Need to build a loyal audience before you launch your online course?
Whether your goal is to publish a diverse portfolio of educational products over the long haul or take the leap towards launching your first online course, you need one vital ingredient first; an audience.
And not just any audience, an informed, engaged audience that trusts you.
Why? Well, the thing is…
Before a potential customer purchases your online course, they undertake a series of decision-making steps based on the information available to them about you, your brand and the online course you’re offering.
So, what can you do to guide them successfully from that initial head-scratch moment to awareness and, finally, point of purchase?
In other words, how do you build trust, establish credibility and position your online course as the favoured choice in such a noisy and competitive online environment?
It all comes down to consistent content creation.
Building an audience with consistent content
If there is a single “secret” to online course success, it’s finding and connecting with the right audience.
And, if you ask any established online course creator for advice about building the right audience, they’ll likely suggest consistent content creation.
Brand awareness, audience trust, industry-leading authority, loyal customers – it all starts with consistent content.
Unfortunately, establishing a manageable content flow can often be a significant pain point for many busy brands and business owners, who might be filled with common questions like,
“What counts as consistent content? and “How do I create quality content and run my business simultaneously?” or “How much content is too much content?”
The thing is, consistency looks different for every brand.
And so, it's all about finding your content creation sweet spot in terms of time, energy & resources.
As a guide, I suggest creating a content plan that enables you to
Create a variety of targeted content that addresses your audience’s questions & concerns
Maintain a consistent, uniform, and on-brand voice that speaks directly to your audience across all platforms
Cover topics that resonate with your audience around core keywords and phrases
Position you and your brand as the industry expert and thought leader in your field
Creating content consistently and mindfully
So, let’s set the scene. You’re sitting in front of your laptop, taking occasional glances at your phone, yawning and getting a tad frustrated because the ideas are just not flowing.
Sounding familiar? You’re not alone.
Whether it’s blogs, video content on social or storytelling via email, creating consistent content can lead to idea burnout if not appropriately managed.
Creating takes time. Mind blocks and to-do lists get in the way. Momentum halts. It happens to the best of us.
The good news is that you can beat content creation burnout with a little clever planning. You just need to work smarter, not harder.
✔️ Reduce, reuse, recycle! Yep, the circular economy applies to content creation too. You don’t need to create every piece of content from scratch. Instead, consider repurposing old high-performing content in fresh formats or with a new point of view.
✔️ Map out your content in advance using a topic cluster model. This technique is an intent-based approach that focuses on topics rather than keywords. This approach simplifies content creation by featuring content around one central topic (referred to as the pillar page or post). Several supporting pieces of content (or clusters) are created from this pillar post. These cluster posts explain sub-topics relating to different audience types & interests but still link back to the pillar topic. The result? – consistent, relevant content that Google loves (hello, SEO!) and a library of helpful content for your target audience.
✔️ Take advantage of creativity spikes and batch create your content on days you have the most time and energy. Not only will you speed up the content creation process, but you can also prepare for potential future burnout with a stockpile of content to rely on.
✔️Create an easy-access content bank where you can save content that inspires you or sparks fresh ideas. Look to what others are doing in your field and consider how you can add a unique perspective or use online polls to ask your audience directly. Finding content ideas can be easier than you think when you turn to your customers to guide you. After all, they are the ones who will be reading and engaging with the content; doesn’t it make sense to start with them? Ready for a quick hit of inspiration? Check out my 10 blog post ideas to get you thinking.
Google says: People-first content, please!
When clients ask me how to improve their Search Engine Optimisation, my answer is to start creating consistent, valuable content for their audience.
For the average small business owner and online course creators, the best way to rank higher on search engines is to create valuable content that answers people's search queries.
And now Google has confirmed it.
In their latest update, Google announced that it will give higher search rankings to websites where the content is written first and foremost for people, not search engines.
Their aim is to provide the best possible answer to the questions web users type into their search engine.
So what does this mean for content?
It confirms that it’s more important than ever to understand your audience and create targeted content explicitly designed for them.
To create people-first content, you need to understand your people, a.k.a; your target audience, so research is required.
I like to lead with the following questions;
What would my audience want to read? What type of content does my audience like to engage with already? And how will my content fit into their day?
What does my audience want to know more about? What questions might they have about my offer? How can I help my audience?
What content has performed well in the past? Do I know why? And is there a pattern?
What do I want my audience to take away from my content? Is there a clear call to action? What do I want them to do next?
Once you have clear answers to these questions, you’ll be one step closer to consistent, qualitative and, most importantly, people-first content.
Reaping the rewards of consistent content
You’ve likely heard the phrase “content is king”.
But… not all content is created equal.
Today it’s not enough to just churn out same-same content or confuse your audience with an irregular, erratic online experience.
Customers expect more. They expect consistency.
The good news is that establishing a consistent content creation strategy will benefit your brand in numerous ways.
5 key benefits of consistent content
1. Your audience will trust you
Amongst all the misinformation and noise online; brands need to work harder than ever before to prove themselves reliable and trustworthy to their prospects and customers. At the end of the day, if your audience is going to invest time or money in your online course, they want to know with certainty that you have something unique to offer and the knowledge to back it up. Your customer is more inclined to trust you if they view you as an industry expert. Yes, your content should be consistent, but it should also demonstrate your expertise in your field and provide valuable answers to your audience's questions.
2. You’ll increase brand visibility, thanks to SEO
Two of the most critical factors that affect SEO are quality and frequency. Feed the search engines with consistent, good quality, people-first content, and they’ll reward you with juicy SEO benefits. Consistent content shows search engines that a website or blog is well maintained and that its information is valuable to specific search criteria. Good quality content attracts traffic that wants answers and is eager to learn more and dig deeper on a particular topic. I suggest creating content that links back to the theme of your online course to help create an engaged audience before you even reach the course promotion stage.
3. You’ll cultivate content-hungry loyal fans
Engaging content is not only the way to attract and reach new potential customers; it’s also a way to keep your existing audience interested and coming back for more. Offering regular value-based content creates a positive experience for your audience and is your golden ticket to capturing their attention for the long haul and continually reinforcing a positive brand impression. Through your online content, your viewers can also begin to understand the value of your offering and - if you do this right - they will transform from loyal content fans to course participants.
4. You’ll build real connections with your audience
The average customer consumes 13 pieces of content before they make a purchase. This highlights the need to deliver high-quality, personalised content along each touchpoint with your audience. When you offer free value without expecting anything in return, your audience is more likely to trust your advice and recommendations. Creating content helps your business build a relationship with your audience. Publishing regularly also lets you learn from your customers and become part of their online conversations. As a result, content creation becomes easier as you listen to and learn what your customers want.
5. You’ll create more leads & increase conversions; organically
Content isn’t just for play. In fact, when executed well, it can lead to some pretty impressive conversions. And the best bit? It’s organic! In the lead-up to launching your online course, offering free, helpful content to your audience is an excellent way to promote your offer and give a taster of what they can expect if they sign up. Remember, though, to create content that converts; you need to deliver something that benefits your audience rather than simply informs them. Balance is key. If your entire content stream is promotional, no one will trust what you say. But suppose 90% of your content is educational, informative, and related to solving your readers' problems or needs. In that case, those readers or leads are far more likely to believe you when you say, “Oh, and this online course we developed can help you achieve XYZ”
Final thoughts…
If you’re dreaming of launching an online course in the near future, it’s time to start building an audience… yesterday!
Creating consistent valuable content that serves your audience attracts the right people to you, builds rapport, boosts your authority and creates reciprocity so that your course is the obvious choice when they require ‘next steps’.
