In recent years, online courses have become one of the most popular methods for learning new skills and acquiring new knowledge. Millions of people all over the world have enrolled in online courses (18% of individuals in the EU did so in 2021), and many of them have found great success. If you are an IT professional who wants to share your expertise with others and make some extra money, then selling online courses is a great option for you! Let’s take a quick look at the process of selling IT online courses in this blog post. We will cover everything from how to approach this process to what to expect once it is underway.
Why launching an IT online course is a good idea
There are many reasons why you should consider launching an online course. For one, online courses are extremely popular right now. In fact, the online education industry is expected to grow to $325 billion by 2025! This means that there is a huge demand for online courses, and if you can provide quality content, then you will be able to find students who are willing to pay for your course.
Of course, online courses are also one of the most efficient methods to share your knowledge with others. If you have expertise in a particular area of IT, e.g., synthetic monitoring or ransomware preventing, then you can help others learn about that topic by creating a course. Not only will you be able to make some money from your course, but you will also be able to help others improve their skills.
With online courses, as an IT professional, you can build your brand and increase your visibility. If you can create a successful online course, then it will serve as a testament to your expertise and will help you attract more clients and customers – and it’s a great stream of passive income, too.
Persuaded yet? Or, maybe even already launched a course or two? However, here’s only the beginning! Before you can start reaping the benefits of joining the online course business boom, you need to have a plan in place. This is where the IT online course sales blueprint comes in.
How to approach selling IT online courses
#1 Plan every single detail
The first step in any journey is to know your destination. The same is true when it comes to selling online courses. You need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve before you can start putting together a plan.
Think about your goals for selling online courses. Do you want to make a full-time income from your courses? Or, are you just looking to supplement your current income? Perhaps you want to use your courses as a way to build your brand and attract more clients.
Once you know your goals, you can start putting together a plan to achieve them. This plan should include everything from the type of courses you want to create to the price point you will be offering them at.
#2 Create quality content
If you want to sell online courses, then you need to create quality content. This is the most important part of your course, and it will be what determines whether or not students are willing to pay for it. That’s also what will give you the best chance of achieving your goals.
When creating your course, make sure to include only information that is relevant and useful. Students should be able to walk away from your course feeling like they have learned something valuable.
It is also important to make sure that your content is well-organized and easy to follow. No one wants to struggle to make sense of your course material. Instead, they should be able to digest the information easily and put it to use in their own lives.
You need to be extremely empathetic with your students. Try to put yourself in their shoes and think about what they need to know in order to achieve their goals.
#3 Be competitive
Let’s say you’ve created an amazing course and you’re sure that students will be willing to pay for it. That’s great! But, before you can start making money from your course, you need to make sure that you’re pricing it competitively and professionally. When you coach or conduct training, have an agreement in place, such is a common health coaching contract.
Take a look at other courses that are similar to yours and see how much they are selling for. Then, price your course accordingly. You don’t want to charge too much and risk turning students away. But, you also don’t want to charge too little and leave money on the table.
It can be helpful to offer discounts or special pricing for early bird students or for those who purchase multiple courses at once. This will help you attract more students while still making a profit.
And, don’t forget to consider the value that your course is offering. If your course is packed with valuable information, then you can charge a higher price. But, if it’s not as comprehensive, then you’ll need to adjust your pricing accordingly.
#4 Promote your IT online course
How do you want potential students to find out about your courses? You need to create a promotional plan that will generate interest in your courses and attract the right students.
Here’s where it pays off to be omnichannel. You should be promoting your courses across multiple channels, including social media, email marketing, high authority backlinks, and paid advertising. You may even consider scheduling meetings with potential students – the more places you can get your courses in front of them, the better.
When creating your promotional materials, make sure to focus on the benefits that your courses offer. What will students learn from taking your courses? How will your courses help them achieve their goals? If you can answer these questions, then you’ll be well on your way to attracting paying customers. Remember that they pay not for your agenda, but for what they can have out of it.
#5 Refresh your IT online course regularly
It’s possible that you created an online course a few years ago, and it’s been doing well. But, with the ever-changing landscape of technology, it’s important to keep your courses up-to-date. Otherwise, you risk losing students to outdated information.
When refreshing your courses, start by taking a look at the content. Is there anything that needs to be updated or added? Are there any new topics that you could cover? If so, then make the necessary changes. For example, phone systems change every year so keeping your course up to date is crucial.
You should also consider updating your course materials, such as slides or video tutorials. Perhaps incorporate some interactive content with an online quiz maker. Again, you want to make sure that your courses are current and relevant. Students won’t be willing to pay for something that sparkles with obsolescence.
Don’t forget to promote your refreshed courses once you’re done! Let your students know that you’ve updated the content and that they can expect to learn new things. If the update is substantial, you can even sell it on top of the original course. This will give students even more incentive to enroll.
Conclusion
Sometimes, creating an IT online course seems to be easier than selling it – mainly because it comes natural for us to share knowledge, but we feel rather insecure when it comes to selling. Keep in mind that you are not selling just anything – you are offering a solution to people’s problems, so your courses are valuable.
To generate income from selling your IT courses, you need to put some time and effort into it. You need to create quality courses, price them competitively, and promote them effectively. But if you do all of that, then you can expect to see a healthy return on your investment.
So what are you waiting for? Start creating those courses and start making money!