Q: “I’ve just developed my first course and I’m eager to promote it! However, I have almost no list. Should I use Facebook ads to drive traffic to my sales page? Or should I create lead magnets and get signups for my list?”
A: This question comes from one of my favorite sources … an online forum.
The person who asked this question has a great deal of knowledge to share. Her course deserves a wider audience. So what can she do?
(1) List building is something that goes on all the time, in the background of what you’re doing.
It’s like going to the gym to work out. You don’t reach a level of fitness where you say, “Now I get to stay home!”
But your workout gets easier and more pleasant. You discover what you enjoy (weights? yoga? barre?). You discover what you’ll do only if you’re surrounded by fellow students in a class, so you keep going even if you’d love to be anywhere else (for me, that’s yoga).
As your list grows, you discover where you’ll get the best rewards.
You’ll figure out how to compose your landing page to increase signups (and it doesn’t mean following a formula – I’ve had 50% and higher signups with rule-breaking versions. I’m working on a webinar and course to share the details – watch this space and let me know if you’ve got landing page questions.
You probably won’t stop list-building till you’re ready to say goodbye to the business and retire to the Caribbean (where you’ll be so bored you’ll be back, guaranteed).
(2) If course creation will be a core strategy for your business, look for joint venture partners.
Find people who serve the same market you do. And get ready for some serious copywriting.
First, when you write to a potential JV partner – especially someone you barely know – you’re selling your offer. You’re persuading that person to take a chance on you.
Ideally you’ve paved the way. You’ve commented on their blog posts and LinkedIn articles. You’ve bought their products. You may have promoted their products as an affiliate.
They’re going to ask, “Where’s the sales letter?” If your copy seems lame, you’ll probably get a “No thanks.” If it’s well-written and credible, you’re more likely to get a “yes.”
(3) Write a convincing sales letter before you write the course content.
The idea is to write the sales letter first and then design the course to fulfill the promises of the sales letter. Your sales letter becomes your guide to course creation.
Writing a sales letter forces you to consider the benefits of your course. What is most important to include?
Once you write the sales letter, you realize you need to provide key benefits in your course. You can set up the curriculum and write the content to deliver those benefits.
That way you’re not backtracking to plug in the benefits that weren’t included the first time around. You have a ready-made outline.
I offer a step-by-step, soup-to-nuts online course on course creation. Click here and use the code OCT40 to take $40 off the list price.
Unlike most courses, this one helps you create marketable courses, so you avoid the dilemma of the sad forum participant. You’ll discover how to market your course as you create it.
If you’d like even more support, I can help you create your course with one-on-one consultation. I’ve spent a good part of my life creating courses – as a university professor and online – and I can make your course creation easier. We’ll start with your sales letter, which is more than worth the price of the course. Currently, it’s on a very special intro price and you’ll get the course free too. Learn more here.