IT’S NOT ABOUT THE PLATFORM
Think of the worst driver you know, the one who makes you grab the door handle, or slam on invisible brakes, as he careens through town. And then imagine that driver behind the wheel of a Formula One race car, one of the finest driving machines in the world. Formula One drivers win races all the time in cars like this, so naturally Mr. Road Menace can do the same, right? It’s the car that wins the race, right? A $2.6 million car practically drives itself, right? Well, of course not – it’s the vehicle plus the skill and experience of the driver together that win races. It seems obvious, but there are millions of entrepreneurs like you who think that a fast, high-tech online course platform is the secret to launching the six-figure web-based course of their dreams.
After all , the Internet is awash with rags to riches stories of people who – with seemingly little effort – launched a can’t-miss web-based course and are now vacationing on the French Riviera. Dig a little deeper, and you’ll see that these stories are selling specific course hosting platforms. These platforms offer turnkey systems which allow course creators to upload slides, video snippets, or other documents. The software allows users to organize their material in a variety of ways, so that class content is sorted into sections, modules, chapters, and lessons. It all looks very educational and structured. Then the platform hosts this assorted material as a web-based course in which millions of students will surely enroll.
So where’s the problem? What’s wrong with making it easy for entrepreneurs to get their courses launched quickly? Mr. Road Menace may understand the concept of driving, but he isn’t used to driving an 800-horsepower engine, and chances are very high that he won’t make it across the finish line. In the same way, using a rapid-deployment online course platform doesn’t guarantee a great course that delivers to its students, because the content is what really matters.
What is your finish line for the online course you decided to develop? As an entrepreneur, and subject matter expert, you no doubt have goals for this course other than collecting enrollment fees. place. Very likely you want this course to
1) build your brand
2) create interest in your product and
3) drive sales
A course that doesn’t support all these goals isn’t successful, no matter how quickly you are able to deploy it online.
Building your brand can take weeks, months and years, while destroying it can be the work of minutes. The foundation of a good brand is originality, consistency of voice, consistency of message, and building and maintaining trust. Creating a stellar customer experience, in every interaction, flows from all these factors, and offering weak content in your online course jeopardizes everything you’ve built. A quality platform is important, but quality content is equally important.
If your product is the online course, then surely you already believe you must deliver the steak as well as the sizzle. If your business relies on the online course to generate demand for your product, then the course is even more important. People are very discerning in the Internet era, with terabytes of information at their fingertips, and you have an untold number of competitors. If you can’t deliver a quality course, your students will assume that your product is equally poor, and they’ll go somewhere else. You would have to work very hard to win them back, so why not invest that time in a quality online course instead, which doesn’t risk your reputation?
If your sales process relies on the online course to sell your product or service, then the course must close the sale for you. Your course must convert your students into believers, into new customers who believe that your product or service will solve their problem. Believers are ready to take every step of the customer journey with you, and they don’t want anything to cast doubt on the decision they’ve made to trust you. Your online course can either create true believers, or it can create doubt in those who want to believe but can’t because your course didn’t meet their expectations.
An online course can be a great marketing and sales tool for your business, but be wary of any software that promises to deliver a can’t-miss course on its own. An online courseware platform is only as good as the content you put into it, and the rewards for creating good content are limitless. Don’t risk your brand and your reputation by putting too much faith into a shiny new course platform – your prospects and students expect the best of both worlds.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Karen Fields is one of those Type A personalities that just can't settle down. Her career has focused primarily on organizational training and development, where she has held leadership roles in Fortune 500 companies and also worked as an independent consultant for corporations and entrepreneurs. She has also written several mystery novels and founded an online clothing company. Her motto: "If you want something done, ask a busy person."
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