We are all aware of the innumerable advantages of online tutorials. Not only is it advantageous to the students and the teachers but also corporate organizations. Yes! IBM has saved approximately 200 million USD after switching to e-learning. This industry is far huger than that meets the eyes. And given the enormity and the competitive nature of this industry one can only imagine the amount of effort that needs to be put in order to promote your online course. There are lots of platforms these days that help people share their courses with others on the internet and also send people looking to learn certain skills in the direction of relevant courses. For example, check out this LinkedIn Learning review written by Learn a Course Online to see how others are feeling about this particular platform.

Due to the outbreak of the pandemic, the year 2020 has alone has played a significant role in putting the online tutorial business on fast track path of exhilarated growth. This is the right time for any entrepreneur to start his own e-learning platform. However, as we all have been on the consumer side of the business world as well, we are very well aware of their mentality too. The success rate of a business is always based on the customer base and the retention capacity it has built. Hence you will need to put in a lot of effort marketing your brand when compared to a known brand. So, how to sell online courses will be your next question. Correct?

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Every step you take from the initial planning and development stage to the promotion stage will matter the growth of your business. So, let’s start from the beginning.

• Making your website as efficient and robust as possible will automatically fetch you the right SERP ranking and hence increase in the conversion rate. And if you have integrated course management software in your website then there is no need to worry about any managerial aspects of your platform. The course management software consists of multiple tools that will manage administration, tracking, documentation, automation, reporting and many more such complex operations. This will also lead to a better user experience which will in turn lead to an increased conversion rate. Some of the CRO tools that you can integrate are-
• Data collection tools
• Analysis and Research tools
• Wire framing and prototyping tools
• A/B and multivariate testing tools
• Project management tool
• Abandon cart management tool etc

• Before you launch your own website, try and launch your online course on an already established e-learning platform. Here’s why-
• Ready-to-connect user base
• Credibility
• Time and cost efficient
• Technical support
• Brand protection

And many more.

Since platforms like Thinkific (which you can read a review of here: https://serp.co/reviews/thinkific/) have already gained the trust and reputation of the customers you will have a wider reach and a greater visibility. Being a warranted platform to launch and grow your business you will be able to harness the knowledge gained from this experience when you are starting your own online tutoring platform. Once you have gained the basic knowledge regarding how the website works, what steps you need to take in order for you to operate as efficiently as they are you can then cautiously build and experience everything from development of the virtual platform to selling your online course firsthand.

• Then there is the strategic marketing planning. In order to start formulating a plan you need to first understand the main aim of marketing. There main goals are-
• To raise brand awareness
• To generate quality leads
• To increase customer value etc.

In order to achieve the above you need to earn a god ranking on the Search Engine Result Page (SERP). Here are a few marketing strategies that will definitely get you the right attention-

• Social media marketing:

Social media has gotten imbibed into everyone’s daily routine. It is one of the primary ways with which people are connected to one another and with the rest of the world. Hence you can leverage this platform in order to gain the attention of its user base.

Eg: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc

• Media advertising:

This is one of the most cost effective and popularly used advertising methods across all businesses. There are multiple types of media advertising through which you can redirect traffic to your website.

Some of the most notable ones are-

• Paid Search Ads: The ads that appear on top of the search engine result page are nothing but these paid search ads. As these attract immediate attention the conversion rate they create is also high.
• Display Ads: Known as banner ads, these are the ads you can see on your mobile applications and other websites. They follow your search history and project ads accordingly in turn increasing the brand awareness.
• Product Listing Ads: This type of advertising is the latest addition. The products along with their details that appear at the top of the search engine result page are what this is all about. Since it occupies such a prominent area in the result page the chances of lead generation and conversion is much higher compared to the others.

• Influencer marketing:

This is the current trending marketing strategy. People trust other people’s experiences with just a sheet filled with promises made by the product/service. Hence it is a good idea to rope in a few social media influencers having the most number of followers to endorse your online tutorials. This way you will gain the attention of hundreds of them which will directly be proportional to increase in your conversion rate as well.

• Content marketing:

This is one of the classic marketing strategies that have been in use over the ages. It is an in-bound marketing strategy used to boost the organic traffic. E Newsletters, emails, blog posts etc. are some of the educational ways in which you can market your website.

• SEO optimization:

One of the oldest strategies that are being used to help optimize your website content. There are multiple tools that will help you with great SEO content for your webpage. This will automatically earn you great visibility and ranking on the SERPs.

• Hosting a live webinar or recording a podcast will definitely gain the right audience for your virtual tutoring website. This helps to portray you as an expert and also build that trust factor before introducing your course and marketing. You can also share some of your best content on a free trial basis. Every person who listens to your podcast or webinar can be a potential student. Share valuable tips on each of your episodes, and only at the end of the episodes include a button to connect and check-out your website contents. By submitting your podcasts and webinars to platforms such as iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play, you can easily reach hundreds of people on a monthly basis for free. This is really a great exposure for your brand as well.

So, the above mentioned points are just a few ways that will assist you in order to see your online course, reach a greater audience and help build a steady stream of customer base. If you need any advice or help with any step of setting up your virtual business do give us a call. We are here to help you with your endeavors.