13 Things to Consider When Determining the Value of Your Online Course
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The world is buzzing about digital education. Online learning is officially the cool new kid on the block. So, as an online course creator, it’s your time to shine.
With the ability to reach people from all corners of the globe, slashing those pesky traditional education costs, and generating passive income — creating an online course has never been more enticing.
And this shift to online learning is not just a fad. It’s transforming how we learn, making it fun and accessible for everyone, anytime, anywhere.
But before you can kick back and enjoy the success of an online course, you must ensure you’re delivering true value to your students.
That’s where this blog post comes in. We’ll share our top tips to help you determine the value of your online course and ensure you’re offering a learning experience worth every penny.
From defining your course purpose to leveraging your expertise, we’ll guide you through the essential aspects of building a valuable online course.
So, are you ready to create an online course that delivers unbeatable value and stands out in a crowded marketplace?
Let’s dive in.
- 1Define the Purpose of Your Online Course
- 2 Choose the Right Teaching Methods
- 3Leverage Your Teaching Experience
- 4Pick the Right Online Course Platform
- 5Create High-Quality Content
- 6Give a Sneak Peek
- 7Set a Competitive Price
- 8Gather and Share Student Feedback
- 9Monitor and Measure Success
- 10Build a Community Around Your Course
- 11Offer Certificates or Badges
- 12Make Your Course Accessible
- 13Market Your Course Effectively
1. Define the Purpose of Your Online Course
The first step in determining your online course value is to define its purpose. Is it meant to teach a specific skill, promote a lifestyle, or instill a particular way of thinking?
Understanding your course objectives will help you create content that aligns with your student’s goals and makes sure you’re offering valuable information.
Always consider the impact your course will have on your students. Will it improve their prospects in the job search? Will it provide them with the tools to start their own business?
Answering these simple questions right off the bat helps you determine what information to include in your course, significantly boosting your online course value.
Because if your content is missing the mark and doesn’t align with the purpose of the course, your perceived value could come crashing down.
Let’s take a look at an example. Adam Enfroy does an excellent job outlining the purpose of his free blogging masterclass: Learn How to Start a Profitable Blogging Business.
The course landing page also outlines three main concepts, making it very clear to students what content they can expect to learn throughout the course:
Not only does this information help students understand what they’ll learn by taking the course, but helps Adam stay focused when he’s building the course from the ground up.
It’s almost like a checklist to help you determine when the course creation process is over, and you’re ready to hit publish.
2. Choose the Right Teaching Methods
Finding the perfect teaching methods for your online course is like playing matchmaker.
You want to pick the best strategies that work well for you and make learning a breeze for your students.
What types of content will you use? Is your main focus video content? What about blog posts, diagrams, or a combination? Remember to consider the level of interaction you want to have between you and your students.
Let’s explore some popular teaching methods, and don’t be afraid to mix and match them to create a one-of-a-kind learning experience.
Video Lessons
Who doesn’t love a good video? They’re engaging, easy to digest, and, let’s be honest — sometimes it’s just nice to see a friendly face.
Use interactive video lessons to explain complex topics or demonstrate practical skills. And why not throw in some cool animations to keep things interesting?
Written Content
There’s still a place for good old-fashioned written content. Blog posts, articles, and even eBooks are perfect for diving deep into a subject or providing step-by-step guidance.
Plus, they’re great for those who prefer to read at their own pace.
Interactive Quizzes
Do you remember feeling complete dread when a teacher announced a pop quiz? As a kid, quizzes always felt like a chore. But they’re actually quite an effective teaching methodology.
Interactive quizzes are an excellent way to help your students retain information while keeping things lively and testing their comprehension of the material.
Live Webinars
Do you want to give your students a chance to pick your brains?
Host live sessions where you can answer questions, provide real-time feedback, and foster a sense of community among your learners.
Think of it as a virtual coffee chat with your favorite entrepreneur or role model. These are just as effective as in-person meetings (with less hassle).
Hands-on Projects
There’s no better way to learn than by doing. Encourage your students to tackle hands-on projects, whether creating a marketing plan or designing a website.
It’s like the ultimate practice test, but with real-world applications.
So, when choosing your teaching methods, consider your student’s preferences and learning styles and how to make the experience enjoyable.
After all, learning should be fun, engaging, and above all, effective.
3. Leverage Your Teaching Experience
If you have previous teaching experience, highlight it to boost your course’s credibility. Discuss previous courses or classes you’ve taught, their duration, and the students’ feedback.
If you’re new to teaching, consider collaborating with experienced educators or include your educational background, professional experience, and any relevant certifications showing why you’re worthy of teaching a course on a specific subject.
For instance, take a look at how Jeremy Moser validates his copywriting course by sharing his highly-relevant professional experience:
Any doubt about Jeremy’s ability to teach a copywriting course is squashed after reading his qualifications.
4. Pick the Right Online Course Platform
The platform you use to host and deliver your course can significantly impact the user experience, your ability to market your course, and, ultimately, the success of your course.
When choosing an online course platform, there are several factors to consider:
If unsure where to start, try a free 30-day trial at LearnWorlds. It’s one of the top online course platforms for creating, selling, and promoting online courses. And there’s no credit card required.
With LearnWorlds, you can monetize your skills, experiences, and audience by providing engaging and effective training experiences.
The platform offers a range of features, including:
LearnWorlds also provides the most versatile course experience, with beautiful themes and flexibility for free, paid, private, drip-fed, or curated course pathways.
In other words, it’s the perfect platform to get your feet wet when building and scaling your online course. Plus, it integrates with your existing tech stack. Talk about a win-win.
5. Create High-Quality Content
The quality of your content can make or break the success of your online course.
Creating high-quality content that’s engaging, informative, and practical is essential for providing value to your students and guaranteeing that they have a positive learning experience.
Content that helps students achieve their goals is a quick way to become an expert in your industry, build your brand, and sell more courses.
So aim to provide engaging, well-researched, and practical information that caters to your niche.
Here are a few teachable examples:
Here are a few teachable examples:
To take your content to the next level, consider offering supplementary resources like cheat sheets, checklists, and templates to add even more value to your course.
These extra resources can help your students apply the information they learn in the course to their own situations and can also help them stay organized and focused.
6. Give a Sneak Peek
Now that you have a library of stellar content, why not show it off?
Giving your potential students a sneak peek into your course topic can build excitement and generate interest in your offering.
Consider sharing screenshots of different parts of your course, creating a short video highlighting some of the key features and benefits, or adding a FAQs page.
These little details can give potential students a taste of what they can expect to learn and experience in your course, boosting your online course value by building trust.
You can also consider offering a shorter course for free so people can get a feel for your teaching style before committing to a purchase. This strategy works well for higher-priced courses, allowing potential students to test the waters.
7. Set a Competitive Price
Pricing a course plays a significant role in determining the perceived value of your online course. As a rule of thumb, research courses in your niche to gauge their pricing strategies.
Do you want to offer a one-time payment or a subscription-based model? Will students get lifetime access? Or only for one calendar year?
A five-page PDF on how to write excellent marketing copy might be a good free course. But you can also sell online courses for a higher price (read: hundreds or thousands of dollars). These courses should include access to videos, templates, webinars, and personal coaching, to match price to value.
Follow the lead of Ship 30 for 30 and outline everything the student can access after purchasing the course. This list always helps to justify the high-value course pricing. And you’ll say hello to a nice passive income.
You can also consider offering payment plans or a money-back guarantee to reduce the risk for your target audience and make your course more appealing.
8. Gather and Share Student Feedback
Surveys, interviews, and Facebook groups are the perfect ways to collect student feedback.
When you know your course’s strengths and weaknesses, you can improve the course material to improve your students’ learning experience.
Use this feedback as a motivator to help you continually improve your course until it becomes one of the best online.
You can also use positive student feedback as testimonials to boost the value of your online course. According to recent studies, 90% of people agree that positive customer success stories significantly impact purchasing decisions.
So showcasing positive reviews from satisfied customers on your sales page can increase your credibility and build trust with potential customers. The result? Better conversion rates.
9. Monitor and Measure Success
You can also track your course’s success through key performance indicators (KPIs), such as enrollment numbers, completion rates, and time spent on each module.
Data modeling, in particular, can provide valuable insights into how your students receive and use your course. By carefully analyzing data on student engagement, completion rates, and feedback, you can refine your course content and delivery to maximize its impact and value.
So don’t overlook the power of data modeling when assessing the worth of your online course. Continually improving and refining your course based on these metrics will help you maintain and increase its value over time.
10. Build a Community Around Your Course
Creating a sense of community among your students can add significant value to your online course. Encourage networking and collaboration through discussion forums, social media groups, or even hosting live events.
A strong community fosters a supportive learning environment, increases student satisfaction, and can lead to more referrals and testimonials.
Look at the traction of this recent Twitter thread about using ChatGPT to build a successful business with a $100 budget. Within 48 hours, it’s gained a community of 1,500 followers on Discord who are eager to follow along the journey and hear updates.
11. Offer Certificates or Badges
Offering these little tokens of achievement can significantly boost your course’s perceived value and give your students something to celebrate.
Certificates and badges are tangible evidence of your student’s hard work and dedication. It’s like receiving a gold star for a well-done job — who wouldn’t want that?
These credentials also help your students showcase their newly acquired skills to potential employers or clients, making your course more appealing.
When students proudly display their certificates or badges on their LinkedIn profiles or personal websites, they also promote your course to their network. It’s a win-win situation — your students can flaunt their achievements, and you get free advertising.
HubSpot is a champion in course certifications. It’s like marketing magic.
Pro-tip: Establish a certain amount of time that your certificates are valid for. That way, you can generate repeat customers and boost the relevance of your digital products.
12. Make Your Course Accessible
Everyone deserves the chance to learn and grow, right? That’s the best part about e-learning.
Make your course accessible to students of all learning styles, abilities, or technical skills by:
By taking these extra steps to make your course more accessible, you can help ensure it’s available to a wider audience and improve its overall value.
Plus, you’re doing your part to make education more inclusive and accessible for everyone, which is pretty cool if you ask us.
13. Market Your Course Effectively
Lastly, how you market your online course business can significantly impact its perceived value.
Invest time and resources in developing a strong marketing strategy that highlights your course’s unique selling points, benefits, and the transformation it offers.
Use testimonials, case studies, and social proof to build credibility and demonstrate your course’s value. You can even offer pre-sales and discounts to generate a buzz and build your email list.
So tap into your social media network to spread the word. You’ll be surprised at how quickly a good course spreads like wildfire on Twitter or LinkedIn. Don’t let this power of social media go to waste.
Or, if you’re feeling especially chatty, promote your course during podcast or webinar appearances.
Wrapping Up
Determining the value of your online course takes careful consideration. From the course content and teaching methods to the learning tools and established price points, it’s a delicate balancing act.
By addressing these key areas, you’ll ensure your course offers genuine value to your students and helps them achieve their goals. And remember, the learning never stops — not even for course creators like yourself.
Keep fine-tuning and updating your course based on feedback and adding insight about the latest industry trends. Your course will stay fresh, exciting, and valuable in the ever-changing online learning landscape.
So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to roll up your sleeves and start selling that incredible, value-packed online course. Your students are counting on you, and we know you’ve got what it takes to make it happen.
Marija Mladenovska
Marija Mladenovska is a Partnerships Team Lead at uSERP.io. She is passionate about helping businesses reach their full potential and takes pride in her work. She is always looking for new opportunities to help businesses grow and thrive.
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