Getting your eLearning course off the ground isn’t just about creating great content; it’s about making sure people see it. It’s exactly like opening a new shop – you don’t just unlock the doors and hope for the best. This final part looks at the steps you should take before your launch date to generate some real interest.
You will need to test your course to ensure its all working, consider ways to pinpoint your ideal learner, use social media to your advantage, and think about how much you are going to charge.
Note that this is not a section on marketing as that is beyond the scope of the course, and you would do well to seek out a marketing specialist for help.
One of the most important aspects of launching a course is ensuring it works first time. As with most products before they hit the shops, they are tested. You will need to do the same with your course. Testing finds problems early, so that learners have a smooth and worthwhile experience. If learners have problems, they will lose faith, drop out and even worse leave bad reviews, which may be a problem when you’re trying to sell it.
The easiest way to test a course is to get some beta testers. Beta testers will try out your course as learners before it goes live to everyone, and they give you important feedback. This helps you fix any problems before your learners even see them.
It’s important to get beta testers who are like the people who will be taking your course – you want people with different skills and backgrounds. This way, you can see if the course works for everyone. If you only get one type of person to test it, you might miss things.
Make sure some testers are good with computers, and some are not so good. Also, try to get people who learn in different ways. Some people like to read, others like videos. A mix of people will give you the best feedback.
It may sound complex getting beta testers, but they can just be friends and family that you ask to work their way through your course. You done need special training to be a beta tester, your just need to give them clear instructions. Tell them exactly what you want them to test. For example, you could ask them:
The clearer you are, the better the feedback will be. Encourage them to give you as much detail as possible. Try asking open-ended questions – not “did you like it?” which can be answered with a yes or no, but “what did you like and dislike about it?”. This way you are inviting them to give you more information.
As people use all sorts of methods to access the internet – phones, tablets, laptops – make sure your course works on all of them. Get your testers to try the course on different devices.
Also, people use different web browsers, like Chrome, Edge, Safari, or Firefox. Test the course on all the main browsers. This will stop anyone having problems.
If your course has quizzes or tests, pay attention to how people do on them. Do lots of people get the same questions wrong? If so, that might mean the questions are confusing, or the content isn’t clear. Don’t be afraid to change the questions or content to make it easier to understand. This will make sure everyone gets a fair chance.
Once you have all the feedback, it’s time to make some changes. But don’t just make the changes and think you’re done. Test the course again to make sure the changes worked.
Keep testing and improving your course until you are happy with it. This is the best way to make sure everyone has a great time.
Pre-launch marketing is important, as it helps get that initial buzz going and gets people ready to learn. The trick is to know who you are talking to.
You need to create a picture of your ideal learner. Know things such as what they are interested in and what problems do they have that your course can fix? Sound familiar? It should do as you have already done this when you created your audience persona, long before you wrote your course. Once you have this, it means you can then send out messages that speak directly to them.
One great way to find potential learners is by using social media. As part of your audience persona research, you may have found out where your ideal learner hangs out. Is it TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, or somewhere else? You should try to build a group of followers on the relevant sites by sharing cool stuff related to your course, posting little teasers of what’s in the course and what people will learn. This will make them want to know more.
You could create a “lead magnet”, after all everyone likes free stuff. A lead magnet is something valuable you give away for free, like a short guide or a special training video. People usually get it in exchange for their email address, giving you some potential leads for later. Many course writers will give away their first section to entice people on to their course.
Once you have your list of email addresses you can use it to send out interesting stuff to people. But don’t just try to sell to them, give them tips and useful facts related to your course topic. Build their excitement by telling them what the course is about, what they’ll learn, and how it will help them.
And when the big day arrives, it’s time to shout about your course. Use your email list and social media to tell everyone it’s open. Make sure to say why your course is so great and why they should sign up now. A good idea is to offer a special price for people who sign up early. This makes them feel like they are getting a good deal and encourages them to sign up right away.
These pre-launch steps help to create excitement, build a group of interested people, and get ready for a great course launch.
One big question when selling courses online is: how much do I charge?
Pricing your course is very important as it tells people what your course is worth. It needs to fit your learners, but it must also help you meet your goals and reflect the amount of effort you put into developing the course in the first place.
First, have a look at courses like yours. What do they charge? This will give you an idea of the going rate. Don’t just look at the price but read the contents of these other courses. Some may have little content or be a light touch about a subject, compared to what you have. Remember, there are a lot of courses out there and many of them will be very poor in terms of content and design.
You could think about having different price options. Some learners might want more help. Others might just want the basics. By offering different levels, more people can join your course. They can pick the one that is best for them and their money situation.
Think about how much time you are going to spend running the course. If it’s a simple online course that requires no instructor intervention then it’s easy, but if you are offering to look at assignments, host online webinars or keep an eye on forums, that is eating into your time. This should be reflected in the price but also used as a selling point for the course.
Your price needs to seem fair to the people you want to take your course. What do they need? What do they want to get out of the course? How much can they pay? If you can show that your course will help them a lot, they might be willing to pay more. This is called value-based pricing. It means the price matches what they get from the course.
Do you price your course low in the hope of increased sales? This may work, but it may devalue your course whilst at the same time making it more financially accessible to more people. Or do you have a high price because this reflects the value people will get from your course? It will be seen as more exclusive but may narrow your market.
To help more people take your course, think about payment plans. Instead of paying all at once, they can pay a bit each month. This makes it easier for people who don’t have a lot of money right now. Another model uses subscriptions. People pay to access the course for a specific time after which they would need to re-subscribe to continue having access. This is good if you are constantly adding to or updating the contents of the course.
Also, make sure your payment system is safe and easy to use. Stripe and PayPal are the most popular as they do a lot of security and complex technical work for you. They are also the easiest way to take international payments if your course is being offered in more than one country. Additionally, learners will recognise the interfaces to these payment gateways as they are used on so many other sites.
If people are paying for your course, you must have a refund policy. Tell people your refund rules clearly. What happens if they don’t like the course? Can they get their money back? How long do they have to claim a refund? Legislation around this may differ from country to country depending on where you are selling your course.
Other policies you may want to consider include a Data Protection policy (GDPR) and a Privacy Policy. These should explain what information you will get from the learners, how you will use it and how long you will keep it for. It is also worth explaining the rules for using your course. Being honest builds trust. Learners will feel better about signing up if they know what to expect.
Finding the right price takes time and thought. If you do your research and think about your learners, you can find a price that works for everyone. This will help you make a successful eLearning course.
What happens when people need help? The final piece of the puzzle when it comes to launching your course, is to provide customer support. Good customer support is very important as it keeps learners happy and makes your course look good. If people get quick, useful help, they are more likely to say good things about your course. This will make other people want to join too.
Give learners a few ways to get in touch. A speedy response is best, but do you want to be sat at your computer all day long? Getting in touch via email is good and doesn’t require you to be always attached to a keyboard. Either do forums and discussion boards. Ideally, you would have some sort of live chat, but this requires someone on hand to answer the queries. But beware, giving a phone number means that you may get phone calls at inconvenient times. The best way depends on what you can manage. The main thing is that learners can ask for help easily, in a way that suits them.
As people have questions, make a list of them, especially if people are asking the same things all the time. Doing this means you can create a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section on your course for learners to use. This lets learners find answers themselves, fast. It also means you get fewer questions to answer.
Try to answer questions quickly. Be helpful. This builds trust. It shows you care about learners doing well. Always be polite, even if the person asking the question is not.
Finally, ask learners what they think about the course and the support they get. Use what they say to make things better. Change the course if needed. Improve how you help people. Showing you listen makes learners feel valued. Listening to feedback means your course will keep improving.
