Best Advertising Channels for Online Courses

The success of online courses heavily depends on how well they’re marketed. Choosing the right platforms to promote your course is key to reaching your target audience and boosting sales.

Running ads for your online course is a significant decision. With many options available, it’s important to know what’s best for you and what gives you the best chance of success.

Two major platforms for marketing and selling online courses are Meta (Instagram and Facebook) and Google.

Let’s explore why these giants are top choices and how you can use them to reach customers at every stage of their journey, from discovering your course to making a purchase.

Meta: Instagram & Facebook

Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, provides unmatched reach and precise targeting options. With billions of active users combined, Meta lets you connect with diverse audiences and tailor your marketing strategies effectively.

Instagram

Instagram’s focus on visuals makes it perfect for showcasing the value of your online course through captivating images and videos. Its engaging environment allows you to build a community around your course and connect with potential learners on a personal level.

Features like Instagram Stories and Reels offer creative ways to engage your audience and drive conversions.

Facebook

Despite changes in its user demographics, Facebook remains a powerhouse for online course marketing, especially among older age groups.

Its robust advertising tools enable precise targeting based on age, interests, behaviors and more, ensuring your ads reach the most relevant audience.

Moreover, Facebook’s retargeting capabilities help re-engage users who have shown interest in your course, nudging them closer to making a purchase.

Google: Search & YouTube

When it comes to capturing intent-based audiences and driving direct conversions, Google reigns supreme. Leveraging Google’s search and YouTube platforms empowers you to connect with users actively searching for information or solutions related to your course topic.

Google Search Campaigns

With Google Search campaigns, you can target users based on their search queries, ensuring that your ads appear when potential students are actively seeking relevant information.

By bidding on relevant keywords and creating compelling ad copy, you can attract highly motivated prospects and seamlessly guide them through the enrollment process.

Performance Max Campaigns

Performance Max campaigns elevate Google’s advertising capabilities by automatically optimizing your ads across various Google properties, including Search, Display, YouTube, and Discover.

This omnichannel approach maximizes your reach and efficiency, allowing you to connect with potential students at every touchpoint of their online journey.

YouTube Campaigns

As the world’s second-largest search engine, YouTube offers vast potential for promoting your online course through video content.

Whether through in-stream ads, video discovery ads, or bumper ads, YouTube allows you to captivate audiences with engaging video content and prompt them to take action, such as enrolling in your course or visiting your website.

Secondary Channels: TikTok, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Snapchat

While Meta and Google dominate the online course marketing landscape, secondary channels like TikTok, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Snapchat provide extra avenues for reaching niche audiences and expanding your brand’s exposure.

However, these platforms are best suited for established brands looking to diversify their advertising reach rather than beginners. Starting with Meta and Google ensures a solid foundation for your marketing efforts before venturing into secondary channels.

Online Education Brands Using Meta and Google Ads

Leading education brands like Masterclass and Udemy incorporate Meta and Google ads into their marketing strategies for good reason.

Alongside robust content marketing approaches, these brands use these platforms across their target audience’s entire customer journey.

But Meta and Google aren’t exclusive to big brands.

They are equally beneficial for creators, small businesses and startups offering online education products. The entry barrier is low, allowing for easy setup and operation even with a modest budget, leading to a stream of new leads and sales.

How Meta and Google Work Together: Customer Journey Example

Let’s follow the journey of Emily as she ventures into the world of street photography eager to refine her skills through an online course. Across various channels, she encounters touchpoints that are fundamental in guiding her toward enrollment.

Stage 1: Awareness (Top-of-Funnel)

Emily embarks on her journey by recognizing her desire to improve her photography skills. She starts by scouring Google for tips and tutorials, typing in queries like “beginner photography tips” and “how to take better photos.”

At this stage, she’s in the discovery phase, seeking valuable information to meet her learning needs.

Google Search Ads

Emily’s quest leads her to search “online street photography tutorials” on Google, where she encounters ads promoting photography courses tailored to beginners.

Positioned at the top of her search results, these ads offer solutions to her queries, sparking her interest in advancing her photography education.

YouTube Pre-roll Ads

While watching photography tutorials on YouTube, Emily encounters pre-roll ads showcasing snippets of online photography courses.

These ads capture her attention with compelling visuals promising to teach her essential skills to elevate her photography game.

Instagram Ads

While scrolling through Instagram, Emily stumbles upon a video ad from a famous photographer who is promoting their online course. Intrigued, she decides to follow the account.

The ad features a video highlighting the photographer’s best work, emphasizing how they can teach Emily to achieve similar results.

Stage 2: Consideration (Middle-of-Funnel)

Impressed by the ads she’s seen, Emily decides to explore her options further. She turns to social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, seeking recommendations and insights from fellow photographers.

Instagram Video & Image Ads

As Emily scrolls through her Instagram feed, she comes across more captivating images and videos promoting the photography course. Each post highlights a different aspect of the course curriculum, showcasing its value to aspiring photographers like herself.

Facebook Retargeting Ads

After visiting the website of a photography course she’s interested in, Emily receives retargeting ads on Facebook. These ads serve as reminders of the benefits of enrolling in the course, reinforcing its value proposition and encouraging her to take the next step.

Stage 3: Decision (Bottom-of-Funnel)

Armed with knowledge and insights from her research, Emily reaches the decision-making phase. She compares course offerings, reads reviews, and evaluates the credibility of different providers to ensure she selects the best option for her needs.

Google Search Ads (Branded)

Emily conducts a branded search for the photography course she’s been eyeing, looking for additional information before finalizing her decision.

Google Search ads from the course provider appear at the top of her search results, reinforcing her choice and guiding her to the course website for further details.

Facebook & Instagram Retargeting Ads

Having visited the course sales page within the last 30 days, Emily now receives ads specifically tailored to drive her decision. Having been nurtured through earlier marketing campaigns, she’s already aware and interested.

These bottom-of-the-funnell ads emphasize social proof, limited-time offers, guarantees and urgency, compelling Emily to take the final step and sign up.

Integration with Organic Marketing Methods

Emily’s journey is not solely shaped by paid ads, as it’s also enriched by organic marketing efforts, including email marketing, content creation, and social media engagement.

The most impactful results in marketing often stem from the seamless integration of both organic and paid methods.

Meta and Google serve as the perfect platforms for achieving this impact, allowing brands to leverage a combination of paid advertising and organic strategies to engage and convert their audience effectively.

Conclusion

Meta (Instagram and Facebook) and Google stand out as the top choices for marketing and selling online courses thanks to their unparalleled reach, targeting capabilities, and scalability.

By leveraging Meta’s engagement-driven environment and Google’s intent-based targeting, you can effectively address the entire customer journey and drive conversions at every stage.

While secondary channels offer additional avenues for brand expansion, newcomers to online course marketing should prioritize Meta and Google to maximize their advertising ROI and effectively reach their target audience.

With the right strategies and creative executions, online course creators, whether established education brands like Masterclass or individual instructors, can harness the power of these platforms to achieve new levels of success in the digital learning landscape.