Spiritual online courses and education are booming! It is an incredible business model for spiritual teachers as it is scalable, yet self-paced and can be as high or low touch as you desire. However, the market is saturated with teachers selling their online courses and programs. To be successful as a spiritual teacher online and actually sell your online courses through social media, requires a more strategic approach. To truly resonate with your target audience and cultivate a thriving learning community online, you need a well-defined social media plan (that actually goes way beyond social media).
This guide equips you with 13 powerful social media strategies that will transform your online presence into a vibrant hub attracting ideal students eager to embark on their personal transformation through your spiritual online courses.
The cornerstone of any successful social media strategy and sales of online courses is a deep understanding of your ideal student. Invest time in crafting a detailed profile or student avatar. Are they working professionals seeking mindfulness practices? Aspiring yoga instructors yearning to deepen their knowledge? Busy parents craving a spiritual recharge?
By talking to your audience about their pain points and struggles and then offering them a solution either through your social media content or promises in your online course, you will be able to sell more. The more granular your understanding of their challenges, aspirations, and online behaviour, the more effectively you can tailor content that resonates and compels them to engage and buy from you.
Here are some high-impact social media content formats to showcase the value proposition of your online course:
THE most important thing you need to use social media for to SELL your online courses is to use it to build a funnel that leads your followers directly to your online course. The best way to do this is to create one or multiple different lead magnets or opt-in freebies in exchange for your follower’s emails. This could be as elaborate as a multi-day challenge (these are great for launching new programs to build hype) or a free pre-recorded masterclass, eBook, meditation, and so on (these are great for ever-green online courses that don’t have a launch and open cart phase).
Create a suite of content for social media including, stories, reels, graphics, and carousels with a clear call to action for your freebie. Getting followers on your email list and on your well-crafted funnel that is optimised for conversions is essential to selling your online courses.
Organic reach on social media platforms can be as unpredictable as changes to the algorithm. It can often feel like the algorithm is against us, and as businesses, it honestly is. Meta’s priority is to create revenue and so paying them to push your content to a wider audience may be the only way to start to see momentum build on your social media account. Don’t shy away from strategically utilizing paid advertising to target your ideal student with laser focus. You can use ads to sell your online course itself or to draw followers to your free lead magnet offering to build your funnel and increase your email list which is more valuable than your follower count.
Most platforms offer user-friendly ad creation tools and extensive audience targeting options, allowing you to ensure your course offering reaches exactly the individuals who are most likely to benefit from it. If you have the budget, hiring an ads specialist is advisable so you don’t waste valuable ad spend.
Social media thrives on genuine connection. Foster a vibrant community around your course by encouraging discussions in the comments section, hosting interactive group discussions, or even creating a dedicated Facebook group for your students. Free Facebook communities are an amazing way to interact with your followers in a meaningful way, show them your expertise, give them loads of value and directly sell to them. Do not underestimate the power of Facebook Groups (and they are free!).
This not only provides ongoing value but also builds trust and fosters a sense of belonging. Students who feel supported are more likely to not only enrol but also become enthusiastic advocates for your course.
Social media is a two-way street. That’s why it’s called ‘social’ media – it’s about being social! It’s not just about sharing content for others to consume, it’s about connection, community, engagement and all those lovely things that we can sometimes forget as businesses on social media. Don’t simply broadcast your message; actively participate in conversations! Respond to comments thoughtfully, answer questions with expertise, and engage in relevant discussions within your niche. Not only will this help you be seen and heard in your niche, but it will help you develop authentic connections with potential students and collaborators. You truly don’t know what opportunities networking and creating relationships on social media will give you and it is one of the most powerful ways to build your online course business.
Demonstrating a genuine interest in your audience positions you as a helpful guide and mentor, fostering trust and establishing you as a reliable authority figure in their spiritual journey.
Hashtags and the use of strategic keywords on your posts and profile are powerful tools for getting discovered by individuals actively searching for topics related to your spiritual online course. Conduct thorough research to identify relevant hashtags and keywords frequently used by your ideal student and strategically incorporate them into your posts.
Forge strategic partnerships with complementary spiritual influencers or businesses in your niche for cross-promotion. This could involve co-hosting a live session or masterclass (refer to point 3!), organise a free summit with a group of other spiritual leaders, guest posting on a relevant blog, or even co-creating a giveaway with a brand that aligns with your values and target audience.
Collaborations expose you to a wider audience while leveraging the established trust these influencers have built with their communities.
This is such an important point for spiritual teachers selling online courses as you are selling yourself. Show people who you are and your genuine personality. This will help people build trust with you and get to know you on a different level, which will make it much easier to convert them to paying students. Share your passions, expertise, your vulnerabilities and personal transformations.
The more authentic you are, the more your ideal students will resonate with your message and see you as a trustworthy guide on their personal growth journey. It will also help your followers to see how far you have come and give credibility to what you are selling.
I know that directly selling things on social media can feel icky and inauthentic, esepcially if you’re making multiple posts per week (especially during a launch phase!). However, you need to remember that not all of your followers will see all of your sales posts, they might only see a couple.
People also need reminders, nudges and some convincing before actually making a decision. This isn’t about unethically persuading someone about your online course, rather it’s about actually reaching them and educating them on what your online course actually is so they have a chance to decide that it is for them!
Stories are a great place to sell because they are temporary (or canbe saved to highlights), they can be used to share graphics with info and testimonials and also more informal videos of you talking about your online course. A majority of people hang out in their stories a majority of the time and grid posts that are promotional tend not to do so well, so using stories to sell it a no-brainer (I really need to take my own advice with this one!!).
Give potential students a sneak peek of what your course entails. Create short video snippets highlighting key lessons or transformative moments. Do a screen share video showing what is inside your online course! This gives your audience a taste of the value your course offers, sparking their interest and encouraging them to enrol.
Utilise live video features on platforms like Facebook Live, Instagram Live, and YouTube Live to host demonstrations of your course content. Show a segment of your course, followed by a Q&A session where viewers can ask questions about the course. This interactive approach builds trust and allows you to address potential students’ concerns directly. You can share this content on social media and YouTube but also on the sales page for your online course.
Promotions and discounts are powerful incentives. Announce limited-time discounts or early bird specials exclusively on your social media channels. Create urgency by using countdowns and reminder posts leading up to the end of the promotion. This can drive immediate action and increase enrollment rates.
While you want your followers on your email list, you also want your email list as followers! Promote your course through email marketing while integrating social media. Share links to your social media posts, live sessions, and course previews in your emails. Encourage your email subscribers to follow your social media accounts for more updates and exclusive content. This cross-promotion ensures consistent messaging and reaches your audience through multiple channels.
Sarpa Social specializes in crafting strategic social media campaigns for spiritual businesses like yours. We help you create compelling content, build a vibrant community, and leverage the power of social media to attract ideal students eager to embark on their personal growth journey with your guidance.
Get your content organised, planned & scheduled with the planner that we use for all of our clients!
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