Top tips on how to use education marketing to sell your online course
When you become an online course creator, you become a teacher. Youâre sharing your knowledge with the world and educating your audience on your topic of expertise.
Thatâs precisely what any teacher in a school environment does!
But when it comes to marketing your online course, many people feel stumped. They think marketing isnât their thing, so they either procrastinate getting their course out into the world or, worse, give up on the idea.
And thatâs tragic!
You know your area of expertise, like the back of your hand. This is what you need to share with your audience.
When you share your knowledge (dropping little digital crumbs that lead to your sales funnel and course), you can attract an engaged audience who will follow you down the buyerâs path.
Sharing your knowledge is called education marketing â and it works
Education marketing is exactly as it sounds â youâre marketing to your audience by educating them.
Youâre not doing any hard selling (no one likes those sleazy sales emails, do they?), but youâre sharing snippets of your expertise to engage with your audience.
You become known as the expert, a trusted colleague who answers the needs of your audienceâs pain points. Your audience will appreciate your content and keep coming back for more.
As the âknow and likeâ factor builds, you can gently direct your hot prospects into a sales funnel (offering more valuable content) that leads to your online course enrolment.
Hi, lovely!
I’m Alethea & welcome to CloudXS Digital! We help coaches, consultants and service providers grow their impact online with beautiful, conversional, student focused online courses. We share lots of tips and tricks on our blog to help you get started with your online course. You can learn more about working with us to build your online course here.
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How to effectively use education marketing using your sales funnel
A good sales funnel starts with a brilliant lead magnet. What is your audienceâs most significant pain point that you can address?
Whether youâve created a how-to video (e.g. how to use a product, how to set up an online course etc.), a downloadable eBook or template, or something else of value, this is your lead magnet.
You start by promoting this (on your socials and website), and your potential students sign up to receive it.
This sign-up is where you start your sales funnel.
But, as an educator, keep giving your interested prospect information that will transform them rather than just sales, sales, and sales. Have your emails addressing what they need and leading them on a path of education.
Donât do any selling in the early emails â youâre teaching and transforming your students. Use the last email in your funnel to chat about your course and invite them to join you. Seal this with an offer they canât refuse.
If theyâve loved the wisdom youâve shared with them through your funnel, theyâre likely to sign up.
Hereâs an example of how to use education marketing in a funnel
Letâs say you teach new parents how to perform first aid on their baby â something everyone should learn.
You want parents to sign up for your baby first aid course, but you need to show them who you are and why they trust you as the expert first.
Hereâs how an education marketing funnel could look:
- You create a short video on how to clear an airway when your baby is choking.
- You post a link on your socials and promote it as a lead magnet on your website for people to sign up and watch.
- Your prospects enter your education funnel.
- In the following 4 or 5 emails, ask them what they thought of your video and share more baby first aid tips (briefly â donât go into too much detail, or they wonât need more!).
- The last email (usually around #6) can do a soft sell â âBe prepared for any first aid emergency with your babyâ â and link to your online course landing page.
By now, if theyâve loved what you shared with them during their education journey, theyâll be compelled to sign up for your course.
Offer a discounted rate or a special offer, and youâll seal the deal.
Stay authentic when using education marketing, and youâll be a winner
The power of education marketing is that your audience looks to you as their teacher. Youâre an educator, and by sharing your knowledge, youâll become a highly respected person that people trust.
But, you must be you!
Authenticity is key to online marketing. With so many fraudsters out there, people want to work with those they trust, know and respect.
So, be yourself and have faith that you know your stuff and people respect that.
Donât look at marketing as needing to do the hard sell. Share yourself!
Impart your wisdom and educate (or transform) your audience. Youâre the one with the wisdom, and your audience wants to know more about what you do. And hey, your audience wants to be able to do what you do! So help them get there.
Education marketing works.
And as an online course creator, youâre now an educator â so try it!
Need help setting up an education marketing funnel?
As Thinkific course creators, we know a thing or two about marketing your online course. And we love helping online course creators make education funnels that work.
Please get in touch if youâd like a hand in creating an online course and an education marketing funnel to sell your course.

Alethea Tuitahi
Online Course Designer & Founder
Alethea specialises in creating beautiful, conversional, student focusd online courses. Allowing course creators to deliver their course or program to the world⌠sans tech frustrations and problems. Need help building your online course? As a Thinkific specialist, Alethea is here to help! Book in a free call here.
Disclosure: Some of the links provided in this blog are affiliate links. I only promote services that I personally use and love. I will be paid a small commission if you use this link to make a purchase.
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