9 Sales Promotion Ideas for Your Online Course Sales

Online courses are a popular market these days. The Internet has created a space where everyone can learn, which means that a lot more people are trying to learn something new. If you are in the business of selling online courses for any number of purposes or industries, you have to know how to promote your product(s) effectively and one way is to outsource your sales outreach. Whether you’re just trying to build your client base or it’s time for serious growth, here are nine promotional ideas that will help you increase sales and more. 

1. Promote through social media 

Social media is a must, especially if you’re in the business of online education. Your target audience is spending a lot of time there (we’ll talk more about finding them in a minute) and this is a great way for you to create a personal connection with people, promote your social profiles, and get your business known in the world of online education. You could even offer discounts for shares, hashtag usage, or mentioning that they found you on Facebook or Instagram, and so forth. 

2. Offer discounts for referrals and reviews

Word-of-mouth is your best friend in any business. When you get reviews and referrals organically, it can strengthen your sales in many different ways. And one way to get more referrals or reviews is to offer incentives for them. Consider giving a referral discount that both people can use when someone is referred by an existing customer. Maybe you’ll want to give a special discount to those who post a review on your Google page or website. There’s a lot you can do here to generate good talk about your online courses. 

3. Consider BOGO and similar sales

This isn’t a shoe sale, but you’d be surprised at how well BOGO sales and deep discounts go in the world of online courses. Thanks to the endless availability of information, people are only going to pay for a course if they truly believe that it has value. If you also provide them with a good deal, they’ll get more out of it than they expect and that will work in your favor. Even if you run a sale where they take two courses and get a third free, that’s some type of incentive. 

4. Run holiday or seasonal specials

Summer is a great time to promote business in the world of education. People seem to equate summer with fun, not learning, so you’ll usually see course numbers drop off during these months. This also happens during the holidays (November through January). During these times, what you can do to help your online course sales is to run specials related to the season or holiday that is relevant at the time. It will increase conversions and help you boost sales during slow times, specifically. 

5. Start a YouTube channel 

If you’re going to educate anyone, you have to know how to deliver a presentation. Part of that comes in setting up and maintaining a proper YouTube channel that references your online courses and offers free insight while promoting the business. You can do a lot here to position yourself as a thought leader and a top choice in your industry, but offering free advice and education is usually a great place to start. 

6. Offer free courses

Speaking of free, you might as well consider offering free courses to increase your business every now and then. Some sites make a killing off of “discount specials” which is really where they say a course costs a small fortune and then they discount it to nearly free. Some sites even offer the courses free, claiming they’re worth “X” amount. When you do this, you’re showing people that you care about helping them learn and get something, even if they haven’t chosen to do business with you yet. 

7. Start a blog and share content 

This is another initiative that’s about becoming a thought leader and an authority in your industry. Your blogs should be unique, educational, informative, and deliver something that people don’t expect. They should also engage your audience so that you can create a conversation, rather than just letting people read a blog and go on about their business after the fact. Make sure that your blog has a strategy and that said strategy is part of your overall efforts to grow your online course business. 

8. Advertise where your audience is 

This one sounds simple enough, but it’s one that a lot of people overlook. When you’re in the business of online courses, you should utilize the appropriate advertising spaces. This includes college boards, online learning forums, county and public educational resources, and anywhere else you can think of that people might be looking to learn. Online courses cater to all types of people, so you’ll want to make sure that you choose your target audience ahead of time to figure out where they’re at and how to reach them with your promotional efforts. 

9. Partner with Smith.ai for outreach campaigns and more

Of course, while you’re busy building and managing your online course library, the last thing you need is to worry about drumming up new business. Fortunately, you don’t have to. When you partner with the team at Smith.ai, you’ll get a total solution for lead generation, including outbound sales, outreach campaigns, and so much more. Plus, we’ll even handle things like scheduling and 24/7 phone answering to make sure that you never miss a single opportunity. 

It all comes with a tailored strategy to manage every last detail, alleviating your stress and giving you more time to focus on your business. To learn more, schedule a consultation to discuss what the virtual receptionists at Smith.ai can do for your online course sales and more. You can also reach us at hello@smith.ai or (650) 727-6484.