Wow! That online course of yours is something to behold, my friend! It checks all the boxes and then some.
Cool intro video. CHECK.
Plenty of awesome info. CHECK.
Great video and sound quality. CHECK.
Hosted on the right platform: CHECK.
Perfectly priced. CHECK.
You’ve done it! You’ve put together the perfect course. It took FOR-EV-ER. But you did it!
Guess what, though?
No one—not a single person—is going to buy your online course.
Before you start warming up your fingers to type me a nasty email explaining how hard you’ve worked on your course and how it’s the best one of its kind to ever see the light of day, hear me out.
I’m not saying you won’t sell your course. In fact, I hope you help lots and lots of people with it and bring in loads and loads of cash with it. What I am saying, though, is that people aren’t buying the course itself. Instead, they’re buying what your course can do for them. And, if that’s unclear, then they won’t buy.
People aren't buying your online course. Instead, they're buying what your course can do for them and how it will change their life. So, communicate that CLEARLY in your marketing copy.
Or maybe they want one that will teach them more about a new hobby they’ve been interested in starting.
Or maybe they’re looking for a way out of their current crappy job and are searching for a course that will teach them a new skill they need for a new career.
Regardless of how your online course is meant to help people, you have to make that benefit abundantly clear when marketing it. Paint a picture that allows potential customers to see exactly how your online course will change their life and how your course is the very best solution. Because—no matter how great your course is—customers won’t buy yours if someone else is doing a better job at selling the benefits of theirs.
Here's What Benefit Selling Looks Like
Far too often, course creators rip the rug out from underneath themselves when it comes to marketing the learning experience they’ve spent so much time creating. Don’t be one of them.
Take time to truly understand the change your customers are looking for and why your course is their best option for helping them make that change. Then, clearly communicate that story in the marketing copy for your course.
And that story should be one that brings the dreams of potential buyers to life in ways that they can connect with and in which they can easily and clearly see themselves.
Here’s an example: I’m not a calligrapher—and I certainly don’t play one on TV. But, in the examples below, I’ve used a fake calligraphy course description to show you the difference between marketing copy that informs versus marketing copy that inspires, connects and converts.
Option 1: Pretty Crappy Copy That Will Kill Sales of Your Online Course
Learn How to Do Calligraphy
If you’ve always wanted to learn calligraphy, now you can! In this course, you’ll learn:
- The best pens and inks to use
- The types of paper that work best for your projects
- What the different calligraphy styles are
- Tips and tricks for learning calligraphy FAST!
- Much, much more!
vs.
Option 2: MUCH Better Copy That'll Move Customers from Lurkers to Buyers
This is Where Making Your Dream of Becoming a Calligrapher Comes True!
The calligraphy on the wedding invitations you receive is to DIE FOR. And, every time you see it, you’ve wished you could write just as beautifully. The same is true of every place card, every announcement, every card, and every sign that has those exquisite flourishes, serifs, stems, swashes and ligatures. “If only…,” you’d think to yourself.
Well, today is the day you can stop dreaming about becoming a calligrapher and actually do it!
In this course, I’ll take you through each step required to achieve your dream of becoming a calligrapher. Topics we’ll explore include:
- The basics that every successful calligrapher has to master
- Where to find the best pens, paper and ink at the best prices
- The different styles of calligraphy so that you can decide which one fits you best
- How to create DIY gifts that your friends and family will treasure forever
- How to use calligraphy to earn a part-time or full-time income
Today is the day to start learning the ancient art of calligraphy—complete with a modern day twist. Ready? Let’s go!
See the difference? Same course—but completely different descriptions. Not only will potential buyers be more likely to purchase the second option—they’ll also be more willing to pay a higher price for it because they’ll see greater value in it.
The first version describes a course that’ll offer the basic mechanics of calligraphy. But the second one describes a course that’ll help dreams come true. (And it also uses “you” more that “I” or “me.” Super important!)
Improving the Marketing Copy for Your Online Course
None of this is difficult. It simply requires you to put yourself in your customer’s shoes and think about what inspires you to purchase one course over another .
Before you release your online course into wild of the interwebs, consider doing the following to create a story that will inspire potential customers to choose what you’ve created over anyone else’s:
- Ask some folks who are in your target market why they want to learn more about your course topic. Then, use the reasons they give you as fodder for how you describe the benefits of your course.
- Look at the marketing copy used by course creators you’ve purchased from and think about why and how their copy moved you to click “Buy Now.”
- Don’t be afraid to tweak your marketing copy if it doesn’t convert like you want it to. In many cases, it’s not your course that needs to be changed—it’s the story you’re telling about it.
Now, enough talking. Get out there and be a champion for your online course by telling its story in a way that connects and inspires!
