The amazing world of online learning products is still pretty young but growing fast and we’re all told that “now is the best time to start a course!” I’m not going to disagree with that advice, in fact I completely back it. However, most experts are saying that you should just get started and very few discuss the steps to having a successful education business that provides the type of freedom and lifestyle that most people are attracted to.
While getting started is often the first hurdle course creators face, scaling your business into a self-sustaining venture comes with its own difficulties. Once you do get started, the mountaintop of success becomes blurred by the trees and clouds of just keeping everything running. All of the sudden, you’re the marketing team, the customer service team, the coach, and before you know it, you’re also burnt out. I like to think I can help to solve that problem.
The best thing you can do as you start to get sales is to reinvest that income back into the business in the form of people and processes. So, let’s talk about some of those strategies…
Increasing Content Output to Build Know Like and Trust
As many of you will know, producing content is one of the main drivers of sales. Therefore, the first thing you have to be able to do is create a system for distributing mass amounts of content with less time in front of the camera, keyboard, or microphone. This sounds like a big job, but it starts with one small idea: “Where do I show up best and where will my audience consume my content?” This question will lead you to choosing your longform content medium.
There are a few main mediums or platforms you could choose to show up on: long form video (YouTube), long form audio (podcasts), or long form written content (blogs). Depending on your charisma and skills, you can choose which of these are best for you. From here, you need to learn how to repurpose your content.
Pretty much any content these days can be repurposed and turned into other forms. Video can be cut into bite size pieces for social, podcasts can be transcribed into blogs, blogs can be turned into newsletters. Building out a repurposing system is key to doing the most with your limited amount of time.
Building Feedback Loops to Ensure a Successful Course
This is a big one that isn’t done enough. As experts in our niche, we assume that we know what others need and how to communicate it and we forget to listen to our audience. Feedback loops close this gap and allow us more insight into the needs of the people we’re trying to serve.
For instance, when someone takes your course, how are you getting feedback on that experience? How do you know what they liked, didn’t like, or would like to learn next? Building in a simple survey right before the end of your course or as a follow up to your free lead magnet can be a great way to get some insight into how to improve your products or what product to create next.
Additionally, if you have the time or coaches to help, you can do 1-on-1 calls with students who finish your programs. This not only serves as a great feedback loop, but also a way to ask for testimonials while they’re still fired up about your course.
All of this information should feed into your decisions on how to grow and the products that you create.
Building an Engaging Experience for Your Students
In order to build a truly exceptional course, one that is sought after and loved, you have to focus on the experience. It’s not enough to just put together a 10 module course and push it out to the market. Strong course businesses offer different levels and formats of service that keep their students engaged. There are so many of these types of experiences, that I think it’s best to just list them out:
Coaching Programs – Coaching programs are both an experience for your students and a system for you to impact more people in less time. At first, you might start with just a group coaching program where you speak to a group of students on a regular basis. But, as you grow, you will need to bring in coaches who can help to mentor students in your stead.
Memberships – Creating a membership that supports your audience on an ongoing basis is a great way to bring the conversation to your space and stay involved in their journey. Memberships are also a recurring revenue stream for your business.
Masterminds – Some creators will call this their VIP membership. This is a smaller group of students who have achieved some level of success and bring ideas and insights about your niche to the table. You’re no longer the teacher in this scenario, but the facilitator helping to drive deep discussion around difficult topics. These groups usually have a defined term, such as 6 weeks to 3 months, and a much higher price point.
Aspirational Events – Providing goals for our students to achieve can be a big driver in our success. Through events like graduation ceremonies, award ceremonies, or even a contest of skill, we get to recognize amazing students and showcase what our course has done for them. This helps feed motivation for other students as well as sell non-students into your program.
Live Events – There’s an energy that comes with in-person events. They’re much more of an undertaking to get up and going, but they build die-hard fans. People love being in the same room as their mentor and connecting with other people on their same path. Whether it’s a full conference style production or just a local meetup, your students will love seeing and interacting with you in person.
These are just a few ways that you can really make your education business more dynamic for your students and differentiate yourself from the competition. And don’t forget, these are not free experiences. Each one should bring its own revenue stream into your business.
Putting Systems in Place that Allow You More Freedom
Everything we’ve talked about up to now probably sounds great to you, but you’re asking yourself “how am I going to get all this done?” It’s a fair question, and the answer is that unless you are able to put systems in place that allow you to NOT be in the center of it all, you won’t succeed. And so, processes come into play.
Project management is probably one of the top processes that a course business can integrate early on. Everything is project management, from filming a new course to creating a live event. Breaking down big goals into small, attainable milestones and steps is how we manage chaos. If you’re not the organizational type (which is ok) I suggest you enlist some help early on. Reach out to students and ask who might be interested in being your project management intern. I have always been surprised by the talent I have found inside my network.
Marketing systems are the next big one for me. If you have your marketing dialed in and a team in place (whether internal or external) to manage changes and updates, you will have less stress. It’s just that simple. This might mean hiring an agency or building out an internal team. I would start with the agency and then build out a team that slowly takes over responsibilities. This way you don’t throw yourself or your team into something detrimental to your business.
Last on this short list, but still very important, is customer service. As you grow and reach more and more students, you’ll be getting more and more questions. Things break, questions come up, payments get double charged. You will need a customer service person who you can count on to handle these issues. Not only should they have a friendly, helpful demeanor, but you also want them to be organized, like a mini project manager. As they tackle each new customer issue, they should be building a database of steps they took to solve each issue. This way, you’re never without a reference as to how an issue can be fixed.
Online courses are one of the best businesses you can build if you’re seeking a life of freedom, wealth, and impact. They can practically run themselves, once all the pieces are in place. The hardest part is determining which pieces fit your course, your style, and your students. Remember to be authentic to yourself in this process of scaling your course and your students will continue to follow your teachings and make amazing transformations, and you will continue to scale your business.
About the Author: Joshua Lyon, Online Course Growth and Marketing Mentor
After years of working to build an online business for myself that I could use to serve others and create freedom in my life, I stumbled into the course world. A friend hired me to help market their art course and my eyes were opened to the power of online courses. We grew that company to over $2.6 million per year in recurring revenue, teaching artists all over the world.
Now, I help other course creators scale their education business in ways that impact others and that builds wealth and freedom for themselves so they can live the life of their dreams.
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