One of the first things you learn as an entrepreneur is that there’s only so much of you to go around. Maybe you’ve maxed out your client intake but you still have so much more demand for your services and products.

So how can you keep serving the masses without overwhelming yourself in the process?

Simple.

It all depends on the goals you have for your business.

If your goal is to increase your brand’s impact and serve more people, a digital course is one way to fulfill your mission.

 

Pros and Cons of Creating and Selling a Digital Course

But how do you know if a digital course is the next best step for your brand?

A good old fashioned pros and cons list can help you decide.

Pro: You can serve a bigger audience without substantially increasing your hours.

Con: Your audience will have questions and need support, so you may find yourself stretched even if the course is on autopilot.

Pro: You can create evergreen courses that run year-round so you always have something to offer new clients, or you can create fresh content on a semi-annual basis so you can leverage those repeat customers.

Con: Evergreen courses are pretty hands-off, but first you have to take the time to create them. They will also need updates and ads to keep them working and selling their best. New courses require frequent launches to drum up interest, and that could take even more of your time and energy.

Pro: Evergreen digital courses are a great source of passive income.

Con: But, if you don’t create new courses for current customers, you could wind up decreasing the lifetime value of your customers.

Recently, I spoke to Special Guest Expert, Sharice Enis of Sharice & CO about the digital course creation tips you didn’t know you needed, and here are some valuable insights from Sharice’s brilliance!

So before you consider creating a digital course, you have to ask yourself: 

1. Do I have the time to invest in creating a course?
2. Do I have money in my budget to pay for the course platform, monthly maintenance, and marketing?
3. Am I willing to hire support to manage the customer service?

If you answer yes to all three questions, you might be ready to start the creation process. But first, some more advice from Sharice.

Digital Course Creation: Where do I start? First, write your sales page.

This might surprise you, but you should begin with the marketing.

When you look at your idea from the marketing perspective first, it forces you to think about the strategy so that you create for the people who would buy your digital product while keeping in mind what they actually want.

Yes, you can create a rough outline of your course to give you something to work with, but then hone in on your ideal client’s pain points and what you can solve for them through the medium of a digital course.

With the marketing in place and the sales page written, you will have clear guidelines for writing your course content and pulling out all the angles that make it transformational—as well as marketable and profitable.

Next, shift your mindset.

Think of your project as an “offer” and not as a “digital course”.

Why? 

Because when you craft an offer, you’re including what your ideal client needs.

Starting here will help you consider what your customer/ideal client wants.

Ask yourself what they want to accomplish and what transformation your course will provide?

The value of what you’re teaching is in the transformation, and the “offer” (your digital course) is the bridge that the client crosses to get to that transformation.

Then, get a plan in place for customer service.

You may not realize the importance of customer service before you’ve even launched your digital product.

But, inevitably, people will forget their login, something won’t work, others will request a refund… There’s always something that requires a timely response.

The lack of customer service support can impact your brand in a negative way if you haven’t planned for this in advance.

A good impression will bring in referrals, but a bad impression can affect your brand.

You not only want your course to make a transformational impact, but you want to create a great client experience as well.

Finally, create your digital course! 

Start with an outline to get the structure of your course in place. And then block off time to record your lessons and iron out the details so that everything is perfect when launch day arrives.

Remember, your course will continue to evolve as you get feedback from customers. You’ll want to record new sections or add additional content.

But don’t let the perfection mindset keep you from creating and launching a solid prototype to your audience.

Want to find out more about digital course creation?

Sharice is a digital marketing and tech strategist. She works with small business owners, non-profits, and solopreneurs to leverage technology to increase their reach and bottom line.

You can find Sharice on Instagram @shariceandco or at shariceandco.com.

Click here to watch the replay and get the full details! https://www.facebook.com/shawondavis2.0/videos/10225485873360646