How to Create an Engaging Online Course – In Just 7 Minutes with Nancy Giere

Resources/Links:

• Want to learn how to create training that sells? Click here: www.nancygiere.com/8easysteps

Summary

Do you want to create an engaging online course but just end up failing in the end?

Creating just an online course is far different from crafting an engaging one. It’s not just a full-blown webinar cut up into little chunks– it’s more than that. Take your expertise and craft the best online course that will keep your viewers wanting more by keeping the end and your purpose in mind.

Nancy Giere is a course creation expert. She works with businesses of all sizes to turn their expertise into high-profit courses. She created engaging, fun, and interactive programs that get results.

Keep your ears wide open and listen to Nancy’s amazing insights on how you can keep your viewers engaged and invested in your online courses. She also shares her secret tips on crafting the best engaging online course that can turn your viewers into clients!

Check out these episode highlights:

• 02:01 – Nancy’s ideal client: My ideal client falls in the category of a thought leader. And that’s usually some combination of author, speaker, coach, and consultant.
• 02:20 – The problem he helps solve: The problem that I solve is most of the people that come to me, either have so much content they don’t know how to put it together, or they feel like it’s a blank sheet of paper and they don’t know where to get started.
• 03:04 – The symptoms of the problem: One of the big keys really falls into time. Oftentimes, people will be repeating the same thing over and over again. And if they can take that content and package it, and give it to their clients to review, then they can work with them at a deeper level.
• 03:40 – Clients’ common mistakes before consulting Nancy: The biggest mistake that people make is they think that they can take a webinar and chop it up and turn it into an evergreen course. That is the number one problem.
• 05:36 – Nancy’s Valuable Free Action (VFA): A really simple tip when you’re doing your recording, is to divide it into discrete chunks. And pause, smile, pause again. So you give your editor a place to break up the content.
• 06:49 – Nancy’s Valuable Free Resource (VFR): Want to learn how to create training that sells? Click here: www.nancygiere.com/8easysteps
• 07:41 – Q: What’s the best way to get started? A: And the best way to get started is to think about who you serve. You want to think about creating your training, like marketing, every type of service.

Tweetable Takeaways from this Episode:

“You have to begin with the end in mind.” -Nancy Giere Share on X

Transcript
(Note, this was transcribed using a transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast)

Tom Poland 00:10
Welcome, everyone, to another edition of Marketing the Invisible. I’m Tom Poland, beaming out to you from the very sunny Sunshine Coast here in Australia. I’m joined today by Nancy Giere. Nancy, good day! A very warm welcome from Down Under. Where are you hanging out?

Nancy Giere 00:22
I’m near San Francisco in the US.

Tom Poland 00:24
San Fran! So you’ve been through the big wet or the big cold that was winter?

Nancy Giere 00:29
Yes!

Tom Poland 00:30
And the rivers and lakes are all filling up with the melted snow. I just got off the call from someone who’s half an hour from San Francisco. And they boarded on a lake, which was dry, and now it’s full. So, folks, Nancy is a course creation expert. She not only knows how to create courses that have people excited to actually take the courses, consume them and digest them, but she also knows how to create courses that sell well. And I think that’s often the missing ingredient for people who create online courses is they don’t sell themselves. So she creates engaging, fun, interactive programs that actually get results. So there’s a certain amount of magic in here. And I’m a massive fan of online courses for all the reasons that you probably know about, folks, which is scaling your value delivery. So you get to help more people in that process. You get to make more money. And it’s the reason why I can enjoy a four-day weekend. It’s really highly recommend it! Nancy, the thing is, you should not try this at home. As I discovered to my shock and horror, when I created my first two online courses, they were awful for clients because they had these big, chunky clunky videos people had to work through. Well, Nancy is the expert on how to make those courses financially engaging. So let’s get going! Our subject today is, “How to Create an Engaging Online Course”. Nancy, our seven minutes is going to start now. Question number one is who is your ideal client?

Nancy Giere 02:01
My ideal client falls in the category of a thought leader. And that’s usually some combination of author, speaker, coach, and consultant.

Tom Poland 02:09
Right. Perfect. Ditto bingo! Same. So pretty much everyone listening to this should be in that category. Tell us, describe the problem that you solve for them.

Nancy Giere 02:20
Well, the problem that I solve is most of the people that come to me, either have so much content they don’t know how to put it together, or they feel like it’s a blank sheet of paper and they don’t know where to get started. So I help them be able to really get the focus that they need to get to the finish line.

Tom Poland 02:34
They tend to be at one end of the spectrum too much– “Where do I actually get started?” But I guess the thing they have in common is they know they want to scale their value delivery, free up more time, help more people, and so on. Okay. So if someone’s listening to this, question three is, what are some of the typical symptoms that someone would be experiencing if they needed what you do? So someone’s listening to this, what are a few things that are probably going on in their brain, or their business life where they go, “Yeah, I should find out more about what Nancy does”?

Nancy Giere 03:04
Right. One of the big keys really falls into time. Oftentimes, people will be repeating the same thing over and over again. And if they can take that content and package it, and give it to their clients to review, then they can work with them at a deeper level. I see that a lot with coaches and consultants. It’s really thinking about how can you make courses help your business grow. And it all comes down to really taking your brilliance and muddling it in a way that people can consume it independently, but it also is part of a larger play.

Tom Poland 03:40
Right. Having been involved with online courses and made mistakes, I think a lot of people make the mistake of thinking that the job is done when they build their online courses. But really, that could be where the headaches start for a client. Because if the client has dread going in and doing the course and completing the lessons, then it’s unlikely they’re going to get up, and do it. They don’t get value and they don’t refer. That’s one mistake I made. Question four is what do you see as some of the common mistakes that folks made before they start working with you?

Nancy Giere 03:40
The biggest mistake that people make is they think that they can take a webinar and chop it up and turn it into an evergreen course. That is the number one problem. Yeah, and what you need to think about it, and you have to begin with the end in mind. What’s the online course going to look like? And then create the webinar so it can facilitate that by being really thoughtful about discrete chunks of information that you can deliver.

Tom Poland 04:35
Yeah, I’ve made that mistake. So what you’re saying is you really want to start with the end in mind, and build the webinar back from that not the other way around. And I guess the reason that people don’t do that is it makes their brain hurt but you can take that headache away. Folks, I’m hot and heavy on promoting what Nancy does. There’s no affiliate commission stuff going on here. I just know the value of a specialist like Nancy. And I know how they can bring what is a course that new clients dread doing for one they look forward to that’s interactive and fun and engaging. And there are all sorts of things that a professional like Nancy brings to the party. So I’m promoting Nancy. I’m very strong on this, but I believe it’s for all the right reasons. Nancy, question five. Let’s flip this and give people a top tip, something that’s not going to solve the whole problem, they’ll probably need you for that, but it might take them a step in the right direction.

Nancy Giere 05:36
Well, a really simple tip when you’re doing your recording, is to divide it into discrete chunks. And pause, smile, pause again. So you give your editor a place to break up the content. You have a better chance of repurposing if you can do that thoughtfully. It’s a really simple shift, but sometimes it’s hard. We’re in the webinar. We’re in the moment, so we just keep talking!

Tom Poland 05:58
Right. Yeah, and the adrenaline’s pumping, and you’re sounding more like a machine gun. Because when the editor is doing it, I’ve sung a little soundtrack, I guess. And then they see the pause. I know that’s like a natural break in the editing. Alright. Thank you for that! We’ve got two and a half minutes left. Let’s give folks a free resource. Where can they go to find out more about how to make all this happen? Something that’s just going to give them more value, like they can dip their toe in the world of Nancy.

Nancy Giere 06:29
Right. On my website, I have a downloadable document. It’s called, “Eight Easy Steps to Create Training That Sells” and it’s based on the methodology that I use, for every type of course, every type of content. So it gives people an idea of, really, what it takes to get from idea to implementation.

Tom Poland 06:49
Okay, so folks that’s www.nancygiere.com/8easysteps. Go there. If you’re watching the video, it’ll be underneath the video. If you’re on iPad or something, Nancygiere.com/8easysteps. Go get it! Dip your toe in the water of Nancy’s world, so to speak. It’s a bit wonky, but, anyway, you know what I mean. And then don’t do it, get Nancy to do it! That’s my best recommendation. Well, if you’ve broken all the bones in your backside, do it yourself. But as soon as you can afford to hire a specialist like Nancy, you should do that because this is the voice of experience speaking. The sooner you can get that done, the better. The sooner you’ll scale, serve more people, and have happy clients who want to keep coming back for more! Just over a minute left, Nancy. What’s the one question I should have asked you but didn’t?

Nancy Giere 07:41
What’s the best way to get started?

Tom Poland 07:44
And the best way to get started is?

Nancy Giere 07:46
And the best way to get started is to think about who you serve. You want to think about creating your training, like marketing, every type of service. So begin looking at who’s your ideal client, what they need, and how are you uniquely qualified to solve that problem. And then that should be the guiding light for the courses that you create. Just stay focused on your client.

Tom Poland 08:15
Get into their hearts and minds. Nancy, thank you so much for your time and your insights, especially the green you’re wearing. It’s lovely. Folks, go get to the video. All right. Thanks, Nancy!

Nancy Giere 08:26
Thank you.

Tom Poland 08:27
Cheers!

Tom Poland 08:29
Thanks for checking out our Marketing The Invisible podcast. If you like what we’re doing here please head over to iTunes to subscribe, rate us, and leave us a review. It’s very much appreciated. And if you want to generate five fresh leads in just five hours then check out www.fivehourchallenge.com.