As a coach, you help clients navigate towards what they want to achieve in life, career or business. But how can you extend that help beyond providing one-on-one or group programmes? One way is by creating an online course. In this article following on from this month's Coaching Conversation, Mike Blissett, one of our expert coach trainers, shares some of the benefits for your clients, and for your business, of being able to offer an online course in addition to your coaching services.
Creating an online course is not just about adapting to the digital age; it's about leveraging technology to amplify your impact as a coach. By offering an online course, you can provide flexible, accessible, and enriched learning experiences that complement your traditional coaching methods. This approach can transform your coaching practice in several profound ways.
Physical boundaries don’t really exist in coaching. You can coach clients face-to-face, via video link, or over the telephone. However, having an online course can increase that reach; allowing you to work with people who might not yet be ready or able to work with you directly, but would appreciate your online course. Plus, your online course can also provide additional value for your existing coaching clients, as it can sit alongside your coaching programme.
Whilst marketing your coaching services should be a priority, having an online course can also offer a potential additional source of income. Unlike one-on-one or group programmes that require you to show up for each call, online courses can be pre-recorded and delivered on autopilot at a time that’s convenient for each person taking your course. This means you can earn revenue even when you're not actively coaching, which is crucial for financial stability as you grow your business.
Having a well-structured online course on your website not only adds to your professional portfolio but can also boost your credibility as the ‘go-to’ coach. Clients and peers often perceive coaches with additional materials and resources as more knowledgeable and effective, which whilst obviously a perception, does add value for your clients and your business. Additionally, having an online course can serve as an additional marketing tool helping you engage with a broader audience via webinars, interviews, presentations, and training sessions, further establishing you as a thought-leader in your niche.
Your online course will enable you to package your favourite or unique coaching methods and theories into digestible, interactive formats that cater to different learning styles. Remember, as online course can include videos, PDFs, interactive quizzes, audio, an online community or group, and you can therefore provide a comprehensive learning experience that complements your individual or group coaching sessions. This multi-channel approach not only reinforces your position as a go-to coach, but also accommodates clients who prefer self-paced learning.
An online course can serve as a continuous touchpoint for your clients. It can keep them engaged between sessions, or even keep them engaged after they’ve finished your coaching programme, by reinforcing the learning and continuing their forwards momentum. Additionally, an online course can be updated and relaunched with new content whenever you want, which itself can keep your material feeling fresh and relevant, and encouraging past clients to reengage and book your course.
From a technical perspective, having an online course can provide you with a vehicle for gaining additional feedback in the form of online analytics and user comments, therefore allowing you to refine, improve and refresh your approach and content. This ongoing input is invaluable as it helps you enhance your course effectiveness, adapt your coaching strategies, and meet your clients' evolving needs more precisely.
In conclusion, integrating an online course into your coaching business is not just an opportunity—it's a strategic move towards scalability, enhanced client engagement, and sustained growth. By leveraging the power of online learning, you can transcend geographical limitations, create additional revenue streams, and solidify your reputation as a leading coach in your field.
Online courses offer a versatile platform to deliver value, engage with a broader audience, and continuously refine your coaching methods based on real-time feedback.
So, why not take the leap and explore how an online course can elevate your coaching business?
Would you like to learn more from Mike about adding an online course to your coaching business? If you missed June's Coaching Conversations with Mike and our Head of Training Sharon Lawton discussing about all thing's online courses, just head to our YouTube Channel where you can watch the replay.
About the Author:
Mike Blissett is a Presentation Skills Coach based in London. He’s been a coach for 21 years, and has been a trainer with The Coaching Academy since 2007. He helps clients get their voice heard. His online courses include Speak Like A Pro Online, The 7-Day Speaker Challenge, and Confidence To Camera.
The Coaching Academy was established in 1999, and is now the world's largest coaching school.
In that time we have trained over 14,000 people to become life coaches.
We are accredited by the International Coach Federation and the Association for Coaching, and we're rated 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot.
