It’s taken me a while to talk about this.
Mostly, because I don’t want to seem like an ambulance chaser. Lots of people are talking about moving their classes and group programs online right now… I build online courses… you can see what I mean.
But, for those of you who are thinking about starting online classes, or who suddenly need to find other options to replace face to face groups, classes, meetings or training… this is for you.
If you’re moving content online…
- Be really clear about what you want to do with it.
- Do you need to hold live calls? Do you want to keep track of who attended? Do you need assessment? Do you want to take payments, or is it just to deliver content to existing clients
- Consider if you are going to use your own website, or an external platform
- Know your budget
- Decide if this is a temporary measure (so you only need a stop gap solution) or if you will continue to offer online services after the panic and isolation has calmed down
If you want to get started here are some helpful pieces to get you on your way
How to structure your course
Create your course on a budget
Where should I host my course?
MemberVault Review (a great place to host your course)
But I do think there are a couple of things that I need to add to the discussion
Online content and courses can increase your business resilience
The current situation is going to place a lot of strain on businesses, especially those who normally meet with clients face to face or deliver face to face group programs.
Putting some of your content and processes online gives you another option for working with your clients.
You don’t have to use it all the time, or entirely replace your face to face options (although you might want to right now) but it can work in conjunction with your normal business practices.
This isn’t just about what’s happening right now, but for building your business resilience in general. What happens next time there are floods? Or storms? Or some other reason why you can’t run face to face components?
Online courses aren’t a magic bullet…
Online courses aren’t going to make you a millionaire overnight or going to solve all your cash flow woes.
Right now, they might help to facilitate part of your business online, but they won’t necessarily solve all of your problems, or help every business. (If you’re in the travel industry or hospitality industry right now, I’m sorry.)
They can definitely help.
If you normally support clients in other capacities, moving your training and services online gives you more options, and will help to diversify your income.
Online courses can add to your existing delivery methods they don’t have to replace them
Obviously, if you, your team or your clients have to go into isolation, then you will need to replace your face to face components for the time being.
But after that, you can continue to use online courses as an addition to your current business module, rather than a replacement.
I’m a firm believer in using a range of delivery methods and strategies to get the best results.
And if you have any questions
Drop them in the comments below and I’ll do my best to answer them