Online learning is growing fast. Everyone, from fitness coaches to business experts, is joining the e-learning trend and for good reason. If you have useful knowledge to share, creating a course membership platform is a great idea.
But with so many options out there, how do you choose the right one? We’ll go over what makes a good course membership platform, the key features to watch for, and how to set up one that works best for you.
How to Set Up Your Course Membership Platform
Before you get started with your course membership platform, the first step is to have a clear idea of your course’s purpose. What are you aiming to teach, and who is your target audience? Once you’ve figured that out, the next step is choosing the right platform that aligns with your goals. For instance, if you’re an expert in digital marketing, you might decide to teach beginners the basics of SEO and content marketing. Once you have this vision in mind, let’s move to the practical steps.
Step 1: Choose the Right Membership Site Software
Your platform choice is key to the success of your online course. “Membership site software” refers to systems that help you create, manage, and deliver content behind a paywall. It’s important to choose easy-to-use software, especially if you’re not tech-savvy.
For example, Teachable lets you customise your site to fit your branding, upload course materials (videos, PDFs, quizzes), and create landing pages for marketing. It also integrates with payment options like PayPal, making it easy to start selling your courses quickly.
If you’re looking for a complete solution, Easy Peasy Funnels is a fantastic option. It provides course hosting alongside advanced features like built-in email marketing, sales funnels, and customer relationship management (CRM). With Easy Peasy Funnels, you can manage everything in one place, making it simple to automate tasks, track course performance, and focus on growing your business.
For those seeking an all-in-one platform that combines course creation with powerful marketing tools, Easy Peasy Funnels is a great choice.
Step 2: Strategise your Price
Yes, money matters! Deciding how you’ll charge for your course is important. You might want to adopt a subscription-based learning system. The right pricing model depends on your content, your audience, and your long-term goals.
For instance, your course is focused on teaching yoga. You set up a subscription system where users pay a monthly fee of £20 to access new yoga videos and routines each week. If you’re offering more structured, one-time courses like “30 Days to Better Flexibility,” you might opt for a one-time payment model, charging £100 for lifetime access to all the materials.
Another option is to have “tiered pricing”. For instance, a basic membership could include access to beginner videos, while a premium membership at £50 per month could offer personalised feedback, live sessions, and additional advanced tutorials.
One of the most successful subscription-based systems is Netflix, which has approximately 222 million subscribers.
Step 3: Organise your Course Content
Once you’ve selected the right platform, it’s time to organise your content. You have to know that it’s well-structured and easy to navigate. No one wants to get lost in a maze of lessons. According to Forbes, 90% of marketers incorporate content into their approach to customers.
Let’s say you’re teaching a course on Graphic Design for Beginners. You should keep your lessons organised. You could divide your content into clear sections or modules like this…
- Introduction to Graphic Design Tools
- Lesson 1: Introduction to Adobe Photoshop
- Lesson 2: Overview of Illustrator
- Lesson 3: Learning Canva for Beginners
- Design Fundamentals
- Lesson 1: Colour Theory
- Lesson 2: Typography Basics
- Lesson 3: Layout and Composition
- Practical Projects
- Lesson 1: Creating a Logo
- Lesson 2: Designing Social Media Posts
- Lesson 3: Building a Portfolio
Easy Peasy Funnels simplifies course creation with an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, similar to platforms like Thinkific and Teachable. You can easily arrange your content into a logical flow and add assessments or quizzes at the end of each module to ensure students grasp the material.
Easy Peasy Funnels also integrates advanced marketing and automation tools, allowing for seamless student engagement, drip content delivery, and detailed progress tracking, making it a comprehensive solution for organising and scaling your online courses.
Step 4: Create Engaging Content
Your course content is the heart of your course membership platform. Ensure your content is engaging with a mix of videos, quizzes, and downloadable resources. This keeps learners interested and encourages them to return for more.
If you’re teaching a photography course, you can make it engaging by using a few different methods. Start with a 15-minute video tutorial that explains camera settings for beginners, showing how to use manual mode to control exposure, ISO, and aperture.
After watching the video, include a short quiz to test their understanding with questions like “What does ISO control?” or “Which aperture setting is best for portraits?”
Provide a downloadable PDF guide summarising the camera settings so students can refer to it when they’re out taking photos. Assignments can involve students uploading a photo using the settings they’ve learned, and you can give them personal feedback to keep them motivated and help them improve.
What are the Features you need in a Course Membership Platform?
When selecting your course membership platform, there are several key features that will make your life easier and provide a better experience for your users. Here are the things you need to take note of.
User-Friendly Interface
It’s not just about you; it’s also about your students. A complicated platform can lead to frustration.
Ensure your course membership platform has a simple, user-friendly interface that both you and your users can navigate without too many bumps along the way. This includes easy sign-ups, smooth transitions between lessons, and clear progress indicators.
Customisation Options
A course platform needs to be flexible because every membership site should be unique to fit its brand. Customising your site is essential for reflecting your brand’s identity.
You should be able to add your logo, choose your brand colours, and design your layout in a way that matches your business or educational goals.
This flexibility helps create a user experience that is tailored to your audience, making them feel more engaged and connected. It also allows you to present different types of content effectively, whether it’s videos, quizzes, or downloadable materials.
As your site evolves, a flexible platform can adapt to new needs and changes, ensuring that it remains useful and relevant.
Plus, having a distinctive site can set you apart from competitors and leave a lasting impression on your users.
Payment Integration
If you’re a coach and searching for a platform to run your coaching sessions, one of the most important things to think about is payment integration.
You want to get paid!
So, look for a platform that easily connects with common payment services like PayPal or Stripe. This ensures your users can pay smoothly, whether you use a one-time payment or a subscription model.
Having this feature offers advantages like an easy payment process and reliable income management. However, some platforms may charge transaction fees or have limited options for payment gateways, which can affect your earnings or user experience.
Membership Tiers and Access Levels
Offering different membership levels can be a great way to cater to different budgets and learning needs.
For example, you might offer a basic membership with limited content and a premium membership with extra resources and personal coaching.
The best course membership platforms give you the ability to set up multiple membership tiers easily.
Community Features
Learning isn’t just about content; it’s about connection. A good online course platform will include features that allow your students to interact with each other, such as discussion forums, live chats, or group challenges.
This sense of community keeps learners engaged and committed to the course.
Analytics and Reporting
You’ll want to know how your students are doing and where they might be struggling. A good course membership platform provides detailed analytics and reporting.
This data helps you understand which lessons are popular, which ones need improvement, and how engaged your students are.
Conclusion
When it comes to finding the best course membership platform for you, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. It all depends on what you want to offer and how you want to engage with your audience.
Yes, it may feel overwhelming at first, but as the saying goes, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Start by identifying your course goals, selecting a platform that fits your needs, and building engaging content that will keep your students coming back for more.
With the right course membership site software and the best features in place, you’re well on your way to creating a thriving online learning community.
Absolutely, there’s no better time to start than now.
