Are you an interior designer looking to share your expertise with others and make some extra income? Creating an online course could be the perfect solution for you. Here’s a massive reason for paying attention to e-learning: The overall global eLearning market is expected to hit $350 billion by 2025 (source).
So, with the rise of e-learning, there has never been a better time to turn your interior design skills into a course that sells.
Key Takeaways
- Online courses are flexible digital learning experiences that can cover a wide range of topics and offer convenience and affordability.
- As an interior designer, you can turn your expertise into a profitable online course, reaching a global audience and helping more people learn your skills.
- Planning is crucial; identify core concepts, create a comprehensive curriculum, and make content engaging with interactive elements and personalized feedback.
- Choose the right platform to host your course and consider marketing strategies to promote it effectively.
What Is An Online Course?
An online course is a digital learning experience that allows students to access educational materials and complete coursework over the Internet. Online courses can be self-paced or instructor-led, and they can cover a wide range of topics, from basic skills to advanced knowledge.
Online courses offer a flexible and convenient way to learn new skills. They can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection, and they allow people to learn at their own pace. Online courses can also be more affordable than traditional classroom-based courses.
Online courses can take many forms, including video lectures, interactive quizzes, written assignments, and discussion forums. They can be delivered through a variety of platforms, including learning management systems, social media platforms, and video conferencing tools.
If you have expertise in a particular subject, such as interior design, creating an online course can be a great way to share your knowledge and earn money. By creating an online course, you can reach a global audience and provide valuable education to people who may not have the possibility to work directly with your firm!
Turning Your Skills Into Education
As an interior designer, you have a wealth of knowledge and skills that you can share with others. Whether you’re an expert in space planning, color theory, or furniture selection, there are people out there who want to learn from you.
To create an online course, you first need to identify the specific skills or knowledge that you want to teach.
Once you have identified your topic, you need to break it down into smaller, manageable chunks. This will make it easier for your students to follow along and absorb the information. You can use bullet points, tables, and other formatting techniques to help organize your content.
When creating your course, it’s important to keep in mind the function of each lesson. Ask yourself:
- What do you want your students to be able to do after completing the lesson?
- What skills or knowledge should they have gained?
This will help you create lessons that are focused and effective.
Finally, don’t be afraid to use technology to your advantage. There are many online tools and platforms that can help you create and deliver your course, such as Teachable, Udemy, or Coursera. These platforms offer a variety of features, such as video hosting, quizzes, and discussion forums, that can enhance the learning experience for your students.
Business Benefits Of An Online Course
Creating an online course can be a great way to increase the profits and joy in your business.
Helping More People
By creating an online course, you can help more people than you would be able to if you were only working with clients one-on-one. Your course can reach people all over the world, and they can learn from you at their own pace.
This can be particularly beneficial for people who may not be able to afford your one-on-one services but still want to learn from you.
Building Authority Through An Online Course
Creating an online course can also help you build authority in your industry. By sharing your knowledge and expertise with others, you can establish yourself as an expert in your field.
This can lead to more opportunities for speaking engagements, media appearances, and collaborations with other professionals in your industry.
Adding a Passive Income Stream
Finally, creating an online course can add a passive income stream to your business. Once you have created your course, you can continue to sell it for years to come. This can be a great way to supplement your income and create a more stable financial future for yourself.
Planning Your Course
When it comes to creating an online course, planning is key. Without a solid plan, your course may lack structure and fail to deliver the intended value to your students.
Identifying Core Concepts
Before you start building your course, it’s important to identify the core concepts you want to cover. These concepts should be the foundation of your course and will help guide you as you build your curriculum.
Consider what you want your students to learn and what skills they should be able to develop by the end of the course.
Some core concepts to consider for an interior design course could include color theory, space planning, furniture selection, and lighting design. Once you have identified your core concepts, you can start building your curriculum around them.
Who Do You Target With Your Course?
Let’s address the elephant in the room: “What if my clients just want to learn my secrets and then never hire me for a design job?”
That could happen.
Now, turning your skills into a course means that you will share your secrets with your student, and you need to think carefully how that fits your overall business model. Here are a few considerations:
- The clients are likely different for your DIY course vs full service. So, if you want to expand your target audience to DIYers too, then this is a great way to do that.
- You could offer courses to your peers. For example, if you have learned a great way to run a design project, your peers might want to learn from you. In my opinion, this should live on another brand, unless of course if your brand is already catering to your peers.
- Your online course doesn’t have to be about teaching your skills, it can also be about teaching your process! In fact, many of our clients use online course technologies as a way to onboard their interior design clients into the project!
Building a Comprehensive Curriculum
A comprehensive curriculum is essential to the success of your online course. It should be well-structured, easy to follow, and cover all the necessary topics. To build a comprehensive curriculum, start by breaking down your core concepts into smaller, more manageable sections.
For example, if your core concept is color theory, you could break it down into sections such as the color wheel, color schemes, and color psychology. Each section should have clear learning objectives and be supported by relevant materials such as videos, articles, or interactive exercises.
When building your curriculum, it’s also important to consider the level of your students. Are they beginners or advanced learners? This will help you determine the depth and complexity of your curriculum.
Packaging & Pricing Your Course
Lastly, you need to think about the whole packaging: the messaging, the outcomes, and of course; the pricing.
- What do you promise to deliver in the course?
- What is the problem you solve?
- Why is it important to solve the problem?
- What does your student need to do in order to solve the problem?
- What features do you have in your course?
- What’s the right price for your course?
Pricing is difficult, and it might take time to land your perfect price. My recommendation is to always start with a lower price than the intended, and then slowly increase it. You also need to think about payment terms: do you want to offer down payments or collect the full payment at the enrolment? If you collect down payments, you need a tool that can handle this.
My favorite tool for online payments is ThriveCart. Get your lifetime deal here!
Creating Engaging Content
Once you have defined the topic of your online course, the next step is to create engaging content that will keep your students interested and motivated. Here are some tips to help you create engaging content for your online course:
Incorporating Interactive Elements
One of the best ways to keep your students engaged is by incorporating interactive elements into your online course. This can include quizzes, polls, surveys, and other interactive activities that encourage student participation.
Interactive elements not only make your course more engaging, but they also help students retain information better.
For example, you can create a quiz at the end of each module to help students review the material they’ve learned. You can also use polls to get feedback from your students on what they found most helpful or challenging.
Providing Personalized Feedback
Another way to keep your students engaged is by providing personalized feedback. This can include feedback on assignments, quizzes, or any other assessments you use in your course.
Personalized feedback helps students understand where they need to improve and what they’re doing well.
To provide personalized feedback, you can use tools like video feedback or audio feedback. This allows you to provide feedback in a more personal and engaging way. You can also use rubrics to provide more detailed feedback on assignments.
Choosing the Right Platform
When it comes to creating and selling your interior design course, choosing the right platform is crucial. The platform you choose can impact everything from the course content to the price and audience.
Overview of Online Course Platforms
There are several online course platforms available, each with its own unique features and benefits. Here are some of the most popular platforms:
- Udemy: Udemy is one of the largest online course platforms, with over 40 million students and 155,000 courses. It offers a wide range of courses, including interior design courses, and provides tools to help you create and market your course.*
- Teachable: Teachable is a popular platform that allows you to create and sell your own online courses. It offers a variety of customization options and marketing tools to help you promote your course.
- Coursera: Coursera is a platform that partners with universities and other organizations to offer online courses. It offers a variety of interior design courses, including some from top universities.
- Skillshare: Skillshare is a platform that offers courses in a variety of creative fields, including interior design. It has a large community of students and teachers and provides tools to help you create and market your course.
*NOTE: I think you should keep your courses on a platform you can control, set your prices, and this way; own your intellectual property. While course marketplaces such as Udemy are great for getting people to exposed to your courses, you have very little to say about how to sell, given they run discounts continuously.
My personal favorite is to run courses / membership in our own domain, and in an environment we control. Our setup is custom-made giving us the best value for investment in the long run. Our setup looks like this:
- WordPress for content management, i.e. the actual course site
- LearnDash for course management
- WishList Member for membership management
- ThriveCart for payment processing using Stripe & PayPal
Promoting Your Course
Once you’ve designed your online interior design course, it’s time to start promoting it.
Here are some effective strategies to get your course in front of potential students. Read more about sales and marketing strategies!
TIPS: Don’t wait until your course is done to start promoting it! In fact, as soon as you have created your outline, you should start promoting it. Set a launch date for your course and focus on selling at least a few pieces. Then tell your students that this course is new, and you will have a joint start at a certain date. Then create the content!
Offering Certifications
If you want to add more value to your online course and help your students stand out in the job market, offering certifications is a great way to do it. This if course depends on what kind of courses you create, and who are your students.
If you sell courses to consumers, such as home DIYers, they probably don’t care about certifications. But, if you sell courses to businesses, then this could be a great way to get more value out of your courses!
Keep in mind that offering certifications can be a lot of work, and may require additional resources and expertise. If you’re not sure if it’s the right choice for your course, consider doing some research and talking to other course creators in your industry.
Free Vs Paid Courses
When it comes to creating an online course, one of the first decisions you need to make is whether to offer it for free or charge for it. Both options have their pros and cons, so it’s important to consider your goals and target audience before making a decision.
Benefits of Free Courses
Offering a free interior design course can be a great way to attract new students and build your brand. Here are some of the benefits of offering a free course:
- Increased exposure: By offering a free course, you can reach a wider audience and increase your exposure. This can help you build your brand and establish yourself as an expert in the field.
- Lead generation: A free course can be a great way to generate leads and build your email list. You can use this list to promote your other courses and products in the future.
- Low barrier to entry: A free course is more accessible to students who may not have the budget to pay for a course. This can help you attract a wider range of students and build a community around your brand.
Why Charge for Your Course
While offering a free course has its benefits, charging for your course can also be a smart move. Here are some reasons why you might want to charge for your interior design course:
- Higher perceived value: When you charge for your course, it can increase the perceived value of your content. Students may be more likely to take the course seriously and put in the effort to complete it.
- More revenue: Obviously, charging for your course can help you generate more revenue. This can be especially important if you’re relying on your course as a primary source of income.
- Better students: When students pay for a course, they’re more likely to be committed and engaged. This can lead to better feedback and more positive reviews, which can help you attract more students in the future.
Ultimately, the decision to offer a free or paid course will depend on your goals and target audience. Consider your budget, your marketing strategy, and the value of your content when making your decision.
