What it’s about
Here are two staggering facts:
1. The online learning industry is worth $100 billion dollars.
2. The completion rate of online course is a dismal 3%! That means 97% of people in that $100 billion industry aren’t completing courses.
Insert shocked face here, right?
That’s what Dr Carrie Rose of Brand Legend is trying to change. In this interview, Carrie shares why so few people who buy online courses don’t finish them, how you can create a course that actually connects with people and delivers the value you promised them, and she’s got a smart hack on how to use Amazon to figure out what content you should build into your course.
Takeaways
1. Adult learners want to choose their own adventure
Adults learners are not the same as children. They need to self-select, self-drive, and access information in ways that fit their schedule, their needs, and their business in that moment. Online courses for adults should allow the learner to choose what they learn and when they learn it. Carrie describes it as ‘just-in-time’ learning as opposed to ‘just-in-case’ learning. “We need to develop processes that support adult learners as opposed to, ‘Do it my way because I said so,’” says Carrie.
2. Your course videos need to be shorter
To hold people’s attention and be impactful, Carrie recommends that your online course videos be less than seven minutes. Research shows that people start falling off at the 7-minute mark, so break those 40-minute videos down into more digestible pieces.
3. Use Amazon for market research
Wondering about content for your online course or if your idea for a course is in-demand? Look no further than Amazon. Search for the books that cover the topic you’re thinking of covering in your course and look at the three-star reviews as they’re generally the most representational. Those reviews provide valuable intel on what the reader hoped to get out of the book that they didn’t - which provides an opportunity for your course to fill that gap - and what they really liked - which is the kind of information you want to be sure to cover as well. And, if you have a course idea but can’t find any books on the topic on Amazon, you probably should rethink your topic.
4. Write the landing page copy before creating the course.
In her research, Carrie found that one of the biggest reasons why people didn’t complete an online course is because of a disconnect between what was promised, and what was delivered. Usually, the course creator builds the course and then passes it off to a copywriter to do the sell copy, but sometimes then there’s disconnect between what’s actually in the course and the selling points. You have to be sure that your course does what the copywriter sells.
To prevent this, reverse the process so you as course creator first outlines the content, the promises, and the gaps the course will fill. If you let your copywriter finesse from there, and then create the course based on all of that information, you can be more confident that you’re delivering what you promised.
Show notes
