Today I will share with you how I intend to create my first online course and make $100,000 out of it in the first year.
This year, in fact, I have set myself over 10 resolutions, which are mainly areas that I want to improve in my work and personal life, but my main goal this year is to do better financially.I've never been so focused on making money, more on pursuing a career and finding something I wanted to do, but this year will change.
How to make money Creating and selling online courses
Coming up with a product idea
I always knew that I'm limited by what I can do with Google AdSense and if I wanted to start making a lot of money, then I needed a product.Over the last month, I started thinking about what I could offer, and then it hit me.About two months ago I wrote a post called "The Beginner's Guide To Photography" on my website, and since it was published, it was my most popular post.It's actually just a collection of tutorials that I had already written with a bit of information connecting them together, but it serves a very important purpose and I've had people so passionate that they share them with other people as well.
So my website is now 8 months old and I found out which of my content is currently the most popular, but I still have a problem, I have already written the content.That's when I had my light bulb moment, because I realized I could make videos instead.
Now, I'm not crazy about the idea of standing in front of the camera and teaching, but this will be an exclusive product and not something that's going on YouTube (hopefully), so I won't worry about it.Never let this kind of thing hold you back.
Now that I know what I'm going to do, it's just a case of producing it now.I already have a lot of content that I'm going to adapt from my website, but I'll write a script for each video to make sure I've covered everything and I'm not a clumsy imbecile.Teaching through a video is much easier than it is in writing, because you are never sure which parts people will pass by and ignore.I personally don't read tutorials online, I would much rather find a book or video, because I'm a kinesthesia student and I like to be able to practice what I'm learning, so I'm looking forward to teaching people in a more personal way.
I aim to produce roughly twelve different videos related to the basics of photography, ranging from how to use a camera, to custom settings and taking photos.The idea is that instead of spending money on a book they probably won't read, my blog followers will instead buy these videos and really learn something.It will be divided into several sections so that whenever someone wants to go back and update something, they can do it easily.
When creating a product to sell, you need to think about how much it is worth to your fans and how you can improve quality for them.I started with a price for my product before anything else, and that was set at $47.Then I had to think about a value of $47, before I even thought about videos.
When I came up with the idea, there is the age-old problem of "is it enough?".I'm thinking that for someone who wants to buy this product, then they will want it to be big enough, and in terms of video, maybe 2-3 hours.A friend pointed out that this is the completely wrong way to think about this, because it is not about quantity, but about quality.As long as someone gains the knowledge they are looking for, they will be happy to pay the price.
Look for what people want and look for a gap in the market.Then fill it.As far as I can see, there are no video tutorial packages covering the beginner's guide to photography.
Setting targets
Set yourself some targets and then stick to them.Think about how long it would reasonably take you if you used the time available and started today, then follow that.If you set yourself a goal for the end of the year, is it likely that you will also start in the next six months?Do not put off until tomorrow, what you can do today.
I am considering being able to complete mine with all the bells and whistles in about 4 months and before that I decided to set the date of April 25th, which is the day my site was launched, a year ago, with the first list at the top.
Setting a goal for completion is one thing, but how about setting a goal for sales and when you want to reach those outlets?I personally set myself a financial goal, so I just need to figure out how many products I need to sell.
Product finishing
If you're just posting something on YouTube, then you don't have to worry too much about production values, but when you're trying to sell a product, it also needs to look good.To finish the videos, I will put together some video brands that will make the videos look more professional, and while shooting, I will use some extra lighting settings, maybe even a background.
When it comes to marketing videos, I'm going to create an extra video with excerpts from previous videos and put them all together to create a single sales pitch.I'll also change my Facebook fan page to include an autoplay video with an introduction to what the videos offer and why they should buy them.Other than that, I would market this product like any other product.
Sell your product
This is where things start to get interesting because you can start investing your money and see an immediate return.Obviously if you have a following on Facebook and Twitter, you can advertise them for free and start earning money if you market it correctly, but in the end you will want to appeal to a much wider audience, and to do that, you need to do some advertising.
The first way I'll market my product will be with Facebook ads because it's a great way to track your progress.Let's say for example that my product is worth $47 and every 20 of my fans will buy the product, so I need to see how much it costs me in advertising to earn 20 fans, and so that's how much it costs to make $47.
It's that simple.
Let's say it costs you ¢50 in advertising to find a new fan, so it would cost $10 to get enough traffic to sell a product that costs $47, leaving you $37 in profit.
NOTE – This is a very rough estimate, and in fact it can cost more, but the point is still that if you invest the money, you will see a return.Not only do you start to see an immediate return in terms of sales, but you'll start growing your Facebook fan page in a big way, which will start to see growth in your website.This means that you will start earning through your other channels, such as advertising and affiliate programs.
When it comes to affiliate programs, they are another great way to sell more products.Since what I'm creating will be a digital product, it doesn't cost me anything to reproduce, and I can give a big commission to the people who will sell it for me. It is quite standard to distribute 50% of the profit to the affiliate, because the sale of the product really accounts for half the work.When I start slowing down sales, I will contact potential affiliates with the following followers and ask them if they would like to sell for me.
Go on
There's a limit to how much I can do in the early stages using only advertising, so I have to release more products in quick succession.The goal here isn't just to make $100,000 and call it one day, it's to turn my website into a business that will grow in the years to come.My plan for the future is to keep making videos and selling them in packages, and make a living this way, until my website is able to start getting closer to other people, while taking on a full-time job.
The plan is that after 3-4 versions, I will have a solid business model and follow for these videos that I can also commission other people with a large following.You will find that there are many people with the knowledge, but neither the means, nor the know-how to create a product for themselves.In this way we can offer a wide range of tutorials, whether it is advanced lighting or Photoshop, and access a new customer base.Always think one step ahead and aim for what you want to achieve in your business.