complete guide! |
Maybe you're from the time when to do a school or college job, you had to look up information in the Espasa Encyclopedia.
Or, perhaps, you used the encyclopedia to discover which country cricket was played in, in order to be closer to the whereabouts of Carmen Sandiego.
In recent years, things have changed a lot. Has it occurred to you that more and more we have all kinds of information and services at hand?
Today you can make purchases on the mobile, study, and consult everything you can think of online. And it is on this last topic that we will talk today.
In this super complete post, we are going to teach you everything about how to sell courses online and make money with your knowledge.
Know the most important items to sell online courses:
Index
Choose the best segment of the market;
Get to know your audience in-depth;
Define the format of your online course;
Research on the topic
Create your online course
Host your online course on a good platform;
Promote your course on the Internet;
Back to index
You are likely to need more detailed information and therefore we go through the whole step by step to create and sell courses online, from material development to the first sale. So, get comfortable and meet now:
1. Choose the most profitable segment to create a digital product
After you have decided to start your business, this is the first step, which will guide all your planning. The choice of a niche should be based on your affinity with that segment and, of course, on the profitability that you can get in the market.
In this step, you must expand your possibilities through the analysis of those niches that can give you the most positive results.
Start by making a list of topics that interest you and also consider those that, even if they don't appeal so much at first, can provide you with a good audience.
It could be that you are an incredible musician and you know how to play the accordion very well. With that, it would be more intuitive to create and sell online courses that teach how to play that instrument, wouldn't it?
However, you may end up realizing that the accordion is not such a sought after a musical instrument. So, it is preferable to think about other subjects that are more wanted, such as classes that teach to read sheet music.
You may not be an expert on this topic, but since you already have a little more affinity for being in the same area of action, it will surely be easier and more pleasant to learn about the subject in order to teach it.
But don't make any choices based only on opinions and beliefs, that is, don't limit yourself to what you think can be profitable.
The Internet offers several resources that allow us to confirm whether our assumptions are true. So, use resources that help you with that decision.
You can use SemRush, Keywordtool.io, and Keyword Planner, which will offer you the search volume for each term consulted. You can still use Google Trends to discover how these terms have evolved over the years.
In general, the more open the topic, the greater the volume of queries, as well as their competition. The more segmented the subject of your online course, the easier it will be to acquire authority in that niche.
Continuing in the example of the accordion course, selling online music courses is a very large market, so the competition is high.
But if you specify the topic more, like a score reading course or even more, an accordion score reading course, your market will be segmented and therefore it is easier for you to become a reference in this topic.
Of course, the more you segment, your audience gets smaller. But the advantage of working with very specific market niches is that you manage to be more objective in offering to your audience.
To learn more about the subject, read our full post on how to choose the ideal niche for your first online course.
In addition to that, an audience that knows exactly what they are looking for is much more likely to buy your product than a very large audience that still does not fully understand what they want.
2. Get to know your audience in-depth: buyer persona or avatar analysis
As important as defining a profitable niche is understanding exactly the characteristics of the audience to which you will offer your product.
In addition to identifying general representative aspects, such as sex and age, we must analyze specific features of your ideal client. For that reason, I present you to the avatars or "buyer people".
Buyers are semi-functional characters that represent the ideal customer for your business, based on the analysis of real customers in that market.
In addition to demographic data, you must record behavioral standards, professional and personal objectives, possible problems they face, and that your product could solve.
When you understand exactly the audience you are dealing with, the more precise you will be in your actions to promote your online course.
Tip: If you are going to start a business from scratch, we recommend mapping only one person, so that you can focus your efforts. As your digital entrepreneurship matures, you will eventually discover other buyer profiles that also need your attention. At this time you can identify new buyer people or avatars.
If you already have a business and want to convert it into an online course, interview your own clients/students, and understand what the standard among them is to define your buyer persona.
3. Define the format of your online course
One of the great benefits, in addition to those already mentioned, is the diversity of formats that the Internet offers for creating online courses.
There is no ideal format in the world of digital products, but the one that best transmits the course content to your audience.
Before going into detail, let's get to know the main types of info products on the market:
Ebooks
It is a fairly popular format among online courses, as ebooks are easy to create and access.
The ebook easily adapts to any device that has a compatible digital reader and there is no need for the Internet to access it if it has already been saved on the device.
In a few steps, it is possible to learn how to create an ebook. Check it out in our post.
Video classes
This online course format is also very practical and easy to create, even if you have no experience with video tools.
The smartphones themselves have cameras of excellent quality, capable of capturing high-resolution video to produce attractive video classes for your students.
This format combines, above all, with subjects that need some type of demonstration, such as gastronomy classes or physical exercises.
For the timidest people, we recommend training a lot in front of the mirror, recording some drafts, or inviting an expert who has more pregnancy in front of the cameras. And you can also read our tips to improve your ease in front of the cameras.
Screencasts
They are videos that are captured from a computer screen. It only takes a screen capture program, an editing program, and a microphone to narrate voice commands, while you do a demonstration on your computer.
They are ideal for presentations on spreadsheets, such as a course on finance or any model that needs some computer simulation.
Audiobooks
The audiobook has become popular for allowing the absorption of knowledge while the person performs another activity: driving, cooking or practicing physical activity, for example.
Furthermore, audiobooks are very useful and important for the blind.
Podcasts
They are similar to the audiobook models and their advantages are exactly the same. The difference is that a podcast can have more interactive, even light-hearted, content like on a radio show. The advantages are that in the podcast the listener chooses the topics that interest them most and can listen to the content when they feel like it.
Monthly subscription
The monthly subscription has a very interesting format since it offers periodic content and charges a monthly fee for access.
You can sell a unique combo of video classes where you teach culinary art techniques at a higher price, and each month you will have to win new customers to maintain your income, Or you can create a monthly subscription and offer weekly videos (or with the frequency you prefer) with new techniques at a lower and more accessible price.
This is convenient for the student, who will learn the content with the ideal time to learn and practice, and it will be an advantage since you will have a stronger business and will ensure recurring income for the next few months.
This model is ideal for those who have a large volume of content in a niche. What you will need to implement this type of digital course is from a platform that has a member's area, as the Hotmart Club currently does.
Through a member program, you can follow the progression of the students, answer any doubts on the platform itself, and make the content more interactive.
e-Maganizes
They are electronic magazines and have a defined periodicity, in the same way as printed magazines. This model tends more and more to replace the physical format.
Kits
They are combinations of various types of digital products, which can be complemented to convey the entire content. In this way, it is possible to transmit an online course as completely as possible, depending on the need of the subject.
The digital producer must understand their market and audience very well, to define the best format for their product.
I hope that, with the examples mentioned above, you have got an idea of how to produce your online course.
4. Research the topic (as much as you can!)
The next step is the one in which you will have to immerse yourself in the chosen topic, make sure that you know it thoroughly, and then share it with other people.
Do not stick to your knowledge, even if you are an expert in the chosen topic. In this case, you can search for new sources and references that you did not know about the subject yet.
If you have decided to sell courses online without being an expert, you will have to dedicate yourself, even more, to manage to transmit all the content with confidence and fidelity.
Google will be your great partner at this stage since it is possible to find various materials on practically all areas of knowledge on the Internet.
Identify the great references on your subject, read materials from foreign sources, teaching methodologies, interview experts on the subject, and talk about the content, to gain confidence in your explanations.
The more you study, the more property you will have when talking about the subject of the course you are selling. With that, people will notice that you are the ideal reference that they should look for when they need a certain solution to their problems.
Now we are actually going to start the production process of an online course.
Everything ready to start?
5. Create your online course
Finally, we will get to work!
Now that you are aware of your niche, you know your audience very well and you have defined the format of your digital course, you must make the draft of what your product will be.
It does not matter if it is going to be a video or an ebook, the outline, as it is also known, is what will guide you to the end.
It is clear that if your objective is just to sell courses online, you can skip the production stage and go directly to item 7 of this post, which talks about ways to publicize your product.
But it may be that you realize that you have something to share and, therefore, in addition to selling the courses, it is interesting to also produce them to have your own material. So, follow the steps below:
Draft course
This is the time to do your brainstorm. That is, it is time to write down all the ideas that occur to you.
At this time you can let yourself be carried away by the creativity and imagine what shape your online course will take.
I recommend that you use Google Docs since it saves the file in the cloud and you can easily access it when you need it - even on your mobile. And believe me: on the least expected day, you will have an idea to include in your material.
Look for references from other courses, even when they have nothing to do with your topic. In this way, you will realize that it has been done and you can get inspired with great ideas for your own material.
That said, let's go to the next step:
Content production
With the eraser in hand, it's time to write or record your content. Provide all the material for the production of the course: computer, cameras, microphone, lighting, and everything that is necessary.
If you're going to shoot videos and you don't have any experience with the equipment, hire a video maker who can do the production, or go for the cheaper version: ask a friend for help.
Make sure that the audio of your material is clear, without noise. The public tolerates low-quality images, but bad audio is sure to be the target of criticism.
Also, remember to think of an eye-catching title!
Revision
The review is essential if the material you are creating is an ebook, but do not think that the videos do not need to be reviewed either.
It may be that you end up forgetting about a topic or put something else in your material that you later realize is not necessary.
Therefore, check everything so that later you do not have the rework of taking out what is already ready.
The ideal is to wait a few hours or a day after the end of the work, in order to avoid a flawed look at that content. Another idea is to ask for help from a sincere and critical friend enough to offer you feedback on your material.
Editing/layout
Once produced and revised, you must take that raw material and transform it into technically refined content. In the case of an ebook, you must present your audience with a sophisticated design, of course.
The same goes for videos. If you can't do it, ask for help, or hire someone trained.
Now, if you are one of those people who is always looking for new knowledge, it is possible to learn how to edit tutorial videos that you find on the Internet, and, with practice, you might find that this path can be quite long.
Do you want to learn more about video editing? Be sure to read our post with 9 video editing programs to start using right now.
6. Host your online course
This is the time when start-up entrepreneurs generally have doubts. "How to put my course on the Internet?"
One of the great advantages of becoming a digital entrepreneur is that there are complete and free platforms, such as Hotmart, that are prepared to host digital products.
This means that you do not need to know how to elaborate even one line of code to maintain your product on the Internet. The process is simple: you enter the site of the chosen platform, register, and send your product for approval. If that is all.
After being approved, your product will be available for sale. But of course, we are not going to give you just this information.
Now understand the main aspects that you should consider when choosing the right platform:
Ease of organizing your content
Your content needs to be organized in a didactic way for your clients and future students. As a digital producer, you will take care of this task, so you should look for an intuitive system that will facilitate the process, especially if you are going to use a member's area.
Automatic email list manager
Do you remember the saying "less is more"?
Well, it is also valid for the processes that involve the management of your product: if you can manage your emails and contacts in one place, why have the work of sharing this task between two or more systems?
Look for platforms that offer you some form of interaction between your email triggering system and the one that manages and hosts your product.
Listbox is an exclusive Hotmart tool that allows you to carry out automatic configurations and segment your communication, ensuring that each type of client receives the correct message.
All this without you repeating the process several times. This gives you more time to focus on what really matters: delivering a quality product.
Buyer assistance
One of the most important aspects of your product, whether physical or digital, is its relationship with customers. Ultimately, it is they who will determine the success or failure of the venture.
For this reason, invest time in the search for a good support service. And if the service already offers the platform that hosts your course or product, so much the better, since this way you centralize your attention and do not add new steps in your client's journey.
To choose well, you have to carefully analyze the reputation of the companies that interest you, as well as their experience in the market, and use this item as an essential factor in choosing the accommodation service.
Remember that buyer assistance will be your spokesperson and will represent the image you want to convey as a producer.
Digital Producer Assistance
Everyone knows that it is normal to have doubts when starting a project. And with info producers, it is no different.
You take your time to understand each process, detail, terminology ... But this process does not need to be as arduous as it may seem. You just have to guarantee that your hosting service offers you good assistance.
Consider that you may need help with something important to keep your product fully operational and, therefore, you should choose a company that can respond quickly, as well as being able to offer you useful tips, tools, and advice.
Simple and personalized checkout
Making sure your buyer has a pleasant experience from start to finish is an important step in the history of your digital product.
Hence, you use a simplified checkout, which requires only the essential data and actions of your customers, and personalized, which allows your audience to immediately identify that it is your product, which generates more confidence and security.
Security guarantee
At some point in your life, you may have heard a comment from someone who is afraid to buy online.
Given the ease of appropriating someone else's data in the virtual world, this fear is justified and is one more reason to treat your clients' financial information with care.
To ensure that all data is in good hands, it is essential to use a system that acts according to global digital security standards such as PCI Compliance and CSE Security, for example.
Thus, you and your clients will have the opportunity to know that all information and transactions are encrypted and secure.
Automatic content delivery
Imagine that the number of sales of your product multiplies quickly. If you micromanage every detail, like sending the course to each buyer, you will be exhausted and you won't even have time to take advantage of the success of your business, right?
That is why it is essential to optimize processes and add resources and tools that help you simplify your experience and that of your users.
So demand a platform that offers automatic delivery of the content you sell and an intuitive system that allows you to control all your processes. In this way, your customers will have immediate access to your product and will feel even more secure about the purchase.
Automated payment
When a consumer buys something, they expect quick confirmation and delivery, right? With the Internet, it is no different. The longer it takes to approve and finalize a purchase, the more dissatisfied and frustrated the customer becomes.
Therefore, check beforehand if the platform that is going to host your product has an intelligent payment system, which offers automatic confirmation.
If so, great!
Now, another important point that you have to take into account, in case you plan to expand your business to the world - and why not? - is the choice of a system that has the ability to accept currencies from various countries. Thus, you will already have the necessary tool to conquer more and more territories!
To help you in your selection process, read about Hotpay, Hotmart's own payment system.
The system contains all the interactions mentioned and other functionalities that will be very useful for you - like paying with two cards.
Sales report
As data is essential to know more about your audience, what they expect from you, and where you should direct your communication, it is important to have a service that offers tools for measuring results.
In this way, you will get to know your buyers in-depth and thus serve them better.
7. Promote your course on the Internet
Paraphrasing the saying “saint who is not seen, is not worshiped”, in the digital world “product that is not seen, is not bought”. It's that simple.
Starting from the principle that you have never worked with the Internet, you will have to draw up a digital marketing strategy for your business.
In our free digital business course, Hotmart Academy, we have several lessons on digital strategy and marketing. And according to our numbers, people who get all the certificates for this course are up to twice as likely to make sales.
We select here some suggestions for actions with which you can start promoting your online course:
Blog
The blog is part of one of the great strategies used in Content Marketing. Traditional offline marketing generally proposes a more direct treatment, in which the product is offered to the public already at the first contact.
In a Content Marketing strategy, you must speak 80% about topics of interest to your avatar and only 20% about your brand.
By attracting organic traffic with valuable and interesting content, you generate authority around your name or brand and increase the possibility of making sales, by being an expert in that niche.
The purpose of a blog is to convince the public that your product is the best solution at that time.
Attending the practice:
Imagine that you are inserted in the language niche and you teach people to learn English in a shorter period than traditional schools. You can write posts about the whole universe that this topic implies:
What are phrasal verbs?
How long does it take to learn English?
Main differences between British and American English
How to speed up the process of learning English?
In which countries of the world is English spoken?
Note that none of these articles necessarily talk about your product, but they are topics that raise the doubts of those who investigate the topic.
The more quality posts you can publish, with consistency, the greater the possibility that your audience will find your blog as a reference on that niche.
Still don't know how to start a blog? See the complete step by step for beginners.
And if we talk about organic traffic, it is inevitable not to mention the next topic:
SEO and organic search
Search Engine Optimization or Search Engine Optimization (SEO), brings together strategies to improve the positioning of sites and blogs in search tools, such as Google and Bing. This strategy is aimed exclusively at improving the organic search.
Organic search: are the natural results for a certain query in the search tools, that is, those that have not been paid to appear.
You yourself can verify that the majority of the times that you make a query in Google you stick to the first page, mainly to the first three sites of the organic search.
This is the common process of most users: the first organic result receives, on average, 34% of clicks, while the second receives 17% and the third 12% - data collected from a study by the company Advanced Web Ranking.
Currently, one of the main Google ranking factors is the indications that other sites make to their content through backlinks.
If your site is mentioned in a relevant portal, your domain gains strength and Google understands that it is relevant to the user, which can make your site/blog rise in the tool's searches.
To get other sites to point you out, you must produce valuable content that serves as a reference in your segment.
How? Through a blog!
Also, take advantage of social networks and email marketing to spread your blog posts. Speaking of email marketing! Learn now how you can use it to your advantage.
Email marketing
Demystifying that story that no one else uses email, this tool is one of the most precious in a Digital Marketing strategy.
This is because you can establish a direct link with your audience and promote your product effectively.
To do this, you will need an email firing tool (there are free versions, such as MailChimp) that integrate with the platform chosen to host your product. So you can also shoot emails to those who have already purchased your product.
You can offer free rich materials like ebooks and infographics on your site and blog and request emails from your visitors to download this content.
From then on, you will have a base interested in your topic and you can nurture it with other content, including offering your product at the most appropriate time.
Paid Ads
Those who are just getting started and still don't have much visibility online can pay to appear on search engines, advertiser sites, and social networks.
With good images and interesting text, you can direct the public to your site, blog or directly to the sales page where you will offer your product.
With the right text and targeting for your audience, it is possible to attract people who will really be interested in your ad and possibly your product.
Observe, in the following example, that the second advertisement is more attractive, since the text is easier to read because it is not confused with the image in the background, as in the first case.
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