Strategies to Make the Great Online Course Sales Funnel
In the event that you've been on the sidelines of any discussion about web-based marketing, there's high likelihood that you've heard the word "funnel." There's more and more chatter about funnels, and more than a few companies are promising to assist you in creating your perfect funnel.
There are funnels that people use to promote things like premium training or memberships. So it stands to reason that funnels can be a great idea for selling the online courses. They can!
This article we'll discuss all things funnels. What it is that can make a funnel effective? What are the most important things to avoid? And we'll give you three options for creating your own funnel for your online courses.
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This article...
What exactly is an online course's sales funnel?
What does an online course sales funnel IS NOT
What is it that makes the sales funnel for online courses function?
The truth about online course funnels
How to build an online sales funnel
How to fill up the funnel of your online course
How can you make an online class using
What is an online course sales funnel?
A sales funnel for online courses is a method of selling that starts with an abundance of prospective clients and then moves forward step-by-step towards the final, intended course sales. Most often, the journey of a customer through a funnel starts with a free or low-cost deal, such as a webinar, a gift (opt-in) or a community membership and qualified buyers go through the funnel until they - eventually - buy the course!
The course funnel may contain upsells on the other final stage, but often, course creators will include items like one-on-one coaching, a private community, a different course, or an event that is live.
On the way, the potential customer realizes (by paying a small amount of either time or money) you're the perfect person to assist them, and then they are mentally ready to buy the course. This is awesome!
A funnel relies on a high success rate of leads to sales - as well as recognizing that not everyone will buy. That's okay. One of the keys to creating a successful business model for online classes is getting enough people to your channel so that enough of them reach the end of the process It's also important to tweak your funnel to make it more efficient. Then we'll go over everything!
A value ladder as well as the universal truth of marketing
We at Mighty, we really like using the term value ladder for a funnel. As long as the students you want to attract invest a little either time or money (in exchange for some of value) and they begin to trust the person you are. If they feel confident in you will be more willing to invest more time or cash to get greater benefit.
It's awesome math!
What an online course funnel for sales is NOT
- High-pressure sales tactics. Let's face it We've all been there. In the event that you're not confident whether the product you've chosen is correct or that the seller can aid with your questions, yet you're being urged to purchase - that's THE CRUCIALEST!
- A "Buy it today" button. The purpose of a funnel is nurturing and giving value. A funnel needs to include at minimum a few stages along its value path.
- One offer. According to definition, a funnel has more than one offer. However, that doesn't mean the offers are all paid. Your funnel could have 3 free things with a final offering to purchase a course. But there should be multiple points offering value.
- Universal. There is no single-size fits all funnel. There are definitely most effective practices, and ClickFunnels has developed a solid reputation around repeatable components of funnels. However, a funnel that works for someone else might not suit your needs. You need to experiment.
- The bait-and-switch. Do you want to create a successful funnel? Be sure to provide the right value in each stage. If you ask your audience to download an unreliable pdf that is worthless and is expecting them to turn be a $215 course, should reconsider their approach.
What are the factors that make an online sales funnel function?
Trust
The power of the funnel is trust. Feel it. Be aware of the force of the funnel. (IS this an actual Yoda quote? It should be!).
The primary purpose behind the value ladder is earning the trust of a person. It is essential that they trust:
- They know the problem.
- You're the right person to solve it.
- Your worth is worth the price.
The majority of people are working hard to earn the money. Most of us do not want to throw it away - particularly in these times of economic uncertainty.
So how do you gain trust from people?
Simple to do. Give value. Prior to asking money. If you're able to give greater value to your Ideal student than what it costs for them to obtain it, they'll stick around.
Once they've put in some money or time on your product, and realize that the investment was worthwhile then they'll take the next step!
The Ideal Student
To get an online course to be effective, you must have an Ideal Student. This is the focused model of the student who will pay to attend your class. There should be a need which you could help them resolve... That's why they should take the course.
How can you identify your Ideal Students?
First of all, get particular. "People who love dogs" is not an accurate description of an Ideal Student. In all seriousness do you know anyone who doesn't enjoy dogs?
So, we need to narrow it down. "People trying to crate train a new puppy" might be a better Best student.
When you're planning your course or course flow, you should talk to people you think might make good Ideal Students! Learn about their issues as well as their challenges. Ask them would they be willing to invest in an answer.
You can then create what we call a Big Purpose statement for your course. This is how it looks:
Offering Value
We've talked about worth above. However, once you've found your Ideal student The next thing to do is to provide them with accurate information - provide the value they deserve upfront. If you're thinking of a fantastic top-of-funnel treat to show that you're absolutely the best person to assist you, think about: What do they need to learn?
For people with a new puppy, maybe it's a PDF with an outline of a dog's training program. Perhaps it's a webcast with some training tips.
You can ONLY offer value when you are aware of who is the Ideal Student is. And you know what's really amazing? When you offer value, they'll trust you more. Amazing stuff.
Software
Okay, last but not least, the majority of funnels require software. What are you looking for? The answer depends on the type of funnel you build. In general, however, an online course funnel requires software to get leads, software to nurture leads and deliver the course.
It can be somewhat confusing, but to be honest, an excellent internet-based training platform like does most of this stuff for the students.
But here's the stuff that you may require software for:
Attracting New Customers |
Delivering Value |
The Course is Selling |
|---|---|---|
|
Paid Ads |
Webinar Platform |
Point of sale |
|
|
PDF Downloader |
LMS or streaming platform |
|
Social Media |
Community platform |
Chat and messaging |
|
A website (SEO) |
Software to send emails |
Community |
|
A podcast |
Event platform |
Analytics |
The funnel type you're building will dictate the software, but we'll get into that.
Truths about online course funnels
- Just a small portion of your customers are likely to buy your product - this is called the "conversion" rate. No funnel creator ever expects 100% of people to buy the thing. Expect anywhere from 1-10% max.
- Funnels require testing. It's possible your first funnel will get you there, but most likely. It's likely that you'll have to come up with a solution. However, as founder of ClickFunnels Russel Brunson said, You're only one click away!
- A funnel that is effective can make thousands of dollars. Have reasonable expectations, however, be aware that course designers often run people through a funnel repeatedly until they discover one that is effective.
- Funnels should make more than what they cost. When it comes to marketing, the acquisition cost is one of the most important numbers. If you are aware that every dollar you pay for Facebook advertisements, you will receive $30 back in course sales, you might simply keep feeding the funnel!
How do you create an online course sales funnel
There's not one single way to design a funnel for sales for an online class. In reality, you have to choose what best suits your needs and your target audience. We'll show you couple, including one that we secretly think is the most effective. However, you are able to combine and match them.
Sequences for Email
This online course sales funnel has been around as long as the internet. It's happened to you before. It happened to you when you visited a site and they gave you the option of a "Cool PDF" or "Free Training." You handed over your email address to begin receiving emails from them.
When it works when it does, an email sequence gains an increasing amount of trust. It is easy to imagine your Ideal Students eagerly waiting for the next one, waiting for every word you speak. To ensure that when the invite to buy the online course comes around, they'll be saying "Gee, golly, gosh that's awesome!" !"
That's the best-case scenario.
However, it's true that you are aware of what happens when you use email. It's likely that someone has joined 39 other email lists and your brilliant emails end up being buried in their junk-mail folder in the course of time.
So, you'll need to decide if an it's a good fit for you and the people you're targeting. And psst, it can definitely be a element of a larger funnel. If you've got a tiny mailing list (e.g. 100 people) and you can only get an additional 2% of them to purchase will not assist much. If you've got 100,000, 2% of people purchasing is quite a bit of income!
Webinar
You know this one too. This is where you sign-up to receive the "Free Training" - usually by way of advertisements posted on Facebook, Youtube, or LinkedIn. The link you receive will allow you to view a video whether recorded live or pre-recorded. (Or it's prerecorded however they make it appear live. Those sneaky sneakers. )
It is a movie that you watch, and then they offer some benefit Then, afterward they offer you the chance to buy, a coupon code, or an offer to bring the urgency up.
The reason webinars are more effective than email is that you can often create trust much faster. Video has a certain quality that can make it extremely efficient. It allows you to gaze the other person in the eye, ask a few inquiries answered (maybe), and figure out if they're the right one to meet your needs.
And, if interested, buy!
Community Funnel
Best sales funnel for online classes
So the final value ladder we'll talk about is one of community. At Mighty We really enjoy great communities.
A community can do everything the traditional sales funnel can do and more. Your customers can be informed about your group. Members can sign up (either for free or for the cost of a fixed amount). Signing up is simple and lets members join in conversations already taking place with you and the fellow members.
Your audience is filled with great content, Q&As webcasts, webinars, live streams and live events or any other thing you want. You provide a great deal of value at scale.
When the time is to promote your course online, you've got an existing audience of individuals who are aware that they trust, love, and like you. They are confident that you're the only one that can assist them and they'll whip out their wallets to pay for it!
If you have your Ideal Students and the Big Goals right, it's simple to give value and build confidence within the community. You won't even do it alone, but other members will be able to contribute value because of the effect of network. And that makes it the most effective online course funnel.
How to fill up the online course funnel
There are many different ways to get people into your funnel. Here are some suggestions!
- Paid advertisements
- Social media content
- Posts on social media groups
- sharing with friends
- Posting on your website (SEO)
- Based on an email list that is already in place
- Making partnerships with other like-minded creators (get in front of their target audience)
- Podcast appearances
- Guest post
How to create an online course with
If you're looking to start building your online course funnel, read this an outline of how courses function within Mighty.
Ready to get started?
Have you read this information and are you motivated to design your personal funnel? In reality, nothing beats an excellent funnel to help ensure that your online course is sold. So if you've got something to teach and you're ready to begin building that funnel!
And if you want the community funnel (or webinars - and let's be real - you could do both) Come and try Mighty! We're a cultural software platform that let's you bring together courses, community content, commerce, and more. Our flexible Spaces lets users mix and match features such as live streaming via an LMS, discussion forums Chat and messaging, members' profiles, Q&As and much more!
It's also possible to offer your course in 135 different currencies and even make money with token-gating. Your students will be able to use the course via a great app for every device.