Every day, we speak to corporations, nonprofits, and universities looking to put their training or education online with the goal of generating revenue, creating impact, or influencing target audiences. People usually anchor their thinking to their existing in-person offerings and ask, “How do we create an online course?”
But that’s not the right question to ask. You are creating an online product and—here’s the part that eludes most—an online business.
Take a cue from some of the most successful online product businesses: Ensure your online learning solution is not a generic rework of your offline offering, and that your strategy, business model, and platform are designed specifically for your online target client.
When considering a new online initiative, there are several key steps to consider:
1. Start with a business plan. Outline the market, learner personas, competition, revenue and cost projections, team and operations resources, e-commerce strategy, positioning, and unique differentiators.
2. Create the organizational structure, determine processes, and secure the resources.
3. Articulate your “product” strategy to ensure the course, training solution, or certificate program is designed to be unique and specific to what your market wants.
4. Determine your learning platform—the centerpiece of your business. Don’t just jump to a learning management system (LMS) solution designed for internal online learning. Think about a solution tailored to your learners, your vision, your business plan. Do you think Amazon uses an off-the-shelf e-commerce platform? Of course not. Organizations such as Amazon don’t believe they putting offline products online; they believe they are online businesses.
5. Ensure you have complete control over the process and end product.
6. Closely monitor progress and user experiences to ensure your product is meeting their needs.
Bottom line: It’s essential that you revisit every aspect of your business to ensure your online offerings truly engage your learners. Otherwise, you are setting yourself up for disappointment before you even begin.
