We are certainly in unchartered waters at the moment with COVID-19 forcing the shutdown of the majority of physical businesses worldwide.
This forced shutdown has seen so many businesses trying to pivot their businesses so that they can still operate in some capacity in the online world. Whether that be selling products on their website or offering their services in the online environment.
Over the past 3 weeks, I have been working with quite a few of my clients to make this pivot. From hairdressers and beauticians installing an online shop on their website to sell their products to clients while they are closed; to dance studios moving their classes to an online environment and those offering face-to-face consults now doing the consults online so that they can continue to run their businesses in some capacity until these conditions pass.
For many of us throughout the world, staying at home is the new normal for a while. And with this, we are seeing a trend of people having more time on their hands and wanting to learn, pursue passions and even start a new business.
The world needs your knowledge or expertise more than ever so I wanted to share below some ideas of how you can do that online. Regardless of whether you are taking something offline and teaching it online (free or paid), creating a new business, or you have another goal then I hope this information helps.
If you can teach or consult in your current business then you can most definitely take that online. The list is nearly endless but includes things such as dance lessons, naturopathic consults, music lessons, cooking, physical training, yoga, tutoring, in-person events can be turned into online events and so much more.
And the good news is, you don’t need a high-end production with fancy equipment to do this. It can be as simple as using social media as your medium and your phone to record. It doesn’t have to be fancy. The results you have will be more about the content you provide and the results that your content delivers.
The results you provide is the deciding factor in how well your online business will succeed.
Different options for delivering your content online are:
Slides
You can do this using programs such as PowerPoint and Keynote. You record the slides on your computer with your voice speaking at the same time. Plug-in your microphone and then record away.
While this may sound simple, it is an effective way for people to learn information. Remember it is all about the results your content will provide.
On-Camera
If you have a topic that is more visual such as fitness, dancing or martial arts, the best option for you could be “on camera” video recording. You talking, demonstrating and/or sharing. You could use your phone if you have a decent camera on it, if not, a webcam or video recorder.
Screencasts
If your teaching will be showing something on your computer such as tutorials on how to do something on your computer like setting up a website, how to run Facebook Ads or using computer software, then screen-sharing from your computer could be the ideal option.
Once you have the format decided upon, you then need to decide whether you will deliver the content live or pre-recorded.
Live
Recording your content means you record it as it is being consumed by your audience – it means you can get started almost immediately without much preparation.
With social media, going live could be as simple as doing it in a private Facebook Group. When you do this you have the option of talking live on-camera, sharing your computer screen or talking over slides.
If you are talking live on-camera than that is as simple as clicking to go live when you are in the Facebook group. If you want to talk over slides or share your computer screen you can use software such as BeLive.
The best part is, doing it this way is FREE. You can use Facebook Groups and BeLive if you need it for no cost.
Another option is to host a live Webinar. WebinarJam, InstantTeleseminar and Zoom are all good options to look at for this. While all of these options allow you to run your webinar live, they will also record your Webinar so you can re-use the recorded version as well.
Pre-Recorded
If you want to deliver pre-recorded content rather than Live, you can use software such as Screencast-o-matic, which allows you to record your screen, on-video recording or a mix of both and is very easy to use so is a great tool to give you a variety of options.
If you are pre-recording your content, you then need to have a way to deliver it to your clients. You can upload the video into a private Facebook Group or you can have it set up behind a password-protected website or membership site.
Do you need help with the set-up and/or marketing of your online business? I am in the fortunate and unique position to be experienced with the technical set-up of many systems along with the marketing expertise required to reach your ideal audience. I’m your one-stop shop to getting the online portion of your business all set up and selling.
Get in touch if you would like some advice and assistance in this area.
I would love to hear your thoughts...