In the vast digital landscape of today, billions of people use the internet. Those who are hungry for knowledge have access to unlimited information on their computers and their phones, scrolling through apps every day. That is why social media is a must-have marketing tool if you are promoting your online course!
As an online course creator, your mission is to educate your students. You can also design your social media to reach more people with interests in your niche. The more people you reach, the more interest you will generate, and the more students you will have.
Among the myriad of social media platforms, Instagram stands out as dynamic and visually captivating. There are many ways of presenting your course with Instagram, and countless ways to customize it.
Let’s embark on this creative journey and bring your online course to new students.
Craft an Irresistible Visual Story
If you haven’t already, create a Business Instagram account dedicated specifically to your online course. Present your content in a visually-stimulating and engaging way. Use high-quality images, videos, and graphics that showcase your course’s value proposition. Your online course needs a brand, and the content you create on Instagram, and other social media platforms, and the color schemes you choose should all harmoniously come together. This is one of many things that will attract more interested potential students to join your online course.
Elements of Your Course’s Brand
Set the stage
Your Instagram profile is the face of your online course, and also a lead generator. Optimize your bio with a clear and concise course description, highlighting unique selling points, and a link to your course website or landing page. Make it easier for interested students to take action! Use an eye-catching profile picture that reflects your course’s branding and resonates with your target audience.
Color coordination
Make sure to have a consistent color scheme. Use those colors throughout your posts, videos, and reels. This will make your online course and content easily recognizable. Recognition as an authority in your field gets down to the details.
Know Your Audience
What are some topics in your niche that your students are interested in? One of many questions to ask when creating your instagram content – but an important one that will guide your social media following to sign up. Understanding your target audience is crucial. Showcase the value of your course by demonstrating interesting snippets of information, leaving them wanting more! Present an exciting call to action and they will answer.
Customized Hashtags!
Generate some #customhashtags for your online course and modify them for certain topics. You can even use them to engage your users to respond to your topics and provide you with user-generated content. A consistent baseline hashtag supports the brand of your online course, and gets attention from your target audience.
Let’s discuss some strategies on how to engage your viewers on Instagram.
Engage Your Audience with Interactive Content
Guidelines for your Page
➜ Create scroll-stopping posts
Whether you are making visuals, videos, or instagram stories – you want to grab your viewer’s attention. It takes within 5 to 10 seconds to hook someone into your reels, so you must start with some intrigue. You can ask a question that you answer during the reel, and that will teach a potential student something new, closing the knowledge gap.
Generate a variety of content types:
- Educational posts
- Tips
- Tutorials
- Infographics
- Inspiring quotes
- Behind the scene insights
- Success stories/testimonials
➜ Storytelling that connects
Give your page some continuity just like you have in your course syllabus. Make a carousel post (the multiple photo option) about a certain topic or idea. You can create series with reels, splitting a concept into multiple parts. Go behind-the-scenes and give your audience a glimpse of what you do when you are creating your online course syllabus and lessons, the kinds of topics you are focusing on, showing the value of your online course.
➜ Personal-level engagement
Instagram’s algorithms reward creators who are consistent. Regularly posting to your story and producing a variety of content will help your social media following grow. Authentic engagement is the backbone of any successful marketing strategy! Let’s explore some methods for increasing your conversion rate – from follower to student.
Socialize Towards a Higher Conversion Rate
Engage and Convert
➜ Foster genuine connections
People love personal interactions. Instagram stories are a great way to regularly connect with your audience, and even gather information about their interests within your niche:
- Keep your audience up-to-date with your online course and any promotions or giveaways you’re running.
- Add a countdown if you are scheduling a live session, or have limited slots for your next course sessions.
- Create a poll to gather data on what kinds of topics your students are interested in.
- Quiz your students to elevate their interest!
- Offer their input by using a questions sticker in your story.
Be responsive. Cultivate meaningful conversations, provide valuable insights, and establish yourself as an approachable expert in your field. By building trust and nurturing relationships, you establish a supportive environment that encourages potential students to enroll in your course.
➜ Collaborate for success
Becoming an authority in your field can be accomplished by knowing your stuff, but also from collaborating with other leaders within the niche and influencers that share the same interests. Work with them through sponsored posts, takeovers, or shoutouts. This strategic alliance brings your content and online course into the feed of a wider audience, generates trust, and amplifies your conversion rates.
➜ Contests and giveaways
Let your students (and potential students) shine! This is a great way to increase engagement from your viewers to have them get creative. This is a great opportunity to implement your custom hashtags. Increase incentive by rewarding them: you can offer a discount for your online course if they like, share, and follow your page.
Actively Monitor Your Results
Develop a Marketing Strategy
With a Business Instagram account you have benefits. There are marketing metrics available right at your fingertips that will show you useful information, such as:
- Number of accounts reached in 30 days
- Which days had higher success with engagement
- Tips and resources to improve your content
- Guides on maximizing the ROI from your posts
- Other helpful resources
If you are running a promotion or want to achieve further outreach, try boosting your post. Business Instagram gives you a small fee to reach x number of additional accounts, so be strategic with which post you are looking to boost your outreach with. The boosted content will be prioritized by the Instagram algorithms and reach more users in your targeted audience.
Instagram Ads are a great tool to promote your online course. You create and choose which ads you want to run, and decide on the best option for your budget. Access to additional metrics will help you monitor the success of your ads and adjust to improve your marketing campaign.
Another option is to verify your account – the blue checkmark brings validity to your page. This is a good option to keep in mind especially when you have a large following, sometimes copycat accounts with similar usernames can try to scam potential students (occasionally they are successful in doing so).
Elevate Your Online Course’s Marketing Strategy
You are on your way to Instagram superstardom! As you can see, there are a lot of avenues to take in generating content about your online course.
If you need guidance from experts in digital media and marketing, contact us at ClassGrowth. Whether you are just getting into the marketing aspect of your online course, or you don’t have the bandwidth to focus on that, schedule a call and take your online course to new heights – our team is ready for you.
