How To Create and Sell Online Leadership Development Courses

Leadership Development Courses are pre-recorded programs aimed at the enhancement of skills and abilities of individuals for leadership roles. Such courses are designed and include best practices, theories, and principles related to leadership. 

Regardless of profession or expertise, leadership skills are essential for individuals who want to succeed. Thus, within this article, we will review everything concerning leadership development courses, including how to create and start selling those.  

So, if you are ready, let’s start! 

Benefits of leadership development courses

First of all, let’s review the main benefits of leadership development courses for instructors, organizations, and individuals. 

• Individuals gain insight into a valuable skillset that helps them for further career success.
• Great leadership skills help learners in everyday life and studies.
• Individuals learn to implement in-practice methodologies that allow them to avoid conflicts, find win-win solutions, and build strong relationships. 
• Organizations benefit from such courses as their employees in executive and managerial positions upgrade management skills and learn to be better leaders, thus motivating the workforce more efficiently, which leads to higher employee satisfaction and overall work productivity rates. 
• It is an on-demand skillet. So, course creators have higher chances of making a sale.
• Self-fulfillment levels prove to increase when you, as an instructor, see the results of your students. 
• It allows you to monetize your skills, knowledge, and expertise making full-time income without leaving your home. 

At the end of the day, leadership development courses are necessary for today’s market. They allow individuals to develop in-demand skills, as well as allow you to make money by teaching something you are truly good at. 

The market of leadership development courses

It is time to review the market-related data for leadership development courses. Let’s find out more about market demand and competition. 

Market demand

In a sense, it is obvious that such courses would enjoy demand in the 21st-century market. However, let’s back up our assumptions with real-world data. 

First of all, there is a growing demand for effective leaders for today’s complex business environments. According to Forbes Report, Leadership Development is a top priority for 95% of businesses. It is expected to become a $366 billion industry. 

Also, for market demand, we can see that: 

• The “Leadership Development Courses” keyword has an average monthly search of 100-1k 
• “Online Leadership Development Courses” has an average monthly search of 100-1k as well.

This data related to keyword searches showcases that users search for such courses quite frequently. 

Competition

In order to stay competitive in the industry, you must be well aware of the competition. Of course, you will need more in-depth research, yet here are some general data. 

For competition on keywords mentioned above, we see that it ranges from medium to high. Ad costs also range from $2.80 to $17.57. The ranking difficulty is medium; if you optimize the page, you will rank. This will allow you to improve the visibility of the course and drive more traffic to your website. 

The competition should not be scary, as it also indicates that such courses enjoy high demand. 

Leadership development course challenges

Well, not everything is all fun and games. There are certain challenges that you will face while developing leadership development courses. So, let’s take a look at some. 

• Relevance. To create an efficient program, you must ensure that the content is up-to-date and relevant to today’s industry. If you teach the same thing as someone else does in their leadership course, it won’t work. Do your research. Then, find out what businesses need from employees in leadership roles, what skills individuals want to develop, and what are the best new practices in leadership nowadays. 
• Measuring the impact of the course on learners. Leadership skills are not in particular measurable; they are more under the category of soft skills. Yet, in the long term, it can be possible to measure the approximate effect by looking through the progress of people after completion of your course. 
• Finding the right balance between theory and practice can also be quite challenging. When creating a leadership course you must make sure that besides theory, you allow students to complete activities that demonstrate real-life applications of that theory. 

Can leadership development courses be online?

Yes, leadership development courses can be online. In fact, online courses will enjoy higher demand due to convenience. They will allow self-paced learning, which benefits learners, and passive income for you. 

Main responsibilities

What are your responsibilities as a course creator? Let’s review them for leadership course creators. 

• Content Design & Creation. It is not just about stuffing courses. It is about making sure to build a course that contributes to the development of leadership skills.
• Creation of an engaging online learning experience
• Making sure your students progress throughout the course and learn to implement best leadership practices in practice 
• Assessing and evaluating the progress of your students as well as the results of their tests, activities, etc. 
• Experience in technology to be able to provide needed support 
• Availability online to answer questions that students might have related to leadership 

7 steps to create an online leadership development courses

If you are ready to dive into the practical part of this article, then let’s get into it. 

Step 1 - Do Your Research 

Do you want to succeed? Then answer these questions:

• Who is your target audience?
• Who are you trying to make a sale to? 
• What are the different buyer personas for your target audience?
• How are you going to sell your course to different representatives of your target market?
• What is unique about your product?
• What are competitors doing?

Do careful market research, after which make sure to analyze and evaluate the data you have gathered. 

Based on that data, create your further marketing strategy. 

Step 2 - Set Goals Upfront 

Before you dive into the process of course creation, set goals. 

Keep in mind that goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-specific. E.g., a statement I want to make sales is vague. Meanwhile, I want to sell my Leadership Development Course to 50 people in 1 month, sounds specific and reasonable. 

Goals will help you to get clear on strategy and action. Plus, setting goals for the course will help you to market it properly, motivating buyers. 

Step 3 - Create Course Outline 

Well, now it is time to create the course outline. 

It must highlight everything that is going to be covered throughout the course. According to set goals & to learn outcomes design the course with topics, assessments, and other activities. Make sure your course is content-rich, yet keep the content relevant. You must provide value and not waste time. 

By the way, if you are offering courses in pre-recorded format, you might as well offer mLearning. 

Mobile Learning has become increasingly popular as it allows for micro and nano learning. If you choose a platform that comes in handy with a mobile app, you can offer such an experience to users. This will also expand your market. 

Step 4 - Develop Course Content 

Then, create course content.

For instance, presentations, assessments, quizzes, and tests. Make sure all the content adds up value to the course. Also, keep in mind a few visual rules for the content:

• White spaces 
• Contrasting colors
• Stick to 3-5 colors, max 
• Readable fonts 

Step 5 - Shoot and Edit the Video Materials  

Shoot all the video content. Here are a few tips for you:

• Be yourself 
• Make sure the sound is clear 
• Pay attention to your voice intonation and body language 
• Ensure good lighting.  

After you are done with shooting, edit the video professionally. Luckily it is not hard nowadays. You can get even free software such as CapCut, watch a few tutorials, and get started. 

Step 6 - Choose a Platform 

Well, when you have everything ready, what is next? The next step is choosing a platform. 

Course creation platforms allow you to publish and sell your courses immediately without coding skills or additional effort. However, the best platforms offer features such as:

• Website & Course Builder to ensure that you stand out and are able to customize your brand 
• Automation to save your time on routine tasks 
• Built-in SEO to contribute to higher rankings 
• Integrations with your favorite tools 

Yet, they also come at an affordable price. 

Examples of such platforms are Uteach and Kajabi. 

Step 7 - Publish the Course & Start Marketing 

After you are done with everything, including the website building and course structuring part, it is time to hit the publish button for your course. 

Start marketing your course, combine organic and paid marketing tactics, and rank higher. You will definitely get your clients and grow if you keep trying. 

A Pro Tip here is to evaluate everything you can and make improvements. Also, you can offer more than one course. 

Needed skills for leadership development courses

Let’s also take a look at must-have skills to create successful leadership development courses. 

Hard Skills

• Leadership skills
• Technical skills
• Instructional Design 
• Teaching
• Adaptability and flexibility 

Soft Skills

• Communication skills
• Ability to motivate your learners
• Interpersonal Skills

FAQ about leadership development courses

In this section, you will be able to find answers to the most common questions asked by beginner course creators. 

Can I start the leadership development courses with minimum investments?

Yes, you can start leadership development courses with minimum investments. 

In fact, online pre-recorded courses are the most cost-efficient eLearning forms. All you need is a good camera, microphone & course creation platform. 

Do I need certification to create leadership development courses?

No, you do not need a certification to start creating and selling leadership development courses. All you need is in-depth knowledge to provide value. 

How much does it cost to create leadership development courses?

If you have a good camera or Phone and proper lighting at home, then other costs are:

• Microphone $20 - $50
• Course Creation Platform $30 - $250 (reoccurring cost) 
• The design tool, e.g., Canva $12 (reoccurring cost) 
• Marketing Budget $100 - $1000 (reoccurring cost) 

So, the approximate start-up capital is around $150 to $1500/mo. You can kickstart your business with just $150, then keep it growing. 

How much can I earn by selling leadership development courses?

Your income may vary depending on a variety of factors. However, let’s take an approximate look. 

According to current market prices, the average price per pre-recorded leadership development course is around $100. 

So, if you publish the course and aim to find the first 50 clients within the first month, you will generate $5000. 

How to measure leadership development courses’ effectiveness?

Measuring the effectiveness of leadership courses is quite difficult, yet possible. Here are the main ways to measure it. 

• Create Quizzes & Tests to get measurable data. 
• Track students’ overall progress through assessments and activities 
• Look through data in analytics of software you use 
• Ask and receive students’ feedback

How long does it take to create leadership development courses?

Course creation usually takes from 2 weeks up to 2 months. 

The process can be divided into a few main stages. E.g.,

• Stage 1: Market research & Analysis 
• Stage 2: Niching down and choosing your target audience, creating an appropriate value proposition canvas and course outline 
• Stage 3: Developing Course Materials & Recording Course Content 
• Stage 4: Choosing the platform, building the website, course & content 
• Stage 5: Revision and Improvements 

If you dedicate one week for stages 1 & 2, two weeks for stages 3 & 4, and 1 week for stages 4 and 5, you can create a course in 5 weeks. 

Monetize Your Skills Online

Take your first step toward success with Uteach! 

Imagine getting your professional website done faster than light travels from the Sun to the Earth. With Uteach, you can automate many processes. 

As a result, you will be able to dedicate MORE time to creating & selling whatever you want:  coaching sessions, training, and webinars. Triple your income with bundles and memberships. 

You can access special features such as  fully-automated coaching with calendar and booking system, integrations, and even your local payment gateway. 

Many online learners are waiting for you to light their way. Book your free demo with our expert now and see how you can become a better and more efficient business coach with the help of Uteach.