How to Increase Enrollment in Your Course: 12 Proven Ways

Read our useful tips on how to increase enrollment in your online course and discover innovative strategies to increase sign ups with new and existing students.

The online education market has been experiencing rapid growth for over a decade. Many people now prefer a more flexible learning method to either upskill or gain new knowledge instead of the traditional means of learning.

But this increase in opportunity has led to increased competition, with more online course providers springing up to meet the growing demand for online learning.

Despite the competition, you can stand out from the crowd and discover how to increase enrollment using the innovative strategies and unique principles we will provide in this article.

You will also discover diverse and inclusive approaches to broaden the appeal and accessibility of your courses, ensuring you attract more students and provide them with a compelling and engaging learning experience.

1. Optimize Your Course for SEO

SEO optimization is essential if you want your course to rank on the first page of Google SERPS, where students can easily find and access it.

To optimize your courses for SEO, start by using relevant keywords that are content-specific and less competitive.

For example, you can target “online marketing course for beginners” instead of “marketing course,” which adds context and narrows down the options for prospective students searching for this keyword.

Pay attention to key elements like your titles, course descriptions, and header tags. Ensure that your content is in-depth and offers something unique that students can't find in other courses.

You also need to make special SEO provisions for any content that's behind a paywall, such as course pages, as Google and other search engines cannot index this information.

Read out guide on SEO for paywalled content to find out how to follow best practices.

Your technical SEO game should also be superb, with page speed and the user interface for desktop and mobile devices working as they should.

With SEMrush, you can successfully implement these SEO strategies and significantly improve your course's visibility online, attracting more potential students and increasing enrollment.

We also recommend using a plugin like All in One SEO (AIOSEO) to help you with things like adding meta data a schema markup to give your course an extra boost of SEO juice.

2. Use Email Marketing

Email marketing is often considered a low-cost option compared to other forms of marketing, and the beauty of it is that it is still as effective as other forms of marketing.

A research report from Bluecore confirms that personalized emails produce a 139% increase in click rate compared to static one-time sends.

Focus on building email lists and grouping them into categories such as interests, demographics, and past interactions. This will come in handy when making course announcements and offering discounts or special offers to different individuals.

Add personalized elements in your emails, such as the recipient's name and customized content based on their preferences, as these can improve open rates and conversions.

Email recipients love to feel important and are more likely to view and engage with your course offering when a personalized email is sent to them.

We recommend you use Drip which has everything you need to send targeted communications to your audience. As the name suggests, you can set up drip campaigns that are automatically sent out at intervals when someone signs up to your newsletter.

What's more, Drip integrates natively with MemberMouse, meaning you can sync your contacts and members and use Drip to send regular communications to your students.

For more best practices and information, read our guide to Email Marketing for Online Courses.

3. Create a Compelling Landing Page

Creating a compelling landing page for your online course is one of the most powerful strategies to increase student enrollment.

Landing pages that are strategically optimized for conversions can accelerate your audience through the sales funnel, turning interest into determination to sign up for your course.

According to Smart Insights, landing pages with striking visuals such as videos, infographics, and clickable elements drive up to 86% conversion rates.

We champion GMB Fitness, a MemberMouse client, for their masterful landing page in our post all about creating high-converting landing pages for online courses.

4. Share Testimonials

Testimonials are statements from your past students that highlight their benefits and experiences from your course.

You can use testimonials to build credibility and trust, which would convince prospective students that your course has something valuable to offer.

You can gather testimonials by politely asking your students to share their experiences and the benefits they gained after taking your course. While sharing, please encourage them to give specific details and concrete examples of what they learned.

For example, a student could say that they learned how to create pivot tables using Excel, which has helped them greatly in their new position as a data analyst. This would fit right in if you teach an online course on “Excel” or “The Applications of Excel.”

Once you have gathered these testimonials, place them strategically on the landing page you created with the help of MemberMouse since this is the first page prospective students will see when enrolling for your course.

You can choose to include the testimonials in video or text format with pictures of the students.
However, make sure that the stories your students share can draw prospective students' emotional connections and inspire them to enroll in your course.

5. Offer a Taster Lesson

Free lessons are a great way for undecided students to get a taster for what you have to offer. They're also a great opportunity to collect leads for your email marketing campaign.

Simply ask people to sign up with their email address for access to your free lesson.

Use your free lesson as an opportunity to pique your students' interest and demonstrate the value of your online course.

Make sure to impress them with a lesson that they walk away from feeling that they've learnt something useful for them.

End your lesson with a short explanation of what they will learn in the following lessons.

In MemberMouse, it's easy to set up a free membership level with access to your taster lesson.

1. Simply create a lesson with Courses for MemberMouse
2. Go. to Product Settings > Membership Levels and ensure you have a Free Membership level set up. Unless you deleted it, you should have a free level already created by MemberMouse.
3. Then go back to your free course and in the panel on the right go to MemberMouse Options > Access Rights and click the green Grant Access button.
4. Select your Free Membership Level and hit the blue Grant Access button.
5. And don't forget to save your changes at the top right of your screen.

Now your free members are in your system, you can follow up with a targeted email campaign encouraging them to subscribe to your full paid course.

6. Embrace the Power of FOMO Marketing

FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) marketing is a great way to nudge students on the brink of making their enrollment decision.

It taps into our desire to participate in experiences that others are taking part in and snap up opportunities before they slip away.

FOMO marketing techniques include:

• Limited Offers: Create coupon codes with an expiry date, or limited availability and announce it to your leads and website visitors. You can easily create coupon codes in MemberMouse.
• Countdown Timers: Use countdown timers on your sales page to emphasize limited-time offers. Seeing the clock ticking can prompt immediate action from potential students.
• Exit-Intent Offers: Create a special offer for visitors as they leave your site. It's a great way to recapture and convert visitors who are hesitant to enroll. By providing a compelling incentive, you can encourage them to complete their registration there and then. OptinMonster is a great tool for creating exit intent offers.
• Recent Sign Ups Made By Others: Use a tool like TrustPulse to show real-time notifications of recent enrollments, such as “Sarah from New York just signed up!” This creates a sense of urgency and social proof, encouraging potential students to act quickly and join the community before they miss out.
• Displayed Enrollment Numbers: Showcase how many students have already signed up for your course. Phrasing like “Join the 500 students who have already transformed their careers!” can create a sense of community and urgency.

For more information on these techniques read our post on implementing FOMO Marketing to boost conversions.

7. Offer Diverse Content Formats

Students have diverse and unique learning needs. Offering diverse content formats is one of the best strategies for increasing enrollment rates and catering to their learning preferences.

For example, you can include quizzes, videos, texts, and other forms of interactive content to engage students and encourage them to learn using the option that suits them best.

With Courses for MemberMouse, you can create a virtual online classroom for students that incorporates all these formats. You can also offer time-released lessons and track students' progress over time.

Remember, your goal is to promote engagement and make it more convenient for students from all backgrounds and learning styles to take your courses.

Doing all of these will also reinforce learning, as students will better understand, absorb and retain information in course materials.

For example, a concept explained in a text-based format when described in a video format can foster better retention in students once they visualize it. This will also help them identify the concept correctly if it is a quiz question during their assessment.

8. Build an Online Community

Foster a sense of community by creating a private group where students can connect, ask questions, and support each other. This adds value and can be a compelling reason to enroll.

Create a students-only protected page on your MemberMouse site with links to for example

• a members-only Facebook Group
• upcoming webinars
• live classes
• group sessions

As well as adding value o your course, building an online community unifies your students as they can share their personal experiences, learn from each other, and be motivated to do better.

9. Partner With Industry Experts

Industry experts and leading personalities in your niche often have large numbers of followers who follow them to learn a thing or two. You can reach out to them through social media platforms like LinkedIn, for example, to collaborate with them.

In doing so, ensure that the collaboration is mutually beneficial. For example, if you try to feature them as a guest speaker on your webinar or live sessions, you could offer them a commission for every enrollment that happens as a result of the webinar.

This would motivate them to interact and establish a relationship with you, thereby increasing the popularity of your course and, ultimately, student engagement.

Also, ensure the webinar or live session you invite these experts to has rich lessons and topics for discussion. Sometimes, these professionals might want to ascertain the success level of your course and the unique ingredient that makes it different from others.

It then becomes your responsibility to convince them by explaining in detail the rudiments of your course and presenting impressive statistics such as student success rate, etc., to spur them on to commit to you and what you have to offer.

At the end of the collaboration, you can use tracking links and analytics tools to measure its effectiveness. This data can help you assess the return on investment (ROI) and refine future collaborations.

10. Start an Affiliate Marketing Program

Launching an affiliate marketing program is a proven way to increasing enrollment in your online course. This strategy leverages the power of word-of-mouth marketing by empowering others to promote your course on your behalf.

When you set up an affiliate program, you provide individuals or organizations with a unique link to share. For every student they refer who enrolls in your course, they earn a commission. This incentivizes affiliates to actively promote your course, expanding your reach beyond your immediate audience.

MemberMouse integrates natively with Easy Affiliate, a leading affiliate program plugin with all the features you need to set up a program in minutes.

Find out how you can make the most of the Easy Affiliate MemberMouse integration to grow your online course effortlessly.

By implementing an affiliate marketing program, you boost enrollment while also nurturing a network of advocates who can share their positive experiences, further enhancing your course’s credibility and appeal.

11. Offer Continuing Education Units (CEUs)

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) quantify participation in non-credit educational programs. They are treasured in professional fields where ongoing education is necessary for maintaining certifications or licenses or for career advancement.

By offering CEUs, you can target a specific demographic of working professionals looking to meet their professional development needs. This can open up new markets and increase enrollment from individuals who might not otherwise consider your course.

Offering courses with CEUs can also set you apart from your competitors and motivate students to enroll in yours instead of others that may be similar.

However, remember that your course content must meet professional standards and industry needs and be accredited by a recognized body.

You can perform research to discover relevant accrediting organizations in your field and follow their guidelines to ensure your course meets the necessary standards.

It is also a good idea to highlight courses with CEUs and discuss the benefits in detail in your marketing materials, course descriptions, and informational sessions. Once you have mentioned these courses strategically, working professionals can quickly identify and engage more with them.

12. Upsell New Courses To Existing Learners

Implementing one-click upsells using MemberMouse SmartTags™ can significantly enhance your enrollment strategy by targeting existing learners with relevant offers.

This feature allows you to present personalized course recommendations based on…

• the learner's current membership level,
• previously purchased courses,
• and their engagement history

all without requiring them to re-enter their credit card information.

By setting up one-click upsells, you can effectively guide students toward additional courses that complement their existing education.

For instance, if a student completes a beginner course on digital marketing, you can offer an advanced course on SEO or a workshop on social media strategies immediately after their purchase. This adds value to their learning journey while also boosting your revenue!

The beauty of one-click upsells lies in their ability to create a seamless buying experience that feels personalized. For example, you can use Member Decision SmartTags™ to display targeted offers based on how long someone has been a member or what courses they’ve already completed.

A student celebrating their one-year membership might receive a special invitation to join an exclusive coaching group, or access an advanced course at a discounted rate. This strategy not only fosters loyalty but also encourages ongoing learning, making your course offerings more appealing.

By using one-click upsells, you can deepen relationships with your existing students, increase their engagement, and ultimately drive higher enrollment rates across your course offerings.

Conclusion

Implementing these tips to increase enrollment for your course can significantly boost your student numbers and enhance the overall learning experience.

Focusing on targeted marketing, optimizing your course content, and leveraging the power of testimonials can help you attract a broader audience and effectively retain them.

Take action now, using the tips outlined above so that you can begin to see tangible improvements in your course enrollment.

Also, explore MemberMouse to streamline your course management and maximize your offerings.

With its robust features for creating online courses, managing memberships, tracking performance, and providing an exceptional user experience, MemberMouse is a valuable tool in your journey toward success.

Let us know which of these tips you'll be using in the comments section below.

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