On your journey to create an online course, one of the main challenges you will face is finding a perfect online course platform.
Trust me, choosing a suitable course platform can be a huge pain in the neck.
You know why?
Look, I have a profile on almost every social media channel, be it FB, FTwitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.
And I am very active in them.
I regularly share immensely valuable content on these platforms.
On some platforms, it is shared instantly, while on others it takes time.
Why is this then?
It’s because different platforms have their own personalities and behave differently.
For example, FB needs people to engage with the platform, while Twitter counts the number of retweets and likes a post receives.
Similarly, each online course platform is totally different from the others and it is your responsibility to choose the right one.
Your wrong platform selection can get you into serious trouble.
After all, you don’t want to load your marketing course on a platform where customer support keeps you hanging for long hours, right?
According to the American Express survey, 78% of customers have decided to cancel their purchase due to poor customer service.
so always remember
Precision in the decision, it is your way of progressing.
But to find the perfect online course platform, you have to know exactly what to look for.
So let’s take a quick look at the different types of online course platforms you should be aware of.
Different types of online course platform:
1. Learning Destination Sites:
LDS platforms provide a basic front-end store to sell your courses online. It allows you to create, save, and sell your online courses just like a normal eCommerce store.
Udacity and Coursera became popular using those platforms, so this could be a great idea for your course.
2. Traditional LMS
Traditional LMS are purpose-built e-learning platforms that provide truly professional features.
In addition to creating and selling your course, it also allows you to mark your students’ progress, give them grades, rankings, and much more.
Due to their high-end functionality, these traditional LMS platforms are preferred by major companies.
3. Open source LMS
The open source LMS is a mirror image of the traditional LMS but with a twist.
These platforms are free to use.
Also, these platforms are highly customizable, so you can design your eCourse to suit your needs.
Open edx is a great example of an open source LMS.
4. Modern LMS:
Modern LMS systems are very focused on creating a user-friendly environment.
These platforms are specially designed to adapt to the behavior of users and make things easier for their students.
For example, it reduces the number of clicks required to perform a simple task.
5. Learning Management Ecosystem
The LM ecosystem is a combination of everything.
These platforms take the best features of other platforms, mix them up, add a bit of their own flavor, and then create something of their own.
The LM ecosystem allows you to create content, provide a strong store front to sell it, has an adaptive learning engine, eCommerce features, and other LMS integrations.
6. Personalized LMS
As the name suggests, Custom LMS is a highly customized online course platform.
It is specially designed to meet a specific need.
Such platforms are mostly used by high-end organizations or universities, such as the HBX platform used at Harvard Business School.
So the next time you’re looking for an online course platform, don’t forget to take a quick look at this list.
Being a marketing expert, you have to keep learning about new concepts.
I have taken many online courses as well.
In my early days, I literally took a course on the best tools for creating an online course.
So every time I need a new course, I look up a few things.
What are they?
Yes, features and benefits are important, but they are secondary things, the first thing I look for in a course is “what’s hot”.
According to the Rich Kid report, there is a whopping 912% increase in demand for big data.
