4 Reasons Why Companies Should Create Their Own Online Course

Online courses are a great way to make your business reputable, aside from providing the obvious benefit of educating people. Custom-made online courses can be offered to the employees (continual education) and customers (assistance and education). In the long run, online courses can prevent numerous potential issues from arising on top of providing much-needed education to interested parties.

So, how to sell an online course from your website?

First of all, keep in mind that this is not a lucrative business plan with astronomic returns. Rather, it is a long-term strategy to build your business’ reputation and to educate your workforce and the customers. Making some money on the side is a welcome addition, but not the primary goal… not if you want to do things right.

Flexibility Is Key

The first obvious benefit of an online course is that they are flexible. The very word “online” portends that the courses are stored online so everyone can access them at their own convenience. This is, in fact, the primary motive why people turn to online education. They can study whenever, wherever, and digest the chunks of a larger topic in the manner they learn best.

Simply put, not all people are the same, and some need different employee performance plans. Learning styles differ greatly, and no hectic work-related habits will ever be able to change that, no matter what couches tell you. To truly enable learning, you’ll need to adapt the courses so that everyone can benefit from them.  

These are but the tip of the iceberg, seeing as online courses can unleash your company’s potential on multiple levels.

Let’s take a look at why you should consider creating your own, unique online courses.

1. Show That You’re an Expert in Your Field

Learning aside, custom-made online courses show that your business is professional. People who beat around the bush and know a little something about their job cannot create successful courses, so the practice is definitely worth the effort.

Not to mention that the competition is getting ever fiercer due to digitalization. Show your employees and customers that your business is a force to be reckoned with by providing professional and easily digestible online courses that will benefit them.

This strategy can work for anything from content marketing to creating more critical jobs, as there are no limits to learning. Unlike academic courses, work-related courses can cover anything from manuals to hard skills to soft skills.

Businesses educating the employees are universally considered professional, providing that the courses are relevant.

2. Bring in Potential Customers

Next, creating a course that fits the target niche can easily attract customers. Consider a course that focuses on learning about email programs when you offer email services.  This can cover a number of topics, such as email marketing, for example. The same rule applies to all other niches -you only need to customize the approach.

3. Make Their Business Relevant

Making your business relevant is an ongoing effort with multiple ever-changing circumstances on board. Digitalization has made the business environment a hectic mess for many people, so it’s crucial to embrace it, learn best practices and employ them. Creating online courses is just the way to go about that.

This can include setting OKRs , which are paramount in terms of improvement. You can track the success of the learning taking place easily and listen to learners’ feedback to improve the practice.

4. For Team Members

Tailored online courses for employees will not only help them continue their education but will also empower them to take on larger roles in the company. Let’s be frank: many people look for jobs offering advancement opportunities. If you want to keep your employees in the long run, provide them with the tools to reach their goals within the company.  

Customized e-learning is exactly what will benefit both the employees and the company overall because everyone will get what they want. Make the courses engaging for the best results, and watch the employees enjoy learning.  

Conclusion

The bottom line here is that your course can be about absolutely anything, whether you specialize in clean energy or deal with what to do in Colorado on a Sunday. Any topic can be turned into an online course.

In fact, the main risk is to assess the situation well. Even if everything can be packaged as an online course, that doesn’t mean that it should be. Focus on the OKRs and set clear goals. What should the employees learn, and what should be offered to customers?

Once you have your answer, consider the fact that many people access courses from their mobile devices. This means that simply uploading a course isn’t enough. You should make sure that your website is responsive, that your courses don’t use up bandwidth, and that they should be pleasant to read (don’t use small fonts that are difficult to read on a mobile device, e.g.).

Mind these recommendations and keep to your OKRs, and you’ll soon see drastic improvements.