eLearning has long been growing in popularity for its ability to cut costs, increase convenience and drive growth. Between 2015 and 2025, the industry is expected to grow by $339 billion, and this was before COVID-19 saw us all transition to a life ‘fully online’. Most of us think eLearning is primarily for education, but last year, other top categories including marketing and business, personal development and technology and gaming started to join the ranks. So what could taking your services online do for your business?
You might say that COVID-19 has created ‘the perfect storm’. The coronavirus has created conditions that mean we’re all spending more time online - and it could stay this way long after COVID-19 becomes a distant memory. We’re all spending more time at home, looking for things to do. And, if like many, you are looking to pivot, upskill and increase your job security, you may be looking at online opportunities.
But what if you’re a business owner? You need a way to continue to reach your customers (and potential prospects!) in a way you may not have considered before. We’ve heard in great detail the impacts COVID-19 has had on restaurants and retail, but what about professional or consultative services? This industry's backbone has always been its ability to get physically in front of clients and deliver services. While most have already realised that much can be delivered through video, some are starting to recognise that their IP can be reconstructed or productised in a teachable format. This means that if you can shift your offering online, you can expand through digital channels and scale your audience (to anyone, anywhere in the world with an internet connection!).
Well, this is where creativity and strategy come into play. From cake baking to career advice, podcast editing to data entry…the possibilities online really are endless. And just like we’ve all come to love services like Uber and food delivery apps, when we want to learn, we want to do it in the moment. The on-demand economy and tech advancements have pulled our attention in so many directions, if you can’t offer your services to consumers in their moment of interest, you stand to miss out on the opportunity.
So it’s time to pivot and shake things up. Try to think about the products and services you offer, and how you could offer your IP as a learning tool to the world. But don’t worry, you don’t have to do it alone. Make use of user-friendly eLearning platforms that provide an opportunity to deliver your course to the millions.
We use Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Teachable to build stunning online courses for our clients. It creates a new revenue stream that can help them bring their voice to the masses, engage more customers and requires minimal maintenance via a platform that’s highly intuitive to use and manage. While your offering may not necessarily be unique, taking it online brings it into an ecosystem where it can be.
A common theme that we’ve identified with our small and medium business clients is that they’re often caught-up in repetitive tasks. There’s also the issue of your customers being able to find the time and make the commitment to your offering when caught up in the commotion of day-to-day life…let alone during the challenging ‘COVID day-to-day’.
That’s where going online provides a sustainable model. Clients who pivot online find themselves with an abundance of extra time to take on new projects and further grow their business in other ways. And it goes both ways. Your customers also have the time to complete eLearning in their own time, and at their own pace. No judgement if you want to peacefully master tai chi at 3am!
But the real value lies in how you blend the offline and online experience. Using an LMS to complement your offering can really drive true consumer value.
Jessamy Gee from Think In Colour has benefited by anticipating the shift in working conditions and seizing the opportunity by taking her smarts and services online - offering her subscribers the opportunity to sign-up and upskill from the comfort of their remote working environment, or even the couch.
Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, Jessamy noticed an ongoing trend of customers wanting to complete her course in their own time and at their own pace. Jessamy now offers a virtual graphic recording workshop in addition to her traditional mode of training and coaching (pending the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, of course) with individuals and teams in-person.
Jessamy’s course is unique in its ability to bring multiple skills together to enhance one’s ability to communicate, visually. Her anticipation of eLearning trends has allowed the continued growth of Think In Colour throughout a very difficult period, in which lockdown restrictions would’ve threatened to bring the entire business to a halt. Here’s what she had to say:
“BlueRock Digital was fantastic at understanding the specific needs of my business when I chose to start an online course. Taking my services online has given me a unique kind of flexibility, where I have time to focus on other parts of my business and I can now scale faster than if I were just doing in-person training. I would recommend BlueRock Digital to anyone who is looking for a way to pivot their business and establish new avenues of revenue and success!”
If you’re ready to take your smarts online and engage the masses, then we’d love to help. Our systems experts are pros in understanding your business needs, and developing online solutions to drive a new revenue stream for your business and teach audiences at scale.