Ignoring This Will Wreck Your Online Course Sales | Molly Ann Luna
You're either thinking of creating an online course or you've created one, but it's not selling as easily as you'd hoped.
In this episode, I'm exposing the number one thing that if ignored will wreck your online course sales.
As an online course creator myself I'll admit I've ignored this critical factor in my rooky course-building days and it left my course sales dead on arrival.
I now know that before we roll up our sleeves to do the good work of course creation, we NEED to focus on this factor first.
But if you've already created a course and you're struggling to make sales, don't fear, what I'm about to share with you just might revive your offer.
Here's the thing...
When prospective buyers are deciding on spending their hard-earned cash on an online course, most customers NEED to know what it is for them.
We live in a world where anything and everything we need is at our fingertips.
Because of this, as a course creator, you MUST create a compelling USP statement, one that quickly and easily informs your prospective buyers why you're the best choice for them on the market right now.
What is a USP statement?
USP stands for unique selling proposition. Your USP is what sets you apart from your competitors. It's a simple yet distinct sentence that clarifies the obvious advantage as to why someone should do business with you over your rival course creators.
At its core, a USP should briefly respond to a prospective customer's most critical pain point or highlight their deepest desire when they come across your offer.
What is a unique selling proposition (USP) isn't?
Exact marketing promotions like a 10% discount, free delivery, round-the-clock customer support, or a generous return policy are not USPs.
Even if they are enticing points, they are not stand-alone arguments that are simple to support because any of your rivals can imitate them.
Ask yourself, "What distinguishes your course from the competition?"
Your USP should be built on what makes your online course especially useful to your target market and play to your strengths.
Being "transformational" in and of itself is rarely a powerful USP. Your messaging will be more potent if you differentiate around a factor that matters to your target audience.
A strong USP ought to be:
Defensible but assertive: A specific viewpoint that requires you to argue against rival products will stick in your prospects' minds longer than a general one like "Get in shape."
If your target clients don't care about their, "shape" your messaging won't mean much.
A stronger example might be "get your pre-baby body back" or "beach body" because it helps your prospect paint a clearer picture of possibility in their minds.
Additionally, a USP is more than just the homepage header.
Your course USP is a glimpse of your business's overall mission which can be reflected in other offerings, your branding, customer service, and all other interactions you have with your clients.
Here's a USP example that works:
Nerd Fitness
Their USP helps the visitor quickly identify if this offer is for them as well as identifies as well as highlights a core fear and how they'll be able to overcome it by working with the brand Nerd Fitness.
Saddleback Leather
Their USP paints a picture of possibility, as morbid as it may be.
How to create a compelling USP?
STEP 1: GET INSIDE THEIR MIND
Think like your prospect.
What is their biggest pain point right now?
What outcome do they desire to achieve most?
How does your online course help solve this problem?
Why would they choose you to lead them to next-level success over someone else?
STEP 2: FRAME YOUR OFFER
Fill in the blank for the following:
For
Who Need/Want
Name of your Product (or course) *NOTE: if you don't have a name for your course just yet, don't fret we'll be covering that in this episode (ADD FUTURE LINK)
Is
That
Unlike
Using Nerd Fitness as the example…
FOR nerds WHO know they need to change their health habits, NERD FITNESS IS the only fitness website THAT can help you face your fear of getting started and get healthy UNLIKE all of those other intimidating bodybuilding sites.
Another example is my signature course Amplify:
STEP 3: COMPARE YOUR OFFER TO COMPETITORS
Identify who your 'rivals' are and what USP statements are they using in their business.
Compare the needs of your audience with your most original angles. Have any unmet consumer demands been identified? Do you notice any problems that your rivals haven't addressed and to which you can appeal?
Gather the data. Take the knowledge you've gained and sort it out to identify your strongest USP.
Consider practical applications for it within your company. When used effectively, a USP may be incorporated into numerous aspects of your course offer.
Once you have a general understanding of what your USP is, it could be helpful to put it in writing by expressing it as a positioning statement:
[YOUR BRAND, PROGRAM, OR PRODUCT NAME] provides [PRODUCT/SERVICE] to [VALUE PROPOSITION] for [TARGET MARKET].
By [KEY DIFFERENTIATOR] from [THE ALTERNATIVE].
Example:
This won't exactly match what you promote on your website, but it will help you identify your USP, your target market, and any unique selling points that might be noteworthy. Developing your USP can take some effort, but once you do, you can utilize it in all of
Identifying your competitive edge with your unique selling propositions
A USP is more than a compelling sentence on your homepage, therefore it won't necessarily match what you end up prompting on your final sales page, but it will help you gain clarity around your target market and define your unique offer more clearly.
Your USP statement is to become the heart of your business that keeps your marketing, messaging, and course sales pumping steadily.
Once you've landed the course's USP statement, now it's time to identify the critical checkpoints of the transformation experience your online course will provide to your paying students.
INTELLIGENT BUSINESS STRATEGIES TO HELP YOU CREATE A CONSISTENT STREAM OF NEW CLIENTS
I'll show you how to do that in the next episode.
