Thanks to the ever expanding internet, industries like the eLearning industry, can grow at a great pace. Numerous things to be learned and increased number of those wanting to learn are great conditions to those creating and sharing valuable courses offering practical knowledge.
If you or your business want to share knowledge with others, have a look at how you should approach the online course creation process.
Start With Research
To increase the chances of success, it is necessary to conduct proper research. For example, you might have a lot of knowledge in a particular area of expertise, but there is no demand for it. To get better results, it is a much better option to acquire new information about a topic that is in high demand. It will increase your chances of registrations, or generating more revenue.
The right topic should correspond with an area in which you have some experience, and which is also in demand in the eLearning market.
Consider Different Content Delivery Mediums
Once you have determined the main topic of your course, it is time to start planning which medium you are going to use to deliver the information. There are several options at your disposal:
Video – It is a very powerful teaching tool, primarily because it helps the viewer connect easily to your personality. Whoever is watching the course can experience the tone of your voice and facial expressions, and which bits of information are most important.
Information retention and engagement from video materials is also much higher compared to text materials. The problem with this approach is the required investment in the right gear and resources for production.
Voiceover video – If you are camera shy, creating a presentation accompanied by narration is a great way to deliver your course content. This is an option that immediately helps people understand the most important parts of your lessons, and still gives them a chance to connect with you.
Audio – With the popularity of podcasts, the audio medium has become quite sought after. You can use audio streams to support reading materials from your course. All it takes is a smaller investment in a condenser USB microphone and you are set to go.
Text format – Text content will never get old, as it is a great way for people to quickly refer to a piece of information you have shared. Also, it is simply a preferred method for some, making it a necessity.
One of the biggest advantages that come with text lies in the fact that it is the easiest type of content to create and requires the least production time. Once you are finished with writing and editing the text, it can be put into the course. Although, creating video and audio content is time-consuming, but can be rewarding in the long-run.
To get the best results, you should use each of these mediums moderately and deliver specific types of information via a specific medium. This will optimize your course for all types of learners.
Pick the Right Delivery Platform
Once you have finished making the course, it is time to decide where you are going to publish it. There are two completely different strategies you could employ, but it is possible to combine them.
Course publishing platform – Picking the right course sharing platform can give you good results in a much shorter time frame. It is a great way to reach out to millions of potential learners as they are already visiting the platform and looking for a course they want to take. However, the downside of this choice is that a significant part of your revenue is going to go to the publishing platform, as a fee for finding registrants for you.
Independent publishing – This is the second option that may take a lot more time to develop, and requires using a variety of marketing strategies to get conversions. On the positive side, all of the revenue is yours.
Consider your short-term and long-term goals before decisions.
Experts are in favor of using a cloud-based elearning authoring software that allows subject matter experts to quickly create the most engaging courses that have the highest learning impact. It is important to choose a software that is easy to use so that the educators are able to create, design and publish their eLearning courses without much hassle.
Organized Marketing
No matter which of the above-mentioned publishing options you go with, it is necessary to create your own website and start creating course-relevant content to attract traffic. Choose keywords related to your course and start a blog.
Sharing relevant content on the blog will show future registrants that you are an expert in the field, increasing the chances of them making a purchase. Running a blog will also increase organic traffic flow towards your website, boosting the number of potential students exponentially.
It is also necessary to establish a social media presence as an increasing number of people uses these networks daily. It will improve your overall online visibility.
Many instructors are too distracted by the process of attracting new registrants and forget that it is also important to establish a strong connection with those who have already opted for the course.
By creating a better connection with learners, you can increase the amount of positive ratings of your course which will bring in new people over time. Also, by creating a community, you are going to gain access to a number of people who are going to enroll in any course you are planning to publish in the future.
