A Step-by-Step Marketing Strategy For Online Courses

Got an online course but don’t know how to market it? Here is a step by step marketing strategy for online courses to fill your online course with students.

Hi Trish Davies here and today I am here to help you create a marketing strategy for online courses. Online courses are a great way to gain an expertise in a subject you’re interested in without having to spend years and thousands of dollars on schooling.

However, there is a lot that goes into marketing your online course that not many people think about. This blog post will help you navigate the marketing world and start marketing your online course today.

Get started by understanding what marketing really is and how it can help your business grow. Read on to explore the steps you need to take before you begin any type of marketing. Also where to find potential customers for your online courses. Lastly, we will talk about ways you can market your course after it has been created.

Marketing Strategy For Online Courses – What Is Marketing?

marketing strategy for online courses

Marketing can be confusing, but it’s important to understand the basics. It is the process of identifying and meeting customer needs by offering them quality products or services.

Marketing also helps you differentiate yourself from your competition, by using methods like advertising and social media.

There are many types of marketing techniques that can help promote your business or course. Therefore don't be afraid to experiment with different things. You may find that video marketing works best for your business while another business might find success in blogging.

Marketing is an ongoing process that should occur before, during and after you’ve created a product. Not only will the marketing help establish your presence in the market, but it will also attract customers for future sales.

Who Is My Target Audience? 

Marketing your online course starts with figuring out who your target audience is. Think about the type of person who would be interested in your courses and read your blog posts.

For example. If you teach courses on how to write a resume, you might want to market to people who are unemployed or those looking for a new job. Another example is if you teach personal finance. Then maybe those who don't have a lot of money or those looking to improve their financial status would be interested in what you're teaching.

When defining your target audience, also think about where they might find your content. For example, if they are searching for a new job and they search “how to prepare for an interview” on Google, would they find you? Would they visit your blog? Would they visit the company's website that hired them?

It's important to know this information so that when it comes time to market your product or service. Then you can focus on these areas as well as where else the specific group might find your content.

Creating A Marketing Plan 

Before beginning any type of marketing, it is important to have a plan. You can't just dive into the deep end and start tweeting about your course without first coming up with a plan.

There are many different plans that you can come up with, but one of the best ways to start is by identifying your target audience. This will help you know where and how to market.

Next, it would be wise to figure out which marketing channels to use. Also how much time and money you're willing to spend on each channel. From there, come up with a timeline for both starting your marketing efforts as well as preparing for them in advance.

Lastly, make sure all of these things are tied together in order for it to be an effective marketing strategy.

Marketing Strategy For Online Courses – Creating Your Course 

Before you can market your online course, you need to finish it. It’s best to start marketing after your course is completely created and ready for the world to see.

Create a landing page. This should include a description of what your course is about. Also what will be included in the course and who it would be appropriate for.

Create a video introduction to showcase your expertise in the field.

Consider creating a free mini-course before launching your full course. This will help you build an audience and get feedback on your content before going live with it for sale.

Finding Your Audience 

target audience

The first thing you need to do when marketing online is find your audience.

There are many ways to find people who may be interested in your product or service. You can use social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to reach your targeted audience.

You can also advertise your course on niche websites that cater to the same group of people you are trying to target. There are many social media networks devoted to advertising online courses like Udemy, Skill Share, and Creative Live.

You could also try advertising your course on sites like Reddit or Quora Especially if you feel like you have really something unique or an answer that would resonate with the site’s demographic.

You can also send out emails about your product or service directly to people who have signed up for it in the past. Whatever tactic you use, just make sure it is tailored specifically for the audience of the website you are using.

Marketing Strategies & Platforms 

It’s important to understand what marketing strategies and platforms work best for your business. You can find a list of the most popular platforms here.

1) Understand the Marketing Process

The first step to marketing your online course is understanding what marketing really is and how it can help your business grow. Read on to explore the steps you need to take before you begin any type of marketing, as well as where to find potential customers for your online courses.

Lastly, we will talk about ways you can market your course after it has been created.

2) Define Your Target Audience

A great way to find customers for your online courses is by defining who they are. It's important to figure out who would be interested in taking your course, so that you know who to target with your marketing campaigns.

Some ways you may define your ideal customer include age, location, interests, etc. For example, if you're creating an online course about dog training, some potential customers might be people with pets of their own.

Owners who are looking for new ways to train them or owners of pet stores looking for new techniques on how to better service their customers.

If this is the case, then it's important that all of the search engine optimization (SEO) content on your website targets these keywords. Keywords related to dog training and pet ownership instead of generic keywords like “online courses.”

This will help ensure that people looking for these relevant keywords will find it faster than those who are not specifically searching for

Conclusion 

In order to market your online courses, you must first know who your target audience is. Your target audience is the group of people who you want to purchase your course.

It's important to understand the needs and desires of this group so you can develop a marketing plan that effectively meets their needs and promotes your course.

Once you've identified the right marketing strategy, it's time to create your course. You'll want to make sure that you're giving the best information possible. Then those who purchase will have a good experience and feel as if they got their money's worth.

In addition, it's important to find your target audience so that you can then use social media platforms. Also blogging, paid ads or other marketing strategies to find them. You'll want to use the best marketing platform that fits the needs of your target audience.

A successful online course will result in many happy customers who will then spread the word about your business. For more information about creating and marketing your online course check out my Build Your AU program by clicking here.

Helping you build your authenticity, authority and audience.

Trish Davies

trish davies signature

Build Your AU