You can make money from online courses. Invest around 40 hours in creating your content, and you can earn hundreds to even thousands of dollars. Fact is, there is no better time to start your online courses business. With mostly everyone staying at home due to the Corona Virus pandemic, the market for online education is on the rise.
Professionals, hobbyists, and learners are finding ways to continue with their education from the safety of their homes. What makes online courses great is the flexibility that they give the students. They can access the learning materials at their own timing and pace, wherever they are, as long as they have an internet connection.
Teachers also benefit from online courses. They can record their materials beforehand, and upload them on their chosen platform or innovative community engagement app builder. Later on, they can simply make updates on their materials if needed.
You can make a living by sharing your knowledge, skills, and expertise through paid online courses. Continuing education is a must for professionals who want to go up to their career ladder. Unfortunately, going to school for post-graduate studies can be expensive. This makes online courses a convenient and much affordable option. Enrolled students can learn at their own convenient time, wherever they are.
Why Online Courses Sell Well
There are varied reasons why online courses are a hit. Here are the most common ones.
1. Online courses are cheaper.
Compared to live classroom instructions, online courses are more inexpensive. Anyone can do it from their home, wherever they are in the world. It eliminates travel expenses, allowing learners access to world-class instructions.
2. Online courses allow for flexible set-up.
Professionals, stay-at-home parents, retirees, and even students can enroll in online courses. There are no restrictions on time and location. Anyone can take them after work, after classes, or during their break times. Learners can set their own schedule based on what is convenient for them.
3. There is a wide range of choices.
Online courses offer a wide range of different topics, more than anyone can imagine. From literature and language, finance and business, arts and music, to IT and programming, people can choose among an infinite list of skills that they want to learn and master. Many known universities also offer short online courses, with some even providing certificates of completion.
4. It is accessible.
Online courses are easily accessible on different platforms. They also come in mobile applications that learners can download on their smartphones and open anytime. Even with lockdowns and travel restrictions due to the global pandemic, people can continue with their learning journey, to learn new skills or improve their existing ones.
How You Can Start Your Paid Online Course Business
Just as learners can enroll in an online course anywhere they are in the world, you can also start your online course wherever you are and at your comfort. It will take preparation and hard work to create a successful online course business.
Here’s what you need to know when you start your online course business.
1. Decide on a topic and whom you want to teach.
Before you can start to create your online course content, you have to decide on what you want to teach. What topic do you and your colleagues consider as your expertise? To be considered an expert, you have to know more about the topic compared to the person that you are teaching. It’s that simple.
Make a list of topics that you want to create a course about. Narrow down the list to topics where your passion, skills, and experience intersect.
Next, you need to identify your target audience. It should be composed of people who are interested in the topic that you want to teach. Your topic will not attract everyone. Avoid creating courses that will appeal to everyone. Choose a specific target audience and design your course for them.
2. Check for demand.
Of course, your online course will not earn you money if there is no demand for it. Before you invest your effort and money creating your online course, validate the demand for your chosen topic. One way to do this is to look for competitors who are doing well on a similar topic. If there is no competition, there is no demand for it.
3. Create your unique brand.
Once you have decided on a topic, identified your target audience, and validated that there is a demand for it, it’s time to build your brand. Build a brand that will attract your target audience. Create a Unique Value Proposition and identify the following:
- The people that you help
- What you help them with
- The benefits that they get from it
Your UVP allows people to know what it is that you exactly do and who you do it for.
4. Reach out to your target audience.
You cannot sell your product without an audience. Reach out to your target audience through social media, networking, email marketing, and content marketing. You must have a following that trusts your expertise and likes you or even looks up to you.
Now that you have everything in place, it’s time to create your online course. This may be the most exciting part of the whole process. It can take you weeks, months, or even just one weekend. You can start with a minimum viable product. From there on, you can improve your course based on feedback and suggestions from your first students.
