So you’ve created your course, but now what?
Launching a course is just the beginning. To make it successful, you need an effective funnel that covers each stage of the customer journey, from attraction to winback. We’ve gathered the best tools and strategies used by top course creators who achieve consistent growth.
Read on to discover which tools and tactics will help you sell more online courses than ever in 2024 and beyond.
Attraction Tools
Understanding the Attraction Stage
The attraction stage sits at the top of the funnel, where potential students first become aware of your course.
This stage is all about capturing attention and drawing in leads who may benefit from what you have to offer. Effective attraction strategies create a positive first impression and entice leads to engage further, ultimately filling your funnel with quality prospects.
Goal: Bring new leads into your funnel by generating interest and building brand awareness.
Canva
Example Strategy: A digital marketing course creator could use Canva to design a visually appealing lead magnet titled “Top 10 Strategies for Successful Email Campaigns.” This lead magnet could then be promoted through social media ads.
Supporting Data: Visual content generates 94% more views than text-only posts (HubSpot), and 74% of marketers rely on visuals in their social media strategy. A well-designed lead magnet can be a powerful attraction tool.
Leadpages or Unbounce
Example Strategy: A fitness instructor could use Leadpages to create a landing page for a free “7-Day Workout Challenge.” By integrating this with a Facebook ad campaign, they could attract hundreds of leads in just a few days.
Supporting Data: A/B testing on landing pages can increase conversions by up to 300% (HubSpot), proving that optimized, compelling landing pages can bring significant results.
SEO Tools (e.g., Ahrefs, SEMrush)
Example Strategy: A coding bootcamp could use Ahrefs to identify keywords like “beginner Python course” and “learn coding fast.” They could create blog content around these terms to increase organic traffic to their site.
Supporting Data: 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results (HubSpot). Investing in SEO is crucial for visibility, especially for evergreen content that consistently attracts potential students.
Conversion Tools
Understanding the Conversion Stage
The conversion stage is where leads transition into paying customers. Here, you guide potential students from interest to enrollment, turning curiosity into commitment.
Conversion tools are essential for overcoming the friction that prevents leads from taking that final step, like answering last-minute questions, building trust, and providing easy pathways to purchase.
Goal: Convert potential leads into paying customers with optimized sales pages and persuasive messaging.
Teachable or Kajabi
Example Strategy: A personal finance educator could use Teachable to create an optimized sales page highlighting student success stories and clear pricing. Through this page, they might achieve more course enrolments from prospective students.
Supporting Data: Including testimonials on sales pages can increase conversion rates by up to 34% (BigCommerce), showing that these platforms can support persuasive design that drives sales.
Bonjoro
Example Strategy: An art instructor could send personalized Bonjoro video messages to potential students who sign up for their email list but haven’t purchased. With this approach, they could convert more leads into paying students.
Supporting Data: Personalized videos increase engagement and conversion rates by up to 50% (Campaign Monitor). Bonjoro allows you to stand out by building a direct connection with leads.
ClickFunnels
Example Strategy: A language tutor could use ClickFunnels to guide potential students through a funnel that includes a free mini-course, testimonials, and a limited-time discount. This strategy could help them convert more leads.
Supporting Data: Sales funnels increase conversion rates by focusing the visitor’s journey. ClickFunnels users report as much as 30% conversion rate improvements (ClickFunnels case studies).
Relationship Tools
Understanding the Relationship Stage
After a student enrolls, the relationship stage ensures they stay engaged, feel connected to the content, and get the most out of their experience.
Building strong relationships with students leads to better retention, higher completion rates, and increases the likelihood of referrals. Relationship tools foster a sense of community and make students feel valued and motivated.
Goal: Foster a sense of community and connection, increasing the value of the customer experience and likelihood of referrals.
Circle or Mighty Networks
Example Strategy: A mindfulness coach could use Circle to create a private community where students share progress, ask questions, and connect with others. This approach could achieve an increase in student engagement.
Supporting Data: Building a community around your course can improve retention by up to 50% (CMX Research), as students feel supported and motivated by a shared experience.
Slack or Discord
Example Strategy: A software instructor could use Slack for real-time Q&A sessions, project feedback, and accountability check-ins, potentially leading to a higher course completion rate due to the increased engagement.
Supporting Data: Real-time communication fosters commitment; research shows that community-based courses increase completion rates by up to 60% compared to solo learning experiences (Class Central).
Email Marketing Platforms (e.g., ActiveCampaign)
Example Strategy: A nutrition course creator could use ActiveCampaign to send a weekly digest of tips, success stories, and upcoming events to students. This could achieve more consistent student engagement.
Supporting Data: Segmented email campaigns increase open rates by 14% and conversion rates by 10% (Mailchimp). Regular, valuable communication can help maintain engagement and satisfaction.
Upselling Tools
Understanding the Upselling Stage
Upselling focuses on offering additional value to existing customers, increasing their engagement and maximizing revenue.
It’s about presenting relevant add-ons, advanced courses, or premium features to students who have already experienced value from your course. Upselling tools make it easy to guide students toward their next step in learning with you.
Goal: Increase the average revenue per student by encouraging additional purchases.
Deadline Funnel
Example Strategy: An online business coach could use Deadline Funnel to create urgency for an advanced coaching program offered only to past course students. This strategy could boost enrollments by 20% within a month.
Supporting Data: Creating scarcity and urgency can increase sales by up to 332% (ConversionXL). Deadline Funnel provides timed campaigns that encourage timely decisions from students.
Thinkific or Podia
Example Strategy: A photography course creator could use Podia’s upsell feature to offer additional modules on editing and portfolio building, potentially generating more revenue per student.
Supporting Data: Upselling to existing customers is 68% more cost-effective than acquiring new ones (Forrester Research). Leveraging built-in upsell options from platforms like Podia is a simple way to boost income.
Bonjoro (again!)
Example Strategy: A yoga instructor could use Bonjoro to send a personalized video to students who have completed the beginner level, inviting them to join the advanced class with a special offer. This could lead to a 30% conversion rate for previous students.
Supporting Data: Personalized video invitations increase upsell conversions by 20-30% (MarketingProfs). Video adds a human touch, making students feel valued and more likely to commit to further learning.
Retention Tools
Understanding the Retention Stage
Retention is crucial for keeping students engaged through your entire course and beyond.
By retaining students and keeping them involved, you increase their likelihood of course completion, satisfaction, and future loyalty. Retention tools help you monitor progress, offer support, and keep students motivated, resulting in a more active learning community.
Goal: Maintain student interest and engagement throughout the course for higher completion rates and loyalty.
Google Analytics or Mixpanel
Example Strategy: A coding school could use Mixpanel to monitor student progress, identifying drop-offs at the halfway point and implementing weekly check-ins to encourage engagement. This strategy might improve completion rates for their courses.
Supporting Data: Data analytics tools can provide insights that improve engagement and completion rates by up to 30% (Thinkific), highlighting areas for improvement in your course design.
Intercom or Zendesk
Example Strategy: A language course creator could use Intercom for in-course support, so students receive prompt answers to questions, potentially reducing drop-offs.
Supporting Data: Real-time support increases student satisfaction, with studies showing a 40% boost in retention when live support is available (Zendesk research).
Drip Campaigns via Email
Example Strategy: A career coaching program could use email drip campaigns to deliver “weekly challenges” to students, helping them feel more motivated and engaged.
Supporting Data: Drip campaigns can increase course completion rates by 29% (EmailToolTester). A steady flow of valuable content encourages students to stay active and complete the course.
Winback Tools
Understanding the Winback Stage
Winback is about re-engaging past students who may have become inactive or moved on.
Through targeted outreach and offers, winback strategies help reconnect with students and bring them back into your ecosystem for new courses, updates, or community engagement.
Goal: Re-engage past students and bring them back into your customer base for new courses or updates.
Remarketing Ads (via Facebook or Google)
Example Strategy: A digital marketing instructor could use Facebook ads to retarget past students, promoting new course features and potentially achieving a higher re-enrollment rate for a new course.
Supporting Data: Remarketing can boost conversions by 150% (Wishpond), making it a powerful tool to re-engage past students and drive new enrollments.
Bonjoro Winback Campaigns
Example Strategy: A personal development coach could send personalized Bonjoro videos to past students announcing a new advanced course.
Supporting Data: Personalized outreach can drive re-engagement and increase sales by up to 20% (Bonjoro data), showing the value of video for reconnecting with past customers.
Email Re-Engagement Sequences
Example Strategy: An online fitness trainer could use a re-engagement email series with special offers to encourage past members to return. This campaign might bring back a high percentage of inactive students.
Supporting Data: Re-engagement email campaigns have an average success rate of 10-15% (MarketingSherpa), proving they are effective for bringing lapsed students back.
Wrapping Up
Implementing these tools at each stage of the customer funnel creates a powerful, cohesive strategy that brings in new students, keeps them engaged, and encourages repeat purchases.
By investing in these tested tools and tactics, you can build a thriving online course business that grows sustainably.
