How to Use Online Courses and Webinars to Educate and Monetize Your Audience v1.2

Learn How To Use Online Courses And Webinars To Educate And Monetize Your Audience Today!

By Bing Chat and John Monyjok Maluth

Introduction

Online courses and webinars are two of the most popular and effective ways to share your knowledge, skills, and expertise with your audience. Online courses are self-paced or instructor-led learning programs that deliver structured and comprehensive content on a specific topic or skill. Webinars are live or recorded online events that provide valuable information, insights, or tips on a specific topic or problem.

Both online courses and webinars can help you achieve various goals, such as:

Educating your audience: You can provide useful and relevant content that can help your audience learn something new, improve their skills, or solve their problems.
Monetizing your audience: You can generate income by charging your audience for accessing your online courses or webinars, or by promoting your products or services through them.
Building your authority and credibility: You can showcase your expertise and experience on your topic or niche, and establish yourself as a trusted and reliable source of information or guidance.
Growing your audience and engagement: You can attract new followers, subscribers, or customers by offering valuable content that they are interested in, and interact with them through comments, questions, or feedback.

However, creating and delivering online courses and webinars is not as easy as it may seem. You need to follow some best practices and use some tools to make your online courses and webinars more effective and appealing.

In this article, we will share some tips and strategies on how to use online courses and webinars to educate and monetize your audience, based on our own experience and research.

How to Create Online Courses

Online courses are a great way to share your knowledge and skills with your audience in a structured and comprehensive way. Online courses can also be a great source of passive income, as you can create them once and sell them multiple times. However, creating online courses requires a lot of planning, preparation, and production. Here are some steps that you can follow to create online courses:

1. Choose a topic for your online course

The first step to create an online course is to choose a topic that you are passionate about, knowledgeable about, and skilled at. You should also choose a topic that is in high demand, relevant, and profitable. You can use various sources to find a topic for your online course, such as:

Your own experience or expertise: You can use your own personal or professional experience or expertise as a source of inspiration for your online course topic. You can think about what you have learned, achieved, or overcome in your life or career, and how you can share it with others.
Your audience’s needs or interests: You can use your audience’s needs or interests as a source of inspiration for your online course topic. You can survey your audience, ask them questions, listen to their feedback, or observe their behavior to find out what they want to learn from you.
Your market research: You can use market research as a source of inspiration for your online course topic. You can use various tools or platforms to analyze the trends, demands, gaps, or opportunities in your niche or industry. Some of these tools or platforms are Google Trends¹, Statista², Amazon³, etc.

2. Validate your online course idea

The second step to create an online course is to validate your online course idea. This means testing whether there is enough demand and interest for your online course topic among your target audience. Validating your online course idea can help you avoid wasting time, money, or energy on creating something that no one wants to buy. Here are some ways to validate your online course idea:

Pre-sell your online course: Pre-selling your online course means offering it for sale before you actually create it. This way, you can gauge the level of interest and willingness to pay for your online course among your potential customers. You can use various tools or platforms to pre-sell your online course, such as Podia, Teachable, Thinkific, etc.

Create a landing page for your online course: Creating a landing page for your online course means creating a web page that describes the benefits, features, and outcomes of your online course, and invites visitors to sign up for it. This way, you can measure the level of traffic and conversion for your online course among.
Create a minimum viable product for your online course: Creating a minimum viable product (MVP) for your online course means creating a simplified version of your online course that contains the essential content and features that can deliver value to your customers. This way, you can test and validate your online course idea with real customers and get feedback and data that can help you improve your online course.

3. Prepare a detailed outline for your online course

The third step to create an online course is to prepare a detailed outline that covers the structure and content of your online course. Your outline should include the following elements:

Learning objectives: The learning objectives are the specific and measurable outcomes that you want your customers to achieve after completing your online course. They should answer the question: What will your customers be able to do, know, or feel after taking your online course?
Curriculum: The curriculum is the sequence and organization of the topics and lessons that you will teach in your online course. It should follow a logical and progressive order that guides your customers from the beginning to the end of your online course.
Content: The content is the information, insights, or tips that you will provide in each topic or lesson of your online course. It should be clear, concise, and relevant to your learning objectives and curriculum. You should also consider the format, style, and tone of your content, such as text, audio, video, images, etc.
Activities: The activities are the tasks or exercises that you will assign to your customers in each topic or lesson of your online course. They should be engaging, interactive, and practical. They should also reinforce your learning objectives and content.
Assessments: The assessments are the tools or methods that you will use to measure and evaluate the progress and performance of your customers in your online course. They should be aligned with your learning objectives and content. They can include quizzes, tests, assignments, projects, etc.

4. Produce and publish your online course

The fourth step to create an online course is to produce and publish your online course using various tools or platforms. You should consider the following factors when choosing the tools or platforms for your online course:

Features: The features are the functions or capabilities that the tools or platforms offer for creating and delivering your online course. They can include editing, hosting, streaming, recording, etc.
Cost: The cost is the amount of money that you need to pay for using the tools or platforms for your online course. It can include subscription fees, transaction fees, etc.
Ease of use: The ease of use is the level of difficulty or complexity that you encounter when using the tools or platforms for your online course. It can include user interface, user experience, customer support, etc.

Some examples of tools or platforms that you can use to produce and publish your online course are:

Camtasia: Camtasia is a software that allows you to record and edit videos for your online course. It has various features such as screen capture, audio editing, transitions, annotations, etc.
Podia: Podia is a platform that allows you to host and sell your online courses. It has various features such as landing pages, payment processing, email marketing, etc.
Teachable: Teachable is another platform that allows you to host and sell your online courses. It has various features such as quizzes, course summaries, and much more.

How to Use Online Courses and Webinars to Educate and Monetize Your Audience (Part 2)

In the previous article, we discussed some of the benefits and challenges of creating and selling online courses and webinars. We also shared some tips on how to choose a topic, create and launch a course, and build a community around it. In this article, we will explore some more strategies on how to promote and monetize your online courses and webinars effectively.

Promoting Your Online Courses and Webinars

One of the most important aspects of running a successful online course or webinar business is marketing. You need to reach out to your target audience, generate interest and awareness, and persuade them to sign up for your offer. Here are some of the best ways to promote your online courses and webinars:

Use social media. Social media is a powerful tool for reaching and engaging with your potential customers. You can use platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Pinterest to share valuable content, showcase your expertise, build trust, and drive traffic to your landing page or website. You can also use social media ads to target specific audiences based on their demographics, interests, behaviors, and preferences.
Create a blog or podcast. A blog or podcast is a great way to showcase your knowledge, provide value, and establish yourself as an authority in your niche. You can use your blog or podcast to share useful tips, insights, stories, case studies, interviews, and more related to your course or webinar topic. You can also use your blog or podcast to promote your offer by adding a call-to-action at the end of each episode or post.
Build an email list. An email list is one of the most valuable assets you can have as an online course or webinar creator. An email list allows you to communicate directly with your subscribers, nurture them with relevant content, and persuade them to buy from you. You can build an email list by offering a lead magnet, such as a free ebook, report, checklist, video series, or mini-course that is related to your course or webinar topic. You can then use email marketing tools like Mailchimp or ConvertKit to send automated emails that educate, entertain, and sell.
Leverage SEO. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving your website’s visibility and ranking on search engines like Google or Bing. SEO can help you attract organic traffic from people who are searching for information related to your course or webinar topic. You can optimize your website for SEO by using relevant keywords, creating high-quality content, improving your site speed and performance, getting backlinks from other reputable sites, and more.
Partner with influencers or affiliates. Influencers or affiliates are people who have a large and loyal following in your niche or industry. They can help you reach a wider audience, increase your credibility, and generate more sales for your online course or webinar. You can partner with influencers or affiliates by offering them a commission for every sale they make through their referral link or code. You can also provide them with free access to your course or webinar, exclusive bonuses, or other incentives.

Monetizing Your Online Courses and Webinars

Once you have created and promoted your online course or webinar, you need to monetize it effectively. There are different ways you can make money from your online course or webinar depending on your goals, audience, and offer. Here are some of the most common ways to monetize your online course or webinar:

Charge a one-time fee. This is the simplest way to monetize your online course or webinar. You simply set a price for your offer and collect payment from your customers once they sign up. This method works well for courses or webinars that provide a clear outcome or solution for a specific problem or need.
Charge a recurring fee. This is a more advanced way to monetize your online course or webinar. You charge a monthly or yearly fee for access to your offer and provide ongoing value through updates, support, community, etc. This method works well for courses or webinars that provide continuous learning or improvement for a broad topic or skill.
Offer multiple tiers or packages. This is a way to monetize your online course or webinar by offering different options for different customers based on their needs, preferences, and budgets. You can create different tiers or packages that include different features, benefits, bonuses, etc., such as basic, premium, VIP, etc., and charge accordingly.
Sell add-ons or upsells. This is a way to monetize your online course or webinar by offering additional products or services that complement or enhance your main offer. For example, you can sell ebooks, workbooks, coaching sessions, consulting services, software tools etc., that help your customers get more value from your course or webinar.
Sell sponsorships or advertisements. This is a way to monetize your online course or webinar by partnering with other brands or businesses that want to reach your audience. You can sell sponsorships or advertisements that appear on your website, landing page, email, social media, etc., and earn a fee for every impression or click.

Conclusion

Online courses and webinars are a great way to educate and monetize your audience. They allow you to share your knowledge, skills, and expertise with people who are interested in learning from you. They also allow you to generate passive income and grow your business. However, creating and selling online courses and webinars is not easy. You need to follow a proven process that involves choosing a topic, creating and launching a course or webinar, building a community, promoting and monetizing your offer, and more. By following the tips and strategies we shared in this article, you can create and sell online courses and webinars that educate and monetize your audience effectively.

References

[1] How to Create an Online Course in 2021 – LearnWorlds. (2021, February 18). LearnWorlds Blog. https://www.learnworlds.com/how-to-create-an-online-course/
[2] How to Create a Webinar in 2021: A Step-by-Step Guide. (2021, January 4). BigMarker Blog. https://blog.bigmarker.com/how-to-create-a-webinar/
[3] How to Choose a Profitable Online Course Topic in 2021. (2020, December 22). Thinkific. https://www.thinkific.com/blog/choose-profitable-course-topic/
[4] How to Launch an Online Course Successfully in 2021: The Ultimate Guide. (2020, December 22). Thinkific. https://www.thinkific.com/blog/how-to-launch-an-online-course/
[5] How to Build a Community Around Your Online Course. (2020, November 9). Podia. https://www.podia.com/articles/build-community-around-online-course
[6] 10 Ways to Promote Your Online Course & Increase Sales in 2021. (2020, December 22). Thinkific. https://www.thinkific.com/blog/10-ways-promote-online-course-increase-sales/
[7] How to Monetize Your Online Course: 7 Proven Ways to Make Money from Your Course in 2021. (2020, December 22). Thinkific. https://www.thinkific.com/blog/how-to-monetize-your-online-course/