This article discusses the benefits of creating industry specific online courses and using them as part of your content marketing strategy.

Depending on the industry, there are many options for creating online courses. What it all comes down to is that your course should provide value to your client by equipping him or her with greater knowledge about the specific industry.

You might wonder what the difference between an online course and a simple YouTube tutorial is. Sure, YouTube offers many useful videos but very few of them are structured as an online course module will be. Most of the time YouTube tutorials are not of great quality and don’t make up a complete course. With online courses users can ask questions and, after completion, receive recognition of their success (a certificate or document of some sort).

How?

As an example, imagine a kitchen appliance brand. They can easily create online cooking courses in association with specific products, methods or even cooking schools.

Courses don’t have to be completely free of charge either. The introductory module can be free and more advanced modules can be paid for. Other alternatives include only paying for exams and accreditation. Some courses could be offered as part of a product purchase, i.e. the buyer gains enrolment into a course through a product code.

The Benefits

Your Reader Understands You:
When writing content one should always keep a certain standard of knowledge in mind. You cannot assume that the reader knows everything about the topic you write about. You should, as such, stay away from industry related jargon and describe essential terms where necessary. With an online course the participant becomes more advanced and knowledgeable about the topic at hand, giving you the freedom to focus on the topic instead of describing it.

Your Content is Consumed:
With content marketing one can never assume that readers consume all of your content. They might not even read a whole article – even if they enjoy it. With the case of online courses, however, you can assume that students will utilise all the useful content available to them to successfully complete the course.

You can Use Interesting Mediums:
Online courses are structured in such a way that allows them to become advanced. This is thanks to the use of a wide variety of mediums, from video to text, to pop-ups and voice overs.

Collect Valuable Data:
Through online courses you can easily collect some serious data. This is done through quizzes and the fact that users have to register (meaning they have to enter their details).

Build Relationships:
When prospects enrol in your online course you create an amazing opportunity to build relationships. This is done through good support and communication from your side.

Deal with a Large Amount of People:
You can interact with a large group of people through your online course as a company might enrol a whole team. You can also send detailed reports to management, moving the prospect higher up in the relationship spectrum. He or she is thus moving closer and closer to becoming a client.

Bigger Mind Space:
The mind space you get from students of your online course is massive. In other words, when the prospect thinks about your type of service, your company comes to mind. Even better than this; the prospect sees you as a prime supplier of the specific product or service.

Attracting Students

An online course provides tremendous value by providing knowledge and giving its students acknowledgement that they indeed gained specific knowledge.

Education is expensive and the concept of lifelong learning is becoming more and more prevalent. People want to extend their knowledge, especially if it will assist them in their workplace or advance their careers.

Through offering online courses you tend to industry specific needs while at the same time offering valuable content.

The next article covers the necessary steps when compiling an online course.

Sound Idea Digital specialises in Learning Management Systems and eLearning developments | soundidealearningmanagement.co.za
Carina Claassens is a Writer for Sound Idea Digital l carina@soundidea.co.za