How to create an online course in 2024?

Want to create an online course? Then you may be wondering exactly where to start.

In any case, the good news is that in the digital age of 2024, creating an online course is more accessible than ever before. With the emergence of various all-in-one platforms like Systeme.io, experts and beginners alike can effortlessly share their knowledge and passions with a global audience.

So it doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned professional or just in a specific sector you’ve just absorbed some new, relevant information.

By setting up an online course, you have a unique opportunity to expand your influence and generate a passive income. So read on quickly!

Why create an online course?

Creating an online course is something that more and more experts in specific fields are now doing. That this development is so clearly visible is, of course, no coincidence. It has everything to do with the obvious advantages that come with creating and selling your own online course.

You probably have a rough idea of exactly what these advantages are. However, in practice it turns out that there are regularly quite a few more positive points than you might initially think.

Do you choose to create your own online training? Then the following benefits come into play:

#1: Accessibility for a wider audience

By creating an online course, you also automatically choose to break geographical limitations. This is because you are no longer dependent on your specific location in terms of the number of learners you can potentially reach.

This makes it easier than ever to share your knowledge and expertise worldwide.

In this way, certain valuable information is instantly accessible to anyone with access to the Internet.

It allows people to learn something new, despite possible limitations that may apply. Consider, for example:

• Lack of resources
• Not enough time to be physically present at traditional educational institutions
• Not knowing of the existence of the (online) course

Thanks to this universal accessibility, you increase the impact of the course while also providing opportunities to individuals who might not otherwise have access to the specific educational information.

In other words; creating your own online course is the modern way to share knowledge with a specific target group. Especially with a tool like Systeme.io, today this is easier than ever.

Within the blink of an eye, you have set up a complete online course and it is time to bring it to the attention of your target group!

#2: Maximum flexibility

A second major advantage of this method is the fact that online courses offer an unprecedented amount of flexibility.

As the course provider, you always have the freedom to develop and customize your course content at your own pace. You are your own boss, so to speak. This puts you in control at all times. Especially if you know just a bit more than most other “experts” in your sector, this will soon start to pay off.

The extra valuable, up-to-date content is generally very well liked by the average target audience.

On the other hand, this maximum flexibility also applies to the trainees themselves. After all, they are able to learn when it suits them. This creates a more personalized and effective learning experience.

Especially in today’s “busy” life, this is a requirement for many trainees. The world is full of distractions, making it crucial that everyone has an option to gain new knowledge at their desired time. For some, this is early on a Monday morning, while others prefer to do it late in the evening after school or work.

#3: Cost savings

Not unimportantly, offering an online course will also be financially beneficial in many ways. Again, this is the case for you as the course provider as well as for the students themselves.

Let’s look at this in very simple terms.

It used to be that you had to incur a lot of costs to give a course. For example, you had to arrange the following:

• Renting physical space
• Travel to a specific location
• Providing physical teaching materials

Of course, it is immediately clear that after creating your own online training, this is no longer necessary. So you save significantly on operational costs.

We would like to emphasize that the costs of creating your own online course are even lower when you use a state-of-the-art platform like Systeme.io. Because everything is fully optimized, you can create your entire online course quickly and inexpensively.

So as a provider of an online course, there is a lower threshold to get started. On the other hand, students benefit from lower registration fees.

Moreover, offering an online course is in many ways a sustainable source of income. We’ll go into more detail about this at point #6!

#4: Scalability

Next, of course, we cannot overlook the (virtually) unlimited scalability of your own online course.

Thanks to an online course, you have the option of offering specific educational material to a large number of students without diminishing the quality of the course. This of course has everything to do with the fact that there is almost no difference in 10, 100 or even 10,000 students. After all, all interaction takes place online.

This creates a unique opportunity to scale up significantly and reach an enormous group of people with a one-time investment in creating a high-quality course.

One comment we should make here is that it is generally advisable to update your online course periodically. There are almost always opportunities to further supplement the information.

All in all, this allows you to work on a scale that is difficult to achieve with traditional education. The scalability of online courses makes it possible to reach a wide audience of learners around the world.

#5: Interactivity and multimedia

The digital nature of online courses allows integration of various types of multimedia forms. Consider options such as:

• Photos
• Videos
• Interactive exercises
• Real-time feedback

In practice, this will lead to an extra extended learning experience, making it possible to touch trainees much ‘deeper’. A student is automatically a lot more engaged when he or she, for example, regularly performs an interactive exercise to apply the knowledge gained.

The use of advanced technologies is going to enhance the interaction between trainees and course leader, improve the absorption of learning material and create a dynamic learning environment that in many ways is a lot more effective than the more traditional forms of learning.

#6: Long-term revenue source.

Unlike one-time events, online courses offer the potential for continuous revenue generation for a long time.

This is because once you put together an online course for the first time, it is potentially possible to sell it indefinitely. This creates an extremely stable source of passive income.

Then, by updating the course regularly, it remains relevant and valuable to new learners. In doing so, you only further extend the life of the course so that you continue to benefit from your initial efforts even years later.

What to look out for when creating an online training course?

Creating an online course is easier today than it has ever been before. As we briefly mentioned earlier, a modern platform like Systeme.io helps you put together your own course within a few simple steps.

However, this does not directly mean that you have to rush through this process. After all, an online course that is actually of high quality is worth its weight in gold.

Therefore, keep the following points in mind when setting up your own online course:

• Determine needs of target audience: The success of an online course begins with a deep understanding of the needs of your target audience. A detailed analysis of their learning needs, challenges and goals is therefore an essential step. In doing so, it is important to pay attention to things like demographics, interests, preferences and any obstacles they may face in their learning process. A useful tip is to involve your target audience in the process through surveys, polls or even interviews. This way you find out in a detailed way their specific needs and associated expectations. Moreover, it is crucial to conduct a competitive analysis so that you find out what is already available and how your course can stand out. This in-depth understanding is going to help you design course content that matches what your target audience needs. In doing so, it’s really going to motivate them to participate. By tailoring the learning experience to the specific needs of your target audience, you will increase the value of your course and increase the likelihood of success.

• Content depth: The value of an online course lies in the quality and structure of the content. Start with a solid foundation that outlines clear learning goals and outcomes. These goals guide the development of your course content, with each section logically building on the previous and contributing to the achievement of overall course goals. It is important to strike a balance between depth and accessibility so that the content is challenging as well as understandable. Therefore, try to use interactive elements such as videos, discussion forums and practical assignments as much as possible. These improve active engagement and thus the overall learning experience. Regular reviews and updates of the course content ensure that the information remains current and relevant, thus maintaining the depth of content in the long run. A structured, dynamic and interactive course attracts students and then keeps them engaged in the content as much as possible.

• Technical considerations: Choosing the right platform is a crucial decision during the course design process. This platform must not only be user-friendly for course creators and students, but also provide sufficient features to create an interactive and engaging learning environment. Things like multimedia support, mobile accessibility and integration capabilities with other tools are then of great importance. In addition, it is convenient if the platform offers data security and reliable customer support. It is advisable to try out newer platforms (such as Systeme.io) through a trial version to determine which one best suits your needs. A well-chosen platform is going to make creating your own course a lot easier!

• Marketing and promotion: Even with the most valuable course, you do need certain marketing efforts to reach the widest possible audience. Start by laying out the unique benefits of your course. Then use various marketing channels such as social media, email campaigns, content marketing and paid advertising to reach and interest your target audience. Developing a strong online presence and building relationships with your target audience by sharing valuable content is ultimately going to increase interest in your course. Partnerships with influencers also often help to expand your reach just a little further. Plus, this also helps you build credibility.

• Collect feedback: Feedback from students is indispensable for further improving and optimizing your course. Therefore, make sure you have certain mechanisms in place to collect this feedback. Examples include surveys, direct feedback tools within your course platform or open discussion forums. This feedback provides insights into how your course is being received, which components are effective and where improvements are needed. In addition, analyzing engagement statistics is valuable to measure the effectiveness of your course. By fostering a culture of open communication and continuous improvement, you’re going to create a course that continues to evolve and improve. This is how you really work to build a valuable reputation in the industry in which you operate!

Once you’ve taken all these points to heart and have a clear idea of what you want your online course to look like, it’s time for the final step; creating the online course itself.

We’ll walk you through this process step by step!

Creating your own course with Systeme.io: A roadmap

Creating your own course is something that basically anyone can do. Especially nowadays, the possibilities are extremely diverse.

In order to cover one clear process, we choose to write the roadmap around the Systeme.io platform. This new platform has been so well received that within a short time it is becoming the standard for creating your own online course.

Let’s start at the beginning. Let’s go!

1. Creating an account: It all starts with creating an account on one of the available platforms. Register on Systeme.io and get acquainted with the clear dashboard for the first time. So, as mentioned, this platform offers several tools for creating and managing your online course. Moreover, it doesn’t stop there. After creating your own online course, you will soon discover that there are quite a few additional options for effectively reaching your target audience. However, this is only really relevant at a later stage. So after creating your account, it’s time to really start setting up an online course.

• Determine Course Topic: The second step is then to determine the topic of your course. In many ways, this is obviously the most important part. You probably already have a pretty clear idea of this. However, sometimes it is smart to specify a very “general” topic a little further. For example, think about the difference between an online course on making money online (general) and an online course on affiliate marketing (more specific way of making money online) Either way, always choose a topic you are an expert in. It works out perfectly when you have a passion for it on top of that. Next, do some market research to find out if there is enough demand for your course at all.

• Course structure design: Is the topic clear and do you know what you are going to talk about in the course? Then structure your course into specific modules and lessons. What all will you cover? Determine the learning objectives for each module to create a coherent, complete learning experience. It is important in this step to make your course as complete as possible. You want to cover every relevant (sub)component related to your topic. This way, you also make it virtually impossible for any competition to create a more complete course.

• Create course content: The fourth step is to then actually start creating the course content. To do this, navigate to ‘Products’ and then ‘Courses’ within the Systeme.io platform. You can easily create a new course this way. Then use Systeme.io’s comprehensive, user-friendly course builder to add content such as text, videos and quizzes. Via “add module,” you name the different modules and easily save them. Then you can add different lessons for each module.

• Determine course price: An important next step is to determine the price of your course. The convenient thing about Systeme.io is that you have several options in this area. You can choose one-time payments, subscriptions or specific payment plans. The nice thing about this is that it gives you different payment options for different students. Within one sector it may be more logical than within another to offer a subscription. The advantage of this option is that it allows you to generate recurring monthly income, rather than a one-time payment. Pay attention to what the competition is offering in this area. Is your course of a higher quality? Then you may also be able to charge a higher fee.

• Launch your course: Promote your course via email marketing, social media or sales funnels within Systeme.io. Again, the possibilities on this platform are extremely diverse. You ensure that certain actions complement each other thanks to the many different functionalities. For example, combine creating a sales funnel with offering your own course. This way, you are much more likely to achieve the desired success. In doing so, never forget to work with a clear call-to-action, regardless of how you promote your course.

• Collect feedback: Solicit feedback from your students to assess and improve the quality and effectiveness of your course. This is an essential step, especially if you want to work toward offering the best course in your field. Feedback helps you learn things you might not have thought about yourself. These new perspectives generally lead to extremely valuable insights.

• Optimize course: Finally, use the feedback received to regularly update and improve your course so that it remains relevant and valuable to current and future learners. Next, take advantage of Systeme.io’s versatility to actually optimize your course in practice. For example, easily add a module later or change course details.

Using all of the above information, it is basically possible for anyone to create a valuable, complete online course in no time.

The fact that you can rely on a platform like Systeme.io for this purpose is essential. This makes it more accessible than ever before. Moreover, this platform itself also provides continuous updates and improvements to the offer. So you are in good hands and will be able to connect with your target audience in a valuable way in no time.

Don’t wait any longer than necessary and take the first step toward creating your own online course today. Creating an account takes no time at all. The rest is almost self-explanatory.