“In this blog, we have brought for you a list of things that you should know before launching your first course.”
As an educator, taking your first step into the digital space with your very own online course is as exciting as how scary it would be. The desire for perfection, the aim to put your best foot forward, and the fierce competition out there, all together makes for a challenging endeavor.
That being said, as you have already made up your mind and as the preparation must be in full swing, nothing is stopping you now. But as there is nothing called being fully prepared. There is always space for some valuable insights and advice. And we are here to fill that gap.
Related: Step by step guide to launch your online course
Let’s get started with the detailed analysis.
Table of Contents
As sound advice is always welcome, from our experts at Graphy, we have brought for you a list of things that you should know before launching your first course. Put them into a checklist and dive into the world of online learning with all gears at hand.
So, sit tight while we take you through all the steps one by one.
Be fully informed about what awaits you in this journey
–Know how deep the water is before you dive in.
You have made up your mind to launch your first course and turn your vision into a reality. But putting yourself out there in the world before acquiring 360-degree knowledge regarding all the key elements wouldn’t be a smart choice.The first step to building your course and launching it for the world to see and avail of is conducting thorough research and acquiring holistic knowledge. Be aware of the tough competition that awaits you. Know what your competitors are selling and then create a foolproof plan regarding how to stand out from the crowd.
While success is what we all dream of, let failure be a factor that you are prepared for.
The moment you launch a course, many leads could pour in or you could have a slow start and then have a steady flow of students. Whatever might be the case, you have to stand your firm ground and remember the vision with which you decided to launch your first course.
Related: How to choose your online course nicheThis is not going to be an easy journey but is nevertheless a journey that you began and therefore giving up in between is not an option.
BEGIN YOUR ONLINE JOURNEY NOW Never forget your target audience even for a moment-Target your target audience with each step.
A course without a target audience is like a classroom without students, completely pointless. Therefore the key to the success of any course depends upon to what extent you cater to the needs and interests of your target audience.
Your target audience might be students, the working population, homemakers, or any possible individual out there. Your course must be shaped in a way that immediately captures their attention and makes them want to know more. Always know and provide knowledge that is not even available online. Be different and build your connection with your target audience. Make them believe that you know more than others and hold a lot of expertise in your niche. Read Here: Create your new Course Step by Step GuideHowever, there are several questions which you need to think about and those are:
1) Who is this course meant for?Begin with deciding who your target audience is. Which exactly is the milieu which you wish to target through your course. Once you have an answer to this, you can formulate the best plan. Moreover, you can come up with a course outline and teaching methodology that will best appeal to your target audience.
2) What will your course offer to the enrolling students?
Pick any subject out there and what you will find yourself amidst is a sea of courses aiming to educate all the interested students in everything related to it. So, your selling point must be how your course is different from all the other courses. And make sure that you highlight this in the description of your course and in every post that you make on its behalf.
Related: How to monetize your audience in 2022
Remember if your niche holds a lot of competition then it’s a positive point. Because the subject is in a lot of demand and your audience base is massive.3) How will you add to their pool of knowledge?
No one enrolls in a course for fun, they come with an intent to learn. And if your course doesn’t strike the curiosity of your target audience, they would have no reason to enroll in your course.
So, make sure that the course outline raise and answers questions like:- What is the objective of this course?
- What all readings would the course cover?
- What all would the students cover by the end of this course?
You would have decided to launch your first course into the world with a desire to impart knowledge, with an intent to take forward your learnings. So, make sure that you make this intent clear, to begin with.
Related: 7 myths of launching online courses
Be clear about your course USP
-Let your course stand out from the crowd.
As mentioned earlier, a course without a USP is meant to fail. If it fails to appeal to the interest of the audience that you wish to cater to, then getting the desired enrollment rate would be an impossible task.
So, before you prepare to launch your first course, do a competitor analysis and figure out what you can bring to the picture that your competitors haven’t. Bring in:
- A different perspective,
- A different set of reference material,
- A different approach,
- Methodology or anything else that you feel would help you withstand the tough competition out there.
What you need to find is a way to trigger people’s curiosity in the subject that you are offering.
Remember, the more different your course’s USP is, the more appealing it will be for your target audience.
Let branding and advertising be your best friends
-Don’t let anyone miss out on your course with an inefficient marketing strategy.
The audience should know your visibility and existence. Most online businesses fail because of the wrong audience targeting and inefficient marketing tactics.
You can put all your heart and mind into your course but if it doesn’t reach all interested candidates, it is an attempt made in vain. And this is where branding and marketing come into play.
Through branding, you ensure that your course comes out in an image that people can place their trust on. Important here is:
- The outline of your course,
- How you have presented it and
- Also, if you are hosting the course on a trusted platform.
Here, collaborating with a trusted platform like Graphy and launching your course with us could help put a positive word about your course. Graphy completely encourages you to establish your brand and identity. That is why Graphy offers branded websites and mobile apps. ‘Powered by Graphy’ will not become a hindrance to your brand’s success.
Related: Importance of Branding for Online Educators
Then comes marketing your course. Create effective campaigns that will give all the potential candidates a sneak peek into your course methodology. Also will have interesting aspects that you would cover and immediately your course would become a subject of interest and inquiries will begin to pour in even before the launch.
From a marketing perspective, Graphy provides advanced marketing tools and features. Since Graphy is an all-in-one platform, it allows you to run marketing on the platform itself. You don’t have to keep on switching the tabs or integrate any third-party expensive tools. Graphy platform takes care of it completely. You can drag traffic to your course landing page through:
- Blogging
- Affiliate marketing
- Referral program
- Running ads
- SEO friendly platform
- Events and source tagging
- Discount coupons
Create a path for your course with an active email list
Let the word about your course travel the world while riding on emails. If you have an email subscribers list, they could potentially be the best recipients of your course. They must already be aware of your work, your interest in the field and therefore would be more likely to place their trust in your course.
So, ensure that you make the best out of email marketing and launch campaigns that use email as a tool to spread the notice about the launch of your course.
It is a daunting task to send 100 emails one by one to your audiences. We at Graphy completely understand the issues and that’s why we have come to your rescue. Graphy has Mailchimp integration in the platform itself. It helps the creator to send the mails be it 100 or 300 at one go. You don’t have to send emails one by one anymore because Graphy takes care of it.If marketing your course is becoming a subject of headache for you, get in touch with our experts at Graphy and they will assist you with the entire marketing campaign and teach you how to use all marketing tools on the platform.
Don’t overwork yourself to exhaustion
-Launching a course is not the end but just the beginning.
The last but not the least important thing to remember before you launch your first course is that while hard work is the key to the success of your course, draining yourself out in the process is not a preferable option. Whatever you do before the launch of your course is simply a preparatory ritual. The real journey begins once you launch your course out there. So, make sure that you are not overly exhausted even before beginning the real part of your journey as an educator.
What is key here is to achieve a balance. Work hard enough but make sure to take a break in between to recharge yourself. That way you can ensure that you put your best foot forward starting from the moment you begin planning for your course to when you wrap it all up with the last lecture.
Closing lines
Launching your first course will be overwhelming. But once you get the hang of it then it will become a cakewalk for you. If you follow the above steps ritually then success is not away from you. To build your online empire, Graphy will play a vital role. Graphy lets you create, market, and sell your online course on an all-in-one platform.
Graphy offers advanced marketing & sales tools and techniques which lets you shine and grow your presence and conversion rate.
So, sign up on Graphy and as an educator, stay ahead in the race that awaits you in this journey.
