Lene Dybdahl fromPen & Pondushelps you create and launch profitable online courses and sell them withAutomagic Sales Emails.
Do you dream of creating an online course? And can you sell courses in what you know about?
The popularity of moving face-to-face meetings online means that many people have become accustomed to logging on to a Zoom call, meeting with others and sharing knowledge online. This behaviour has paved the way for more and more people to see the value of learning new skills online. And for business owners like you and me, it means we can sell our knowledge and expertise to an audience that is already used to learning and meeting online.
What can you sell online?
Most people have heard of online shops selling physical products such as children's clothes, dog toys and electronics. But what happens if you want to sell a product that is not physical? And what could it be, for example?
What are digital products?
We already know digital products from streaming services such as Netflix and Spotify, where we can access a collection of films or music. But if you are not a film director or musician, you can still produce digital products that people are willing to pay for. This could be in the form of a course, for example. A course can be videotaped once and sold over and over again to many people. This is one of the reasons why it's so smart to incorporate digital products into your business: the start-up costs are small, but the long-term profits can be in the millions.
Examples of digital courses
Many people struggle to think of what to teach when online courses are mentioned. They simply think they have to reinvent the wheel. My advice to my clients is always: try looking in the catalogue of your local evening school. What do they teach? Typically, you'll find courses in photography, yoga or acrylic painting. All of these types of classes can also be taught online. I myself teach how to create and launch profitable online courses in my company Pen & Pondus, but I also have an online writing school where I teach adults how to write fiction. Start with what's easy and fun for you, and perhaps what people often ask for your help with.
Start by creating a mini-course!
It doesn't have to be difficult to get started. For example, you could start by inviting people to an online workshop where you teach 1-2 hours on a topic that interests you. Charge a nominal fee for the workshop (e.g. between €100-500 depending on the topic and the target audience) and record the broadcast on the day.
Once the recording is saved on your computer, you can cut it into smaller chunks for easier digestion and then put the videos online on a training platform with a login. People who watched live can now log in and watch the course again on their own. And those who had bought a ticket but could not attend can watch the rebroadcast.
Now that the course has been recorded and is online, you can choose to put it up for sale again, e.g. using Facebook ads, which run automatically and generate new sales.
Can you combine online courses and physical goods or personal counselling?
You can certainly do that. If you have a webshop selling dog food and dog toys, you already know that your target audience is dog owners. Maybe they could use a course on dog training? Or how to groom their puppy? Or maybe you sell make-up and hair products? You could organise a course on how to apply make-up or a course on how to style hair. If you already sell your time on a one-to-one basis as a therapist or coach, for example, it may be ideal to offer an online course in combination with personal counselling. The possibilities are many.
It doesn't have to be difficult to get started. For example, you could start by inviting people to an online workshop where you teach 1-2 hours on a topic that interests you. Charge a nominal fee for the workshop (e.g. between €100-500 depending on the topic and the target audience) and record the broadcast on the day.
Once the recording is saved on your computer, you can cut it into smaller chunks for easier digestion and then put the videos online on a training platform with a login. People who watched live can now log in and watch the course again on their own. And those who had bought a ticket but could not attend can watch the rebroadcast.
Now that the course has been recorded and is online, you can choose to put it up for sale again, e.g. using Facebook ads, which run automatically and generate new sales.
Can you combine online courses and physical goods or personal counselling?
You can certainly do that. If you have a webshop selling dog food and dog toys, you already know that your target audience is dog owners. Maybe they could use a course on dog training? Or how to groom their puppy? Or maybe you sell make-up and hair products? You could organise a course on how to apply make-up or a course on how to style hair. If you already sell your time on a one-to-one basis as a therapist or coach, for example, it may be ideal to offer an online course in combination with personal counselling. The possibilities are many.
How do you sell an online course?
Most people who sell online courses use email marketing as a sales channel. The great thing about emails is that they can be set to send out automatically, so if you combine a mini-course with an effective email campaign, you can easily and cheaply create a 'sales machine' that can run automatically around the clock. This can help to create a stable income, which, for example, covers the company's fixed expenses.
If you want to learn how to knit such a campaign together (including the technicalities), you are welcome to read more about Automagic Sales Emails here.
Is the technical stuff difficult?
There was a time when just uploading a video to YouTube could take several hours on a Friday afternoon, and building a website was a job for professional webmasters or developers. Fortunately, today it has become much easier, thanks to faster internet and user-friendly platforms for online courses. Of course, there is a learning curve when learning how to record video so that the sound and image are in good quality, but your own smartphone is now so well set up that it probably takes great pictures and with a small external microphone you get great sound.
What equipment do you need if you want to create online courses?
First of all, you need to choose a platform that can host your course so that only paying customers can find the content. In addition, I would say that a computer with a large hard drive (preferably an SSD hard drive as it works fast) and a fast internet connection are good investments. Especially if you plan to organise live workshops where you stream video, for example. I recommend the large hard drive because video material takes up a lot of space on your computer. You can easily organise a course where you speak over a PowerPoint slideshow, for example, so you don't need to invest in a camera. However, a good microphone is a must.
It is an advantage to think about email marketing when you are selling online courses, so if you do not already write newsletters to your customers, I would recommend that you invest in a programme that can do this.
Good advice
It is a good idea to start small so that you do not get overwhelmed by the scope of the project and the many opportunities that lie in online marketing. It's easy to get lost in the details. My best advice is to get out there and sell your first course. It doesn't have to be perfect, we're going for good enough and you can always do a version 2.
Good luck!
Most people who sell online courses use email marketing as a sales channel. The great thing about emails is that they can be set to send out automatically, so if you combine a mini-course with an effective email campaign, you can easily and cheaply create a 'sales machine' that can run automatically around the clock. This can help to create a stable income, which, for example, covers the company's fixed expenses.
If you want to learn how to knit such a campaign together (including the technicalities), you are welcome to read more about Automagic Sales Emails here.
Is the technical stuff difficult?
There was a time when just uploading a video to YouTube could take several hours on a Friday afternoon, and building a website was a job for professional webmasters or developers. Fortunately, today it has become much easier, thanks to faster internet and user-friendly platforms for online courses. Of course, there is a learning curve when learning how to record video so that the sound and image are in good quality, but your own smartphone is now so well set up that it probably takes great pictures and with a small external microphone you get great sound.
What equipment do you need if you want to create online courses?
First of all, you need to choose a platform that can host your course so that only paying customers can find the content. In addition, I would say that a computer with a large hard drive (preferably an SSD hard drive as it works fast) and a fast internet connection are good investments. Especially if you plan to organise live workshops where you stream video, for example. I recommend the large hard drive because video material takes up a lot of space on your computer. You can easily organise a course where you speak over a PowerPoint slideshow, for example, so you don't need to invest in a camera. However, a good microphone is a must.
It is an advantage to think about email marketing when you are selling online courses, so if you do not already write newsletters to your customers, I would recommend that you invest in a programme that can do this.
Good advice
It is a good idea to start small so that you do not get overwhelmed by the scope of the project and the many opportunities that lie in online marketing. It's easy to get lost in the details. My best advice is to get out there and sell your first course. It doesn't have to be perfect, we're going for good enough and you can always do a version 2.
Good luck!
