6 Reasons why creators fail to sell their online courses
The field of online education is growing at an incredible rate as more and more students turn on the web for learning new techniques and broaden their knowledge.
The size of the E-learning market was estimated at $200 billion by the year 2019 and will be projected to be $376 billion by 2026 .
However, building a successful online education business isn't easy, so lots of creators are struggling to make their course sellable.
Today, we'll look at six reasons why your course may not be selling in the first place, and then how you address these issues:
- Not validating the idea of the course
- Not able to provide results
- Not building an audience from the start
- Aiming at too many sources
- Doing not have a funnel for marketing
- Getting your course pricing strategy incorrect
This will give you a good perspective of the obstacles must be overcome on your journey to create your course.
Let's get started.
1. Not validating your course idea
Before any entrepreneur launches an enterprise, they conduct thorough market research.
For access to funding, build a business plan and start a profitable enterprise, business owners must be sure that there's an audience for what they're selling.
The same principles apply to selling online courses as well. Before you commit your time and money in making a course, it's crucial to test your idea.
In contrast, most creators decide their subject matter from the notion that their target audience is likely to learn about that topic and this can turn out to be the biggest error they made.
Some research could show that students are more interested in a different similar notion. Also, you may find out that the market for your particular course is over filled, which makes it difficult to make your course stand out.
2. Inability to provide outcomes
If the course you offer isn't of good quality and fails to give the expected results to pupils, it'll be difficult to market that course in the long run. The issue isn't how well your idea for the course or how successful your marketing is.
Your course online is more than just the accumulation of videos or words, it's a structured learning journey which transforms students from their present reality into their desired future. Your online course creates change for your students.
Beyond the course subject matter the only thing that matters is in the technology you employ for delivering your class. Therefore, it's essential to choose the appropriate technology that supports high-quality learning experiences.
3. The problem is that you have not built an audience right from the very beginning
Most course creators don't realize that they require an audience in order to market their courses. They create the idea of a course, and then begin developing content without ever considering who the course is intended for or how to reach their audience.
The ideal time to start building an audience for your course is when you decide the subject matter you'll be teaching So you'll have a list of potential students willing to enroll in your class when you're ready.
There are several methods to create your list of email addresses.
Another alternative is to create a course waitlist page. The waitlist page could highlight some of the benefits that your course will deliver to students.
4. Targeting too numerous traffic sources
Unfortunately, a lot of course creators make the mistake of trying many different approaches simultaneously hoping to find the one that will work. That means you do not spend enough energy or concentration on any particular method.
It's better to pick the only one or two sources of traffic that are most appropriate for the target audience that you're trying reach and then put all of your attention on them. If you're using SEO, then ensure you know every aspect that go with it prior to switch to something else.
Concentrating on just the most effective methods available one at a time can ensure that you don't end up wasting time and money on poorly-structured campaigns.
Moreover, it's important to remember that not all traffic is suitable to your needs. The traffic source(s) you decide for your target must be appropriate to your niche and your skillset.
If, for instance, you're adept at making audio recordings, you may want to host a podcast so that you can drive the traffic to your site and attract new customers. If you're a writer who enjoys writing really informative content, it could be the best choice.
5. A lack of a funnel for marketing
An email list is an excellent asset for your company. However, just having them as your list of email recipients isn't enough to allow you to make them buyers.
A few leads who visit your landing page could be interested in you and the subject you plan to impart, however they may need to know a little more about the brand prior to purchasing from your company.
You can start by sending them useful content like blogs and videos by email. By sending useful content, you can showcase your knowledge and demonstrate your thought leadership that is a great method to gain trustworthiness.
The goal is to offer a lot of value for them right at the start of their journey. This will help you build an alliance with the person.
Once you've built a rapport between them and you may change to "sales phase". You can create an email campaign to introduce your course as a solution for their issues and then present an exclusive offer to them to buy.
6. Getting your course pricing strategy wrong
Though most of the time, students price their courses at a low price However, we've witnessed people pricing them too high as well. Neither is good for your selling rates for your course.
If you select a cost that isn't appropriate to your program, you're showing your students that the lessons you've taught them aren't value-added. It's not the best way to go for a business that is asking its customers to trust you with their education.
The best option is to research on what competitors in your industry are selling their courses to.
Usually, it helps to set your prices a little conservatively, in the beginning. Once you have gained more confidence in your industry, you can gradually increase the price.
If you require assistance setting up the cost of your online courses, make use of this worksheet
Setting yourself up to be successful
It's never been a more perfect time for course creators to establish their presence online.
Students are more open to the concept of learning online as they've ever been. Additionally, today's market has a wealth of helpful tools to help get you going.
Don't rush into creating online courses until you've carefully considered all of the pitfalls we've talked about in this guide and the best way to avoid them.
These are some suggestions to help you with that:
- Check your course's idea before you create your course
- Focus your attention and focus on creating an engaging online course
- Create your target audience starting from day 1 and not delay until the course is complete
- Choose a couple of web traffic sources, and then focus on the sources
- Design a marketing funnel to collect leads and convert them into buyers
- Find the optimal price point for your course
Read Baidhurya's piece aboutthe most effective online learning platforms to discover why HTML0 is the best choice.