Introduction

The digital world is a busy and noisy place, but when we publish our course we still expect people to come flocking.

But, we can’t expect someone to find our course without getting out there and raising awareness, helping others to see what impact it will have on their life, and what they have to lose if they don’t make a change.

In other words, creating a high-quality course doesn’t guarantee success.

So what does?

The list might feel endless, but what we really need is magnetic messaging and a commitment to mastering our mindset in addition to a solid course design and willingness to stay focused on learning and implementing only the things that matter.

Of course, you can absolutely choose to hope for the best or you can roll up your sleeves and dig into the actions that make a difference.

The Reality At Odds with A Movie

Expecting people to come to a party when you have even sent invites is a bit like expecting people to come buy your course, when they don’t even know it exists.

I get it though, we all remember the movie, Field of Dreams with the famous line, “If you build it, he will come”. It has become a phrase that we all utter and one that is an utter lie.

I know that when I first got started, I was so passionate about my offer that I didn’t anticipate any issues with selling it. I was wrong! We can only purchase what we’ve heard about.

It is impossible to fill out a sales page, hand over your credit card, and take a course that you do not know exists.

You might be thinking, but word of mouth is powerful and it is, but how does word of mouth work? You have to have raving fans who have been through your course, gotten results, and know more people who would benefit. Without those three key elements, word of mouth marketing doesn’t work.

And that brings us back to the original issue. If you build it, they will come. Word of mouth can only work if people show up and engage with your course.

And we can’t leave that to chance. The most successful and profitable digital course creators know that it is critical to have magnetic messaging that will attract the right people.

In fact, the phrase would be more accurate as If you build it, market it effectively, have an offer that will solve a problem, and a course that is so well-designed that they can’t help but experience success, they will come.

Do you want to keep trusting in a movie phrase from 1989 or do you want to take action to fill your courses with intention?

If you are ready to ditch putting your faith in a movie line, there are two steps that you can take to start making a difference in the profitability of your course today.

# 1: Master Your Mindset

The first up is to master your mindset. If you’ve been around the podcast, you’ve heard me talking about this before, but today I want to share something a little different with you. Being stubborn is one of the best ways to start mastering your mindset.

I’ll be honest, this can feel tough because we are told as kids that we shouldn’t be stubborn, right? We were told to share our toys, give in to what adults told us to do, and generally not make a ruckus.

But being stubborn can be a great indicator of success as an entrepreneur.

So let’s redefine what stubborn means.

Instead of it meaning that we are bull-headed, don’t listen to anyone, or do what others want, what if we defined stubbornness as being willing to keep trying new ideas until you find the one that works just right. What if we used the term stubbornness to be a trait that indicates a commitment to the people that we want to serve in our business. That we aren’t willing to just throw our hands up in the air and give up.

What if stubbornness actually means that we are in it through the nitty gritty, the messy middle, and the glorious success that can result?

The catch here is that we can’t let stubbornness keep us from listening, learning, and trying things that are outside of our comfort zone.

Recently I was on a group call and the leader was taking us through a series of reflections and questions to help us start identifying our deeper purpose in our business. Then we broke into groups to share what we had written. I had been one of the brave souls that had offered my deeper purpose as an entrepreneur before the activity as an example.

So when we got to the breakout group, I went last because I had already gotten to share once. When we got to my turn, I shared my deeper purpose and the group shared that they didn’t think that it was my purpose.

This is where stubbornness can creep in in a positive or negative way, especially since I’m prone to stubbornness as an only child.

Immediately I was shocked. I’ve actually spent a LOT of time doing work on this, sitting in silence, and really thinking about the impact that I want to make in my business. Stubbornness can come into play here in two different and distinct ways.

The first was that gut reaction of, well you don’t even know my business and I know what is in my heart. I wanted to dig in my heels and be stubborn. In that instant I didn’t want to listen or learn.

But, in addition to being stubborn, I can also recognize when I’m being stubborn in a potentially detrimental way. So I took a step back and asked questions, invited ideas, and took notes. I was stubbornly keeping my mind open to something that I might have missed.

After that call I shared the experience with my husband and he suggested that maybe my way of communicating my purpose just didn’t resonate. So keep being stubborn with what I know to be my deeper purpose, but to be stubborn in keeping my mind open that I still have work to do on the words that I use to share that purpose.

Stubbornness is a double-edged sword, but one that I find is helpful more than not when building a successful and profitable digital course business.

#2: Magnetize Your Messaging

The second action that you can take today to impact the profitability of your first or next digital course is to magnetize your messaging. Think about two magnets – if you have the correct sides facing one another they will pull together. And if you have the wrong sides facing each other, they will repel one another. You cannot make them attach to one another.

We want our messaging to work exactly like magnets do. We want our messaging to attract the right people and repel the wrong people. What do I mean by that? I mean that we want to attract the people who are a great fit for our course, programs, and offers and we want to have people clicking away when they aren’t a good fit.

The question becomes, how do we magnetize our messaging? Non-conformity creates a stand out message. Be bold, be confident in what you say and look for the nooks and crannies that no one is addressing.

When you create a ruckus and stand out with your message, it will be easier for your potential students to find you and say yes to your offer.

Highlighting what is wrong or inaccurate about your industry is a great way to begin standing out.

Recently on a call with a client, they asked me if they could hit a specific revenue goal by a certain date. And often the answer out of most coaches mouths is an emphatic, “Yes!” because it is technically possible and promising a certain dollar amount of success is really enticing. We are driven by being able to take a vacation, pay off a loan, save more for retirement, pay for groceries without counting every penny.

But the problem with that is that the revenue goals that people often have is based on what 6, 7, and 8 figure experts are sharing. This is most assuredly not what their reality was the first several years. There is no quick fix to get to six figures over night, this plays back to being stubborn as a way to master your mindset through the messy middle of business.

When I sat back on that call with the client I shared that I thought it was most likely that they would meet the goal in 2 years rather than one. I shared that I knew that didn’t make it more likely that they would sign with me, but I felt they deserved an honest answer.

Another client of mine shared that they wished everyone were as honest and open about how hard it can be to get to that six figure mark and that launches aren’t a magical experience that drastically shift your business the first time being used.

This is what I mean by taking a stand and speaking out about norms that are causing trouble. When course creators are bombarded with massive launch numbers they start to think that this is the norm, when in fact, it is the exception.

For people who hear me talk about this and still want to walk through the door, I know that I’ve attracted the kind of client who is right for my Digital Course Studio program. I know that they aren’t looking for a quick fix, but are instead committed to doing the hard work and doing it over and over to find the right combination to achieve success.

At the same time, I’ve repelled the potential clients who are just looking for that fast fix and minimal effort.

The messaging is magnetic. If this concept is new to you, you’ll want to stick around because in just a few minutes I’m going to share a few questions that you can use to uncover ways to create ruckus in your messaging that I think you’ll want to hear.

Action Item

At the beginning of today’s episode I shared that you can rely on a movie mantra, “If I build it, he will come” or you can rely on taking two actions beginning today to begin the process of making your digital course a profitable addition to your business.

Hopefully you’ve made the decision to take action and let the movie be just a pleasant way to spend an afternoon, especially since you can have popcorn either way!

Assuming that you are going to take action toward mastering your mindset and creating magnetic messaging, which will you begin with first?

Will you focus your energy on being stubborn to steel yourself against the inevitable challenges that will pop up or will you start shifting your messaging to magnetize your audience?

Become a Six Figure Course Creator

Whichever action you choose, they are both part of the process that will lead to you becoming a Six Figure Course Creator, but I’ll be honest, mindset is probably the most important to focus on first, because it is what will keep you going.

Mindset is something that I’ve been managing in my own business, with my students, and in my own college courses for over 15 years as a psychology professor, mentor, and entrepreneur.

While learning and mastering the strategies of business are critically important, they really only make up about 10% of our success as an entrepreneur. The other 90% often comes down to mindset work through tailored support.

If you are listening today and realizing that you are ready to take the next steps in your business and get customized, tailored help with building your digital course creation business so that you take that idea and are ready to record your course sooner rather than later, let’s have a talk. Send me a DM at DigitalCourseCreatorGuide on Instagram or Facebook that says, “Finished”, and we will sit down to figure out the next right steps for you and your digital course business.

Now I know that not everyone is ready for a Coach or mentor, but you might still have questions, need help getting unstuck, or just plotting out your next step. I’m here for that as well, because we all deserve to have support in our business. If you need a little extra support, I hold at least two slots each week for strategy calls that are designed to help you get unstuck and take action in your business. These are free, no obligation calls and you can schedule your call at coursecalls.com.

If you are ready to make the next 12 months THE year that you go from being an uncertain Course Creator to a Six Figure Course Creator, schedule a strategy call today. Again, the link to schedule is coursecalls.com.

Sixty-Second Solution

Now back to magnetizing your messaging by creating a bit of a ruckus. Magnetizing your messaging is something that most entrepreneurs struggle with. We feel like we should just be able to speak from the heart, share our offer, and it be well-received. We know how important what we do is to the world.

But with so many people online today, we have to stand out. And the best way to do that is to create magnetic messaging around your course and business. The first step to doing this is to ask yourself these questions:

1. What gaps do I see that no one else sees in my industry?
2. What makes you want to scream from the rooftops when this happens in your industry?
3. Why are the people you serve not seeing the progress that they want?

Take time to think about these questions and I can guarantee that, if you are a master of your area of expertise, you will come up with at least one topic that you can talk about that will create a ruckus and start to magnetize your messaging.

Where to Go Next?

If you are ready to take action on your messaging in particular, check out Episodes 186 and 164 of the Digital Course Creator Podcast for more details on messaging that doesn’t feel heavy or complicated.

Until next time, happy creating!