It’s no secret that the growing global demand for online courses has created a booming market for coaches and creative entrepreneurs to tap. But even as online courses have become part of everyday life, many entrepreneurs cling to the idea that anything less than a 50K launch is a complete failure.
Unfortunately, these myths hold many aspiring coaches and course creators back from achieving their possible success.
In this post, I’ll bust the three most common myths about launching online courses to help you gain perspective as to what a successful and impactful launch should look like.
Myth #1: “A big launch is critical to your success”
Too many aspiring online course creators think it’s vital you have a big launch and if you don’t see big sales in the first few days of offering your course, the game is over. But that’s just not true.
Reality: Yes, you should drive sales when you first release your course, but rarely do you make all your money on a product in one single push. (That’s why you see the “gurus” continually coming back with a new round of the same product). A successful launch is really just one step in an ongoing process.
Keep in mind, too, that many successful online course creators run subscription-based memberships. These businesses often avoid big launches completely and rather develop content to pull in customers steadily.
Myth #2: “I need a big email list”
Many coaches and course creators think that if they don’t have thousands of people on their email list, they’ll never succeed, and often hold off even starting until they think they’ve collected enough email addresses to guarantee success.
Reality: The size of your audience matters, though what matters more is converting your prospects into customers at a profitable price point. Quality, in other words, over quantity.
If the people signed up for your emails are interested in what you’re offering and you build a strong relationship with them, they’ll be much more likely to buy from you and pay prices that keep your business profitable.
Yes, you should definitely build your list over time to reach a larger pool of potential customers, but don’t let a small list stop you from getting started. It’s always better to have a smaller list of prospects likely to convert at a profitable price point than a larger list with weaker conversions at a lower price.
Myth #3: “I need to have a massive marketing budget”
You don’t need to spend large amounts of money on ads, webinars, and other forms of marketing to sell courses. Many lean on this one either as an excuse for not moving ahead or as a reason they aren’t enjoying greater success.
Reality: Yes, it’s competitive out there, but most effective marketing consists of the quality of content and the level of trust and authority you cultivate. Without these elements in place, any money you spend is likely to be wasted.
Once these elements are in place, there are plenty of free or low-cost ways to promote yourself.
Here’s a quick rundown of some of the main ones:
- Blogging and guest blogging to establish your name
- SEO to drive traffic to your website and sales pages
- Posting about your courses and related content in social media channels
- Learning the basics of Facebook and Google Ads and using them to drive highly targeted traffic
- Identifying and building relationship with influencers in your market (i.e., other experts who have a following)
- Appearing as a guest on podcasts and webinars
You get the idea – loads of money isn’t necessary! As with technology, though, you have to commit to taking action, as no 3rd-party can make marketing magically happen for you.
Posts like this surface myths and barriers that hold many of us back – often unconsciously – and give us the chance to face up to them. So, before you move on, take a moment to answer honestly: Are any of these myths currently holding me back?
If the answer is yes, consider yourself lucky: you’ve just discovered a clear area to work on that, once addressed, will improve your coaching and course creator business.
Want an impactful (and profitable) course created for you in 90 days or less? I create first-class online courses and membership programs for coaches and creatives seeking increased income, freedom, and scalability.
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