It’s likely you will spend months pouring your knowledge, experience, wisdom, and heart into creating your online course. It’s no secret that there are 1,000 moving parts to think about when you are getting ready to launch your first (or next) course.
- There’s outlining your program.
- Creating your training presentation(s).
- Recording your course training(s).
- Setting up your landing pages, sales pages, carts, order forms, and emails.
- Then there’s building your membership site that will host your modules, lessons, content, and videos.
- You’ll need tons of graphics so you can create a course you are proud to share with others.
- And you’ll need blog, (possibly) podcasting, and social media images to help you promote your online course in your launch.
I know this checklist all too well. Over the last 7.5 years, I’ve created over 15 online training programs and several hundred training presentations.
Before you even begin recording your first training, there are some decisions and graphics that you should consider so that your course can look professional and cohesive in terms of branding.
In this article, I will provide you with a checklist of the essential graphics that you’ll need to launch your online course along the way.
Let’s dive in…
Business Brand Logo (optional)
If you are just starting out and the only thing that you are offering is your online course then you don’t really need to worry about a business brand logo (yet).
If you are planning on selling more than one online course, then you will need a business brand logo and custom course logos for each of your digital courses.
If you think about it, Procter & Gamble is a business brand. Under that brand, they sell hundreds of other products such as Pampers, Gain, Tide, Puffs, Crest – just to name a few.
Just like Procter & Gamble, if you plan on selling more than one online course, other products, or services you should also have a business brand that all your products and services fall under.
Here’s an example of a business brand called “Susie’s Succulents” that I’ll use as an example of the type of graphics you’d need for your online course launch. Starting with Susie’s business brand logo…
Custom Course Logo
Your custom course logo is used to brand your course. Just like branding your company, you should brand the courses (aka products) that your company sells.
It’s worthy of pointing out that your custom course logo should be simple. Avoid creating a complex logo with images to keep your branding clean so that your logo doesn’t conflict with the rest of your graphics and promotional material.
Susie has named her course “The Magic Garden”…
Course Mockup Image(s)
Besides needing a custom course logo, you should also create course mockup image(s).
Course mockup images help you sell your online digital course. The images help make the training and information “tangible” and more valuable to your buyer.
The course mockup image could look something like this…
Branding Style Guide
Your branding style guide acts as a key document that you will use to create consistency when you are creating your brand’s assets.
Your branding style guide includes things such as fonts, logos, color palettes, approved icons, approved images, and tone of voice.
When starting out, I would recommend a simple branding style guide that includes fonts, logos, and color palettes.
Consistency in your branding allows your customer to connect something they see with your brand and when you create your brand assets using the same fonts, logos, and colors they look more professional and cohesive.
Susie’s branding style guide. Notice how all the graphics match her overall branding…
Signature Webinar Presentation Slide Deck
Your signature webinar presentation is the slide deck that you’ll use to hold your free masterclass and sell your online course.
Whether you are holding your masterclass live or recording it for an automated evergreen funnel, you’ll need professionally designed slides that you can use to present your information to your perfect ideal customer.
Course Training Slide Deck
Your course training slide deck is used to create your training(s) for your online digital course.
You can use the slide templates in the 31-page slide deck (mentioned above). This slide deck is 100% customizable so you can match your brand’s look and feel.
Lead Magnet
A lead magnet is a piece of content that you give away for free to capture the contact information of your perfect ideal customer.
Your lead magnet could be a PDF, white paper, cheat sheet, checklist, or video training (to name a few).
If you give away a document as your lead magnet (PDF, white paper, cheat sheet, or checklist) you’ll want to make sure it is designed to present your information so it is visually appealing.
You’ll also want to have a thumbnail image of your lead magnet created so you can use it on your landing page to show your visitor what they can expect to receive from you. Like your course mockup image(s) – your lead magnet thumbnail image allows you to create your information tangibly so that your visitor can visually see the value you are offering them.
Here’s a cover for Susie’s free lead magnet…
Landing Page
A landing page is a web page added to your website where you will send your perfect ideal customers to learn about your lead magnet and capture their information so you can send your asset to them.
Your landing page is where your visitors will decide if they will provide their contact information for your free offer.
Your landing page should be simple in design but highlight the value of your free offer (aka lead magnet).
Simple 6-Page Website
If you are just starting out, I recommend that you have a simple 6-page website designed for your new business.
The (6) essential pages that are needed on your new website are:
- A home page
- A product/service page
- A contact us page
- A blog
- A privacy page
- A terms and conditions page
The home page of your website should be designed to answer these (3) questions:
- What do you do?
- How does it make my life/business better?
- What do I need to do next to take action?
Your product/service page should be designed to list all of your products or services so that your visitor can easily see everything that you offer on one page.
This is the page where your visitor will determine if they want to learn more about a specific product or service and will click a button or link that would direct them to a sales page.
Your contact us page gives visitors a way to connect with you if they have further questions.
Your blog is your most valuable marketing tool. Check out this article to learn how you can turn your blog into a lead generating machine.
Your blog is the perfect tool to bring visitors to your website, to give you a chance to share your expertise and knowledge, to answer common questions of your prospects and customers, to build trust and authority, and to capture leads.
Many people don’t know this, but you must have a privacy and terms and condition pages on your website to make sure your visitor’s information is handled with integrity and that your visitor is clear on how they can interact with your brand and how you will interact with them.
Course Sales Page
Your course sales page is the page that you will send your perfect ideal customer to so they can get all the details about your online course. The design of this page is critically important in your ability to convert your visitors into buyers.
Course Content
It is likely that you will include worksheets, PDF’s, and resources as part of your training and course materials.
Like your lead magnet, you’ll want to make sure that any assets you provide to your customer are visually appealing and designed with your brand in mind.
Membership Site
Your membership site is the place where you will store your online digital course content, assets, PDF’s, worksheets, and training videos.
It’s important that your membership organize your course content in a way that makes it easy for your customer to access and consume the information.
You’ll also want to make sure you lock down your intellectual property so that internet users can stumble across your work and gain access to it for free. You’ve put a ton of blood, sweat, and maybe even a few tears into your online course – you deserve to get paid for your effort, knowledge, and expertise.
Your membership site should include:
- A login page – where your members access your online course.
- A login support page – so members can get their passwords re-sent to them in case they lose or forget it.
- A home page – this is the page where your members will land that welcomes them to your course and instructs them on how to get the most out of your online program.
- Lesson pages – these are the pages where your members will watch your training videos and download any course content that you’ve provided them.
Let’s Recap for a Moment…
Up to this point, I’ve shared with you all the graphics you’ll need to:
- Capture leads of people who are likely to buy your online course.
- Create your online course.
- Create your course assets, resources, and downloads.
- And deliver your course to your customers.
The next list of graphics you’ll need will be used to promote your new online course online. In other words, these are the graphics you’ll need to get your new course offer in front of your perfect ideal customer.
Blog / Podcasting Images
I mentioned earlier that your blog is your most powerful marketing tool to:
- Bring visitors to your website.
- Give you a chance to share your expertise and knowledge.
- Answer common questions of your prospects and customers.
- Build trust and authority with your visitors.
- And to capture leads.
Think about it this way. Your perfect customer is searching online right now for answers to their most pressing problems.
Every time you write a blog, you are creating another opportunity for your perfect customer to find you.
The more blogs you have – the more chances you have to bring your perfect customer to your website.
You need graphics in your blogs to capture the attention of your visitor, to illustrate your ideas skillfully, and to visually draw your visitor in so they spend more time engaging with your content and site.
The fact that you are still reading THIS article perfectly illustrates my point. If I didn’t include graphics to break up the information I’m sharing with you, and if I didn’t use images to illustrate my points it’s likely, you would have left by now.
Social Media Images
Social media marketing is one of the most effective strategies you can use to get your message in front of your perfect ideal customer.
The key point to remember is that users on social platforms don’t want to be sold. They want to have fun, learn, and engage with your brand socially.
Sharing your blog articles is a brilliant way to deliver your message in front of your perfect ideal customer.
Users also love quote images.
Motion graphics are also becoming increasingly popular and are very effective in capturing the attention of your audience
The key to effectively promoting your course on social platforms is to engage with your audience with graphics and videos that pull them into wanting to learn more about you, your company, and your offer.
If you are a new business, you may even need to take some time to set up your social profiles. When you set up your profiles, you’ll need:
- Instagram Profile Picture
- Facebook Cover Banner
- Facebook Profile Picture
- Linkedin Banner
- Linkedin Profile Picture
If you are a business that’s been around a while, consider updating your profiles to include new graphics that promote your new course.
Online Advertising
The last step to getting your online course ready for launch is that you will need to advertise your lead magnet to capture leads and you must also advertise your offer so you can drive interested people to your sales page.
To do that, you’ll need graphics for your ads. Whether you’re advertising on Facebook, Linkedin, or Google PPC you’ll need images that capture the attention of your target audience.
In Conclusion
Believe it or not, you WILL be ready to launch your online course one day!
There’s no question that creating an online course is work and it will take some time to get your ready to launch. But, it’s important that you know you don’t have to do all this work alone!
I would suggest that you focus on the things you well – outline, present, and record your knowledge and expertise and let other people help you with the tech stuff, graphics, and delivery of your online course.
If you try to do everything yourself, it will take you 10 times longer than it needs to – if you are even lucky enough to have the skills to do it all yourself!
Here are some resources I’d like to recommend to help you with those things so you can focus on what matters most in your online course – delivering your expertise and knowledge:
A Free 31-Page Slide Deck you can use to create your webinar presentation and course training slides.
Pug Shop Design can help you get all the graphics you need without breaking the bank! Get unlimited graphics for one flat-rate monthly investment of just $399.
Websites Made Easy is a program I developed to help you get a beautifully designed, professional WordPress website that you can customize with the guidance, coaching, and technical support you need.
Follow my podcast, Shop Talk, to receive actionable marketing content, expert interviews, and behind-the-scene secrets, geared towards helping you build a business and life you deserve.
Still, have questions on what you need to do to create your online course or start your online business? Check out Your Marketing Coach to work with one of our coaches.
