Course Creation Roadmap
Step 1 - Course Strategy
Let’s be honest, the strategy isn’t always the most exciting bit of the course creation journey.
By the time clients arrive at our doorstep (or land in our inbox) they often have a folder full of brainstorms and content, the beginnings of workbooks, and probably the rough outline of their modules.
But the time we spend on strategy saves us countless hours of hair pulling and frustration in the future.
Strategy = The who, what, where and why of your course
There are some key points you really want to cover off when thinking about the strategy of your course.
Business Strategy
Where does the course fit in your business plan?
Is it for internal use, or external clients?
Does it fit with your other products or services?
Is it positioned to attract new clients, or as an extension for existing clients?
Does it fit with your current business goals (or has someone or something convinced you that you “should”)?
At this step, make sure you have a business plan. It’s also helpful to create a one page business strategy specifically for the course you are looking to create.
Pricing Strategy
Where does the course sit in comparison to the prices of your other products and services?
Is it an entry level price point, or one of your higher level offerings?
There isn’t a right and wrong when it comes to your pricing structure but you should take into account how the price and perceived value of the course fit with the rest of your offerings and business strategy.
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Target audience
Who are you designing your course for?
This isn’t so much about their age, gender or physical location – but more about who they are as a learner.
What do they know about the content already?
What do they think they need to learn?
What do they want the outcome to be? What are they expecting to gain from this course?
What are their support needs to get to this outcome?
Course Scope/Objectives
When you are passionate and knowledgeable about a subject, it’s oh so easy for the amount of content you create to blow out. While you want to share as much as you can, the key to a great course is not just what is included, but what is left out.
The course scope outlines boundaries and depth of your course.
And the course objective clearly defines the outcomes of the course.
With these in mind, you can ensure you are creating content that efficiently leads the student to the desire outcome… not sure adding more and more for the sake of it.
Success metrics
How will you know your course has been a success?
While numbers of sales or numbers of students are definitely helpful metrics, they are not the only measure of success.
How many students reach the end of the program?
How many implement what they have learnt?
How many return to do further studies or programs in the future?
How did the course change their life/work/behaviours etc?
Define your success metrics as part of your initial strategy to keep yourself on track throughout the process.
Questions to ask at this stage...
- Who is this course for?
- What specific audience do you want to help?
- What challenges or goals does this audience have?
- What transformation will this course provide?
- Where will they be after taking your course?
- What specific outcomes or results can they expect?
- How will this course fit into your business?
- Is it a signature offer, a lead-in product, or a bonus?
- How does it align with your other services or products?
Book a chat…
Want support with your own course strategy?
Book in for a course chat and the team can point you in the right direction for getting started or provide with a quote for a specific project.