It shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that course creation is a multi-billion dollar industry. With the advent of technology and the internet, the possibilities are endless. The market is ripe with opportunities for anyone who has a passion for teaching and a desire to make a difference in the lives of others. Whether it’s through online platforms or in-person workshops, the potential for success in course creation is enormous. From photography to coding, from cooking to personal development, everyone can be a course creator. However, to excel in this industry, having the right tools for success is crucial. Not only do you need to be an expert in your niche, but you need to have the technical skills to create and deliver your courses in a way that engages your audience. Thankfully, there are numerous resources available to help you along the way. From online course platforms to video editing software, there are tools that can simplify the process and enhance the learning experience for your students. In this blog, I’m going to share the five best tools for success to help you build and launch your course.
Build & Launch Your Course: The 7 Best Tools for Success
Decide on What to Sell
No pressure, but choosing the perfect course topic is crucial. You want to ensure your topic is not only something you’re passionate about, but also something that will resonate with my target audience. Take the time to gauge their interest either through social media or email polls, insights through email or blog metrics, or third party sites such as Answer the Public or Quora.
Once you’ve chosen a course topic, the next step is deciding what content to include. This is where the real fun begins! You get to brainstorm all the different aspects and subtopics you might cover in your course. By offering a mix of knowledge and applications, you can ensure that your students not only understand the concepts but also know how to apply them in their own lives or businesses.
If you are a newbie at brainstorming offers around your expertise, I highly recommend the Offer Cure by Julie Chenell and Cathy Olsen of Funnel Gorgeous. I go into more detail about how I used the Offer Cure to Create an Irresistible Offer in a Weekend in this post, but essentially this $37 course is GOLD when it comes to showing your customer how you can solve their problem through the products or services you provide.
In order to ensure your offer is compelling, you’ll want to make sure you answer these eight essential questions:
- Who do you serve?
- What problem are you solving?
- What is the prevailing wisdom?
- What’s wrong with that wisdom?
- How are you different?
- When you tell people, what are they going to say to counter you?
- What might stop them from having success?
- What kind of offer will this be?
Once you can answer those questions, you’ll want to consider how you’re going to deliver the content. You want to provide your students with all the tools for success, so it’s important to include a variety of content, such as video lectures, written materials, quizzes, and practical exercises. It’s important to strike a balance between depth and accessibility, so that all students can benefit from the content. Julie and Cathy call this the Rainbow Rule, and they provide a guidebook with over 42 different ideas to inspire you.
Now that you’ve created your offer and packaged your offer, you’re ready for the third step: branding your offer. Cathy Olson is the brand strategist and designer half of Funnel Gorgeous and she walks you through step by step of creating the logo and branding for your offer.
You can get started with The Offer Cure for just $37.
Build Your Course
I’m pretty sure we’ve all been victim to those poorly designed courses and we know what NOT to do when it comes to designing courses of our own: poor organization, too much content, unnecessary and unhelpful information, and just a general sense of what in the world is even going on here.
While we may be experts in our respective niches, we aren’t all good course creators and teachers. Course Chemist really helped me to understand the do’s and don’ts when it comes to structuring my courses and avoiding “the expert’s curse.” A good course needs to be well-structured and organized, allowing students to easily navigate through the material. This means having clear sections and modules, with each topic building upon the previous one. An organized course ensures that students can track their progress and understand how each concept fits into the bigger picture. Not only does this make learning more efficient, but it also helps to reduce confusion and overwhelm.
Another crucial aspect of a good course is its actionable nature. It’s not enough to simply present information; a great course should empower students to take action and apply what they have learned. This can be done through practical exercises, case studies, or real-life examples that allow students to put their knowledge into practice. By providing actionable steps, a course becomes more engaging and valuable, as students can see immediate results and progress in their learning journey.
Lastly, a good course should focus on teaching one thing really well. Instead of trying to cover a broad range of topics superficially, a great course hones in on a specific subject and delves deep into it. By focusing on one thing, students can develop a thorough understanding and mastery of the topic. This allows for greater retention of information and the ability to apply it in various contexts. A course that teaches one thing effectively not only provides students with valuable expertise but also instills confidence in their abilities.
One thing I loved about Course Chemist, is how they suggested that if there was extra material that didn’t quite fit into the course modules but was still valuable for your students to have, it may be a better fit as a bonus. Genius idea! Other bonuses that students love are always personalized feedback and accountability which allow for a higher level of connection with you, and can lead to a higher level of ascension through your value ladder at a later time.
Choose Your Course Platform to Build Your Course Area & Sales Funnel
The next step is considering the perfect course platform that will not only help you build your course area but also create a powerful sales funnel. With the right tools for success, you can turn your passion and knowledge into a profitable online business.
When it comes to creating an effective course area, you need a platform that is user-friendly and intuitive. Look for a course platform that allows you to easily upload your content, organize your lessons, and engage with your students. Whether you want to include videos, course materials, or even gamification for engagement, the right platform will have all the features you need to create an engaging and interactive learning environment.
But building a successful online course business goes beyond just creating a course area. You also need a sales funnel that will attract, nurture, and convert your leads into paying customers. A sales funnel is a step-by-step process that guides your potential customers through the buying journey.
Your sales funnel starts with attracting their attention through compelling content, then nurturing their interest with valuable information, and finally converting them into paying customers with irresistible offers. The key to building a successful sales funnel is choosing a course platform that not only provides the tools for success but also integrates seamlessly with other marketing tools. Look for a platform that allows you to easily capture leads, automate your email marketing campaigns, and track your conversions. Having all these tools in one place will not only save you time but also ensure a smooth and efficient sales process.
Two all-in-one platforms I’m loving right now are FG Funnels and Systeme.io.
FG Funnels is built on the GoHighLevel software platform and white-labeled by Julie Chennel and Cathy Olsen. It integrates seamlessly with everything they teach, and what I love most is that they include done-for-you funnel templates that have top-notch design and copy prompts built in. There is a bit of a learning curve, but FG University is included, so you can always reach out to their customer support, attend Q&A, take advantage of their Move to FGF migration service, and more. Their monthly $129 investment includes unlimited funnels, websites, domains, products, team members, contacts, native video hosting, emails, texts, pipelines, calendars, blogging, and integration with g-suite.
For those who might want something a little more price-friendly, Systeme.io is another funnel software I love. They have a forever-free starter plan and additional pricing as low as $27 a month. This is another all-in-one funnel platform that features pre-built high-converting templates, email marketing, websites, blogs, affiliate management, automations, course management, e-commerce, and more.
Grow Your Audience
Now that you’ve decided on your offer and started building your course, you’ll want to focus your attention on your list. After all, you’ll need someone to share your offer with! Actually, you should always be building your list and maintaining the health of your list.
It’s important to engage and educate your warm leads consistently. Remember, a typical conversion rate is only 1-2% of your list. That means that out of 100 people, only 1 or 2 will actually buy from you. But don’t let that discourage you! With the right tools for success, you can increase those numbers and see incredible results. By nurturing your leads and providing them with valuable content, you can build trust and credibility, making them more receptive to your offer.
So, how do you go about growing your email list with warm leads? First, start by creating compelling lead magnets that provide value and address the pain points of your target audience. This could be a free guide, checklist, or video series that offers actionable tips and insights. Then, promote these lead magnets through social media ads, guest blogging, and partnerships with other influencers in your niche. As people sign up for your lead magnets, they become part of your warm leads list. From there, it’s all about consistently delivering valuable content.
If you’re looking for step-by-step inspiration for ways to create value for your audience, you’ll want to check out Webinar Gorgeous which shows you how to design a highly converting webinar presentation no matter where your audience is in their customer journey, Easy Launch It for paid live workshops, or even Profitable Live Trainings. Tip: all of these can be easily repurposed in your business too!
Need more inspiration around building your audience? You can sign up for my traffic guide with over 50 ways to get more eyes on your funnel and attract more of the right people into your audience every day!
Improve Your Conversions
Are you feeling frustrated and discouraged because your funnel is not converting? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! Often, entrepreneurs focus solely on the number of sales or leads generated, without taking into account other important metrics such as click-through rates, bounce rates, or average time spent on the page. By analyzing these metrics, you can identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions to optimize your funnel.
The first step to finding a solution is understanding what the standard conversion rates are. This will give you a benchmark to compare your own performance against. It’s important to keep in mind that every industry and niche is different, so there is no one-size-fits-all conversion rate. However, having a general idea of what is considered a good conversion rate in your industry can help you set realistic expectations. The reality is the average conversion rate is only about 1-2% of your audience. That’s not really a big number.
Now that you have a better understanding of the standard conversion rates, it’s time to evaluate your own funnel. Are you using the right tools for success? Sometimes, the problem lies not with the product or the offer itself, but with the way it is presented to your audience. Consider using different marketing strategies, such as social media advertising, email marketing, or content marketing, to reach a wider audience and increase your chances of conversion. Another important factor to consider is the metrics you are tracking. Are you measuring the right things?
Funnel Rx reviews the six most popular funnel models from agency to coaching to e-commerce and more AND helps you troubleshoot the diagnostics when your metrics are off so you know exactly where to start tweaking (rather than tearing the whole thing down and starting again).
The Best Support to Build and Launch Your Course
If you want to build and launch your course, there are many tools available to help you along the way. While it may seem like there’s an endless number of options and tools available to create online courses, there are only a select few that will truly make the process easier for you and help you get results faster. If you find the process overwhelming to do it yourself, then consider partnering with a funnel builder who can get you to choose the right course management platform and support you in getting your systems and course set up, integrated, and tested. You can check out my services page here.
