I’ve been building and teaching face to face courses since 2011 and working with online courses in one shape or form since 2012.
At time of writing, that’s well over 8 years of course experience, and 7 years specifically with putting content online. I’ve seen a whole heap of things change over that time… and trust me when I say I’ve learnt a lot of things!
(I’d never really stopped to think about how long I’ve been in the world of courses before…. shhh, I’m getting old!)
So here we go, 3 things I no longer believe about online courses.
1. Everyone should have an online course
Nope…. they really shouldn’t
I considered just ending this point right here and moving on to the next one, but I’ll take a moment to explain.
If you hate building content… then maybe you don’t want an online course.
If tech really isn’t your thing… then maybe you don’t want an online course
If you hate helping people… then you definitely don’t want an online course
There are hundreds of reasons why some people shouldn’t have an online course.
Oh, there are plenty of positive reasons why some people should turn their content into a product they can sell, but not EVERYBODY.
2. Online courses are great for profit
Coming from the world of face to face courses, online training seemed like the goose that laid the golden eggs. You no longer had to pay to hire a classroom or venue, you didn’t have to hire a trainer for days on end… or even provide refreshments for your students. So surely that meant you were just making a motza in profit, right?
Nope, not necessarily.
There are still a whole heap of costs involved with running an online course. You’ve got the costs of making the sale, including marketing or a sales team. You need to create the course, host the course, and then you still need to facilitate the course. You might need a trainer to run live sessions, someone to answer emails, someone to offer group support, the list goes on.
On a much smaller scale, you might be doing all of those things yourself, but there is still a time cost involved.
You can make good money with a course… but it’s definitely not ALL profit.
3. Creating an online course is easy
Don’t get me wrong – the process of getting your content online is made simpler every day due to some great websites and software. Getting your course online can be simple… but it isn’t easy.
It’s hard to put all of your content in a format that makes sense for someone else
It’s hard to build all of the content
It’s hard to check, double check and triple check your processes (and a lot of it is pretty damn boring as well)
If it was easy, everyone would just knock out a course in a day… it can be simple, but it isn’t easy. You will have to put a lot of work into getting it done.
But Sam… you build online courses for a living?!
Yes, I sure do.
And I’m a big advocate for online courses.
From a students perspective, they can get access to things they might not normally have been able to access. You can learn from experts around the world without leaving your lounge room (or even bedroom)… and often for a fraction of the price of attending a face to face class.
And from a business perspective, you can share your content with a wider audience, without the massive overheads of setting up your own school.
But, I’m also a realist. I know that online learning doesn’t meet the needs of every student, just as building an online course doesn’t suit the strategy of every business.
Can I just say that I LOVE THIS POST.
I’ve struggled with the ‘online’ thing for ages. Yes, I want people to have access to my stuff but I’m starting to believe that an online course may not serve my peeps.
Nikki,
That’s very true.
You may find some great, long form, educational blog posts, which lead to services serve your audience better.
Or maybe a small, step by step mini course…
But there is a huge value in YOU for your clients, and they won’t feel all of that in a course