In case you hadn’t noticed, we are rapidly approaching the year 2020 (I know this to be true because my husband keeps making terrible puns about eyesight!)
So it’s time to look at those big goals that you were going to achieve this year, and think about which big goals are going on your list for next year.
Is creating an online course on your goals list already? If it’s not, maybe it should be.
Here are 20 reasons why you might consider creating an online course…
1. You know A LOT of stuff
You really do, and it’s time that you honour just how much you really know
2. You have so much content produced already.
We produce content all the time. Long form social media posts, blog posts, videos, pdfs, long email answers to clients… the list just goes on.
You produce so much content, that it’s highly likely the structure of your course is already out there (and if you can’t see it, I can find it for you)
3. …And a brain full of extra stuff
I know there is so much more inside that big, wonderful brain of yours that hasn’t made it out into the world yet.
Do a big brain dump and start to get some of that stuff on paper. (Or spend a little time with me, and I’ll draw it all out for you and create a complete plan)
4. Your audience needs support
All that content you put out is awesome, but your audience needs more than just content. You can learn anything on the internet if you look hard enough.
But with your course, they can get your support and your feedback. They can implement as they go and get results straight away… rather than just saving another blog post to their “read later” list. (Because we’ve all got a long “read later” list that we just never get back to).
5. And there is value in a community
One of the great selling points of a course is the community (especially if they all start at the same time).
They get to form connections with other people going through the same thing they are going through.
These connections are strong, and are often the reason people continue to pay for access.
“They come for the content, they stay for the community”
6. It’s a good way to add another income stream to your business.
Courses won’t make you rich over night, but they can help to build your current cash flow, and they are a great way to add a diverse income stream so you’re not relying on being able to work one on one all the time.
7. It can help you offer a different price point
This is perfect for the people who can’t afford to work with you one on one but love your stuff
8. It can help you leverage your time
Courses aren’t passive (I’ve ranted about that enough in the past) but they are a good way to leverage your time.
There are only so many hours you can work in a day, and only so many one on one clients you can take on at any point in time.
9. It helps you reach a wider audience
The where and the when are irrelevant when you offer an online course.
Got students on the other side of the world? No problems
Got students in different time zones? No problems
Got leads who can’t afford to work with you yet, but want to access to your knowledge? No problem
10. It’s a lot easier than it used to be.
No coding required.
There are 3 ways to get your course online, self hosted, on a course platform, or on a course market place.But regardless of which you chose, each of these is getting easier and easier to use. Most have drag and drop functions and in 2 of those instances, all of the tech is taken care of for you.
11. There are plenty of people who can help you
Don’t have time to develop all the content? Hire someone to help with structure, outline and putting it all together
Don’t have time to create the graphics? Hire an amazing graphic designer
Don’t want to deal with any of the tech or do any of the uploading?
Don’t want to write your sales page? That’s fine, there are some amazing peeps who can do that for you.
There are amazing people you can hire to help with all of those aspects and many more. You don’t have to do it all alone any more.
12. It can be a good upsell, downsell, or side sell
(is side sell even a thing?! )
You can build your course to be a $47 solution to a specific problem, a $2,000 group program, or a $10,000 life changer.
There is no minimum price or maximum price. You can build the content, the size of the course, and the price point to fit your current business model.
13. The industry is still expanding rapidly.
I’ve had clients worry that the market is already flooded with courses, and that there is no space for their own.
But the market is still expanding. More and more people, pushed for time, are looking to learn and be supported online.
14. You have your own way of explaining things
Even if you were worried that the market is getting busy, there is no-one who can explain what you do, quite like you do.
There will be clients who want to learn from YOU, not just learn the content.
15. But… don’t wait forever
Having said that, the longer you wait, the more courses there will be.
This isn’t a threat. I still honestly believe there is space in the market for what you do, the way you do it.
But if you have clients who keep asking you when your course is coming out, there is a chance that they will look for someone else to teach them… they might not wait for ever.
16. Your audience has limited time
Like you, there are trying to balance it all. As much as they would love to attend face to face workshops, or come away to your retreat, it just might not be feasible right now. But they can squeeze in half an hour here and there to work their way through your online course.
17. You can offer great value for money
I was at an event recently when a coach told me that she tells all her clients just to buy someones book, not to bother with the course, as it’s all the same content anyway. But it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s your course. You can make it whatever you want it to be.
Make it full of value, make it full of support, make it easy to implement. Make it the best damn thing they’ve ever bought. Because you can.
18. It doesn’t have to take that long
I’m not going to promise you that you can build a course in a day, or even in a weekend (although I have been known to build and launch a whole membership site in just one weekend).
But it doesn’t have to take months, and it doesn’t have to be overly complicated.
Make a clear list of the content you need to create, batch record and create where possible, and outsource the tech and the upload to make your process quicker.
19. It’s time to focus on productive, not just busy
You have the time to get this done (and if you don’t , talk to me and I can find a way for you).
But not if you keep putting it off.
See next point …..
20. You’ve put it off for long enough
Ok, I don’t know that for sure… but I do know that a lot of people who I work with fall into this category.
They are motivated people, they are working hard, but they just haven’t found the time, until they make it to me. And high chances are you are the same. No more putting it off. This is your year to do it.