Suzanne Chadwick 0:00
Today, we're talking all about bankable skills, learning the skill of building digital and online programs. And I think that this is something that a lot of people don't think about when it comes to online programs. And I want to really emphasize today. So that's what we're talking about on the brandbuilders love podcast. awesome to have you here. If this is your first time listening, welcome. Were in the middle of a scaling with group or online programs series here on the podcast. And I've had some great feedback. So if you're listening, and you've got thoughts, questions, feel free to DM me at Suzanne Chadwick on Instagram. But I'm really passionate about this subject. And today's episode, I'll explain to you why I'm so passionate about it. Because when I first started my business, I learnt through an online program. But the thing that I really realized when I started building my own online program was that I was learning skills that would carry me through my business in so many different ways. And so that's what I want to focus on today. When it comes to online programs, a lot of times people are like, oh, like, I've got to build this big thing. And that is not what I believe. I believe that when you learn how to build even a small online program, or a small online workshop or training, you are building bankable skills, we are working in an online business world. And your ability to be able to run big zoom calls to do online training to create things that people can buy from you, is just a skill that is going to continue to help you earn more revenue in your business. And so when I first started doing my online programs, I learned video and content creation. So recording videos, right now I'm recording this in zoom, I've also got a DSLR that I use. But just learning the art of having a camera speaking to the camera recording, either putting it on YouTube, or socials or putting it in an online course, the art of storytelling, like what is the story that you're telling, the more that you create? And you can do that when you're building online courses, the better you're gonna get at telling a story. And right now, and I think it's not going anywhere is that stories capture us. Information is available everywhere. So the things that really connect us with the people that we want to work with or buy from is their experience, the things that they share the way that they teach. And so when you are really honing that skill, it means that more people are going to want to buy from you. Things like audio recording. So podcasting, I really see that as part of your digital content creation space, because it is. So right now this is a podcast, but I'm recording the video, which will go into YouTube, it'll go on to Spotify now as well, which I'm very excited about. And we will distribute that across the board. But the other thing that I'm thinking is that I could package up this particular series of the podcasts, and then have it as an opt in, that we could run ads to, which is like a free audio bundle. Because if people aren't listening to the podcast, if they don't know about me, if they don't know about the podcast, it could be a really amazing introduction. And that is an example of what learning to create online programs and courses and products is all about is that you now have this flexibility to say, do we want to do an audio course? Do we want to create a lead magnet out of it? Do we want to create a paid product? Do we want to create like a smaller price product, so an S L O which is a self liquidating offer? So it might be something that's like $27. And so we'll create something small, it's $27. There might be a bump, which means that when you go to buy it, there might be another offer of something that's $19 or $20 that somebody can get when they're checking out and that's going to pay for our marketing So you've got all of these different options now that you've learned the skill, the bankable skill, of building online programs, you've got so many options available to you. And I just don't want you to be thinking, the only way that I can do this is to build something massive. That's where people are like, I don't have time, I don't like have the energy for this, like, it's going to take too long. And it's because you're thinking about, like the really big program. And you don't have to start there. I am a big believer, and it's something that I talk about within amplify, is really learning the art of creating so that you can get creative with the different ways in which you use it in your business. Things like I've run live paid workshops, and then we've just turned that into evergreen, which means that people can buy it and go watch it at any time as well. I also think that when you are creating online programs, you're becoming a more confident speaker, because you're really honing in on what is it that I want to teach Who am I speaking to? What is the transformation and the outcome for them, you've got to start to become more articulate and clear and succinct in the way that you share and talk about what it is that you do. And make sure that it is at a level that you're wanting to teach. You know, we talked about in a previous episode, the fact that you don't need to sell and teach everything and the kitchen sink in one program, you can have bite sized programs that teach a certain skill, you can have bigger programs that might help somebody solve a problem, you could create something much bigger, that kind of teaches them all the different things within a particular niche or area of expertise. And I'll give you an example, I was working with a client who's an artist. And so we were looking at the different types of products that she could create. Now, one is that she's got a membership, where she does things with her clients every single month. And then she's also got a lot of lower priced products where she may have run a workshop, teaching a particular type of art. And so then she bundles that up, and she's got like smaller priced products there. And and then sometimes she bundles more of them together and she sells up for a higher price. The point is, is that there's flexibility with it. And you could also what the next thing we're going to be working on is her evergreen, so we're How is she then looking at ads, so that she's constantly got new leads coming in, and people who are interested in that, and then having things like upsells and down cells, etc. So that it's paying for her marketing, but also getting her new students. And the ultimate goal is that they end up in her membership so that she is increasing her monthly reoccurring revenue, but starting to really be able to articulate what your program or training or opt in can really do for your clients. I think the more that you create, the clearer you become. It also helps you with your writing and your copy. Because you've got to write sales pages, you've got to write, you know, email sequences, you've got to be able to write so that people know what it is that they're buying and what they're opting into. So when you start to learn how to create online programs, at any size, at $8, through to $8,000. You are learning all of these bankable skills, bankable skills that will continue to carry you through your business, it means that you can create things that are passive income where people can just come and buy them and you're getting income coming into your business, things where you're working more with your clients, and supporting them in group programs or masterminds. But really understanding that this is not going anywhere. In fact, it will continue to grow. And you want to learn these bankable skills now. So that you can continue to grow your business as the market continues to evolve. As AI comes in, you know, this is just going to become more powerful too. And you really learning the skill of creating videos writing copy, articulating what it is, you're here to do, sharing your thought leadership that is going to be your differentiator, being able to share like what makes you different and what you have to share with your clients. And I just want you to remember you don't need the whole market. You need like 1% If that for you to be successful and for you to be earning what it is that you want. And so it's really just understanding that like this is a skill I want to build, rather than that's a program I want to create. Like I would really encourage you to think about it

as the skill rather than the actual output. Like, instead of thinking, what course? Or what program am I going to create, I want you to ask yourself, Do I want to create and hone and learn this bankable skill that I know, I need now, in order to allow more clients to work with me in different ways, but also so that I like learning this now, for the future. Because this is where the market is, is. And it's where it's going. And I don't want to be left behind. I don't want to not know how to do this. And for it to seem bigger than Ben Hur. And then, like, it's just never something that you get to, that would be my concern for my for my clients who've got online businesses, I'm like you need this is a skill, you need to learn to really important one. And we can start really small so that you can get your feet under you. So that you can start to understand like the different elements of it. And it's really not that hard. So that once you've built the small thing, now you can go to the next thing, like you can build the bigger thing. But it's just one thing at a time. I think the other thing here is that sometimes people are like, well, I've got all these programs that I want to create. And it just it feels so big, and I don't know where to start. And I'm just like, what is the one thing what is the simple next step that you can take what is the one thing you could create right now, that could be something that you create in like a few days, like you could create it in like two or three days, like that small, and then start to build the skill, and then start to market it and get it out there, understand the process of it all, so that you can then build it and grow to the next level. Now you can obviously just come straight into amplify. Or you could just start to build something bigger. But I just don't want that to be the barrier to you starting to really build this skill, and learn how to create low priced products, memberships, mastermind, DIY courses, group coaching, live communities, whatever it is that you're looking to do, because we really want to make sure that you are creating in a way that feels good, it is a little scary, because it's a new skill. But that feels good. And that gets you where you want to go. Because at the end of the day, even right now in my business, We've obviously had online programs now since 2016, or something like that. But the strategy has changed. So now I'm looking at how we change the strategy that we are getting clients in for our courses on an evergreen basis. And so it's something that you build, it's an asset, as we know, it's something that earns you money, and then you continue to tweak, make better shift and change based on market dynamics, what's working, what's not, and you can continue to sell it to the people that need it. And I've always got people that are either coming into BBA or club done, obviously right now we're talking about amplify, but it's something that I've built, and then I continue to make better and even with amplify we're looking at now, okay, like, how do we want to divide it up? Or how do we want to, like shift and change it and evolve it so that we're giving our clients like even better results and making sure that they're staying up to date with what's going on in the market too. So if you are ready to build bankable skills in your business, by learning how to create all the different sizes, whatever it is that you want to online programs, so that you can create passive income, as well as give your clients more ways to work with you, as well as allow your creativity to flourish. By creating whatever it is that you want and feeling really confident in doing that, then now is the time to do it. So if you've got any questions, let me know. But just a reminder that we are jumping back into amplify this August and you can join right now with doors closing on the ninth of August. So if you've got any questions, let me know. But hopefully that's given you a different way of thinking about building your programs and really inspired you to become somebody who's like yes, I want to learn this skill so that I can create anything that I want.