10 Powerful Ways to Beat Your Competitors When Selling an Online Course

Online Course Marketing

10 Powerful Ways to Beat Your Competitors When Selling an Online Course

Learn how to establish yourself as a trusted course creator in your space, even is there is already a lot of competition.

Are you trying to beat your competition when selling an online course, but don’t know how?

In this blog post, you’ll learn 10 powerful ways to give yourself the edge over other course creators in the online course market.

From analyzing your competitors to becoming a trusted expert, I’ll cover the tactics you need to beat your competitors and increase your course sales.

By taking advantage of these methods, you’ll be able to create a successful online course, even when competing with competitors who have more experience.

To get started, you’ll need to know the key tactics that can help you stand out from the crowd and increase your sales.

So, let’s take a look at 10 powerful ways to beat your competition when selling an online course.

Table of contents

You can also check out all the free guides that you have available here at the Course Creator Academy by clicking on the Academy link on the top menu bar.

If you are looking to learn how to sell online courses, the natural follow-up to this article is: How to Sell Online Courses? The Ultimate Guide

Identify and analyze your competitors

When you're selling an online course, it's important to know who your competitors are.

That way, you can identify their weaknesses and strengths and use that information to beat them in the race to sell more courses.

But how do you go about finding your competitors and analyzing their courses?

Why is it important to identify and analyze your competitors?

This is important to really understand what you're up against.

What this means is that you need to know their strengths and weaknesses, as well as what marketing tactics they're using and how well those tactics are working for them.

Only then can you develop a plan that will help you succeed in your space.

Remember, you can't afford to rest on your laurels. The online course market is constantly evolving, so you need to be constantly evolving along with it.

The first step is to make a list of all the potential competitors who are selling online courses in your industry or niche.

The next step is to analyze these competitors to see what they're doing well and where you can beat them.

To start your research, look up your competitors in a search engine and check out their websites. While you're there, sign up for their email lists and take a look at their sales pages.

Looking at their website, do they have strong branding? Is their course content well-written and thorough? Do they have any customer reviews or testimonials? Are they active on social media?

What are they offering? What's their price point? What are their guarantees?

You'll also want to take a look at what they're not doing well. Are their courses not as in-depth as yours?

Check out online forums and see what people are saying about your competitors. Are they generally happy with the product or service? Or are there a lot of complaints?

By analyzing your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses, you can start to create a plan for how to differentiate your online course and make it the best one out there.

Enroll in courses offered by your competitors

Enrolling in some of your competitors' courses is a step in the right direction.

By doing so, you'll gain access to their strategies, methods, techniques, and their successes and failures.

Not only that, but you'll also be able to see what's working (and what's not) for them. Armed with this information, you can tweak your own courses to make them even better.

Before you do anything else, it’s important that you understand what courses your competitors are offering.

What do their courses look like? What do the curriculums cover? What are the teachers like? How much do they cost?

Once you've enrolled in and completed a course offered by your competition, it's time to start utilizing the insights you've gained to create a better, more effective course of your own.

What can you offer that they don’t? What can you do better? What will make your courses stand out in a crowd?

First, take a look at the overall structure and layout of the course. How is the information presented? Is it easy to follow and digest? Or is it all over the place?

Next, evaluate the quality of the content. Is it well-researched and well-written? Are the videos and audio clear and high-quality? And most importantly, does the course actually deliver on its promises?

Finally, consider the price. Is it fair and in line with what other courses in this niche are selling for? Or is it too high or too low?

Once you've taken all of these factors into consideration, you can start making changes to your own course.

Use what you've learned to create a better product that your students will love.

This knowledge is incredibly valuable, and you should use it to your advantage.

The more you know about your competitors, the better equipped you'll be to beat them in the online course market.

Join the mailing lists and Facebook groups of your competitors

One of the best ways to beat your competition when selling an online course is to join the mailing lists and Facebook groups of your competitors.

By doing this, you can see what kind of content they're publishing, how they're promoting their courses, and what kind of response they're getting from students.

This information can be invaluable in helping you to beat your competition and sell more courses.

But don't just stop at your competitors. Join mailing lists and Facebook groups for other businesses in your field.

This will give you a broader perspective and help you develop a more well-rounded strategy.

It's not enough to just sit back and watch, you need to be actively engaged in order to learn from them and stay ahead.

So join in, ask questions, and see what you can learn. The more you know about your competition, the better equipped you'll be to beat them!

And, it's always a good idea to set up Google Alerts for your competitors. That way, you'll be notified anytime they're mentioned online, and you can see what people are saying about them.

Set your course based on a goal

Setting goals is the first step to achieving any type of success. When it comes to selling an online course, you need to set your course based on your goals and what you want to achieve.

That's because if you don't have a target to aim for, you'll be easily outpaced by your competition.

What's the key to setting and achieving goals?

Having a plan. And that's where having a defined target audience comes in handy.

Knowing who you're selling to will help you create a course that caters to their specific needs. You'll also be better equipped to market your course in a way that resonates with them.

Keep in mind that your goals don't have to be lofty or super-specific. They can be as simple as wanting to sell more courses than you did last year.

But whatever they are, make sure they drive all of your marketing and course development decisions.

Boost your value proposition and price

One way to do this is to take a look at your competitor's offerings and see what they're charging for their courses.

You can also look at the features of their courses and see how they compare to yours. If your course is better in some ways and worse in others, you can adjust your price accordingly.

For example, if your competitor is charging $100 for a course that is very similar to yours but doesn't have as many bells and whistles, you might charge $120 for yours.

Or, if your competitor's course is only two weeks long while yours is four weeks long, you might charge $150 for yours.

The important thing is to make sure that you're not underselling yourself or your course. You want to make sure that you're offering value that is worth the price you're charging.

Before you price your course, consider your audience and what they're willing to pay. If you're selling to businesses, you can charge more than if you're selling to individuals.

Once you have an idea of what to charge, there are a few pricing strategies you can use to help increase sales:

Offer early bird pricing: This is a great way to get people to buy your course before it launches.

Just be sure that the price goes up after a certain date so people don't think they can wait forever to buy it.

Use a subscription model: This is ideal if you plan on regularly updating your course content.

People will be more likely to sign up for a monthly or yearly subscription than they will be to make a one-time purchase.

Offer discounts: Everyone loves a good discount, so consider offering a discount for people who buy your course in bulk or who refer other people to your course.

Get more and better reviews and testimonials

One of the best ways to beat your competition when selling an online course is through reviews.

Student testimonials and reviews can be incredibly powerful when it comes to boosting your sales because they help show potential students that your course is high-quality and worth their time and money.

You can reach out to past students and ask them to leave a review on your course site.

No matter what approach you take, make sure that the reviews you showcase are positive and come from a variety of sources.

This will help you build trust with potential students and convince them that your course is the right choice for them.

Niche your course further down

When selling an online course, it's essential to niche your course further down to beat your competition. You see, in any market, there are always going to be a few major players.

But if you niche-down your course and make it more specific, you'll be able to corner the market.

And that's what you want because when you have a captive audience, you can charge more for your courses and still attract more students.

In fact, you may even be able to attract a more elite audience who are looking for something specific that your competitors don't offer.

So how do you go about niching your course further down? It's actually easier than you might think.

Just look at what's already out there and ask yourself how you can make your course different.

Can you focus on a specific demographic? On a certain type of learner? Or a certain industry?

The key is to find that sweet spot where there's enough demand for your course, but not so much competition that it becomes impossible to stand out.

Think about it: if you're a personal trainer, there are a million other personal trainers out there.

So what can you do to make yourself stand out? Niche-down and specialize in a specific area, like kettlebell training or prenatal fitness.

The more specific you can get, the more valuable your course will be to your students.

They'll know that you're an expert in this one area, and they'll trust you to help them reach their goals.

Plus, it'll be a lot easier for you to create content and market your course when you're focusing on one specific topic.

Look for alternate marketing channels

In order to stay ahead of the curve, you need to be creative and look for alternate marketing channels that your competition is not using.

This can include blogging, social media platforms, online publications, search engine optimization (SEO), PPC, and even podcasts.

The key is to find the right channels that will reach your target audience and help you sell more courses.

So don't be afraid to think outside the box and try something new. The results could be well worth it.

Of course, you'll also want to make sure that your course website is up to par, and that you're using the right keywords and phrases to attract the right students.

Remember, it's not enough to just have a great course. You also need to have a great marketing strategy to go with it.

By exploring alternate marketing channels, you'll be in a much better position to outsmart the competition and sell more courses.

Offer what your competitors don't have

Before you can offer what your competitors don't have, you need to take a step back and assess their offerings. What do they have that you don't?

These might mean including a bonus course or module or giving students access to a private community or forum.

It could also mean providing more personal support, such as one-on-one coaching or mentorship.

And more importantly, what do their students want that they're not getting?

Once you know what those gaps are, it's time to fill them. Figure out how you can create a course that offers those things, and make sure your marketing materials highlight those unique selling points.

No matter what you choose, make sure that it provides real value to your students.

They'll be more likely to choose your course over a competitor's if they know that they're getting more for their money.

Establish yourself as a trusted expert

When you’re selling an online course, it’s important to establish yourself as a trusted expert.

This will help you beat your competition and convince potential students that your course is the right choice for them.

How can you do this? Here are a few tips:

Share your expertise: When you write blog posts or articles, make sure to share your expertise with your readers.

Show them that you know what you’re talking about and that you’re an authority on the topic of your course.

Be active on social media: Platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn offer great opportunities to share your thoughts and ideas with a wider audience.

Make sure to post regularly and engage with other users who are interested in the same topics as you are.

Get involved in the community: There are many online communities where people discuss different topics related to your course topic.

Get involved in these discussions and share your insights with others.

This will help you build credibility and show potential students that you know what you’re talking about.

Establishing yourself as a trusted expert is an important step in selling online courses.

By sharing your expertise and engaging with others online, you can build credibility and convince potential students that your course is the right choice for them.

Conclusion

So, what are the 10 powerful ways to beat your competitors when selling an online course?

Identify and analyze your competitors
Enroll in courses offered by your competitors
Join the mailing lists and Facebook groups of your competitors
Set your course based on a goal
Boost your value proposition and price
Get more and better reviews and testimonials
Niche your course further down
Look for alternate marketing channels
Offer what your competitors don't have
Establish yourself as a trusted expert

There you have it, 10 powerful ways to beat your competition when selling an online course.

When it comes to selling online courses, you need to be on your game if you want to come out on top.

And by employing even just a few of these strategies, you'll be well on your way to setting yourself apart from the rest and making your online course a success.

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start putting these tips to work!

In addition to using these tips to stand out from your competitors and sell more courses, know that your success in this business also depends on where you decide to host your online course.

As a beginner online course creator, I understand that you need a platform that wouldn't put a hole in your pocket and one which is super easy to set up.

OnlineCourseHost.Com ticks all these boxes.

Not only is the platform affordable and easy to use but also has everything you need to sell your online course.

But more than a platform, we want to give you all the information that you need to grow your online course business successfully.

That’s why we have created the Course Creator Academy where you can find everything you need to become a successful online course creator all in one place for free.

To get notified when new content is available here at the Academy, you can subscribe here to our weekly newsletter:

If you are looking to ask any questions on online course creation, you can reach me here on my Facebook group:

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Ready to learn how to launch your first course on OnlineCourseHost.com? Here are the helpful guides for you to check out:

I hope you found this post on online course creation helpful, let me know in the comments below what other topics you would like me to cover, or any questions that you have.

Thanks for reading… and enjoy the course creation process! 😉

Vasco Cavalheiro

OnlineCourseHost.com Founder & Online Course Creator

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