Which is Better for Your Business, Online Course Platforms or a Marketplace?
As we all know, instructors can use platforms to create and sell online courses from their own website or online space to host and sell their online courses. The capacity to construct and organize complicated programs, massive media uploads, payment options, and other features are all elements that course creation software platforms offer particularly built for course makers to improve the learning experience. The capacity to construct and organize complicated programs, massive media uploads, payment options, and other features are all elements that course creation software platforms offer particularly built for course makers to improve the learning experience.
You may create an online course on a hosted platform to sell courses online and have complete ownership. You may develop a personal brand and manage your own marketing. Creators of online courses can communicate with their students and get information about them thanks to these platforms. On the other hand, hosted platforms and online course markets are very dissimilar. However, it happens frequently that creators mix up these terms. Online marketplaces allow authors to post or build their online course and sell it via a different website.
Marketplaces are, as the name implies, online course eCommerce sites where users may explore thousands of courses made by different authors. While an online course platform allows instructors to create their own online course and have complete control over your business and income, a marketplace provides you with access to its pre-existing client base and a head start on marketing, generally at the expense of a percentage of your sales.
Benefits of Online Course Platforms
- Complete Control Over Your Content and Branding
The biggest advantage of using an online course platform is the amount of control you have over your content and company in general. You may design an online course site that completely matches your style and branding: these platforms allow you to upload your logo, adjust the layout and colors of your website, build landing pages, and much more. Developing a distinct and identifiable brand is a crucial component of any business, particularly for solopreneurs and course developers.
- There are No Commissions or Transaction Fees on Your Earnings
When you build your online company on a hosted platform, the cash you earn from selling your online course is all yours. The site does not charge any transaction fees or collect any commission on your earnings. This is true for the majority of online course systems; however, some may be outliers. When selecting the best online course platform, be sure to thoroughly review the pricing page to prevent paying needless costs. If you want to be certain, Heights Platform will never charge you more than its monthly price.
- Complete Independence for Your Business Model
Using an online course platform may open up a whole new universe of possibilities for how you structure your business selling online courses. Do you wish to sell specific online courses for a one-time fixed fee? Do you want to develop a membership site where students may access your content for a monthly fee? Do you want to build course bundles and bills in installments? All of this, and much more, is available if you select the right online course platform and this will help you in creating and selling courses online.
Benefits of Online Course Marketplaces
- Marketing is Handled for You
Marketing is the primary reason why many artists choose markets for online course platforms. These platforms often do not charge you anything upfront and allow producers to publish their material for free: after you make a sale, the marketplace takes a part of the transaction. So, while marketplace marketing is not free, it is unquestionably quicker to begin selling an online course through these platforms than it is to create your own website with a hosted platform. Marketplaces provide access to thousands of potential clients who can quickly access or search for your course on the web.
- It is Easier to Gain the Trust of Customers
Potential buyers may regard the sale of an online course via these sites as a “quality mark.” Although this is not always the case, the marketplace provides a secure environment for users to explore and purchase online courses. Marketplaces have established a solid reputation among their target population. It may be easier and faster to build clients’ confidence if you sell online courses through these marketplaces. On the other, if you were to develop your own website with an online course platform, you would have to work considerably more to express trust.
- Quicker to Get Started and Plan Your Course
Because markets often provide fewer tools for creating online courses, uploading your work to these sites will be faster and easier. Even if fewer features imply poorer quality and value, markets might be a fantastic choice for authors who do not have a lot of time to devote to developing a cutting-edge course.
Conclusion
Both online course platforms and marketplaces offer advantages. Finally, the decision is dictated by your business strategy and objectives whether you want to use platforms to create and sell online english courses or a marketplace. If you’re just starting started and want to make a side income without spending too much time and effort on developing a genuine business, marketplaces are a terrific way to get started and obtain sales. This might help you validate your idea and get the preliminary input you require.
