The 5 most common errors that course creators and companies make when launching their online academy

You've put in lots of effort and time creating your course and website contents ready: all the pieces are there and all set to launch!

    1. Not recognizing that you are cross-promoting your course

2. There is a missing FAQ section on the course website
It's common for students to reach out to get help on commonly asked questions once the course begins. To reduce the number of support requests you could get and reduce confusion among existing or new students, I recommend creating FAQ sections on your site. For a quick and easy FAQ section on your site it is possible to use Site Builder's custom Page. A custom page is an option to add new information to your site that is not covered by the Default pages included on the Pages of the Site Pages. It is an excellent option to customize your site , and offer your users more information -- about you, your courses, and your business and help them achieve success by providing them with the information they need to be able to navigate through your courses. A tip for you: Customized pages can be used to include the About Us page, Contact page, or anything else you'd like to include in your site!

Once the page is created on your site you can use the following knowledge base article as a jumping off point to address commonly asked questions:Troubleshooting Guide for Student Issues

       3. Not taking full advantage of Payments  

There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing a payment provider that will serve your needs. While does have connections with other payment companies such as Stripe and Paypal, recently it launched Payments. I frequently advise my customers to utilize payments since it allows course creators to take advantage of other features which have proven to be huge successes. These are features:

• Performance Checkout, an innovative single-page checkout that is faster and reduces customer drop-off. It allows customers to make their payment first prior to setting up their account. If you have returning customers, your payment process is easier because their credit card details are automatically filled in, eliminating more typing or having to grab their wallet.
  
• Order Bumps A tool which recommends complementary products to your customers, just before they purchase. The tool has helped creators and businesses increase their average order value by 33%, and generate more sales from each transaction.

The best part? By using payment options, you'll have the ability to create the best learning experience for your students. It's built in so you'll be able to spend more time teaching and creating content instead of administrative tasks for your business.

    4. The launch is not conducted without performing the Launch Preparedness Review

As the Customer Success Manager one of my main responsibilities of my role is to ensure you, my Plus client, are fully equipped for the launch of your course. This includes conducting a Launch Preparedness Review prior to launch. The Launch Preparedness Review process aims to ensure that your website is fully operational before students have access.

I am in constant contact with the Plus clients to ensure that there aren't any mistakes or blockers that could hinder their students from enjoying the best experience possible on their website.

In order to make reviewing your website as straightforward as possible I'll break down your website into different sections and then conduct an evaluation of the site's content with a focus on aspects that matter to you and your business. The assessment could involve checking and evaluating your

• Site design
• Course set-up
• Bundle configuration
• Additional content for learning
• Integrations and tools for selling
• Students Groups
• Reviews and notification
• General site settings
• Student user account
• Test tests and much more..

If you are a course creator on our self-serve plans are able to take advantage of this free Launch Preparation Review checklist designed to ensure you're having the most successful Launch.

            5. Not using the App Store    

The App Store lets you customize your experience for your students and you. With the help of apps you can bring advanced functionality and functions into your lessons as well as sales and marketing and even business processes.

As the Customer Success Manager an error I frequently observe course designers and businesses make prior to launching their online academies is forgetting to take advantage of the apps available that are simple to add to their site as well as have the potential to significantly improve their students' experience with just two clicks. There are several apps I recommend that my customers take a look at in order to make improvements to their course sites:

• Poptin: a user-friendly leads, sales, and subscribers generation platform that lets you make captivating pop-ups, forms and autoresponders in a matter of minutes.
• Appointo : a tool designed to make it simple to manage and schedule appointments with students.
• Thinglink : this application lets you create interactive and engaging visual experience for your students through including multimedia tags in images, videos, 360 scenes & 3-D items.

Key Takeaway

If you are aware of these common mistakes to avoid to avoid when you launch your online academy, you'll already be several steps ahead of the game with regards to making sure you have an effective launch.

The Team member from the Customer Success department will allow you to be supported in a one-on-one manner and industry knowledge, as well as advice regarding best practices and continuous accountability throughout your journey of growing your business with online learning.

The Customer Success team will integrate seamlessly to your team and will provide you with a road map for success, including the next steps.