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Microlearning has been one of the main trends in recent years. Many online schools collect their content into a series of short lessons. They work on the “1 lesson - 1 topic” principle and last up to 15 minutes (up to 10 minutes in some cases). In addition to new knowledge, students receive tasks to reinforce the material.
This approach is reasonably practical. Learners are focused on one topic, receive knowledge in small portions, and constantly use it in practice. Plus, everyone can find 15 minutes for a lesson.
At the same time, there are quite a few myths about this learning format. This article will show the most popular myths about microlearning and why they appeared.
What Is the Microlearning
Before we learn the most common myths about microlearning, let's take a closer look at this concept.
Microlearning is gaining knowledge in small portions. It helps to achieve precise results during the course. Information in such courses is presented clearly and for a specific audience. This approach helps to achieve maximum training efficiency.
Microlearning has several benefits:
- courses provide up-to-date knowledge;
- each lesson is an interactive presentation with tasks;
- listeners can watch the courses at any suitable time.
In addition, focus, context, support, and outcome play a vital role in microlearning. Micro courses help achieve high results due to the "1 lesson - 1 topic" method. Most often, these are webinars, where students are required to repeat specific actions step by step. Research made by Raytheon says that this approach increases long-term engagement by 80%. Moreover, microlearning is more attractive due to its simplicity.
And since microlearning is based on short lessons, they should be suitable for a specific audience and explain the information in simple words.
Now let's take a look at some of the most popular myths in the EdTech industry:
Myth 1. Microlearning Should Not Take Long. The Shorter the Micro Course, the Better the Result
In reality, there are no restrictions on the duration of the micro-course. However, it shouldn't take too long. It will keep up with new trends. Knowledge is becoming outdated quickly, so it is crucial to get quick and easy access to the necessary information.
In addition, there's another argument in favor of the brevity of the micro-course. Josh Bersinv, in his book Digital Learning Revolution: Ten Discoveries, determined that a person can devote 1% of their weekly work time to learning and development. It's about 24 minutes.
And even in such a short period, the student will be distracted from the lesson. Why does it happen? There are several reasons:
- People are forced to multitask. Therefore, they are constantly distracted by messenger notifications, incoming messages, and calls. How long have you been browsing the internet page to the end? According to the Nielsen Norman Group, users read about 20% of words when visiting a web page.
- As the speed of life increases, attention span decreases.
- The longer the lesson lasts, the less information is absorbed. Therefore, the brain needs rest.
- Memory is rather selective. Our brain receives loads of information every day. And in order not to suffer from overload, it focuses only on what is important or exciting. If we don't remember what we ate for breakfast yesterday, then we read very carefully. But at the same time, the brain doesn't always follow our desires.
- The amount of short-term memory is limited. After listening to a two-hour webinar, you are unlikely to remember a lot of information. And if the presentation is supplied with complex concepts, then the percentage of absorption of the material will be much lower.
Microlearning is designed to solve these problems. It's all because it takes less time and provides up-to-date knowledge on any topic. And most importantly, the lesson will end much faster than the following message will come to you in the messenger, or someone will call.
If the knowledge is presented and expressed correctly, it is learned much better than classical methods.
But how short can a micro-course be? The 3-minute limit is often mentioned. Indeed, during this time, you can get a lot of vital information and at the same time not lose interest in the lesson. But if the video is interesting, it can last more than 10 minutes.
At the same time, the BBC conducted a large-scale study of the online education system. According to its results, 94% of listeners prefer to watch educational videos up to 10 minutes long.
To sum up: Save the time of your potential students. After all, it's a precious resource that becomes more expensive.
Myth 2. Microlearning Is Suitable for All Types of Learning
So, far from it. Indeed, it's possible to create a course on a simple topic using a micro-lesson format. Alternatively, offer short lessons as supplementary materials to the main lessons.
However, specific topics take longer to learn. For example, working with complex mechanisms requires a lot of questions and a lot of practice. Therefore microlearning is not suitable here. Also, through micro-courses, it is unlikely that it will be possible to master negotiation skills perfectly.
Also, short lessons aren't suitable for teaching entrepreneurship. You can't understand the context of a business in one 10-minute video. It's best to choose a full-fledged course.
Myth 3. Microlearning Needs Advanced Technology
No advanced technology is required. Everything you need is already on your PC or smartphone. Literally, the spread of high-speed mobile Internet allows people to learn on the go. It is also a plus for the lessons' creators because you no longer need to rent a professional studio with equipment and master editing programs.
There are now full-fledged platforms for creating micro-courses. They work on the principle of "all-in-one" and are always at hand. With their help, you can start your first course in just 30 minutes.
When it comes to quality, total perfectionism is unsuitable here. It is essential for the creator of the micro-course to correctly and simply provide the necessary information. Moreover, user-generated content is very rarely professional. Therefore, amateur video quality is acceptable. It's much worse if the sound quality is poor. In this case, the learner won't listen to the lesson and will turn it off.
When people are looking for important information, they ignore the quality of the photo or video. Therefore, you shouldn't immediately reject the idea of using platforms for recording webinars. The main thing is to evaluate the lesson according to two criteria:
- How accurate and credible is the information?
- Does it solve your problem?
If you doubt the accuracy of the information, it's better to contact the author of the lesson. If the lector is an expert in a specific field, he probably just prepared content on the go. Such information is valuable and helpful to students.
Myth 4. Microlearning Is Only Suitable for Millennials
The creator of the micro-course has an important task - to give people knowledge. However, listeners may be of different generations. For students of one age, one approach is needed. Another age, a different approach.
But age doesn't matter in microlearning because of its adaptability and personalization. Lessons adapt to any listener. Therefore they are suitable for all listeners without exception. However, the issue of age should be considered when developing content, analyzing your target audience.
Myth 5. Microlearning Is a Hype
Hype is any short-term trend that generates public interest. But can micro-courses be called that?
Microlearning in its modern sense appeared in the 1990s. However, there's evidence that this concept first appeared in 1963. Hector Correa used the term microlearning in his book The Economics of Human Resources.
Another person who has analyzed a similar issue is the German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus. He is known for his research on information perception and the creation of the so-called "forgetting curve."
Along with this, learning in small portions has always been an essential part of human evolution. Therefore, it has always accompanied humankind for tens of centuries.
The success of micro-courses today is quite simple to explain. The rhythm of life has changed a lot over the past 30 years. We began to do many things (including information consumption) literally on the go, using our smartphones. Microlearning suits the needs of modern society and therefore has received a new cycle of popularity.
Moreover, the speed of life is unlikely to slow down in the next 5-10 years. So, microlearning will not lose its relevance. On the contrary, there will be new types of short lessons combined with high technology (for example, VR).
Myth 6. Micro-courses Are Separate Parts of a Complete Course
It's believed that microlearning uses a popular technique called chunking. It reduces the load on the brain and improves the perception of information. After all, you can take a break after studying a small piece of data.
Breaking down the entire learning course will give us separate pieces of information. They cannot be used independently from each other, only together. In this regard, microlearning compares favorably. After all, short lessons are not only independent blocks of content. Each micro-course has a specific goal and task. After all, as we mentioned before, information is focused on a specific topic.
Myth 7. Microlearning Is Not Suitable for Complex Topics
Micro courses are suitable for topics of any complexity. It's crucial what goals you set before using such a format. If you correctly identify the needs of your target audience and develop a strategy, then microlearning can promote essential knowledge. It doesn't matter how complex the topic is to be explained.
Conclusion
Microlearning has two crucial advantages - speed and efficiency. The main task of this approach is to provide essential knowledge and consolidate it for practical use quickly.
In the field of online education, there are both fans and opponents of short lessons. Each of them presents their arguments. The truth, as usual, lies somewhere in between.
In this article, we've explored seven popular microlearning myths. Now you can create your first micro-course and use the format when it is suitable. It will make microlearning an effective tool for working with your target audience.
Has Instagram's reach and engagement of the audience sharply decreased? The reason may be getting into a shadowban. And this is a severe problem because the shadowban on Instagram can make your account invisible. The worst thing is to get it during the launch to a warm audience. How to get out from the shadowban? How not to get next time - read on.
How to check if you are shadowbanned on Instagram
You won't receive an official notification of getting into the shadowban.
You can only understand this yourself by the following characteristics:
1) A sharp drop in outreach and views in stories.
2) A significant decrease in the number of likes.
3) Inability to find publications on personal or low-frequency hashtags (up to 1000 publications).
4) Publications are not displayed by geolocation.
5) The account becomes invisible in search results.
6) It is not possible to tag you in stories.
7) Mass unsubscribing.
8) Low activity from new subscribers.
What is a shadowban?
A shadow ban (or shadow banning) is a method used on some social platforms and online communities where users are not notified of their ban, but their posts become invisible to others. It means that the user can continue to post content, but it will not be displayed to other members of the social platform or community.
This approach is used to combat bots or toxic users who violate the platform's rules. Instead of informing the user about the ban (which could lead to creating a new account), administrators simply reduce the reach of posts and make them invisible. This helps avoid the re-creation of accounts to circumvent the ban and reduces the amount of unwanted content on the platform.
However, this method is widely criticized as it can be used opaquely and without proper warning to the user. Moreover, there are cases where algorithms responsible for the shadow ban can erroneously block harmless content.
Besides, the platform does not notify the user about the shadow banning. They learn about it through indirect signs.
Possible reasons for shadowban
Getting into a shadowban is a kind of sanction for violating the rules of using Instagram. There are several reasons why the administration may temporarily make you invisible:
1) Cheating subscribers or activity (likes, comments, views).
nstagram is an ingenious social network and quickly calculates unusual account activity. Therefore, participation in a giveaway or activity chat is a direct road to a shadowban.
2) Mass following and mass liking.
Gray methods of promotion can also cause a ban and not the only shadow kind. Keep the optimum quantity of subscriptions, unsubscriptions, and mailings per hour.
3) Numerous simultaneous complaints on the profile.
It is often used by competitors or ill-wishers who arrange a spam attack on the profile. If hundreds of users simultaneously complain about a profile for violating specific rules, the administration will impose restrictions on your account.
4) The monotone of hashtags.
Hashtags should not be repeated in each publication. Otherwise, the algorithm will consider them spam. Use not more than 10 hashtags in one post (1-2 high-frequency, 3-4 medium-frequency, 3 low-frequency, and 1 geolocation).
5) Prohibited tags.
Restrictions can be obtained for the use of tags of sexual themes, racism, or other discrimination.
6) Third-party services help.
This includes analytics, auto-posting, mass following, and mass liking services.
Giveaway or how to get into the shadowban forever?
Participating in Instagram giveaways is an easy way to increase the number of subscribers quickly. Moreover, the cost of such a method of promotion is much less than targeted advertising or advertising from bloggers. But there are several reasons why this method is categorically not worth using:
1) Cheating bots.
Often the organizers of the giveaway cannot fulfill the promised number of subscribers, so they simply cheat bots to your account. As a result, you get only a digit in the profile header.
And if unscrupulous organizers add fake accounts to you while participating in a large giveaway (with the number of 50,000 subscribers or more), then you can immediately delete your profile, because it will remain in the shadow bath forever. Such an amount of "dead audience" will contribute to the extremely low ranking of the account.
2) Receiving a non-target audience.
The audience that comes to you while participating in the giveaway is just people who want to win a gift, and 99.9% of them will not become your potential buyers.
3) A significant decrease in the activity of a real audience.
Instagram's algorithms will show your posts and stories to new non-target subscribers who will not be involved in your content. As a result, your real subscribers simply will not see you in the feed.
4) Mass unfollowing will begin after the end of the giveaway.
After all, the purpose of the subscription was a gift, not an interest in your profile. Now imagine the situation: your account has 2,000 subscribers. You buy giveaway with a promised number of 10,000 new subscribers and rejoice in a new digit - 12,000 subscribers. But then, one day, 6-7 thousand subscribers will unfollow your profile. Instagram will simply find your page uninteresting to users and will send you to the shadowban.
How to remove the Instagram shadowban
You can reduce the lock time in the following ways:
1. Remove tags from the last 15 posts, both hashtags and location tags.
2. Minimum activity for the next 72 hours. Do not leave comments, subscribe to profiles, and publish new posts.
3. Disconnect the profile from all third-party services.
4.Turn from your business account or author's account to your personal profile.
5. Publish 3 new posts without hashtags and geotags (not earlier than 72 hours after the block).
6. Edit profile header (new description, delete website link, new name).
7. Use only the main gadget to sign in to your account (preferably a smartphone). It is worth forgetting for a while about the web version and the use of VPN.
8. Get in touch with the technical support. Most likely, the ban will not be removed from you, but you can try to find out the reason for the blocking.
9. Stop all advertising campaigns.
10. Change password.
11. Add two-factor authentication.
12. Link it to your Facebook account.
Block Duration
The period of account blocking is individual and depends on the level and frequency of violations. For some profiles, this can be 3 days, while for others it can be several weeks.
Tips on how to prevent getting into the ban
After removing the restrictions, your account will be in high-interest mode by the Instagram administration. Take a look at our advice on how to not attract unnecessary attention:
1. Only quality content. Good content is one that will interest your target audience.
2. Only white promotional methods. It is advisable to use only targeted advertising for some time.
Determining whether your account is in a shadowban is difficult, but quite real. And no matter how scary it sounds — imposing restrictions does not mean "death" of your account. Follow our advice and don't give up, because the reach will return, and your audience will be with you.
Do you have any specialized knowledge and want to benefit from it? The best way to do it is to create an online course on a particular platform and promote it to let more people know about it. If you aren’t a newbie in digital marketing and have a blog with a large audience, you may think you don’t need to learn new ways of promotion to use when launching another online course. However, no matter how good and well-known your personal brand is, you won’t be able to reach a larger audience without a strong knowledge of marketing and its tricks.
You’re a course creator, and you know that people can’t assess the quality of material and presentation until they purchase your course. Well, all course creators do their best to explain the value of the knowledge they share before the sales start, but it’s not enough to make people buy an online course. Nowadays, it’s possible to find almost any information for free; that’s why your primary aim is to make your content as interesting and valuable as possible. And you’ll hardly succeed without a solid knowledge of psychology.
Human psychology is a complex system, and if you plan to understand how everything works quickly, you’ll fail. You need to study psychology for several years in a row to become an expert, but we don’t have so much free time to wait. Therefore, today, we’ll talk about psychological triggers in marketing. All systems of our organism try to save their resources, and the psyche isn’t an exception. To achieve this aim, it creates specific patterns of behavior, appearing in reaction to external stimuli. These patterns are also known as triggers. Trigger literally starts a reaction in your psyche. A thought, phrase, memory, situation, and anything else causing powerful emotion can be a trigger.
Gradually, this notion started to be used in marketing and became its inherent part. Trigger in sales is something that makes a person buy goods or services. This instrument is based on customers’ feelings and can work independently, without any other marketing tricks. If you think that triggers can only increase sales, you’re wrong: they improve conversion, relationships with buyers, remove all barriers your customers have, etc. It’s impossible to promote any product without using triggers — take it into account while advertising your online course.
Trigger №1. Storytelling
Stories have been existing for a long time. People used them to transfer information to each other even before the invention of writing. Remember your childhood: we all loved listening to fairytales, scary stories, and other narrations. And even when we seem to be old enough, we can notice that stories are still engaging; they can catch our attention and make us do something. You can continue selling your content in an old-fashioned way, but nobody is interested in boring advertising. People can easily detect that you try to impose something, and they won’t buy your product.
But if you manage to craft an incredible story that’ll describe your customers and their feelings, you increase your chances to attract a prospective customer. When you tell a story, you don’t impose something directly, and you try to impact a person through their feelings. Hire a professional storyteller if you lack experience in writing some catchy stories. Storytelling isn’t a new technique — there are dozens of books devoted to using storytelling in marketing campaigns. Use stories to push your clients to the right decision.
Trigger №2. Mutual gratitude
It’s another widespread marketing instrument used by content marketing specialists and course creators. How often do you accept gifts for free? Don’t you get a desire to give something in return? In 90% of cases, people feel an imbalance when getting a gift without making a reciprocal gesture. That’s why marketing specialists use this trigger whenever possible. You give a piece of helpful information to a person (a free stream or e-mail), and your audience wants to return the favor — to purchase your online course.
Mutual gratitude trigger is used in many niches. For instance, people who sell goods give away free samples, letting clients try the product and purchase it later. Those who sell online services apply mutual gratitude, offering customers a discount in exchange for a subscription, like, or registration. There are many ways to use this trigger but don’t overdo it; otherwise, you can scare people. Customers are too suspicious of the excessive generosity, so be careful not to harm your sales.
Trigger №3. Social proof
We all claim that the herd instinct doesn’t characterize us. However, when we wander around the shopping mall, we’ll pay attention to a crowded place. The same works for online stores. It’s the way the social proof trigger works. We trust people, and especially our relatives and friends. If someone recommends us to visit the restaurant, see the movie or read the book, we’ll probably do it because we have a good recommendation. We trust people, not the brand itself, but it’s not wrong.
This trigger works better in the form of reviews. When your prospective audience sees numerous positive reviews about your course, people get interested in your product faster. And, most likely, they’ll buy the course. Customer reviews can accelerate sales, but you’ll need to convince people that all reviews are genuine. Many websites post fake comments; therefore, people tend not to trust this form of recommendation. Ask your clients to record videos, leave personal data, and do anything to prove the review isn’t fake. Post successful cases of your clients on your website to benefit from them.
Trigger №4. Credibility
If you partner with famous companies, business owners, and influencers, but your website lacks information about it, you miss an excellent opportunity to activate a credibility trigger. People tend to purchase services from trusted people, and cooperation with well-known companies makes you a credible course provider. Have you noticed that influencer marketing is a fast and popular way to increase sales? A similar strategy should work with your course.
However, you don’t need to advertise on social media - just find several experts in your niche and post their comments about you on your website. Note that this expert shouldn’t have a large subscriber base. The credibility trigger is a perfect instrument for newbies in content marketing and those who start their first online course. Customers don’t know you yet, but collaboration with experts will help them pay no attention to the lack of experience.
Trigger №5. Community
We have already mentioned the power of herd instinct. But the community trigger differs from social proof. Well, each of your clients is an identity, but they still are affected by society. That’s why you should try to unite as many people as possible. We look at other people, see what they have, and want to buy the same thing. That’s why many websites contain information regarding the number of people who bought or downloaded a product. It’s a perfect example of applying this trigger.
You also should mention the opportunity to join the like-minded community and make new friends. Your clients will get new knowledge, share it with friends and attract more people. Here is an important rule: the more numbers you use in promotion - the higher is the chance to increase sales and conversion rate.
Trigger №6. A shortage
We make decisions faster when we are limited in time. This information can help you sell online courses. When someone visits your store and sees a notification about starting an online course, they’ll hardly decide to buy it right now. But if you mention that “you can’t accept all people,” “yesterday a certain number of students enrolled in your course,” “it’s the last chance to become a student,” “the sales will close up tomorrow,” etc., you’ll ensure that the shortage makes people think fast.
“Limited,” “special,” and some other words make clients think that your online course is worth their attention if it’s so demanding. Providing such a course makes people feel lucky and special. Make a discount, set a countdown timer, write the number of free spots, and attract customers’ attention in any available way. You must prove to your clients that they are unique to you.
Trigger №7. Anticipation
We are always waiting for something — be it the release of a new TV series or a device of a favorite company. And the longer we are waiting, the stronger is our desire to see or purchase the thing we are anticipating. So you shouldn’t start sales immediately after you created your course — wait for some time, prepare and warm up your audience first. You aim to create a queue: remind people daily that your online course starts soon. But note that this trigger won’t work effectively without using any other instruments. If you and your product aren’t well-known, people will hardly line up to buy it.
But a good marketing strategy will help you create a fuss.
It was the list of the most widespread triggers, but it’s not the full one. If you dive into this topic, you’ll be surprised to see several dozens of triggers. Each of them is effective, but it’s better to use them in combination. Analyze contact points and think about how you can use triggers in a given situation.
We don’t recommend you base your marketing strategy on triggers alone — many factors can impact their effectiveness. Newbies in content marketing should combine triggers and other instruments to increase sales. Don’t be afraid to ask your questions in the comments section, and we’ll answer the most interesting ones in our next posts.
Who wouldn't want to learn a new skill or unleash the ability to do something new? Online courses on learning foreign languages, programming including various webinars on different topics, can easily help.
And how do the owners and founders of such courses and webinars attract a large audience, and how can they turn potential customers into regular ones?
Imagine this situation: an anonymous guest visits your website, reads it to the end, especially product information, and reviews but does not place an order or quote request. Perhaps it's a matter of the cost of the product, or trust issue, as is often the case. As a result, he may leave your website in order to further look at other offers from your competitors. At the moment, you still have a chance to catch a person, interest him to stay and, in the end, turn him into a client. How? A comebacker can help with this.
Comebacker, also known as exit pop-up, is a tool for increasing the flow of customers of a specific website. When a user wants to close the page, a pop-up window should appear in front of him, calling for some specific action: leave contact information, send a question to customer support, get a promo code, a present, or a discount on the first purchase.
There is, of course, an opinion that pop-ups on websites only annoy people, cover the entire page and slow down its viewing. So why are comebackers still popular?
After analyzing about 1.75 billion pop-up windows on various sites and pages, their average conversion was 3.09%. And for correctly designed windows, the percentage is even higher. We will tell you how to set up and arrange exit pop-ups competently to increase conversion in your online store, website, or blog.
Criteria for a successful comebacker:
1. Beautiful and distinctive design. The very first thing that users always pay attention to when a window pops up in front of them is its design and appearance. Your page should be different from the rest and attract attention in different ways. Man is a visual creature; a nice picture is essential for everyone.
On holidays, change the design; add pictures or music to the pop-ups. It's creative and works flawlessly.
The readability of the page is also very important. Choose a font that is easy to read. It is important not to scare away users with words or concepts that they do not understand. Clarity, conciseness, and design will engage the audience rather than scare them away.
Get a web designer who can create the page for this project, following all the requirements and wishes.
2. Hooking the client, as well as capturing his interest. The user should definitely notice your pop-up window and be interested in it. Perhaps you could add some phrase that would immediately grab the attention of the potential client and make him stay, for example: "Are you leaving our page so soon? Will you really refuse the gift? "
Experiment with the words on the button that encourages the customer to take action. Remember not to call it too simply like "Get a discount," but for example, "Yes, I want to pick up my gift." Generate 7-10 types of call-to-action related to the offer in your comebacker by choosing the cutest one.
3. A profitable and important offer. Think about what is important to your visitors and potential customers? Why should they leave their contact information on your website or get your services if they aren't sure they need them? For example, urging to simply subscribe to the newsletter, you are unlikely to interest anyone. But as soon as you add a description of the subscription request to your course or webinar, explain, in fact, what the person will learn from you if they subscribe - it may bring a completely different result. Explain why your course will be helpful and how the acquired knowledge can be applied in the future. Now, fewer people are interested simply in getting knowledge. The more important is how you can use that knowledge.
1. "Subscribe to our newsletter."
2. "Subscribe to our newsletter and get a 20% discount."
The second option is much more attractive to a customer, and he is more likely to leave you his contacts and fill in the form.
4. Show a pop-up window after a specific time. Give the user time to study the basic information on your page. Show a pop-up window after a visitor stays on the website for a minute or a bit more.
And yet, do not provoke an adverse reaction and attitude from the user. Just set the frequency of showing the comebacker, for example, only once to each guest.
How to install a comebacker?
- First of all, select all the functions of your comebacker and configure the necessary settings.
- Next, you will need to upload this file to your website.
- Write down the required code, but it may take some time and effort.
- To set up the same comebacker on another page or site, copy the existing file and repeat the above steps.
There are ready-made scripts for comebackers that you can install yourself or use particular services. You need to try different variants to find the best comebacker for your site since the needs of each page are unique.
Keep in mind that comeback is an incredibly powerful tool and works with all major browsers: Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Opera, and Safari. And even if you are new to website customization, you will definitely master the comebacker.
You can always see your page's statistics, evaluate the effectiveness of the comebacker, and fix any bugs if they occur.
A comebacker, for example, has the highest chances of being noticed by a user when trying to leave a website, i.e., when moving the mouse to the tab with the title of the window. A comebacker can also be an effective way to notify the user after a specific time has passed after coming to the website and doing nothing there. Comebacker can actually motivate them to stay if it shows attractive offers, persuades visitors to contact the support team, or use a one-time discount for new customers.
There are some pretty good comebacker scripts that it is possible to add to a website to pop up automatically. Or it is possible to apply special services and configure everything manually. Since the functions of programs and sites are extensive, it is possible, for example, to create A / B testing of various windows and show guests several offers until they decide to use one of them. You can also show various comebackers on the same page, depending on the visitor's location, gadget, etc. Experiment and try different methods of customer acquisition. Some will appeal to you.
If you are building a website using a particular constructor, then, as a rule, it is possible to set up a comebacker directly from within it.
The most common reasons to use a comebacker:
- For a potential client to subscribe to the newsletter. You can, for example, offer free download of one video or picture from a web page.
- Advertising of promotions and discounts. There is nothing better than discounts, and everyone loves them. Offer discounts to those course participants who pay a certain number of lessons in advance.
- Ability to conduct a survey and better know the preferences of your website visitors. This will give you an idea of how to move forward by receiving feedback and answers to questioners.
Finally, setting up a comebacker takes not so much time and resources. Still, despite all of the above, it allows you to transform a much larger traffic flow to acquire those clients who fail to choose your service immediately.
Summing up, it's worth saying that the use of a comebacker, of course, cannot guarantee the website owner a lightning-fast increase in the number of customers and sales, but still, this method is quite reliable, easy to use, and can be customized based on personal preferences or business needs. Functions of a comebacker include: keeping the attention of website visitors, informing users about interesting courses, site products, obtaining contact information of users, and the improvement of the website conversion.
Try it, and for sure, the number of clients and webinar visitors will change. After all, every client is valuable, right?
Share your thoughts and ideas in the comment session, and we will discuss them in future posts.
The social media platform TikTok was established as a space for creative people. Nevertheless, now you can also see accounts of famous brands here. They are already engaging millions of users!
But Is it Worth Using This Platform to Promote Your Educational Business?
- TikTok has more than 800 million active users around the world.
- They spend on average about 500 minutes a month on the platform.
- At the same time, one TikTok video attracts more interaction than Instagram and Facebook.
Particular attention should be given to the social media algorithm. Through this, many people have become famous without a huge fan base. Its main feature is a ranking system. That is why everyone has a chance to find a place in recommendations (feed). If 20 or 100 people enjoy watching the video, the algorithm will notice this and start showing it to tens of thousands of users (or even hundreds of thousands). As a result, it would give more views, likes, and comments. And some viewers will likely become satisfied customers.
Therefore, it is not necessary to maintain accounts on all social networks to become a successful entrepreneur. Having a TikTok account and using all its benefits for creativity and experimentation will be enough. After all, the quality of content is always more important than quantity!
Interesting? Let's talk about ways to promote your brand through TikTok and get a stream of new customers in the educational business.
Show Off Your Skills
TikTok is primarily known as a place for creative people. So, many artists, singers, cooks vividly demonstrate their skills on this social network. Naturally, the audience responds with thousands of likes and comments. Nevertheless, you also can advertise the educational sphere here.
How to show your expertise and prove the uniqueness of knowledge through TikTok? Here are three proven ways:
- Record videos with life hacks and fascinating facts about your industry;
- Show the learning process on video. Remember that 15 or 60 seconds to record the video is your finest hour!
- Create awesome time-lapse videos to promote your online course.
At the same time, it is not necessary to have a tripod, special lighting, and other devices to shoot a video. Your smartphone and anything that can hold it while recording will be enough. Cool, isn't it?
How to show your expertise and prove the uniqueness of knowledge through TikTok? You can definitely advertise the educational sphere here. Let's talk about ways to promote your brand through TikTok and get a flow of new customers in the educational business.
For instance, the Tiktok user TANIXA records fascinating videos about the English language on her phone. And she easily reached more than 1 million likes on her account.
Give Advice on Lifestyle and Business
You can share the steps to create online courses successfully or show the top of your favorite programs to prepare for classes. It also will be a good idea to talk about options to attract new customers. The main idea here is the unique content.
Want to add some humor to your story? No problem! The audience will be happy to watch such videos. For example, Maria Batkhan (@englishmaria) creates funny videos, thereby explaining colloquial vocabulary. Viewers love this, according to almost 222 thousand subscribers and 1.2 million likes on her account.
Get Connected with Your Audience
As mentioned, viewers can come to your online school and take courses on anything. So feel free to communicate directly with them. We don’t discuss this aspect without reason. After all, one of the main ways to succeed in social networks is an authentic connection with the audience. It doesn't matter what platform you use for this.
Here's how you can communicate with the viewers:
- Share personal stories and experiences. Let your audience respond and ask questions of interest, and you can answer them.
- Show your personality. Future students will be able to understand who their mentor is and what he can teach.
- Record Q&A videos. Look through the comments, and choose the most interesting questions to realize this. This format is favored in many niches, including educational.
All this not only draws attention to the online school but also promotes creators as true maestros. And the teacher Yevgeny Kurchanov knows this very well. He constantly goes through the comments and uses them for creating new videos. It resulted in 5.7 million subscribers and 163.2 million likes. An excellent performance, right?
So, let's summarize!
TikTok has a lot to offer. You just need to be sincere, show your skills and constantly keep in touch with the audience. No other social network can offer such an easy way to get leads for their online courses. That is why we advise you to create a TikTok account.
Was it fascinating to know more about this social media? Share your point of view in the comments. And see you in the next articles!
Why Micro-learning is More Relevant than Ever
Education is perceived by many as a ticket for a better life. People spend a lot of time learning new things and skills. And it’s not always even for career prospects or some other practical application of knowledge. Some of us like to learn. Nowadays, online study courses are top-rated. But have you ever heard about “micro-learning”? Let’s find out what it is!
Since the term “micro-learning” is still relatively new, there is no official definition for micro-learning in scientific research. Nevertheless, all learning or training processes based on micro-learning have one key feature: brevity. The brevity can refer either to the learning units or the time span of learning.
Microlearning is characterized by many as small, independent learning units, so-called micro-contents, which are usually completed in short periods of time. These learning units can last 10-15 minutes or more, but a unit can also consist of just a few seconds. Each learning unit deals with a specific topic. Content can take many formats, from text to fully interactive multimedia content, but should always be short.
Here are some examples of micro-learning formats:
- Text: sentences, short paragraphs
- Visual formats: photos, illustrations, infographics, screenshots
- Videos (the short versions)
- Audio: short speech or music excerpts, news excerpts, podcasts
- Interactive formats: tests and quizzes
So, what are the benefits of micro-learning?
It's available anytime, anywhere.
A big advantage of micro-learning is that the information you need for the learning units is available anytime and anywhere, thanks to mobile devices such as smartphones. You can access it at any time and thereby improve the learning process. One can speak here of ubiquitous learning (the word “ubiquitous” means “widespread everywhere”).
It's individual.
E-learning and other learning processes can be made more interesting for learners through micro-learning, as the individual learning units can be implemented individually. When learning foreign languages, for example, various aspects such as grammar or vocabulary can be learned individually in various formats. So every learner can find a format that suits the respective learner type.
It's flexible.
With microlearning, learners can complete a unit at any time in their free time. You can micro-learn on the way to school, on the subway, or during an afternoon break. So you can integrate the small learning units into your everyday life and are independent of a place or time. Another advantage: Since micro-training courses are small, e.g., 2-minute podcasts or short videos can also be easily downloaded and taken offline.
Learners find it more exciting.
Micro-training is one of the most interesting learning methods available to many. With micro-learning, you learn in small bites, often on your smartphone; the content is often interactive and interesting, e.g., like quizzes or tests. The experience is similar to checking the preferred social app on the smartphone. It is actually a pleasant change from stubbornly learning 10 pages of text or strenuous memorization of formulas and equations, as students do at school or university.
Little overstrain.
Each person can only concentrate on a task or learning content for a certain amount of time; we usually speak of a time span of around 30 minutes. Since the content of micro-learning is divided into short learning pieces, the inevitable digression can be prevented. In addition, the topics are much targeted, focused on relevant information, but at the same time processed in a very understandable way. The individual can understand the content more easily and feels less overwhelmed.
What if you wanted to launch your own micro-learning app or project?
First and foremost, make every effort at the start of the project.
Do not expect that you will start the engine, and the car will move on its own. Do your best at the start to avoid slipping. A large-scale PR campaign of the course, active support of moderators, quick feedback in response to user requests - will help get results.
Then, you have to test your product.
Do some research on what is trendy with your target audience. Also, reflect on what you’d like to know about yourself. If you’re passionate about what you do, it will be noticeable. Think about how you can constantly improve your services and moderate content carefully. Remember that new information is being uploaded on the Web every single day.
For all its advantages, micro-learning is not the answer to every learning need. It cannot be used to convey a broad, basic knowledge on a subject as it focuses on solving one problem at a time or answering one question at a time.
Nothing can give you all the answers in the world. But a learning strategy that can fit into your busy schedule, satisfy your curiosity, and will also be fun is great, isn’t it?
Top 10 Email Marketing Mistakes (Part 1). Errors That Kill Your Mailing List
Email marketing is one of the best ways to keep in touch with your customers. Moreover, a well-thought-out email chain allows you to increase your average revenue. All you need to do is learn how to use new email marketing tools. However, email marketers often make email marketing mistakes when creating newsletters. We have selected the top 10 most common mistakes that negatively affect the relationship with customers.
Marketing Mistakes to Avoid: Sending an Email Without the Recipient's Consent
If you haven't received the client's consent to receive letters, you are at significant risk. This email marketing mistake may cause:
- You're more likely to get into spam and blocklists of anti-spam services.
- Such mailings ruin the reputation of your domain.
- You are simply breaking the law.
Therefore, forget about buying a ready-made email database or using emails from other projects. Here's how you can create your email database:
- through a unique form on the website;
- through webinars;
- through paper questionnaires (for live events and offline stores);
- via a bookmark on social networks.
The Newsletter Is Not Adapted for Mobile Devices
All email marketing services offer to check the appearance of the letter on a mobile device. After all, more than half of Internet users check their mail using their smartphones. And this number will continue to grow.
If the letter is not adapted for a smartphone, the client won't read it or see the CTA button. Therefore, always check how your email looks on mobile devices.
Grammar and Technical Errors
If you commit email marketing mistakes, including spelling mistakes in your emails, they will look ridiculous, and your clients will doubt your expertise. It's good that there are spelling and punctuation online checkers that can help you fix your texts and avoid email marketing mistakes.
However, there would be some technical problems and marketing mistakes to avoid. Sometimes in emails, images are displayed incorrectly, buttons don't work correctly, or links to other pages or sections of the site are found.
Advice: give the letter for verification to another person. Let him look at an email with fresh eyes and discover the flaws.
Send Everything to Everyone
This strategy is akin to running on empty. Yes, you'll send newsletters, but your direct target audience will not always read them and that's one of the marketing mistakes to avoid.
Therefore, it's vital to consider all solutions to email marketing mistakes and divide subscribers into separate groups. Segmentation will allow your emails to be as effective as possible.
You can divide customers, for example, by age or products that are of interest to them. And no longer send one email to everyone at the same time.
Don't Use Warm-up Letters
Some companies can collect an email database for years without reaching out to subscribers in any way and then start a mailing campaign. If you start actively blasting them with letters, you run the risk of getting into spam.
However, there is a solution: warm-up letters. They allow you to work with inactive subscribers. In such a letter, be sure to remind when and why the user left you an email address. After that, you can talk about the benefits of your letters.
Don't Prepare Your Domain
It's also a fairly common email marketing mistake. Without preparing the domain, there's a risk that scammers can very much use it. After all, your emails end up in spam, and email clients block the domain itself.
Therefore, before starting the mailing, you need to warm up the domain:
- Enter SPF, DKIM, and DMARC digital signatures in the domain's DNS settings. They authenticate the sender and track unusual activity.
- Create an account on the postmaster service. It'll help to analyze the reputation of the domain and track possible email marketing mistakes.
- Prepare a reliable email database. It'll strengthen the reputation of the domain.
- Send neutral emails with no ads to warm up the domain. Better yet, break up your base into small groups and work with them.
- Sent test emails before launching and gradually build up your mailing volumes. It'll also improve your reputation.
- Track results in the postmaster. If the letters don't reach the addressee, you can stop the mailing and change it.
- Create a check-list with all the marketing mistakes to avoid and go through it periodically.
The longer you earn yourself a positive email reputation, the more trust your email clients will have. You might not avoid all the email marketing mistakes, but you can definitely cut their number.
Send Emails From an Address Registered on a Public Domain
It's simply unacceptable since scammers often send emails from addresses on public domains. Such mailings end up in spam, and addresses become blocked.
But there is a solution - create a corporate mail and indicate the return address in the letters on the corporate domain. It's not only simple but often also free.
Break the Rules of Email Providers
Violation of the rules also leads to spam mailings. Among the most frequent violations, it's worth noting:
- lack of a button or link to unsubscribe;
- the layout of the whole letter with a picture;
- using the same addresses for mass and transactional mailings;
- shortening of links through special services.
To follow the rules, you need to use the tools of postal services or monitor it yourself.
Send Emails Irregularly
Consistency is a good friend of an email marketer. If you send letters without a schedule and irregularly, then soon you'll "kill" the base. The reason is simple. Subscribers don't know when to expect emails from you, and they forget about the subscription over time.
It's better to create a plan for mailings for 2-3 months as it will guarantee that you do not forget what marketing mistakes to avoid. Then you'll always know what to send to your customers and be ready for various accidents. There is a plus for users: they will never forget you and open emails more often.
To Neglect the Preheader
Often email marketers don't pay enough attention to the preheader. It better be because it also attracts subscribers' attention and encourages them to open the letter and find something helpful.
Tip: make the preheader a logical addition to your newsletter topic. It can both clarify and add a little intrigue.
Conclusion
As you can see, even though there are many marketing mistakes to avoid, creating a beautiful, understandable, and compelling mailing is possible. And even if you don't have a team of top marketers, designers, and copywriters, you can always create the letter yourself.
The most common mistakes when creating a webinar. How to prepare effectively for this event?
Nowadays, webinars are an essential and necessary part of effective learning and successful products sales and services on the Internet. In this article, we will describe the most common mistakes when creating and conducting a webinar.
Mistake №1 - unreasonbly long representation
“Brevity is the sister of talent."
Even if you really want to tell people about yourself, listing all the regalia and successes you have achieved.
Remember, a webinar is your main earning tool and your main activity, but your audience still has their own life. Most likely, your students don't have extra thirty minutes of free time to spend listening to a description of your person ( of course, you deserve attention and recognition, and, of course, you need to present yourself, but try to do it briefly and meaningfully).
You do not need to be limited to your name because the audience must understand why your opinion should be listened to learn the necessary and useful information from the webinar.
Mistake №2 - "expectation-reality"
For students to register and come to your webinar, they need to be interested. Your topic and lesson plan should be interesting. When coming to the webinar, students want to get answers to their questions or new useful information. And in case the speaker deviated from the topic or talked about nonsensical things or theories, a person has every right to leave the webinar room without remorse.
If it so happened that a large number of people registered for the webinar, and after 20-25 minutes there were a few listeners left - this is a reason to think, because maybe your information does not correspond to the stated in the webinar topic or you have bad organizational skills.
Mistake №3 - long performance. too long performance.
The average duration of your webinar should be one - a maximum of one and a half hours. Our brain is designed so that it can effectively absorb information for 90 minutes. Then comes fatigue, and information ceases to be assimilated.
Therefore, do your best to make all the information available in the allotted time. Of course, if you have no desire to speak for yourself after 90 minutes of the webinar.
Mistake №4 - no presentation
In the webinar, the presentation plays a significant role. It often happens that beginners do not want to create a presentation for various reasons. This is a huge mistake.
The presentation is your main element. It is your synopsis. You do not need any additional notes, notebooks, or cheat sheets—all the information is in front of your eyes.
Mistake №5 - overage of useful information
When you start working with webinars, everyone wants to please their listeners! Very often, beginners are ready to share all their secrets at the first webinar. And then, they wonder why sales are so low or non-existent. And this has its own logic.
Why should you pay a person if he is ready to tell you everything for free ?!
Make an effort to find a balance and make people want to buy your paid product. Involve, intrigue.
After all, the main purpose of the webinar is to share the necessary information and competently present your paid product so that students (listeners) want to buy it. The result will not take too long!
Mistake №6 - sharp sales
Do not try to start selling the product immediately after the introductory part of the webinar. Do it wisely, gently moving from general information to sales.
The webinar room empties very quickly if the audience sees that you are not interested in anything other than sales and that the main thing for you is to sell the product as soon as possible.
Mistake №7 - usage of ordinary tehnologies and unsatisfactory sound quality
Do you know such a situation when you sincerely want to hear the necessary information, and the speaker is about to tell you exactly what you need? And BANG! - the sound creaks, wheezes, is interrupted, the commotion begins. So, the webinar must be technically well organized. Otherwise, it may repel potential customers and show your not-quite-acceptable level of organization.
Mistake №8 - ignoring rehaersals
It is crucial when planning a webinar not to forget about rehearsals and sound testing. But rehearsal does not mean that you have to memorize the text. Everything should be natural.
Mistake №9 - wrong selection of the website (online platform)
This is one of the most important things. Of course, people register for the webinar, wanting to get the information they need. But the wrong choice of platform can spoil the overall impression of the webinar and your product.
Try your best to choose a platform with many features to create rooms easily, share files, broadcast presentations, conduct surveys, and communicate with the audience.
All these mistakes can be easily avoided using the KWIGA service!
This is where you will have access to a platform through which you can easily and quickly create and launch your webinar for educational purposes or sell your product.
You do not need special technical skills - a simple interface, many functions, smart synchronization, individual templates, newsletters, simple functionality for beginners, and advanced for confident users - all of this and even more offers you the KWIGA service!
No more wasting precious time searching for the right platform!
How To Do An Effective Course Content Audit
The creation of educational products bears significant risks. Indeed, you can sink in negative reviews within a month or two after the start in case of failure. Therefore, the course audit is a kind of insurance against mistakes and a measure of the quality of education. Let's figure out how to effectively and adequately audit an educational product.
Why Audit Is Needed
The main goal is to reduce the risks of failure and increase the possibility of a successful launch of an online course. You need to find the weak points and remove them.
Many producers pay attention to the promotion, not the product itself. It's the pursuit of short-term success, and no one can prove great business results in 3-5-7 years. Therefore, it is crucial to focus on quality educational writing and content creation.
Product analysis must be performed before and after the first launch. Let's go through each of these stages.
Pre-Launch Analysis
After the first launch, the audience's feedback becomes an effective indicator of quality. However, it's possible to check efficiency and logic already in the stage of development. So what should you look out for first?
Setting Goals for Students
Often, the creators of online courses represent the program, and only then - the middle and final goals. It doesn't seem right. First, you need to show what the students will be able to do after completing the training, and only after that - to build a curriculum.
What the description of the result might look like:
- at the end of the editing course, students will present an edited music video, a commercial, or a short film (depending on the final task);
- at the end of the course of the sales, trainees must agree to call from 50% of the cold base;
- at the end of the marketing course, clients should provide a holistic strategy for small or medium-sized businesses.
In addition, it's necessary to conduct an audit of personnel training. It may include comparing the results of graduates and those who didn't pass the training course. For example, students' revenue in a month should be 15% higher than that of colleagues.
Number of Modules
Courses are divided into modules - separate sections, which end with a midterm. The optimal module duration is up to 10 lessons.
ТIt's also worth paying attention to the total duration of the training and the workload distribution. For better results, it's enough to set up to 10 modules (for courses lasting up to 1 year). If there are more modules, it's worth changing the program.
Another thing to analyze is the names of the modules. They shouldn't overlap with the titles of the lessons.
Difficulty Change
The time to master a new level of difficulty depends on the target audience of your online course. So, you can increase the difficulty for young people after 1-2 lessons, but for students of 35+ category - after 3-4 weeks of training. Therefore, it's imperative to track the assimilation of the material.
Variety of Formats
You won't surprise anyone with the standard "video + homework" format. Interest disappears after a couple of lessons. Therefore, it's worth adding other formats: tests, checklists, recommendations.
Learning Environment
It's also essential to understand how easy it is for students to use online courses. It includes many factors:
- general design style;
- the standard structure of the lesson;
- availability of practical examples;
- video quality;
- the presence of typos in the text;
- presentation of material by the teacher and his interaction with students;
- and much more.
Analysis After the First Launch
The first launch of the product already gives some information about its quality. At the same time, an unprofessional but high-quality presentation is enough - without a Full HD camera, studio light, and sound.
Often, a small focus group is gathered for a trial run. After testing the material on a small audience in "combat" conditions, you can get feedback.
But clients often share what they like or dislike. There is little accurate advice on how to improve the product. Therefore, you can approach testing the effectiveness of an online course differently.
Understanding Of the Target Audience
Here we review the profiles of the students, feedback from alumni, and how much the product solves the client's problem. It will show the effectiveness of the course for a target audience.
Testing the Teaching Methodology and Logic
First of all, it's worth paying attention to the intelligibility of the training's logic and structure. It includes:
- the division into themes and modules;
- style of headings;
- defining goals;
- duration of training.
These are the first indicators of the quality of the course. After all, if there is no logic, then there is no result.
Checking the Data Received During the First Editions
First of all, you should pay attention to:
- execution of midterm and final tests created to check the achievement of educational goals (it's crucial to have access to high-quality analytics);
- speed of feedback to students' questions;
- speed of homework checking;
- attendance of lessons or webinars;
- CSI - Customer Satisfaction Index. Satisfaction with the learning process, lessons, or results can be measured;
- NPS - customer loyalty index. The willingness to recommend an online course depends on it;
- COR - the completion rate;
- return rate. The reasons may be different - the course is not suitable, the format doesn't fit, etc.;
- % of employed graduates or those students who launched their project or left positive feedback.
You can look at this data and make the first predictions of the development of the project. If the metrics don't meet expectations, make some changes. For example, improve the course format.
Conclusion
Auditing is essential when it comes to the success of an online school. Most often, problems are discovered even at the idea stage. Most of the ideas are overrated and not finalized to a minimum viable product.
If you don't regularly review your content and analytics, you might miss out on a decline in course effectiveness. Therefore, it's vital to monitor all indicators and correct weaknesses in time.
How Does a Thank You Page Impact the Conversion
Thank You page can be seen not on every website and landing page, and a well-formed Thank You page can at least double the conversion. In this article, we'll tell you why the Thank You page is used and what elements should be included to grab visitors' attention.
Why You Need To Add a Thank You Page To Your Website
The purpose of the Thank You page is to increase the engagement of potential customers. This insignificant part of the Internet page solves several problems at once:
- Additional sales. Let's say you sold a service or product. On the Thank You page, you don't just say "thank you" but offer related products that the buyer might not have seen. It will most likely work and force the customer to place another order.
- Increase the dwell time. It's an essential factor for search engine promotion. If the visitor has already subscribed to resource updates, invite him to view popular materials or provide a link to instructions for using the purchased product.
- Valuable offer. Create pleasant emotions showing that your client is important. Invite him to download a checklist or a book, watch a thematic non-promotional video. The visitor will like beneficial information, guaranteeing that your page will be revisited.
- Elevated trust in the company. Share company reviews on the page. But there should be only real testimonials from your actual customers. The fake is immediately felt, and this will deter potential customers. Be honest with your visitors.
- Subscriptions. Offer your visitors to subscribe to the newsletter if they have already made a purchase. Promise that the client will be the first to receive all the big deals.
- Creating polls. Include a few questions on the page and learn more lead data. There should not be too many questions so as not to deter the visitor.
A well-designed Thank You page will improve conversion and motivate visitors to buy additional services.
What a Thank You Page Should Include
There is some leeway when creating a Thank You page. But still, some rules and recommendations have been proven by experience:
- Thank you. Thank the client for their interest or order. It is common courtesy (good manners are known to be good).
- Confirmation of the correctness of actions. Let the visitor know that he did everything right. Briefly tell what awaits him next. For example, tell your client that a manager will contact them in 15 minutes after placing an order in your online store. You can also provide a list of ordered products so that the client is sure not to forget anything important.
- Call to action. Create an offer for your target audience. "Force" visitors to perform the needed action: subscribe to the newsletter, buy another item, add the mailing address to favorites, etc.
- Instructions with further actions. Let the visitor know what to expect next. For example, check the mail and read a letter or download a checklist. You can also offer a quick guide on how to add the address to safe senders.
- Social media buttons. Invite users to make friends on social networks. Interested subscribers are always a huge plus.
It's not necessary to include all of these elements on your Thank You page at once. Too much data can scare visitors away or confuse them. As mentioned above, you have complete freedom of action. For example, change the content of the Thank You page once a week, and then compare the results and choose the most effective one.
Don't forget about the minimum number of elements - this is gratitude and a call to a specific action. Also, visitors will be interested in a picture, design, and text written for your target audience. Leave it to specialists - web designer, marketer, and copywriter. They will study your target audience and create the best option.
4 Tricks to Boost Conversions with a Thank You Page
When creating a landing page or product site, the Thank You page is often ignored. But if you look at the site through the client's eyes, you can tell that the impression after the conversion action leaves its mark on the site's reputation in the client's eyes.
Thank You page will help you take your relationship with your customers to the next level (and increase conversion, of course). There are the TOP-4 most effective ways to use that page:
1. Link to helpful content. Marketers recommend linking to a blog post, tutorial video, free юbook, or infographic on the Thank you page. But it doesn't have to be bragging. Provide valuable information for the visitor. Nobody cares that you are working for 10 years; the client is interested in solving his problem.
2. Offer to share information about you. It would seem that this is not the best option, far from it. Share information and buttons on social networks, and people themselves will share helpful information with their friends. It works mainly if you're offering discounts or special offers.
3. Poll for new visitors. To increase conversion, you need to collect as much data as possible about your target audience. Ask your visitors what problems they faced, why they chose your product, whether everything is clear during the purchase or subscription process. Remember that the poll shouldn't be too long to scare away.
4. Special offers and discounts. Shopping is usually about emotions. Marketers know that a person is in the right mood after a purchase, which means there is a high probability of making another one. Limited offers are based on the principle of urgency or scarcity. Make it clear to the customers that the discount will be valid for only 12 hours or 70 units of the product left, and you'll see that it will bring outstanding results.
Conclusion
A Thank You page is always an excellent solution to show the customer how important it is. All people are selfish, and they will like the attention. Optimize your page, prioritize customer value, and you'll see sales increase.
It is essential to choose a proper payment system when creating an online school since:
1) convenient payment method for the customer is also a part of your service;
2) commission amount and withdrawal methods depend on the choice of the payment system.
In this article, we have analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of popular payment aggregators in CIS countries.
What types of payment systems are available for online schools
Payment aggregator is a universal tool for accepting payment, which simultaneously includes various payment methods: electronic money, cards, cash through the IBox terminal, Apple Pay, etc.
Internet acquiring makes it possible to pay on your site using bank cards or Android, Samsung, and Apple Pay. The advantage of this type is that acquirers cooperate with a large number of banks simultaneously. If the transaction is rejected in one, it will be forwarded to others until it is completed.
Individual self-describing analogs for connection with payment systems. This type will be needed only for a very large-scale business when it becomes unprofitable to pay the commission to aggregators.
Internet acquiring and self-described analogs are currently not as popular in the CIS countries as payment aggregators.
Important criteria for choosing a payment aggregator
Amount of payment method types. The client should have the opportunity to pay in a way that is understandable and familiar to him.
Commission rate.Your final income depends on this.
Specifications. Usually, the plugin is easily installed on your site, but sometimes you need an API connection. Pay attention to whether the aggregator has this option.
What's the withdrawal of funds method .and its transaction speed.
Does the aggregator process foreign payments? Make sure that not only Russian cards are accepted.
TOP-5 payment systems for online school
YKassa
Payment Options:
- credit and debit cards;
- digital currency (UMoney, wallets WebMoney and Qiwi);
- online banks (Sberbank Online, Alfa-Click, etc.);
- cash (in bank’s cash desk);
- payment from mobile balance;
- partially (with credit or in installments).
Connection. You only need a manager's passport and an account in "Yandex.".
Rate.There is no subscriber fee. Card payment fee - 3.5%, digital currency - 6%. With a turnover of more than a million, the commission will be reduced.
Withdrawal of funds. Money can be transferred to the checking account within 24 hours after payment.
Possible countries. Ykassa is a Russian payment provider. The service can also be used in Belarus, where you can connect Hutki Grosh, BePaid, WebPay, or electronic payments from Alfa Bank. There is no possibility of connecting this payment module for residents of Ukraine..
Robokassa
Payment options:
- credit and debit cards;
- digital currency (UMoney, wallets WebMoney, and Qiwi);
- online banks;
- cash in "Svyaznoy" and "Euroset";
- payment from mobile balance;
Connection. Pass the registration process of your personal account and upload scan copies of the requested documents. Next, you need to set up a payment module on your website, make a test payment, and then submit an activation request.
Rate. The starting fee is 3.9% for card payments, 4% from electronic wallets, and 5% from the phone balance. Later, the tariff can be changed to a more profitable one. There is a reduced rate of 2.9% at the "Real" tariff and 2.7% at the "Dobrokassa" tariff if the payment is made using cards issued in the territory of the Russian Federation..
Withdrawal of funds. Money can be transferred to the checking account within 24 hours after payment.
Possible countries.The service can be hooked in Russia, as well as Belarus. Users from Ukraine can't be connected, but at the same time, it is possible to accept payments from Ukrainian customers.
Payeer
Payment options:
- credit and debit cards;
- digital currency;
- cash in terminals;
- international bank transfers;
- payment from mobile balance;
Connection. You must create a business account and send scan copies of documents for verification.
Rate. The size of the commission depends on the type of payment. Overall, this is 0-2.8%.
Withdrawal of funds.Withdrawal fees range from 2.5 to 5%. It is possible to transfer money to a personal card.
Possible countries. Payeer is an international payment system that can be hooked in Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. But there is one thing — the aggregator supports only three main currencies: the Russian ruble, the dollar, and the euro. Users from Russia can withdraw funds directly, and users from Ukraine and Belarus need first to convert funds into national currency.
Unitpay
Payment options:
- credit and debit cards;
- digital currency;
- cash in terminals;
- international bank transfers;
- payment from mobile balance;
Connection.Contracting is not necessary. You can just register in the service.
Rate. The fee at the Basic tariff (turnover up to 1 million/month) is 3.5% for card payments, 7% with digital currency, and 20-25% transfer from a mobile balance.
Withdrawal of funds. The advantage of the aggregator is that the money goes instantly to the checking account.
Possible countries. UUnitpay is available in Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus.
PayAnyWay
Payment Options:
- credit and debit cards;
- digital currency;
- cash in terminals;
- international bank transfers;
- payment from mobile balance;
Connection.You must create a personal account, fill in the data and submit a request to register in the system. The service carefully checks the sites and considers the request within three days.
Rate. The fee for payment by card is 2.7%, 2.5-4% in digital currency, and 2.9% from the mobile balance
Withdrawal of funds. You can set up a permanent money output or create a one-time request. A fund transfer will be done within 2-3 days, depending on the bank.
Possible countries. PayAnyWay is available only for individual entrepreneurs and legal entities of the Russian Federation.
Which payment system is better for your online school
YKassa (Yandex.Kassa) is a multifunctional solution, as it covers almost all possible forms of payment.
Robokassa is almost identical but also works with individuals. And there is even the opportunity to embed payment to Instagram.
Payeer will be the best choice if you plan to enter the international market.
Unitpay is easy to activate and also pleases instant withdrawal of funds. But tariffs are quite high.
PayAnyWay has the most profitable commission, but it is more difficult to go through connection and verification.
How to connect a payment aggregator for an online school?
Most services are installed on the site quite easily and without programming. If you want to integrate a self-described analog, a special design or your site is created without CMS — you can connect the payment module also through the API using the developer.
How to deal with the payment freeze-up
Please note that the payment processing speed depends on the number of transactions in the payment system at this time. If a large number of payments are made from different buyers simultaneously, it leads to a virtual queue building. As you know, a modern buyer is used to getting a quick result, and such delays can affect the decision to buy.
If you have created an online course with a large number of competitors, it is worth thinking about Internet acquiring in servicing payments on your website because acquirers work with many banks at the same time.
Choosing a payment system for an online school depends on whether you focus on the international market or a local buyer within the country. The types and number of payment forms depend on this. Choose the most profitable rates for you, and don't forget to pay attention to the fee rate for payment and the fee rate for withdrawal of funds.
Nowadays, Internet technologies are developing at an extraordinary speed. Therefore, online conferences and webinars occupy a special place in modern society. Of course, there are many webinars, but they all have several common goals, including training (seminars, courses), conferences (scientific, social, business), meetings of employees working remotely, etc.
Creating and conducting a webinar is not difficult. Everyone can do this without much effort. But there are still some nuances that we will discuss in this article on the example of the online platforms ZOOM and BIZON 365.
How do I set up a webinar?
To hold this online event, you need to register on the selected platform.
Start by setting up the room.
Open BIZON 365. To create a room, open “Rooms,” click “New Room,” enter the name of the webinar, the room ID (you can insert a domain here), click “New Room.”
Go to room settings, and after - “General menu.” Enter expert's name (remember, there are always two roles in the webinar: expert and listener). If two speakers participate in the webinar - we indicate their data through "and" or only one name. Next, select the date and time of the online event and save all settings. Below you will see a direct link that helps promote and share your webinar.
Congratulations! The first block is configured.
Next, go to the "Preference menu." You can request an email address or phone when someone is logging in, but this is unnecessary.
Chat settings menu – where you can manage your chat. You can choose to show the number of participants in the webinar, their names, and you can hide this information. Optional. Do not forget to click "Save settings" if you have changed something.
The next step is the Banner settings menu. Select a picture and insert a link to the page you're selling. The banner is the item that will appear in your webinar room as a button. It appears immediately, but for us, it must appear at the right time when the speaker will talk about it. Therefore, at this stage, we turn it off, click "Save settings." The moderator at the time of the broadcast will have to watch what is happening and when it will be necessary for this button to appear, press the banner and save the settings so that it appears at the right time during the webinar.
What about the File-Button preference menu? For example, we need to add checklists, etc. Then, we insert a link or select a file. Save the settings.
As with the banner - now this button is not needed. It should appear in the webinar process at the right time; because of this, we click "Turn off" → "Save settings." The button disappears, but when the right time comes, we press "Enable" again and save all settings so that it will appear at a certain moment.
In the next Miscellaneous preferences menu, the most important part is Images. This is a picture that will appear on the page before the webinar starts. You can also insert music here - you download the track and save all the settings. Then, when the page is opened, music will automatically play.
You can also add not only a picture but also a video, an advertising video, etc.
The room is set up. Date, day, preview, chat. Done!
Important! BIZON 365 does not have its own broadcast service.
To go on air with an expert, we need YouTube. The account on YouTube should already be upgraded; in other words, some live broadcasts should already have been translated from it.
Now the turn of the ZOOM platform, the main thing for you is to have a paid account here.
The speaker from his device should click the "Schedule" button, where he indicates the webinar's topic, the date, start and finish time (recommended with a margin of 2 hours).
Under "Meeting Options," check "Automatically record," select 'On the local computer."
Important! We select the "Share Computer Sound," and then we begin to connect with BIZON 365.
Click "More →" Broadcast on YouTube "and connect. The topic of the webinar must be duplicated. We choose "Private" so that randomized viewers cannot watch the webinar on YouTube. Click Activate. If you used YouTube for broadcasts at least once - everything is fine. You need to take care of this nuance in advance, since according to the rules of YouTube if this is your first broadcast, you need to wait 24 hours to activate.
Turn off the sound on YouTube, press "Share." Then we copy the link, go to BIZON 365, click "Broadcast," → "Automated webinar," insert the link → "Convert," → "Save all settings," → "Go to the room."
Click Room Settings and leave this tab open.
Then go to ZOOM, expand the screen, turn on the video, and then click "Start Webinar.” From now you are ALREADY visible and audible.
If part of your webinar is a presentation that you can turn on and start showing, include the "Share screen." It will be better if your presentation is converted to PDF format.
Important! ALL windows must be viewed in full-screen mode.
The speaker can click on the broadcast link throughout the webinar and check what participants write in the chat. Since the presenter will broadcast with ZOOM, the chat will not be visible from the computer, but the host can look into the phone, and this is absolutely normal.
If you want to play video, video reviews, etc., tap "Stop Share" to stop sharing. Then click Share Screen again, and select a new video tab. If you have Windows, you will not be able to switch between windows simply; in Windows, this can only be through the lower control panel. If you have a MacBook, you do not have to stop sharing and then press "Share Screen" again, you can always do it simply through the desktop, and there will be no need to interrupt the broadcast.
If two experts speak, before the first speaker passes the word to the other, he must stop the screen share, and the second must launch a screen demonstration. There is no need to be afraid of awkward moments in the broadcast. If several experts speak, the one who speaks will appear on the screen. Once the second speaker is turned on, the first speaker is turned off.
Completion of the broadcast
When the webinar comes to an end, and you need to finish the broadcast - go to BIZON 365, click "Finish," and choose “Stop sharing” → "Finish." After that, wait for the record from ZOOM to be converted.
Important! Go back to YouTube because the broadcast was going on exactly from there, go to the Creative studio, and stop the broadcast. This can be done by either a producer or an expert. Not necessarily in the first seconds after the end, but it needs to be done.
Go to the "Broadcasts" menu, click "Broadcast control panel," and here you can complete the broadcast. Here you can immediately cut and edit broadcast video.
How do I set up an automated webinar?
Automated webinars — are webinars that have a live overlook but are actually pre-recorded.
To set up the automated webinar, open the room in which it was recorded. Click the item “Automated webinar.” Here you can edit the online event script. Go to the script editor and manage all possible functions. It is possible to set up an additional number of participants via bots, change the video's start time, etc.
If you need webinar statistics, go back to the list of rooms, click "Reports," select a webinar, and find all the information about the event that can be downloaded in PDF, tables, etc.
What if we need a record? In this case, take the record with YouTube, not with BIZON 365. Why? Because we launched it with ZOOM: we have a broadcast, a presentation, and a camera connected already on YouTube. So go to YouTube, copy the link from this video and send or paste it where you need it.
Also, it would help if you made a schedule.
Important! You should disable banners and files at this stage. But! They must be in the script editor. The script should remember them. You must do the same with files and buttons.
Please note that the webinar link remains the one we generated and sent out first at the primary webinar.
If you have any questions related to the settings of webinars and automated webinars, do not hesitate to leave comments, we are always ready to help!
The pandemic has increased interest in online courses. The remote format differs from offline, so it has become new for course creators. Building a methodology for learning processes will be a key factor in the success of your online course.
1. Why you need a methodology
The methodology studies the learning process. Thus, it includes not only the program creation but also the organization of effective learning.
The methodology is a system that facilitates the education process. And unfortunately, most online schools don't use it. Without methodology, students lose interest in the course or completely leave it.
The task of the methodology is to understand how people learn, how they perceive information, how they process it, and what helps them study effectively.
The methodology helps to identify:
- what students need from the course they have chosen;
- what will increase interest in the study, and what demotivates;
- what psychological and age characteristics of the target audience are important for learning;
- how people study in practice;
- how to build the logic of the online course;
- what additional materials to prepare (manuals, checklists, workbooks);
- how to test knowledge and understand that the student has learned information.
2. Why some courses are recommended and others not
It is important to remember that people who have bought the course work and are engaged in personal affairs.
Motivation is the foundation that shapes activity and behavior in your course.
Short deadlines for completing tasks and daily reports on long-term training will quickly demotivate students.
Of course, control should be, but it is worth understanding:
- Will students be able to understand the material?
- Does the amount of tasks correspond to the time provided for execution?
- How to organize the work of the group so that process motivates them?
Create a system to reward students for their done homework. For example, every week, choose the best student with whom you will conduct an individual consultation.
Here are recommendations on how to create successful training:
1. Provide information piece by piece.
The brain will not process all the material in one day. Therefore, it will be difficult for a student to learn several tools and techniques simultaneously.
2. Systematize the information.
The course methodology should be based on returning students to the material studied and working with it repeatedly.
3. Divide learning into modules.
Studying the course in small blocks will give the student an intermediate result.
4. Come up with practical tasks.
Practice will help to apply knowledge in a real context.
3. Key organizational steps for course creation
Making a course, developing a strategy, and promoting is important. But note that the main goal of the educational product is knowledge.
Make sure you understand these features:
- What are your students' expectations for the course?
- How to explain complex things?
- How to provide a result of an educational product (skill, ability, experience, competence)?
It means that first, we work with content and structure, and only then do we start to sell.⠀
Follow the next organizational steps:
1. Create lessons considering the peculiarities of the online format: develop presentations, interactive tasks, digitize texts, pictures, diagrams, etc.⠀
2. Develop lesson scripts: structure, the format of material submission, build a system for homework checking.
3. Come up with a student motivation system: ratings, gamification elements, bonuses.
4. Transfer all content to the online learning platform. Learn how to work with this platform.⠀
5. Learn how to run webinars, record training videos, screencasts.
6. Monitor marketing approaches, create a landing page to promote your services, set up ads.
7. Create a student support system after the course.⠀
It is also important to make a test run. It will help you to see weaknesses and improve quality.⠀
If you are planning a large-scale project, you should make the team. It will make the whole organization process easier for you.
Tips for control a successful course:
1. One person must coordinate the entire process from development to the end.
2. Control all stages. If something goes wrong, you should have time to adjust.
3. Always ask yourself the question: "Why am I developing this course?" It should be useful.
4. Take to the team only those who will not fail you and are interested in general success.
5. Consider clear and understandable logistics: who processes course requests, who checks homework, who is responsible for maintenance.
The online course can be prepared in recording or the format of live broadcasts. Most experts create a pre-recorded courses due to the fear of live broadcasts. There are courses with many theories, instructions, and technical knowledge, and pre-recorded lessons for such classes are a good solution. But there are also cases when you should think about live broadcasts with students since contact with the audience is more credible.
4. Key logical points for course creation
The main question of the course organizers is how to make sure that students reach the end of their studies, perform tasks and get the result.
Note the following:
1. Training videos should be short. The duration is highly dependent on content and information, but try to submit information succinctly.
2. The "talking head" improves perception compared to courses where only the presentation is shown on the screen. An expert's presence on the video allows you to achieve personal communication between the teacher and the student.
3. Recording in a cool studio does not affect profitability statistics. On the contrary, the informal environment encourages students for closer viewing.
4. To keep students' attention on the screen, the speed of speech and the expert's tone of voice plays an important role.
Always remember your responsibility to the students. Follow our tips and create useful courses.
The E-Learning market is growing at a rapid pace, which increases competition in this field. It is not enough anymore for the viewer to watch boring videos from the webcam. To make the webinar engaging and memorable you should use multiple media sources. OBS will help you organize a webinar with different types of content during one broadcasting.
1. What is OBS?
OBS (open broadcast software) is a free program that allows you to switch between media content during a webinar. This cross-platform brings together webcam streaming, images, presentations, browser windows, and even connects users from Skype.
2. How OBS can be useful for your E-learning business?
Free software is not the only advantage of the program. Options and features in OBS Studio:
- Allows you to stream any number of cameras.
- Video resolution up to 4K.
- Multiple audio streams.
- Supports live stream from Skype.
- Ability to manage the webinar screen.
- Supports live streaming on YouTube.
- Video recording.
3. General OBS settings.
Download the Oq5W BS installation and open the downloaded file.
Next, the OBS will open the auto-configuration wizard window. To minimize delays during the webinar select "Optimize for streaming, recording is secondary".
Choose the resolution and frame rate of the video stream.
How to set up Scenes
The scene system in OBS allows you to place several elements and control their size during live streaming. Create a scene by clicking a "+" button.
To fill the scene with content, you must select a source.
We show how to do this using the example of adding a video from a webcam. Select "Video capture device".
Create a new source and name it "Webcam". Press "ОК".
Keep the default settings.
Webcam video streaming has been added and you can now control its size and position on the screen.
How to add a music background
To add background music, create a source "Media".
Upload the required audio file, which will be the music background before the start of the webinar.
You can adjust the volume of the added audio in the "Audio Mixer".
How to stream a browser window
Add a new source "Browser" to stream the browser window.
Copy the link to the needed website in the "URL" field.
The browser window becomes active for clicks if you use the "Interact" option.
Create scenes separately for each website you plan to use during your webinar.
How to stream Skype using OBS
There are two ways to connect a user from Skype:
- Using the NDI driver.
- Using Skype and OBS webcams.
Connection via NDI driver requires the following steps:
- Install NDI driver.
- Enable NDI in Skype (Settings – Calling – Advanced – Allow NDI usage).
- Reboot your PC.
- Create a new source "NDI" in OBS. Name it Skype.
- Make a call via Skype and in the NDI source settings select the person to be shown on the screen during the broadcast.
The second way is a little easier, but only possible if you are using the Skype for Business version.
Follow the steps below to pair Skype and OBS webcams:
- In Skype settings, go to the "Video device" section and select OBS-Camera as the active device. To prevent the screen from square trimming you should activate "Trim and center my video in meetings".
- Create in OBS source "Display Capture".
- Send an invitation with an attached Skype meeting.
- Go to Tools – VirtualCam.
- Select OBS-Camera as the target camera.
- Click on the camera icon in the Skype meeting window and confirm the start of the broadcast with the "Start my video" button.
- Pin your video. To do this just select "Place video in the spotlight".
4. How to host a webinar using OBS and Youtube
To run a webinar on Youtube using OBS, first create a planned live stream on our YouTube channel.
Then in the live stream settings copy a special key to the webinar to create a connection between OBS and Youtube.
Next go to the OBS program and add the previously copied key to the settings.
Now all scenes created in OBS will be duplicated during your broadcast on Youtube.
Conclusion
To run a webinar with several types of content, you don't need to have complex technical skills. Just use the OBS program and surprise your audience!
Hi everyone! We continue to talk about the promotion methods on TikTok. In the last article, we discussed 11 ways that will help you effectively promote your account. Today we're going to learn how to use live streaming on TikTok Live. Go!
Before starting the broadcast, you must carefully think about what you want and how to achieve it. The whole algorithm is divided into five simple but essential steps.
Define the goal of the live broadcast
Live streams on TikTok play the same role as live streams on Instagram. You interact with your audience through them. Attention: the TikTok Live feature appears only when the level of 1000 subscribers is reached.
Even if you have more people subscribed, you must think carefully about what you want to say or do during the broadcast. But the key thing is your ultimate goal. For example, promote a free newsletter for something, attract traffic to other social media accounts, or sell a specific product.
If you've decided on a goal, proceed to the next step.
Choose the topic
Sit down, grab a piece of paper and a pen (or open a notebook app on your smartphone) and think of what you could talk about for 15 minutes a day.
For example, if you created a course for young entrepreneurs, it's a good idea to list the most common newbies' problems. Pick one topic from the list and make a live stream on TikTok. And when you answer audience questions, you can describe your course in more detail and sell it. Seems simple, right?
Besides, it's great to make all topics into a content plan. It is also necessary to decide where to redirect the viewers:
- to the landing page;
- to the link in the TikTok bio;
- to a link to buy a real thing;
- to accounts in social networks.
Advice! Organize TikTok Live streams at the same time. Then the audience will know when to visit your account.
Create a structure of your live stream
Here's our next step. It's not necessary to create an exact scenario, but some structure needs to be present. It'll look something like this:
Greeting
At the beginning of the live broadcast, say hello to the audience and invite them to introduce themselves.
The proper conversation on a topic of the live stream
Share unique knowledge that will be useful to your audience. Make sure to follow the topic precisely since your viewers were waiting just for it.
For example, if you're making a training broadcast, then its beginning may look something like this:
"Hi everyone! Glad to see y'all here. Now we're going to talk about how to make money with TikTok. I warn you that this video will not be recorded. So take a pen, a piece of paper and make notes!"
Remember to remind viewers to ask their questions at the end of the broadcast. It'll help save time and retain your audience.
Call to action
Once the number of viewers on the live stream begins to grow, you can pause the story and advance your goal. For example, ask to subscribe to an Instagram account (most often done by Tiktokers). You can direct them with the following words:
"Let me remind you that this video will not be saved in the recording. Sadly, TikTok doesn't allow this. But if you want to learn more exciting things, follow me on Instagram!"
It's prevalent for TikTok bloggers to attract traffic to their Instagram accounts. Therefore, tell your viewers also about the live streams on this social network.
Q&A Session
Near the end of the broadcast, announce that viewers can ask their questions in the comments. It's much more convenient than reading them while discussing the topic of a live stream.
Advice! Tell viewers to ask the question multiple times to get the answers. It'll also increase audience engagement during the broadcast.
Closing words
At the end of the broadcast, thank the viewers for their attention and activity. You can also invite them to follow your TikTok account and share your content on other social networks (like Facebook or Instagram).
Another important detail: live broadcasts are available not only to subscribers. Sometimes, TikTok users can find your live stream in the "ForYou" feed and even subscribe to your account. Then you'll see the message "@username followed the host."
Conclusion
The TikTok Live feature allows you to promote your business qualitatively. For this, you need to:
- decide on the purpose of the live stream;
- create a list of topics for each broadcast on TikTok Live;
- think over the broadcast structure.
Are you excited to learn about live streams on TikTok? Share your opinions in the comments below. See you in the following articles!