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Statistics say that e-learning has grown by 900% between 2001 and 2017.
Moreover, it is expected to surpass $325 Billion in 2025.
Why is this so?
Online courses benefit you in multiple ways. For example, for industry professionals, freelancers, and solopreneurs, they can serve as a solid source of income. Businesses of all shapes and sizes can use online tutoring as a method of acquiring new customers and providing value to the existing ones.
But, before you start creating online courses, you need to build a website where you would sell them.
Choose a Domain Name that Reflects your Values
Your website domain name is the backbone of your online presence. It’s the first impression of your tutorial website – something that makes you unique and memorable in a sea of your competitors.
Precisely because of that, you need to choose it wisely.
First, ask yourself what the purpose of your tutorial website is. What drives you to start teaching online? What values, goals, and missions do you want to emphasize through your website design and content?
Second, determine your target audiences. Are you addressing fellow teachers? Are you creating a site for students to help them understand complex definitions through concrete examples? Only by understanding your audiences will you be able to adapt your teaching materials to their needs and use the language that resonates with them.
Third, what kind of e-learning website do you want to create? Will this be a specialized education platform? Maybe you want to cover a wide array of topics in a more general way?
These are the information that will further guide your domain name registration process.
Here are a few general rules you should follow when registering a domain:
Should you self-host courses or choose a learning platform?
As its mere name suggests, self-hosting means investing in a reliable hosting provider and domain registrar, hiring web developers and designers to build a killer tutorial site, setting up payment processing systems, paying for SEO services, investing in content creation services, etc. Logically, self-hosting requires massive initial investments and lots of technical know-how. If you don’t believe you’re fitted out for this option right now, maybe you should consider selling courses on online course marketplaces.
There are many online platforms like LearnWorlds where you can create and sell your courses. They will do most of the abovementioned work for you. For example, you will get a free subdomain or connect your domain, a solid hosting plan, data protection services, and your own video library. On the other hand, you’re the one customizing your online presence, from your lead gen strategies to choosing themes, typography, and templates.
Create Relevant, Well-Rounded Course Content
There is a bunch of online teaching platforms and courses, so how will you get people to choose yours?
Before you grab your cam and start recording your video lessons, you need to plan them strategically.
Think about the goals your course should achieve. Now that you know who your audiences are, it’s important to understand their major pain points and expectations. What do you want them to know after they’ve finished the course?
Brainstorm the architecture of your course. What your major chapters will be? What sub-categories and lessons will each of these chapters include? These are some key rules that will keep you on track once things become too complicated.
Next, you need to focus on the way you will deliver the course to your target audience:
Personalize content by organizing it better
Unsurprisingly, not each course you publish will resonate with every user registered on your platform. This depends on a bunch of factors, such as their personality traits, age, backgrounds, education, problems, and preferences.
To maximize the reach of your content and drive more qualified traffic to your courses, break up your content into more specific categories.
Choose the angle that would work for you best.
For example, you could classify your content by subject. For example, if you’re teaching digital marketing, your courses could be divided into categories like Content Marketing, Paid Search, Social Media Marketing, Lead Generation, Ecommerce Marketing, SEO, etc.
If you’re teaching students that have different levels of knowledge, then you should separate the content for newbies from that aimed at industry professionals.
Diversify your content strategy to keep visitors engaged.
In addition to the traditional articles on your blog, you should experiment with different types of content:
Keep your Followers Informed
No matter if you’re teaching digital marketing, languages, or accounting, one thing remains the same – your followers expect you to inform them about the latest blog posts, events, problems with your website, etc.
That is why your website needs to be well-structured and highly informative.
Include the “About” section, where a visitor can learn everything about your core values and missions.
Create a comprehensive FAQ page, where they can quickly find answers to the most common questions.
Take advantage of chatbots and live chat to provide valuable, real-time customer support.
Use your blog and your PR section to share industry-related news and your site’s achievements.
Gain visitors’ trust through word-of-mouth marketing tactics, such as customer testimonials or online reviews.
Create strong lead magnets, as well as lead gen CTA buttons and forms and start sending regular newsletters to your email list members.
Network with Fellow Tutors
In the world of e-learning, networking is immensely important. It gives you the opportunity to connect with the most authoritative people in your niche, work with them on important projects and, in this way, grow your industry reputation.
Connect with them via LinkedIn and relevant social media communities (you can always create your own group on LinkedIn or Facebook). Make your email address prominent on your website to make sure fellow teachers can reach out to you easily.
You could even offer collaboration opportunities. For example, to deliver your blog and course content consistently, you can invite renowned names in the industry to contribute to your tutorial website.
Monetize your Online Courses
Now that every piece of your website is up and running, you need to start monetizing your tutoring efforts.
Create an online store on your website and start selling your detailed lesson plans, teaching templates, and similar materials. Before you do so, pay attention to your state laws and get all required permissions ahead.
Most importantly, use the abovementioned tips to create and host interactive and educational workshops. As the number of course members starts growing, offer regular courses and invite industry professionals (college professors, podcasters, authoritative bloggers, fellow online tutors, etc.) to cover the topics you’re not specialized in.
Now Over to You
The most fulfilling thing about becoming an online tutor lies in the fact that you will use your passion, knowledge, and experience as a source of income.
However, you need to do so strategically.
Like I’ve already mentioned, your goal is not to create a generic online workshop or copy your competitors’ work. You need to have a unique selling proposition and authentic perspective that will inspire people to always choose you.
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Victor Miller
Victor T. Miller, a Sydney-based business and marketing specialist who has expanded businesses over 5 years. Regular contributor at Bizzmark blog. I am a person who loves to inform people about the latest news in the industry also as sharing tips and advice based on my professional experience and knowledge.
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