Are You Making These 8 Online Course Mistakes?
You are an expert in your field, a Go-To person, the Guru. You know your stuff, inside and out. Why not write all this stuff down and sell it to people who want to know more about it! Sounds simple, right? Everyone is doing it, it is a growing market – the information industry. Well, that is an excellent idea. The first question you have to ask yourself, isn’t what you know, it is “What do other people want to know?” “How do they want to learn it?” “What problem does this solve in their life?” That is where the truly transformational courses differ from someone’s brain dump.
Where is your course along that spectrum? Check it out to see if your course is making any of these 8 online course mistakes:
Course Mistake 1: The course doesn’t take learners to the promised results: You put so much content into the course but didn’t create a learning journey to reach the results you promised. Basically, like in our cover image, you can’t get there from here.
Course Mistake 2: Videos are too long or too much talking/rambling: Excessive talking only loses their interest. Aim to present your points in 2-3 succinct sentences and keep videos efficient, consider breaking topics down into a few shorter videos.
Course Mistake 3: There is no tangible goal or end result: It’s easy to talk about what you want to achieve and the tasks you must take action on. However, action with no goal leaves your learner wondering why they are there, and THAT is a gigantic mistake.
Course Mistake 4: Content is what the leader wants to teach, not what learners want to learn: What do your learners want? Knowing exactly what troubles your learner, what they need solutions for, will not only influence the content you put in your course but also how you market and sell it.
Course Mistake 5: Learner feedback is NOT listened to or incorporated for improvement: Without feedback, you fail to connect with your audience or learn how you can improve. The most valuable source of course content is the feedback from those that have lived it.
Course Mistake 6: The targeted audience isn’t a fit for the course content: Have you ever wondered, “What am I doing here?” That is the last thing you want your learners to be wondering. By focusing your content on your ideal learner, the exact struggles and concerns they have, you speak directly to them, you engage them, and you are able to hold their attention to the end.
Course Mistake 7: Lack of clear direction of what to do when, and how it moves you forward: Too many online courses are guilty of this one. They dive right into the content without making the learner feel comfortable with all the resources, links, and expectations they now have access to. A confused mind takes NO action. This is a major culprit in student drop-out.
Course Mistake 8: There is no community or engagement: This is a definite faux pas. Especially in courses that are self-directed. The learner can feel they are in a vacuum, alone and left to their own devices. Creating a community advances your relationships. More connection = more growth = more results.
Now that you know the most common 8 Online Course Mistakes, check out your online program or course and see if you can make it even better by addressing these 8 mistakes, and delivering a course that exceeds your learner’s expectations.