On Friday, I introduced to you why you should create an online course. In today’s podcast we are going to talk about how to create ideas for your online course.
Then, later on in the week, we are going to discuss how to build it and more. We are really going to get into how to create this online course for your site.
Now, you might think that in your industry, this online course thing won’t apply to you and your customers, but don’t worry! I’ve been there. I’ve thought the same thing.
However, the more I have watched and listened to others, and the more material I have read, I have come up with ideas myself, and today I am going to show you how to do that too.
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So let me give you some suggestions on how to create ideas for your online course.
My Fire Safety Business
People come to us when they have been told that they need fire safety because of regulations. Those people don’t want a course. They want their product right now.
But that is the wrong way to think about it.
You want to provide them with valuable information all the time so that when they do need something, they will be coming to you!
Don’t think about selling them something. Your job with this online course is to get the lead — You want to offer a course that will get someone to give you permission to market to them.
By doing this, you are building up trust and over time, they will get to know you and trust your business sense and know how. At this point, you have to get the selling to them out of your mind and replace it with just providing them with information and how tos.
Every now and then you can throw in a sale or recommend something to them — and this will happen eventually not from the start, so remember that.
Now — back to my fire safety business. What kind of online course can I offer someone? I could create an online course on how to create a fire safety plan for your home. You can deliver this over a week’s time.
In each email, you would include some information and a link to a video, which is hosted on my website, so the customer will be surrounded by all the items that I sell. The plan here is to get them off of the email onto my website so it shows who I really am.
Then you can offer them another email on how to properly install a fire extinguisher — and in this email, you can link to the fire extinguishers that you sell etc (see how this all works??)
You might be thinking that everyone knows how to put one up, that it’s just two screws, but seriously — create a video on how to do it and people will watch it.
You can tell people where to hang them, where not to hang them, what to do, what not to do — people want to know what NOT to do.
You could do a series on smoke alarms — how to install a smoke alarm, how to choose the best smoke alarm, the difference between this brand of smoke alarm vs. this brand smoke alarm.
Each one of these things are dedicated to fire safety and show your level of expertise. In these videos and emails you can talk about your products, share your tips and knowledge and more.
If you make robots, show how you make them and what they can do. Give them product information, before they ever have the product.
If someone is in the market for a new washing machine, instead of waiting until they purchase the machine to get a manual in their hands, why not get them one in advance. Show them what the difference is between top load, energy efficient, so that they can make sure they are choosing the best machine for the price.
There is something for everyone and people want to know how to use it and what it’s all about.
Book Recommendation
This week, the book that I am going to recommend is The 4 Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferris. Tim is a fantastic author and has a few books under his belt already.
I have actually spent a weekend with Tim and a couple of other friends. Tim is razor sharp and smart as a tack and knows his stuff. He goes to the nth degree. In his book, he shares on how to leverage your time and get more done.
Now, I had a chat with Tim, and he openly admitted that he does not work 4 hours a week (he actually works more), but he said if he wanted to only work 4 hours per week he could.
It is one of the most fantastic books out there on modern marketing. Go have a read.
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