A person working on laptop fir his online course business.

Building a profitable online course business can seem daunting, but with the right approach, you can turn your passion into a successful business. In this blog, we'll be covering the five steps you need to take not only to create and sell online courses but also to get referrals and upsell. So, whether you are starting an online course business or want to take your online course business to the next level, this post is for you!

5 Steps For A Profitable Online Course Business

Step 1: Create Engaging Content

The first step in creating a profitable online course business is to create content that is engaging and valuable to your target audience. This means that you need to have a clear understanding of who your target audience is and what they are looking to learn.

Here are some notes to help you create engaging content:

  • Conduct market research to understand the needs and wants of your target audience
  • Outline your course content and organize it in a logical and easy-to-follow manner
  • Use a variety of multimedia elements, such as videos, images, and infographics, to make your content more visually appealing and interactive
  • Keep your content updated and relevant by incorporating new information and best practices as they become available

Step 2: Choose a hosting platform

Once you have your content ready, the next step is to choose a hosting platform for your course. There are a number of options available, such as Miho, Udemy, Coursera, and Thinkific, each with its own set of features and pricing plans.

Here are some things to consider when choosing a hosting platform:

  • Look for a platform that offers features like course creation tools, analytics, and payment processing
  • Consider the pricing and revenue-sharing model of the platform and how it aligns with your business goals
  • Check for any additional services offered like customer support, marketing tools, and integrations
  • Try to go for the one which is user-friendly and easy to navigate.

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Infographic of checklist to consider when choosing a hosting platform for your online course website.

Step 3: Market and sell your course

Once your course is live, the next step is to market and sell your online course to your target audience. This is where a good marketing strategy comes into play.

Here's how you market your course:

  • Use social media platforms to promote your course and engage with your target audience
  • Utilize email marketing to reach out to potential students and nurture leads
  • Utilize paid advertising like Google Adwords, and Facebook ads to reach out to more people
  • Leverage influencer marketing to tap into a new audience
  • Make sure to have a good landing page to convert visitors into buyers.
  • Don't forget to measure the results of your marketing efforts, track your progress and make necessary adjustments.

Step 4: Gather feedback and referrals

Gathering feedback and referrals is an important step in building a profitable online course business. It's important to be open to feedback and willing to make changes based on what your students are saying.

Here are some ways to gather feedback and referrals

  • Encourage your students to leave reviews and ratings on your course
  • Send out surveys to get a better understanding of what your students liked and didn't like about your course
  • Make use of social proof by showcasing testimonials and case studies from your students
  • Encourage your students to refer their friends and family to your course.
 Infographic icons of gathering feedback and referrals from your students.

Step 5: Upsell to your Students

Once you've built a loyal student base, it's time to think about upselling to them. This is a great way to increase revenue and take your business to the next level.

Upselling is to encourage customers to purchase additional or more expensive products or services, in addition to what the customer was originally planning to buy. The goal is to increase the total value of the sale and boost revenue.

Here are some ways to upsell to your students:

  • Offer a bundle of courses at a discounted price
  • Create a membership program that offers exclusive content and perks
  • Create a coaching program for students who want more personalized attention
  • Create a certification program to help students stand out in their field

Next steps

Starting an online course business can be a great way to share your knowledge and skills with others, and make money doing it. By following these five steps, you'll be well on your way to creating a profitable business that you can be proud of.

But, what if we told you that there's a platform that can help you with all of these steps?

Introducing Miho, a platform designed for online course creators. Miho allows you to create, sell, and manage your online courses all in one place. With Miho, you can focus on creating quality content, while the platform handles the rest. Don't let the technicalities of online course creation hold you back. Give Miho a try for free for 14 days and see the difference it can make in your business.

Building Online Course Business: Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Which online course platform is best?
  2. How profitable is selling online courses?
  3. How do I choose an online course niche?