Marketing Automation For Selling Digital Courses At Scale

79% of leads never convert because of a lack of nurturing. If you are selling digital courses and notice your lead list growing but only have low conversions, marketing automation will nurture your leads until they are ready to purchase.

From personalizing your outreach to automating email campaigns, this article will give you results-driven marketing strategies that will increase your sales productivity by 14.5%. By the end, you will have the tools needed to start your online class and attract many enrollees.

Let’s get started.

What Is Marketing Automation & How Can It Benefit You?

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Marketing automation is software that handles repetitive marketing tasks, like email marketing, social media posting, and ad campaigns. Instead of manually doing these tasks daily, marketing automation does it for you without as much manual work.

Depending on your industry, marketing automation can help you:

• Schedule your emails or posts in advance.

• Nurture and boost leads by up to 451%.

• Save an average of 6 hours/week on social media scheduling.

• Identify which leads are most likely to buy based on their engagement.

• Increase customer engagement by sending timely, personalized messages.

• Upsell and improve sales opportunities through follow-up emails sent automatically.

For example, if you run an online shop, you can set up automated emails using Mailchimp to remind customers about the items they left in their cart or offer a discount on their first purchase. This encourages them to buy something without exerting much effort with follow-up emails.

What Is The Difference Between CRM & Marketing Automation?

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CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and marketing automation both aim to improve customer experiences and drive sales, but they serve different purposes.

While marketing automation helps streamline tasks like email campaigns, CRM tracks customer data and history to provide personalized experiences. 

Here are their detailed key differences:

6 Steps To Set Up Marketing Automation To Sell Profitable Online Course

Assess what’s working and what isn’t in your existing workflow processes, and pick 2-3 action points for each step that you can apply to your selling strategy for your first online course.

Step 1: Identify Key Repetitive Tasks To Automate

Repetitive tasks like sending emails, tracking leads, and managing course enrollments can drain your time and energy. If you find yourself sending the same welcome emails or posting updates on social media daily, these activities can take up precious hours that you can spend automating your email responses or enrollment confirmations.

To help you cope with that, here’s what you need to do:

• Make a list of all the tasks you perform most often, like sending emails, responding to common questions, and posting on social media.
• Prioritize tasks based on their impact on course sales and student engagement.
• Research automation tools, like Mailchimp and Zapier, that provide the features you need to streamline the repetitive tasks you identified above.
• Set up automated workflows, like creating welcome emails or scheduling social media posts in advance, to save you much time and resources.
• Monitor your automated tasks’ performance and make adjustments based on student feedback and their performance results.

Step 2: Select The Best Automation Software To Sell Your Online Courses At Scale

51% of companies use marketing automation software to boost sales and engagement. However, not all automation tools are created equal. Choose the ideal platforms to sell online courses that fit your course, integrate with your platforms, and meet your needs.

Here are the top 3 best options to consider:

1. Graphy

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Graphy is a scalable platform that makes it easy to create and sell online courses. Its powerful marketing tools, like built-in marketing funnels, can guide your customers from discovering your course to purchasing. With Graphy, you can even host live sessions to connect with your students in real-time so you can create a dynamic learning space. Also, you get a free branded mobile app for students to learn on the go with Graphy. 

Best For: Entrepreneurs, Online Course Creators, Coaches, and educators looking to build visually appealing courses with video lessons, assignments, and downloadable guides. They also have a vibrant community to enhance your learning experiences and encourage active participation.

2. Kajabi

Kajabi is an all-in-one platform that lets you create a successful online course and a full-fledged membership site. You can easily create custom sales funnels and automated email sequences that guide customers throughout their buying process.

Best For: Online course creators looking to customize their sales funnels with an advanced analytics dashboard to track students’ performance and key metrics like login frequency, time spent on the platform, and interaction with course materials.

3. Teachable

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Teachable makes creating and selling online courses super simple. It comes with built-in marketing tools like email automation, affiliate programs, and customizable sales pages. The platform also handles payments, so you can focus on your content while Teachable manages the transactions and payouts.

Best For: Digital marketers looking for an intuitive drag-and-drop online course creation with integrated sales pages and checkout process.

Step 3: Set Up Email Automation To Onboard, Educate, & Nurture Leads

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Not every prospective student is ready to enroll immediately. But you can set up marketing automation to keep in touch with your leads. Send them regular updates, reminders, or success stories to keep them engaged. If consistent enough, this automation can boost your engagement by up to 50%, which helps you easily attract and convert more leads.

As you start the process, make sure you already have:

• Your ideal customer profile (ICP)
• A high-quality, trustworthy website
• Tailored content marketing program
• Marketing automation tools, like Kajabi

To get started, decide what you want to achieve with your emails. Do you want to onboard, educate, or nurture students? Once figured out, create a digital product launch email and select an email marketing tool like Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign to automate your email sequences and track their performance.

You can also send a welcome email that introduces your platform and outlines what students can expect next. Remember to keep the emails short, clear, and friendly. Include a call to action, like “Learn more” or “Schedule a campus visit,” to encourage further engagement and guide them every step.

Step 4: Automate & Customize Your Online Course Sales Funnel

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Your sales funnel guides potential leads from their initial awareness of your course to their purchase. With the right approach, selling an online course is one of the best side hustles you can do at home. Just be sure to choose the right automation strategy and consider these elements of a sales funnel for your own online course business:

• Awareness: Make potential leads aware of your online course platform
• Discovery: Encourage students to explore your course offerings
• Evaluation: Help students compare your course outlines to other options
• Intent: Inspire students to consider enrolling in your course
• Purchase: Simplify the enrollment and payment process
• Loyalty: Build lasting relationships with leads after they enroll

With automation, your sales funnel can handle hundreds or even thousands of potential students at once. You also see which emails have the highest open rates, how many people clicked on your course sales page, and where people are dropping off.

​To guide you out with this step, here’s the key guide you can follow:

• Map out your sales funnel to guide prospects through discovering your course, like through social media, email, or ads.
• Use automation to move leads through the sales funnel. For example, if someone visits your course page but doesn’t buy, set an email reminder to nudge them.
• Customize the funnel based on behavior. If someone completes a course topic review but doesn’t purchase, offer them a 10% discount on their first purchase.
• Set email triggers to urge them to sign up for a free webinar or watch a course preview. Then, urge them to enroll in the online course marketplace.
• Customize your funnel. Segment students based on behavior or offer them tailored experiences. If students express interest in beginner-level courses, send them emails that highlight the introductory part of your course to align with their interests.

Setting up a sales funnel can be effective, but it can get tricky when handling a large number of leads. If you are not sure how to do this on your own, hire a sales representative from platforms like Genius and SalesHeads to make sure your prospects get the right follow-ups to sign up for your course material.

Step 5: Automate Performance Assessments & Grading Process

As a course creator, the time you spend grading assignments can be overwhelming. But as you automate these processes, you can free up time that you can use to improve your course content or engage with students. Use this to track which areas they struggle with the most or identify where to improve your course outline.

Here are the action points you need to do:

• Choose a course creation platform, like Graphy, that supports your specific course automation.
• Create online courses with assessments like quizzes tailored to your course goals.
• Set up automatic grading in your Course Platform to get instant scores of assessments.
• Provide immediate feedback via automated messages for their incorrect answers.
• Track student performance to monitor their progress and completion rates.
• Refine your assessment and grading process to deliver better results.

Step 6: Assess If Your Automation Strategy Generates A Profit Or Loss

You want to make sure that what you are spending on automation on different digital marketing channels actually brings you value. If you spend $1,000 on a tool but it only saves $500, it might be time to change things up so you can manage your budget better.

To start, take a look at your expenses on automation tools, like subscriptions, setup transaction fees, and any additional expenses like training or support. Measure the time and resources saved by using these tools. For example, if an automation tool saves you 10 hours/week, estimate how much that time is worth in terms of labor costs or lost productivity.

6 Marketing Automation Best Practices To Maximize Your ROI

From these 6 marketing automation best practices, list down the key points you need to do most and see if you have the resources to implement it without bottlenecks.

1. Set Clear Goals Before Launching Your Campaigns

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Setting goals gives you a clear marketing direction and purpose. They help you focus on what’s important rather than getting lost in the details. Regardless of your goals, it lets you decide where to invest your time, money, and effort for the best results. The typical goals you need to consider include:

• Increase sales
• Generate leads
• Boost website traffic
• Improve engagement
• Increase email open rates
• Enhance customer retention

But how do we make these goals achievable? 

Be clear about what you want to achieve. You can use the SMART framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) to keep your campaigns focused. For example, instead of saying, “I want to increase sales,” specify how much you want to increase them by. You can have it like, “I want to increase sales by 20%.”

2. Create A Clear Brand Voice & Use It Across All Platforms

​71% of consumers are more likely to purchase from a brand they recognize. So, consistency in your brand’s voice helps build trust and recognition. It strengthens your marketing and makes it feel more genuine and personal.

Here’s how you can set it up:

• Think about how you want your brand to sound. Should it be friendly, professional, playful, or serious?
• Use the same tone every time you post on social media or send emails to make customers feel familiar with your brand no matter where they see it.
• Avoid using complicated words or jargon. Write in a way that’s easy to understand, so everyone can connect with your message.
• Use automation software tools, like Buffer, to let you customize your brand voice and keep it consistent.

3. Add a Personal Touch to Your AI Messages

Just because you are using conversational AI for sales does not mean your messages have to sound robotic. 80% of consumers are more likely to purchase when brands offer personalized experiences, so add a personal touch to achieve that. 

• Use the recipient’s name in emails and personalize content based on their behavior (ex. their last purchase or browsing history).
• Create different messaging flows for customer segments (ex. first-time visitors vs. repeat buyers).
• Include dynamic content in emails that changes based on user actions, like offering a discount on abandoned carts.
• Write in a friendly tone that reflects how you would talk to a friend. Avoid overly formal language and jargon. Use everyday words that resonate with your target audience.

For example, if you operate in a construction renovation space like Fortune Restoration, using AI to communicate with your audience can build a strong client relationship and keep them informed about their projects. Instead of generic updates, personalize your messages based on client details, project types, and timelines. Here's how you can do it:

AI Message (Robotic)

“Dear Customer,

Your property restoration project is in progress. Our team will send further updates soon. If you have any questions, please visit our website or contact us.”

Human Version (Personalized)

“Hi [Client’s Name],

We’re excited to let you know that your [specific service, e.g., exterior painting] at [property address] is moving along smoothly! Our team just finished the initial prep work, and we’ll keep you updated as we progress. Have any questions? Feel free to reach out directly—we're here to help!”

​4. Update Your Content To Match Current Trends

Trends evolve fast, and what worked last year may not be as effective today. Fresh, relevant content builds credibility and performs at its best. For example, emails that are up to date for a specific audience have a 41% higher click-through rate. Updating it ensures your message aligns with your audience's evolving needs to keep them engaged.

To start, review your performance metrics, like open rates, click-through rates, and audience feedback, to identify areas for improvement. Refresh old statistics, adjust your messaging to reflect current trends, and make sure the tone aligns with your brand’s voice.

5. A/B Test Different Versions Of Your Marketing Copies

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A/B testing helps you find out what works best. You may think a certain headline or call-to-action (CTA) is perfect, but testing it against alternatives can improve your campaigns. This practice helps you optimize your marketing efforts by knowing which messages drive the most engagement.

Here's how to do it: 

• Start with one variable, like the subject line, CTA, or email layout. Testing too many things at once can make it hard to know what’s driving the results.
• Develop 2 versions of the content. Split your audience into 2 equal groups and send version A to the first group and version B to the other. See the example below.
• Track key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, or checkout conversion rates. Use the winning version to improve your future campaigns.

Here’s an example: If you are in the window and gutter cleaning industry and offering expert window cleaning services, you can A/B test different marketing messages to promote the best window cleaning services. Here’s a sample of an email campaign you can create:

• Version A: “Enhance Your Home’s Curb Appeal With Our Expert Window Cleaning”
• Version B: “Experience Streak-Free Windows – Satisfaction Guaranteed!”

Send each version to half of your mailing list and track which one generates more opens, clicks, and service bookings. Use the insights you get to highlight what resonates most with customers looking for the best cleaning services. Continue to test and optimize your marketing copies to see which works best.

6. Map Out Customer Experiences & Understand Their Reactions

Do this step to see where customers get stuck or what encourages them to act. If they drop off at the registration page, it can indicate that your process is confusing or too lengthy. Knowing these pain points helps you tailor your marketing processes to your customers’ needs.

How can you do it? Pay attention to how customers interact with your website or marketing materials. Use Google Analytics Behavior Flow to see where they spend the most time and where they might be dropping off, like the first and last pages they view on your site.

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You can even ask your customers through surveys, polls, or follow-up emails. Find out what they liked, what confused them, and what caused them to leave. Are they stuck on the same step? Or did they stop at the payment page? From there, make adjustments as needed.

Way Forward

As you start using these marketing automation strategies, think about how they can free up your time and save resources. Are there specific tasks that you find repetitive or take too much time when selling digital courses? Pinpoint which tasks you can automate using these platforms to sell your own online courses.

If you are looking for a user-friendly interface that lets you easily launch and sell courses online, Graphy is a reliable platform you can use. Our platform helps you design PDFs, host webinars, and even launch your own website and mobile app. Book a demo with us today to learn how we can help your course thrive.