Are you ready to see your online course soar to new heights?

Picture this:

Your digital classroom—bustling with eager learners.

Notifications pinging.

Another sign-up!

But how do you get there?

In the vast ocean of the internet, having a groundbreaking course isn’t enough. You need the hooks – the Marketing mastery to reel in the catch.

Well, you’re in luck.

We’ve got some insider tips and tricks up our sleeve. Let’s get started.

Pre-launch

Before your course even hits the digital shelves, setting the stage for its arrival is crucial.

Pre-launch strategies are all about building anticipation and warming up your Audience.

Let’s dive into how you can make the most out of this phase.

Pre-launch course landing page

When creating a pre-launch course landing page, the primary objective is to build anticipation and excitement among your audience.

This becomes even more crucial if you already have an existing audience, such as being a popular YouTuber or blogger.

To effectively build anticipation, there are a few important elements to include in your pre-launch landing page.

1. Using engaging visuals: Make sure to incorporate high-quality images that capture attention and visually represent the value of your course.
2. Detail course offerings: Provide clear and concise information about what the course entails, highlighting its unique features and benefits.
3. Early bird rewards: When people sign up early, provide them an incentive.

The most crucial aspect of the pre-launch landing page is offering an incentive for signing up.

This can include granting early access to the course, an exclusive discount, bonus content, or even a one-to-one mastermind call with you.

By providing something of value, you motivate potential learners to take action and sign up.

You can even release a series of videos leading up to the course launch.

These videos can be released periodically and should provide sneak peeks, valuable insights, or engaging content to keep your audience excited and eagerly awaiting the course.

Contrary to popular belief, dopamine is released in anticipation of a reward, not when the reward is received.

So, the copy on your landing page should maximize dopamine release in people’s brains. This increases the likelihood of hooking them upon the actual launch.

Remember, a well-crafted pre-launch landing page coupled with strategic marketing efforts can significantly enhance the success of your course launch.

If you’re using WordPress and need to build a pre-launching page, consider leveraging Elementor. It offers a wide range of pre-launching templates.

Alternatively, you can explore other landing page platforms like Swipe Pages or course platforms like Kajabi, Podia, or ClickFunnels.

Running a pre-launch raffle

To enhance your pre-launch offer, consider incorporating gamification and leveraging psychological principles.

You can achieve this by awarding achievement badges, unlocking exclusive content, conducting raffles or contests, and offering early access to boost engagement and anticipation for the course pre-launch.

By creating a context or a raffle using Gleam, Woobox, ShortStack, or even VYPER, you can tap into the thrill of winning and generate buzz for your product.

This approach not only helps attract interested individuals but also enables you to collect valuable email addresses.

Here are the steps to follow:

1. Select a perfect prize: Choose an enticing reward that your target audience will find valuable. It can be free access to your course or scholarships for students.
2. Spread the word: Promote your raffle extensively on your website, social media, and email list. Emphasize the prize’s value and the urgency to participate before it ends.
3. Collect email addresses: This is where you collect email addresses using various tools specifically designed for this purpose.
4. Celebrate and appreciate: Post-raffle, announce the winner and offer all participants a course launch discount as appreciation for their involvement.

The key aspect to consider is the significance of the gift that participants will receive at the end of the raffle. It holds immense importance and should not be overlooked.

By implementing these strategies, you can create a compelling pre-launch offer while maintaining engagement with your audience.

High-leverage strategies

Once you’ve set the stage with your pre-launch, it’s time to employ high-leverage strategies that can significantly amplify your course’s reach and impact.

These are the tactics that give you the best bang for your buck, leveraging your efforts for maximum gain.

Let’s explore how you can elevate your course’s visibility and appeal.

Webinars

Webinars are a tried and true method to market your training courses.

They offer a unique blend of education and promotion, allowing you to reach out to a larger audience, boost brand awareness, and generate new leads.

Conventionally, free webinars were popular, typically lasting one hour with a promotional segment at the end.

However, in recent times, there’s been a shift towards paid webinars in some niches.

These sessions, which can run for two to three hours, function as mini workshops or courses, providing value to the attendees while also promoting your training course.

For instance, Stu McLaren leverages mini workshops effectively to market his course, The Membership Experience(TRIBE). His sessions are packed with actionable content and insights, demonstrating how webinars and workshops can be a powerful tool for engagement and promotion.

Over time, after conducting numerous webinars, it can be beneficial to transform your most successful one into an evergreen webinar, allowing it to continue generating leads and sales.

Compared to other channels, webinars often boast higher conversion rates. On average, 56% of webinar attendees convert into customers or take a desired action.

However, realistically, based on my experience in the coaching industry, only about 10 to 15% of webinar attendees convert to buying the product that you are promoting at the end of the webinar, depending on the price.

This is because attendees become familiar with the presenter and the product being offered, building trust that can lead to higher course enrollment.

Thus, despite the effort they require, webinars remain a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal.

Collaborating with other creators

Collaborating with other influencer course creators can be a powerful way to boost your sales revenue.

Over 60% of brands collaborate with more than 10 influencers to amplify their marketing efforts.

By joining forces, you can tap into each other’s audiences, create webinars together, and attract more potential customers.

• Find your perfect match: You need to consider those influencers who align with your values and target audience.
• Set clear expectations: Clearly define the terms of your successful collaboration by defining what each party brings to the table.
• Cultivate connections: It’s essential to maintain regular communication, mastermind sessions, and provide marketing materials.
• Analyze and adapt: Track the success of influencer collaborations. Learn from the outcomes and make adjustments as needed to keep the momentum going.

You can hold weekly mastermind calls can provide significant benefits.

Participants can hold each other accountable, openly discuss challenges they are facing, and collaborate on identifying actionable next steps. These calls foster a supportive environment that encourages growth, learning, and progress.

To make collaboration easier, you can use various course platforms.

Give interviews

Have you ever thought about giving interviews as a way to promote your courses?

It’s a high-leverage strategy that can really pay off.

Imagine this: there are tons of podcast channels out there hungry for content. If you’ve got a successful case study or if you’re doing well in your business, podcasters would love to have you on their show.

And guess what?

People are super interested in knowing what works and what doesn’t. They’re even willing to watch hour-long interviews to get those insights.

But here’s the thing: not all interviews are created equal.

If you want to make the most out of this strategy, you’ve got to collaborate with people who interview folks in your niche.

Why?

Because you want to be exposed to their audience.

To find interviewers in your niche, you can start by researching popular podcasts and influencers in your industry and reaching out to them with a pitch. Platforms like MatchMaker.fm, Guestio, and PodcastGuests can be particularly useful to find relevant opportunities.

Similarly, you can also network with other professionals in your field to see if they know of any interview opportunities.

Remember, the goal here is not just to get interviewed but to promote your course. So, it’s crucial that their audience matches yours. Because attracting the wrong crowd isn’t going to do any favors for your social media reach or promotional efforts.

So, keep your eyes peeled for interviewers who share the same values as you do and whose audience resonates with your message. That’s your sweet spot. Nail that, and you’ll see how powerful giving interviews can be for promoting your courses.

Content Marketing

Content marketing is essential in the digital world.

Each piece of content should be captivating, educational, and serve a purpose – to support and promote your online course.

This section explores creating content that attracts and retains your audience.

Blogging with a focus on SEO

Blogging remains a potent strategy for promoting online courses, especially when coupled with effective SEO practices.

You can attract consistent organic traffic from Google by targeting specific SEO-related keywords, such as "your keyword + courses" or other profitable keywords, leading to passive sales.

This strategy relies on producing high-quality, relevant content that ranks high in search engine results, bringing in a targeted audience interested in your courses.

Also, promote courses on your site’s most visited blog posts. Create valuable content that answers questions and subtly presents your courses as solutions.

Medium and LinkedIn posts

The September 2023 Helpful Content Update by Google has introduced adjustments favoring content that provides real value to users.

For course creators, this means focusing on creating detailed, expert-backed content on platforms like Medium and LinkedIn can be a strategic move.

These platforms’ high domain authority, combined with Google’s emphasis on valuable, user-centric content, can help you reach a wider audience, thus enhancing your online course promotion efforts.

To maximize the impact, your content should:

• Showcase your expertise: When you demonstrate first-hand expertise and knowledge, you position yourself as an authority. This isn’t about flaunting credentials but about showing through your content that you’ve been there, done that, and have valuable insights to share because of it.
• Answer questions thoroughly: Dive deep into your audience’s questions, providing not just the what but the why and the how. This approach not only satisfies their immediate need for information but also builds their trust in you as a reliable resource.
• Deliver actionable insights: Go beyond rehashing known facts by offering fresh perspectives and actionable advice. Engaging content challenges, inspires, and motivates. It’s not just read; it’s acted upon.

This way, you can effectively promote your online course to an audience eager for quality educational content.

Create Twitter content

Creating organic content on X (formerly Twitter) is a strategic approach for online course creators looking to engage and expand their audience.

These audiences often prefer X for its ability to filter through the noise prevalent on other social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

Success stories like Daniel Vassallo‘s highlight the potential of X for course creators.

Vassallo, an ex-Amazon software engineer with no prior marketing experience, managed to grow his Twitter following to about 24k in nine months. Leveraging this audience, he made six figures from his products.

His course, “Everyone Can Build a Twitter Audience,” outlines strategies for building an engaged audience, emphasizing the importance of engagement over sheer follower count and establishing credibility within your niche.

For course creators, focusing on engagement and building a personal brand on X can significantly enhance course promotion efforts.

Here’s how you can effectively implement targeted strategies:

• Set clear goals: By defining your success metrics (such as follower count or engagement rate), you can measure your progress and adjust your strategies accordingly.
• Build trust and authority: Focus on sharing valuable content, engage with your community authentically, showcase your expertise to build trust and establish yourself as an authority in your niche.
• Optimize your digital first impression: Make a strong first impression by ensuring your bio clearly communicates who you are, what you do and by using a pinned tweet highlight your most important message or offer.

Daniel’s approach underscores the value of genuine interaction, providing value through tweets and strategically engaging with the community to boost visibility and credibility.

Furthermore, Starter Story shares the success stories of 57 online course creators who have launched digital courses and made significant revenue.

Among these creators, Dickie Bush and Rob Lennon stand out for their exceptional use of Twitter for course promotion. They not only launched but also earned substantial amounts by advertising their courses on Twitter.

Video content and podcasts

Video content is an increasingly popular method for promoting online courses.

That’s why many top course creators leverage its benefits.

It involves both visual and auditory senses, making it a highly engaging medium.

Moreover, videos improve information retention, contribute to SEO, and result in higher conversion rates.

For instance, Marie Forleo offers high-quality, informative videos for marketing her course B School.

Plus, she’s big on using YouTube Shorts for those quick, engaging bits of content. It’s smart and keeps you wanting more.

Similar to video content, podcasts are a powerful tool for course promotion.

If creating your own video content seems daunting, consider hosting guest speakers on your channel. By asking them insightful questions, you can glean valuable knowledge from their expertise.

They allow for in-depth discussions and can be accessed by learners at their convenience.

For instance, Natalie Gingrich of Biz Chix nails it by targeting a specific audience—women entrepreneurs—and delivers in-depth interviews with actionable takeaways.

Her strong focus on community building through her podcast has been instrumental in promoting her courses like BizChix Strategic CEO Day.

Podcasts also present an opportunity to build your email subscriber list. For example, you can ask listeners to provide their email addresses to access the full interview series.

By incorporating videos and podcasts into your strategy and coupling them with effective SEO practices, you can increase your course visibility, engage your target audience, and ultimately boost enrollment.

Influencer marketing

Influencer marketing is a game-changer when it comes to promoting your courses and training programs.

Did you know that40% of marketers are using influencer marketing to boost their brand awareness? It’s true.

The secret sauce of influencer marketing is trust.

Influencers that have a strong bond with their audience make their recommendations pretty influential.

This is super beneficial for course promotions and mentorship programs, as potential students often sign up for courses recommended by trusted influencers.

Let’s take a peek at a few real-world examples:

1. MasterClass: Have you heard about MasterClass roping in big-name celebrities to promote their online courses? They teamed up with Gordon Ramsay for a cooking class, which led to a significant surge in their course sign-ups.
2. Skillshare: Skillshare has nailed influencer marketing to promote their online learning platform. They’ve joined hands with several YouTube influencers, including Jessica Kobeissi (art & design), Peter McKinnon (photography & film), and Ali Abdaal (productivity & lifestyle). These influencers create content related to the courses offered on Skillshare, resulting in increased visibility and sign-ups.

If you’re thinking about dipping your toes into influencer marketing for course promotions, here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Choose the right influencer: Make sure the influencer’s audience matches your target demographic.
• Clear communication: Ensure the influencer gets the low-down on your course and what you’re offering.
• Authenticity: Encourage influencers to share their real experiences or thoughts about your course.
• Trackable links: Use trackable links to keep an eye on the success of your influencer marketing campaign.

In a nutshell, influencer marketing can give a significant boost to your course promotion efforts.

By teaming up with influencers whose audience matches your target market, you can reach more people and drive more enrollments. Sounds like a win-win, right?

Advertisements

While organic reach is invaluable, sometimes you need an extra push to get your course in front of the right eyes.

That’s where advertisements come in.

Running targeted ads on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Google, YouTube, Quora, and X (Twitter) can catapult your course into the spotlight.

But it’s not just about throwing money at ads; it’s about crafting campaigns that speak to your audience and drive conversions.

Let’s break down how to run effective ad campaigns that maximize your investment and your impact:

Run Facebook or Instagram ads

Let’s talk about how Facebook ads can be a game changer for promoting your online courses.

If your target audience primarily hangs out on Facebook or Instagram (especially if you’re aiming at millennials or Gen Zs), running ads can give you a real advantage.

Now, you might be thinking, “Why not just run Facebook ads directly to my course landing page?”

But here’s the thing: it’s not that simple, especially when you’re dealing with a cold audience.

A more effective approach can be to offer something for free first, like a mini-course or a low-cost webinar.

This way, you can nurture your audience, guiding them down your funnel and warming them up for your main course.

Another strategy to consider is incorporating a Facebook retargeting pixel on your landing page or blog post.

This means you can serve up Facebook ads directly to people who’ve already shown some interest in your course. It’s a clever way of reminding them about what they can be missing out on.

Run Google ads

Running Google Ads is a powerful strategy for promoting online courses. It allows you to target specific keywords that potential students use when searching for learning opportunities.

By bidding on keywords related to your course, such as “your keyword + courses“, can attract a highly targeted audience. For example, targeting “no code web development courses” can attract learners interested in building websites without traditional coding skills.

This approach is exemplified by successful online schools like iPhone Photography School or No Code MBA, which capitalize on specific interests such as iPhone photography or no-code tools like Notion, Webflow, and Bubble.

When setting up your Google Ads campaigns, consider focusing on keywords that precisely match your course’s content and value proposition.

This targeted approach ensures your ads reach individuals most likely to enroll in your course, maximizing your advertising spend’s effectiveness.

Run YouTube ads

Let me spill the beans:

YouTube ads.

You know at times you’re on YouTube, getting drawn into watching your competitors’ videos or perhaps learning something new. Your potential students do that, too.

YouTube’s got this nifty targeting feature that lets you show your ads to folks who’ve been watching videos similar to what your course offers.

Imagine you’re teaching a course on vegan baking, and you know that viewers also watch channels like ‘Minimalist Baker.’

Well, you can set up your YouTube ads to pop up for these same viewers!

For this targeting YouTube analytics; it serves as a valuable tool, guiding you to understand where your competitors are most active and successful on the platform.

But it’s not just about showing an ad. Lead them on a journey by offering a sneak peek with a free webinar or a mini-course.

Once they see the value you’re bringing to the table, present them with the complete training course.

The better known you are in your niche, the more effective this strategy is.

Run Quora ads

Quora, a popular Q&A platform, can be an effective advertising tool for promoting your online courses.

Here’s why:

1. Targeted advertising: Quora offers a variety of targeting options, so you can reach your ads to people who are interested in your course topic.
2. Unique advantages: While Quora ads may not have the same reach as Google or Facebook, they offer distinct advantages such as highly engaged audiences and specific topic targeting.
3. Cost-effective: When you first start running ads on Quora, you are charged when your spending meets specific billing thresholds. This makes it a cost-effective platform for small businesses and individual course creators.
4. Increased visibility: To increase the visibility of your course, you can utilize Quora’s advertising platform, known as Quora Ads.

However, it’s important to note that Quora has strict advertising policies.

For instance, it is not allowed to post direct affiliate links on Quora ads. All ads must lead to a landing page that provides valuable content and complies with Quora’s ad policy.

Based on my experience, the advertising costs on Quora can be quite high. However, the audience quality you can attract into your sales funnel is also remarkable.

When it comes to certain topics, Quora users exhibit a high level of engagement and conversion compared to Facebook users.

Run X (Twitter) ads

Running ads on X (Twitter) can be highly effective for promoting your training course.

Here’s how you can set up and optimize your ad campaigns on X:

1. Create a compelling profile: It’s crucial to have an engaging profile that clearly communicates what your course offers.
2. Use X ads manager: This tool provides a central workspace to plan, manage, and report on campaigns.
3. Choose the right format: X offers various formats for your ads – video, images, or text. Choose the one that best suits your campaign goals.
4. Target the right audience: You can target your ads based on user interests, geographic location, and more to ensure your course reaches the right people.

While both Facebook and X offer targeting options and various ad formats, there are distinct differences that set them apart.

One notable distinction is the audience. X’s user base tends to be more tech-savvy and news-oriented, making it an ideal platform for niches such as cryptocurrency, AI, productivity tools, and content marketing.

Additionally, X’s ad placement is less intrusive. Ads seamlessly appear in the user’s feed alongside regular tweets, enhancing the overall user experience.

In contrast, Facebook places ads in the news feed, right column, and even within videos

What not to do when running ads on X?

1. Avoid being overly promotional: X users appreciate genuine engagement and valuable content. Make sure your ads provide value and aren’t just hard sells.
2. Never ignore metrics: Regularly track and analyze your campaign performance to understand what’s working and what needs improvement.

Bundling your courses

Bundling your online courses is a strategic move that can significantly enhance the overall value proposition of your offering.

It involves combining multiple products or services into one comprehensive package, often at a discounted rate.

Let’s explore out how bundling can positively impact both your business and your customers.

• Improved learning experience: Bundling your course with supplementary materials enhances the learning experience and increases engagement.
• Added value: It provides students with additional resources, exclusive communities, coaching sessions, and accountability tools, giving them more value for their investment.
• Exclusive content: Bundling your course with unique content like expert interviews or special sessions can add extra value and appeal. For example, Ali Abdaal’s YouTuber Academy course, besides the main content, includes past session recordings, exclusive community access, and guest interviews, creating an enriched and attractive learning experience.

Basically, bundling your online courses can be a powerful strategy for increasing their value and appeal.

Conclusion

To boost your course sales, focus on two to three strategies that align well with your target audience.

If social media is your arena, pick one platform where most of your audience gathers.

Knowledge about your audience’s demographics, psychographics, behaviors, and pain points is key to effective communication.

Remember, being specific and focused in your promotional efforts brings power and success in course marketing.