HOW TO VALIDATE YOUR COURSE SO YOU KNOW PEOPLE WILL BUY IT
What does the perfect online course mean to you? Does it mean creating something that solves your audience’s problem? Does it mean bringing in a ton of revenue? Does it mean sharing your knowledge with the world?
No matter what the perfect online course means to you, there are three things that you must figure out in order to make it happen.
#1: You must have the signals
Before launching a course, you must have the signals. When I say “signals” I am referring to signs from your audience. You need to be positive that your audience needs your course, and you need to have overwhelming confidence that your audience will be willing to purchase your course.
They must find your course topic useful. Signals will determine this.
There are a number of ways that you can check for signals, but a great way is through creating a resource for your ideal client base.
Create something small that’s centered on your course topic that audience members can quickly download and use. This item could be a PDF handout, an eBook download, a mini course, a challenge, etc.
Once your audience begins to receive the item, keep an eye out for signals. If people begin to comment, engage, ask questions, and show eagerness, that’s an awesome sign that your audience finds your content useful.
Now, on the opposite end, if you do not hear anything, this is also a signal. It’s a signal that you need to tweak some part of your approach. You may not be targeting the right people, or you may not be giving them the content that they need.Tweak one of your methods, whether it be your target audience or the content itself, and then try again!
#2: Your clients must have 4 distinct attributes
When you are trying to identify the perfect audience for your course, you must look for a client base with four specific attributes.
ATTRIBUTE #1: Your clients must be great in number.
Your target audience must be large enough that you can continuously bring in revenue for a long time. If your audience only consists of a few people, what happens after they have all completed your course?
You need a large group of people in order to have a highly successful course.
ATTRIBUTE #2: They have to be irrationally passionate.
Your client base needs to be passionate about your topic. They need to be eager and ready to dive in head first! Find out what their thing is, and use that knowledge to your advantage to create a course that’s going to blow them out of the water.
When you have their passion nailed down, you can introduce a course subject that they’ll want to learn.
ATTRIBUTE #3: They need to be easily accessible.
You must be able to reach your audience. If you can’t, how will you market to them?
Determine where they hang out, which social networks they prefer, what they’re involved in, what they’re sharing, etc. When you know these things, you can advertise accordingly.
ATTRIBUTE #4: They must be financially sound.
Your audience must have the resources to invest in your course. If they don’t, they aren’t going to buy it! You must target an audience that is willing and able to invest in what you have to offer.
#3: You need a topic that your audience will go crazy for
What does your audience need exactly? Until you know this, you aren’t going to be able to create a crazy successful course.
It can seem a bit tricky to find out what that magic topic or course type means to your audience, but let me clue you in on a little secret.
You probably already have the answer.
It’s true! The way to make your course content crazy appealing is to go back to your ideal client. What are they telling you that they need? Whatever that may be, that is how you must present your course.
Let’s look at an example. Say your client comes to you and says “I want to drop a pant size.” Of course, to do this, they are going to need to change their eating habits, exercise more frequently, etc. You could create a course and pitch it to them by saying “Adopt better eating habits,” or “Create a customized exercise plan.”
Or… you could simply pitch the idea that with your course, they can “Drop a pant size!”
Which method do you think will find more success? By giving your customer exactly what they’re looking for, you feed right into their desires.
Creating a course isn’t rocket science. With a bit of research and dedication, you can create a course that is wildly successful. Once you grab the signals, identify a four-attribute audience, and figure out what exactly that audience wants, you’re golden.
All you have to do is listen, and then BAM. You have your course.