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Online Courses in Today’s World

Have you been toying with the idea of creating an online course for something that you feel you are an expert at?  Do people want an online course versus attending a live event?

In today’s post-COVID world the value of creating an online course has dramatically increased.  People are wanting to save money from travel and would rather digest the material in the comfort of their own homes.

Thus, if you have an idea to create an online course, today is the best time in history to do so.

History of an Online Course

The first online courses that were professionally developed started in 1989 with the University of Phoenix.  They started a trend where you could get your college degree completely from home.  This was a game-changer to many who could not attend normal classes due to scheduling conflicts, the location of a nearby school, and the cost of admission.

However, the concept of what was then called “distance education” had been around for over 100 years.  And, that is not all.  Who remembers Carleton Sheets’s late-night infomercials on how to invest in real estate which was launched in 1984?  This was the beginning of at-home learning for the masses.

Why You Need to Create an Online Course

If you want to create an online course you need to take a few things into account first.

The first thing is going to be the topic of your course.  What is it that you want to train other people in how to do something?  Then you need to consider strongly as to who is the person who will be buying or taking your course.

There are many other things to also consider like how will you record the course; what platform will house your course and then how are you going to market the course.

I created an online course called Online Program Creator that takes the student through all of the processes of writing, recording, editing, hosting, and promoting a course.  Once you have the tools that you need then the rest is relatively easy.  Not to say it is going to be a simple process.  If you want to create an online course you do need to invest the time and effort that it is going to take.

You will need to purchase some gear as well.  The software or websites you can use can actually be free to do the creation portion of your course.  However, where you host the course for people to buy it may require some additional funds.

Once I Have an Online Course, Now What?

When you have put all of the efforts into the creation of your course you will now need to host and promote it.   There are many platforms out there and some are good for some industries and others are good for other industries.  This will require you to do some research as to which is best.

Once you have found a place to host then comes probably one of the most difficult tasks and that is to promote your course.  You may begin with simple Facebook posts or running ads on Facebook, Instagram, Google, and YouTube.  This can get costly and there are techniques around that, too.

When you are doing your promotions you can run sales at the beginning or during other times of the year.  Depending on the hosting platform you may be able to create and offer coupons to buy your course at a discount at the times you decide to run a sale.  This can be a great way to promote your first and future courses.  You may offer people some of your courses for free when they buy another item from you.  This can be part of a bundle that you can give to people to entice them to invest in you and your services.

In Conclusion

Creating an online course is a great way to get your informational property out to other people.  It is usually shot once and then you are done.  Your students can digest your material at their leisure and in their own homes.  You will be able to get your message out to many people with only your promotional efforts.  You are not having to re-teach the same material yourself personally.  That is not the best use of your time.