Why and How to Promote Online Courses Using Social Proof

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One of the most common ways your potential students evaluate an online course is by going over reviews and testimonials from past students. What did they think of the course content? How well did it prepare them for the real world? Are they glad they took the course?

As an online course creator, it's important to leverage social proof to show potential students that your course is valuable and worth taking. Testimonials from past students, reviews of the course content, and other forms of social proof can all be used to show potential students that your course is a good investment. When done right, social proof can be a powerful marketing tool.

In this article, we'll discuss how you can use social proof to promote your online courses.

We’ll cover topics like:

1) Five different types of social proof you can use

2) How to get useful reviews and testimonials for your course

3) Five ways you can use social proof to promote your online courses

By the end of this article, you'll have a solid understanding of how to use social proof to promote your online courses. So let's get started!

When you're creating a course, it's important to consider all the different types of social proof that can support your marketing efforts.

In this section, we'll take a look at five different types of social proof and give you some tips on how to use them to create an effective marketing strategy for your course.

1. Testimonials

Testimonials from happy customers and students are a great way to show potential new customers that your product or service is worth investing in.

These can be written testimonials from your students, or video testimonials featuring students talking about their experience with your course or service. They should be positive and specific and show how you've helped solve a problem. One easy way to gather all your testimonials in one place is to use Testimonial.to. Featuring testimonials on websites will have can have an instant impact on your conversion rates!

User-generated content (UGC) is any content that is created by users, such as reviews, comments, or social media posts. UGC can be a great way to show potential customers that others are using and enjoying your product.

This could be anything from featuring positive tweets or reviews from customers on your website, to simply displaying your social media follower counts or the number of students. You could even use certain tools to create a Wall of Love such as the one below from Public Lab by Kevon Cheung which is showing various tweets from past students.

3. Public Ratings & Rating sites

Reviews from third-party websites like Google or your course listing can be extremely valuable for your business, as they provide potential customers with an unbiased look at what others think of your material.

Tip: We recommend responding to both positive and negative reviews. Negative reviews can be difficult to read, but they provide valuable feedback that can help you improve your business. If you take the time to respond thoughtfully and address the issues raised, potential customers will see that you care about your customers and are committed to providing a great experience.

4. Case Studies

Case studies are in-depth stories that illustrate how your course has helped solve a problem for a student. They provide valuable insights into how your course works and can be very persuasive for potential new customers. They're especially useful if you have complex course.

5. Expert endorsements

If you can get well-known experts in your industry to vouch for your online course, that can be invaluable social proof. For instance, when working with clients for his GymLaunch course/program Alex Hormozi is known for running ads using himself.

Don’t want to bother with complicated tutorials? Make testimonials a one-time, headache-free setup with Testimonial.to.

How to get useful reviews and testimonials for your course

Are you struggling to get testimonials for your online course? You're not alone. A lot of course creators find it tough to get people to leave feedback. In this section, we’re going to share some tips that will help you get more testimonials from your students. Read on!

So how do you go about getting testimonials and reviews in the first place? Here are six tips and methods that will help you with this process:

1. Where should you link your customers to receive Testimonials?

First, make sure that you have a place for students to leave their feedback. This could be in the form of a comments section on your course page, review sites, or a link to an online survey. If you want all your testimonials in one place, you should consider trying Testimonial.to.

Pro Tip: Now that you have a specific link in mind, add it to your email signature!

2. Use your contact list and reach out to past students

If you've already taught the course, reach out to past students. You could ask them how they found the course, what they enjoyed about it, and if they have any suggestions to help you improve the content. If the platform you are using allows it, you can try to only reach out to students that completed the course.

One of the easiest ways to get testimonials and reviews is to simply ask your students for them, in a one-on-one conversation. Where ever it seems like they'd be easy to reach, which often tends to be social media DMs. You can also ask for testimonials and reviews by email, text, or in person. This is especially effective if you have a good relationship with your students.

If your course has a forum, a private community or you have an active social media presence you can post a request for testimonials and reviews there. This is a great way to get feedback from your students openly and transparently.

Using a community such as a Facebook Group, Circle, or Geneva, can help you stay more connected with your students as well as throw in an ask once in a while.

5. Online review platforms

Platforms like Udemy, Teachable, and Thinkific allow students to leave reviews for courses they've taken. You can use these platforms to gather testimonials from past students. If you have reviews on multiple platforms such as any social media platform and you want to put all of them together into a beautiful Wall of Love, you can use Testimonial.to.

6. Be specific!

When reaching out to potential reviewers or testimonial writers, be specific about what kind of feedback you're looking for—whether it's positive comments about the quality of the course material, compliments on your teaching style, or both. This will help ensure that you get meaningful feedback that you can use to improve your course and market it effectively.

Asking for reviews and testimonials might feel awkward at first, but there are lots of benefits to doing so—including improved visibility, increased credibility, and higher enrollment numbers. And when it comes down to it, getting good reviews is simply a matter of following these nine simple tips. So what are you waiting for? Start collecting those reviews today!

Don’t want to bother with complicated tutorials? Make testimonials a one-time, headache-free setup with Testimonial.to.

Online courses are a great way to teach people new skills and share your expertise with the world. But how do you go about promoting your online courses? One great way to promote your courses is through social proof – showing potential students that your courses are highly-rated. It will help ensure that potential students are aware of the great benefits your courses offer.

In this section, we’ll discuss five ways you can use social proof to promote your online courses. Keep reading to learn more.

1. Include customer testimonials on your course landing page.

One of the most effective ways to use social proof is to include customer testimonials on your course landing page. When potential students see that others have had success with your course, they'll be more likely to sign up themselves. One simple way to do so, without any coding required is to use Testimonial.to.

If you're looking for some inspiration, check out the website Justin Welsh and Kevin Shen created. If that wasn't enough, you could also check out useEffect and NonDevelopers.

Here’s an example from Kevin Shen’s Dream Studio Course:

Creating a social media presence is an excellent way to promote your courses. By regularly sharing updates and promoting your courses on social media, you can reach a larger audience and generate more interest in your courses. You can use design tools like Figma which has Free Testimonial Templates to create posts. Or screenshot tools like Screely or BrandBird.

3. Create a Wall of Love

What better way to show your students and customers just how much you care than with a Wall of Love? Companies like Superhuman or Rewardful created a Wall of Testimonials. To do so, you can create a page such as /love or /wall-of-love and showcase all your awesome testimonials in one place. Our tool, Testimonial.to can help you build one in minutes!

Here’s an example of the Wall of Love from Superhuman:

Another great way to promote your courses is to get involved in online discussion forums, communities, and Facebook Groups related to your course topic. By engaging with potential students in these communities, you can show them that you're an expert in your field and that your courses are worth taking. Here's a Notion doc created by Julia with a few communities you can join.

5. Make sure your courses are listed on reputable directories.

One of the best ways to promote your courses is to make sure they're listed on reputable directories such as ClassCentral. By getting your courses in front of potential students who are actively searching for them, you can increase the chances that they'll sign up for your course. This will also help with your SEO, mainly if your course is targeting a specific niche.

By following these tips, you can use social proof to effectively promote your online courses and increase signups!

Not sure where to start? Start by creating an effective landing page that encourages potential students to enroll in your courses by showcasing Testimonials. And don’t forget to actively participate in online communities and forums related to your course topic; this will help you build credibility with potential students and attract new leads. Finally, make sure your courses are listed on reputable directories – this will increase the chances that people will find and enroll in your courses.

Wrapping up…

And there you have it: How to promote online courses using social proof.

Social proof is an essential ingredient in online course marketing and can help convince potential students to enroll in your online courses. By using the different types of social proof we’ve outlined, you can create an irresistible offer for your online courses.

Have you tried any of these techniques? What has been your experience? Let me know on Twitter.

If you want a tool to help you get the most out of your social proof, you should check out the platform we've built, Testimonial.to. It will help you streamline the process to collect, manage and showcase your testimonials in a single place.

Thank you for reading, we hope you've found this helpful!

Why and How to Promote Online Courses Using Social Proof

Five different types of social proof you can use

1. Testimonials

2. Social media reviews and User-Generated Content