One of the things I’ve heard most frequently lately from my e-learning entrepreneur friends is that nowadays, people go for shorter educational interventions since most learning is happening online. If you are in e-learning, you too have probably seen the growing demand for micro learning.
So, let's see how you can sell your products and profit from this market trend.
Read more: 4 Ways to create meaningful micro learning in your online course
Be an active part of your audience
Apart from being shorter, micro learning modules are highly specific and targeted to a particular learner requirement. Therefore, they have to be spot on, so you must do your homework in advance and figure out what's trending.
It’s a constant think-on-your-feet job to stay up to date and generate the content as it becomes significant. You have to put in place a well-oiled machine to keep the feedback coming your way. Audience input is crucial in creating suitable modules for constantly changing needs. This is a matter of staying connected rather than relying on extensive market research done some months before. You have to be in the moment and ride the wave as it happens.
Design around what the public doesn’t want
Anyone who has children knows that asking them what they want for dinner usually results in "I don’t know". However, ask what they don’t want, and they will give a quick answer (yes, vegetables are usually the answer). It’s the same for your potential learners — you’ll have an easier time finding out what they don’t want and start your course portfolio there.
If there's already too much material on a specific subject or it just isn’t interesting, you’ll find out before investing precious resources. You’ll undoubtedly get a lot of similar responses regarding what they would absolutely not pay for. Once you have enough responses, you can group them by topic and use them as starting points for your micro learning modules.
Read more: How to get feedback for your online course
Do an audience segmentation
The thing about micro learning is that even within your niche, it addresses smaller groups. So, when designing your modules, you're targeting that smaller portion of your audience. Of course, every piece of content should be accessible to all who are interested. Still, when you sent out the e-mails or start the campaign, you need to let people know that it is tailored specifically to them.
The demand for personalized learning is constantly increasing. That’s why you should know your segments well and show them that you have done your research and understand them. Don’t fret over a particular category being too small; every sale you make counts, and every happy customer is an excellent ambassador for your brand.
Read more: The entrepreneur’s guide to buyer personas for online courses [Part 1]
Harness the power of early adopters
The thing about short, well-targeted modules is that they come to cover a certain need, ideally very quickly after it arises. That doesn't give you much time for design and even less space for thoroughly planned launching campaigns. You have to execute and deliver in record times, and you may feel that there’s no way to achieve that so fast.
This is where early adopters come in – they are naturally inclined to try new products and services before anyone else. The ones in your niche can give your courses a try if you incentivize them properly. These people are also very valuable when it comes to identifying bugs and providing valuable feedback. The best part is that they enjoy acting as first-hand testers and are glad when their input is considered.
Read more: 4 Ways of using the feedback you got for your online course
Thinking about profitability
The numbers generally associated with micro learning modules are not at all impressive. Extensive courses ending in accreditations will always bring in big money and have positive profit margins. However, there is a lot to be said for smaller modules, especially if you are an entrepreneur and not a big corporate player on the market.
Individual micro learning units are priced lower, but they are also less costly to make and easier to sell. Especially in today’s market, when people guard their pennies, they are a lot more likely to pay a smaller sum for something specifically designed for them than make a significant investment in online learning.
Closing thoughts
When designing micro learning, you’ll have to spend less time in the creative process and more in the online environment, getting to know the audience and finding the best solutions for them. Even if it is different from your usual way of approaching e-learning, this can be very lucrative if done right.
