I just jumped.
And built my wings on the way down. (As @JamesWedmore would say.)
I’ve had a digital course in me since I got back from Tribe in June 2018. I was already filming training tutorials for the girls on my team. I just needed to clean it up and offer it to others… but there there was never enough time to get it done, help clients and do the single mom thing. So I got two weeks ahead with content + tech tutorials and just launched my beta course. Right after Christmas. Right when my big client was in pre-launch mode (when I was most busy on her team). Right before a minor surgery too. I like to pile it all on at once! HA! I like to just jump in!!!!
I called it my “Beta Course” because I knew it would be less than perfect and a learning curve and would motivate me to get the content OUT just by staying ahead of my students.
In my Beta Course, I offered:
- Severely Reduced Course Fee… My $397 course sold for $97 to beta members and my founding members got a $30 off coupon — so only $67!!!!
- Lifetime Access, so when I update it they get the final version.
In exchange my Beta Course students promised to:
- To give it their all and finish the course.
- Provide me critical feedback so I could improve.
I kept it really simple. But maybe too simple. But I learned something!
What I learned from my Beta Course Offer
1. Do NOT give it away.
I’m going to be completely honest here. I will never give away a course for free again. I had already heard this from my industry peers and clients, but I guess I had to experience it to truly learn it. (#hardknocks) A couple of the students were contractors on my team who I gave free access. I wanted them to learn it all and be an asset to my team. I wanted to invest in them and have them grow with me. Guess what? Not one of them has completed it!!!! Seriously. SMH. Two of them have not even started it. I know we are all busy part-timers but this is utterly disappointing.
In Kajabi, I can track student’s progress and this is important for seeing where students get stuck and how I can help them make the total transformation. I do want completion. I’d be happy with 50%.
Free does not motivate people.
Free makes the pricing barrier too low, and keeps the quality of students down.
2. Don’t Price Too Low.
I went stupid low on what I offered. I really wanted to keep people and it was for me to force me to stay on track, get organized and work out the kinks of my course content and delivery. However, when the price is too low the level of commitment is low too. This is related to the above where I gave it away for free. I have a few students I’d love to give them client work but they aren’t even close to finishing the course. In fact, they’ve barely started. If I had a higher entry fee, I would have more higher motivation and seriousness from those students. I offered a lower price point so I could get students in, reward them for trusting me and get their feedback, but the wrong type of students may join by offering it too low. And now I have little feedback to work with.
3. Do NOT Give Lifetime Access
Wow, I sound like a real negative Nelly in this post, but I wish I hadn’t give lifetime access. Now there is no motivation for my beta students to complete it in a timely manner. I should have had this offer contingent on 50% completion by a certain date. That is a lot of work and there’s nothing to say a student won’t just mark the modules “complete” and plow through the content. I’m still working this out in my brain because I really want to reward the students who took a jump and trusted me for this course. They get lifetime access because they contributed to its success and the revamp. Their feedback was critical.
And don’t get me wrong, some who haven’t completed have given me fantastic feedback, but it would be even better if the course was completed and they experienced the TOTAL TRANSFORMATION.
How to Create a Digital Beta Course
I use and highly recommend the Kajabi platform for course creation. It’s an all-in-one platform that makes it so easy. I’d made enough revenue from my beta course to cover the platform cost for the year, even at my stupid low price of $67!!! I was thrilled. If you are considering investing in Kajabi for yourself or a client, or just want to learn more about Kajabi, please please use my affiliate link: https://app.kajabi.com/r/fg7R3Y8i/t/dghq3tu2. THANK YOU!
-Emily, Digital Media Consultant (and Virtual Assistant …)
I have a free Facebook community for digital media VAs. Come join us! –> https://www.facebook.com/groups/1651635074935415/
Where to Get Started Online
I have a list of 10 virtual job tasks for you here…. this will help you get started in the online space and let you in on exactly what clients coming to me are asking for help with and willing to pay a VA for… take a look!
If you’re interested in learning more about what I do as a social media manager, digital marker and virtual assistant helping small business owners remotely, please fill out this form here and I’ll tell you more.
