In 2020, many training providers were forced to pivot and halt face-to-face instructor-led training (ILT). This left some training providers unsure of how to shift from ILT to online learning.
Understanding how to optimize your business to reach new customers in the online learning landscape can be difficult. From deciding which tools to use and why to making sure that all the tools fit together, it can get confusing, even to the seasoned training professional.
Here are a few best practices for developing training modules for sale.
Tip #1. Create Microlearning
Microlearning/chunking content is not a new term. However, when developing training modules for selling online, it can be helpful.
For example, suppose that you are selling a course on fire safety that consists of multiple sections. Instead of developing one large course, you can break your course into smaller pieces:
- Module 1: How to use a fire extinguisher
- Module 2: How to extinguish a grease fire
- Module 3: How to design a fire safety program
You use your preferred authoring tool to publish each of these modules individually, load each module into your LMS, and then construct your Fire Safety course within the LMS. There are several benefits to this approach.
First, microlearning leads to better engagement for learners because it improves retention of concepts. Second, updating smaller modules in your authoring tool can be easier than having to update your entire course. This is beneficial when selling your courses to different clients because you can easily reformat your modules for a client and create a custom course for them right in the LMS. This gives you more flexibility when selling content to different clients.
If you’re using Shopify, you can sell different variants of a product in your store, which can be linked to various custom courses in the LMS. (This doesn’t necessarily have to be microlearning either, but it offers the ability to customize your course offering for different types of customers.)
Tip #2. Create Engaging E-learning
It is also essential that your courses are designed to be attractive and engaging for students. Increased engagement will lead to higher success rates and more completions. Clients will be more likely to buy courses from you because those completion rates will turn into behavioral changes.
So, how do you develop attractive and engaging training modules? You should start by developing interactive templates which make e-learning engaging by the design itself. Second, design your courses with scenario-based interactivity, which enables students to respond to what they have learned and apply their experience. Lastly, use quizzes for more than just a knowledge check; use them to guide the learner through the content and drive retention. Moreover, chunking your courses will allow you to embed quizzes at each modular level and report multiple quiz scores to your LMS, providing you with more insights on the learner experience.
Creating engaging content can be a more labor-intensive process than simply providing your clients with videos and a slide deck, but the result will be more effective online training with more sales potential.
Tip #3. Don’t forget about mobile devices
Everyone is more and more on the go, and depending on your industry, your learners cannot always be at a computer.
When developing training modules, it is imperative to design and test how your e-learning looks and operates on mobile devices.
Being able to say to potential clients that your courses can be completed anywhere and still be tracked for completion is a real selling point. This provides learners with flexibility, which can mean more course completions for the client. That’s a KPI that can also be used to market your courses online.
Microlearning is also a tailor-made strategy for mobile devices, providing users the option to take the online course on their device when and wherever they have time.
Tip #4. Have a marketing plan
A marketing plan outlines a business’s specific marketing strategy and includes concrete actions to be taken and the anticipated results. Questions to consider include:
- What is our core business purpose?
- How/where will I advertise my content?
- Do I use my company website? If so, do we need to make changes to the website?
- Do I create a dedicated Shopify store? If so, will I use a Buy Button on my company website?
- Do I want to use social media? If so, which platforms?
- Do we want to pre-sell courses? If so, at what price?
- How do we effectively measure the success of the marketing push?
Approximately 60% of successful companies have a marketing strategy, which is used to nurture potential customers through the entire sales cycle.
Shopify provides excellent examples of how to develop a marketing plan for your Shopify store. You don’t need to do all these at once, of course. Mix and match options that are right for your business and clients.
Tip #5. Create a review plan for your content
Once your content has been delivered to your customers, you can’t rest on your laurels. Internet browsers are often making adjustments, so be sure your content is running smoothly across all browsers and devices. Ideas and techniques also evolve over time, so keep your content fresh and up to date. No one wants to take an e-learning course that has not been updated since 1986.
Is your content reviewed monthly, quarterly, or annually? Determine who is responsible for reviewing all the training modules.
Keeping your course content running smoothly will ensure happy clients. Staying on top of current industry trends and ensuring that your content is new, fresh, and marketable will be enticing to new potential customers who want the newest and best training.
Conclusion
When developing training modules for sale, there are a few more things that you should consider, but as a leader in your industry, you are already in an ideal position to start selling training programs online.
- You already have the content.
- You already have the customer base.
Your next step is to maximize your opportunities. You can do this by breaking your best-selling courses into small modules (microlearning). Review your content to make sure it’s engaging, interactive, and easy to use. Lastly, don’t forget about having a rockstar marketing plan. It will help you connect with your potential customers.
Most importantly, everything must always be regularly evaluated to ensure your continued success!
Here at Firmwater, we don’t just sell an LMS for training providers. We partner with our clients, giving them the tools and insights they need to implement the best practices in e-learning course development, growth, and delivery. We care too much about our customers’ businesses to have them wade through forums and chatbots for help.
Ready to use an LMS that’s designed for the way YOU work, with a team dedicated to YOUR needs? Book a no-obligation consultation directly with our team today!