How to Market Online Courses with Aditi Ramchandani

Today, we are going to talk about the differences between private and public courses - courses for companies vs. courses for individuals. There is a huge untapped market with private, corporate e-learning courses. This podcast episode interview is with Aditi Ramchandani where we will talk about sales and marketing. She is a digital marketing strategist who works with businesses and entrepreneurs to build strong brands through strategic brand communication, online visibility, and expert positioning.

Sales is simply helping people, sharing the benefits of your services, and solving problems. It does not have to be a complicated thing where you are begging people to buy your course or to hire you. Based on my experience, listening is the easiest way to sell.

Another thing I want you to hear Aditi talk about is how many times she created momentum for herself. When you hear what she talks about, listen for ways on how you can create momentum in your own business.

I also want us to go over how to get corporate clients. It can be intimidating especially if you haven't been in the corporate world. There are many different strategies on how to find corporate clients. If you would like an in-depth course on finding corporate clients, feel free to send me an email.

Now, on to my interview with Aditi.

J: Tell me about your background and who you serve?

A: I have been in marketing for 14 years now. I was literally marketing things before I even know what marketing was. I did both my undergrad and Master's Degree in Marketing. I did six years in Corporate America before going back to Grad School and then started my marketing business full-time. Now, I've been working with entrepreneurs and mid-sized businesses. I help them with their marketing, online visibility, brand communications, as well as helping them position their company as a leader in the industry.

What is the difference between a private and public course?

A: A private course is a course that is not publicly advertised. It is only for a select group of individuals. A public course is a course that is promoted and everybody knows about it.

J: How did you launch your first public course?

A: A lot of times, companies provide on-the-job training for different roles that they have. Online courses are great for companies to use internally with their employees and externally for their customers. When I was in Grad School, I had friends who are entrepreneurs. I knew that they were seeking marketing help and I'm in school. So, I thought why don't I put some things together based on what I'm learning. At first, I did two private courses and just taking donations because I was afraid of charging. After that, I launched my first public course.

What do people need to have to get started with their first course?

A: People need to have a course outline. They have to have some sort of sales page. They should also have a payment method and a way to deliver the content to the clients. An email marketing system to keep in touch with people who enrolled is also important. It does not have to complicated when you are just starting out. Also, have a free content that leads to your course launch.

J: How much does it cost to run a course?

A: In general, I found that costs $0-300 to organically run a small-scale course without Facebook Ads and stuff like that. With my first course, it was zero cost because I used Google Hangouts and Google Drive. Running a public course would cost you a little bit more money.

With my third course, I spent only $300. I did not use Facebook Ads, I just did it with people who were connected to my network. I contacted my past clients if they wanted to jump into the advanced one. I also made a platform and videos uploaded, so I was able to charge a premium price for it. I'm always encouraging people that to start off, you don't need a lot of funds.

 

What is your favorite marketing strategy to enroll people in a course?

A: My favorite marketing strategy is doing a pre-sell. If you are anxious and if you have a few people enrolled in your course before publicly advertising it, you're gonna feel confident. In order to do that, you're going to literally reach out to people in your network. You can charge a cheaper price for a pre-sell. Also, you don't have to have the whole course created before you start selling it.

J: What do you find that people struggle with the most in terms of creating and running a course?

A: I found that people get really overwhelmed about what to put on the course. First ask yourself, what is the end goal? What will people get from taking your course? Be clear about what your customers are going to get out of your course and then work backward. Like, what are the five main areas or steps that can get you from point A to point B? You can break them down further, if necessary.

I also like people to make shorter videos rather than longer videos. A good timeframe is 5-15 minutes.

I've also seen people stuck in not feeling like they are the expert. They feel like they need to wait to have all the information ready. I always tell people to start making outlines and pre-sell the course. Pre-selling is also one way to validate your idea for your course. If you're not getting any presells, you can go back to the drawing board and see if you are offering what the customers really want.

J: Aditi, I appreciate you being here on the show today? Where can the customers know more about you and your services?

A: Everyone can head over to my website and I look forward to seeing you there. Thank you.

Whether you are just starting out or whether you have been doing courses for a while, I'm sure you have picked up some good strategies from Aditi Ramchandani.

As I have said, sales is all about serving. Let me know how you are doing with your sales and marketing as well as your questions about getting corporate clients.

If you haven't gone to my website in a while, there are some new things that you might want to check out. Go on there and check out some of my new videos and some of the past podcasts. I would also be honored if you can leave a rating or a review.

If you need coaching, you can go to the website, fill out the form, and see if we are a good fit.

 

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