Your class page is the decision-maker. It’s the final stop before students click the register button. To help them make the right decision, you need to make sure each class page includes all of the information they need. Every entry in your online catalog should tell students both what the class is, and why they should enroll.
Start with an image
People shop with their eyes. An interesting photo can grab attention and invite learners to read about your course. If possible, use photos from real classes. In cases where you don’t have class photos or can’t use them, you can look for stock photos online.
Make sure you choose a trusted stock photo company with clear use guidelines for their photos. Follow their directions for giving photo credit. Some will allow you to use the photo without giving credit, others will ask you to include an image credit on your website, and some will charge you for a commercial use license. Understand the terms so your image use stays legal and ethical.
Choose images that have:
- Warm or bright colors
- People in action
- A clear focus
- Eye-catching composition
Whenever possible, show your students (or their stock photo stand-ins) using the skills your class teaches. For classes that involve making something, you might include an image of the item students will make. A couple of hand-crafted wreaths would be an inviting image for that wreath-making class we mentioned earlier.
Write an attractive description
The best course descriptions tell students everything they need to know and nothing more. Your first line (the hook, or lead-in) should capture their interest. Your class names should be clear and descriptive, but your lead-in is an opportunity to get creative. What will make students eager to hear more about your class?
Start your description by:
- Asking a question
- Sharing a surprising statistic
- Including a compelling visual
Once you have them hooked give them the essential details. After reading your class description students should be able to answer the following questions:
- What is this class?
- Why should I take it?
- How much does it cost?
- When does it start?
- Where is it located?
- How do I register?
That might sound like a lot to fit into a hundred words or so. And it is. That’s why you have to make every word count. But don’t go overboard. Keep your descriptions between 60 and 200 words. Any details that don’t fit in that space can be covered later.
Include clear pricing
We mentioned that pricing should be part of your course description, but this topic is important enough to talk about in detail. Include clear pricing details in your course description. Learners should know exactly how much they’ll need to invest for this particular class.
Help students avoid sticker shock by mentioning any material fees or other costs up front. Nobody enjoys getting an unexpected bill.
If you have payment plans available for big-ticket courses, mention those in the description so students don’t assume they have to make the full investment upfront.
Add in some social proof
If you have testimonials or positive feedback from previous students of this class, use it on the course page. The best testimonials include a full name and photograph of the person giving the recommendation. This is especially true if your organization serves a local community. Your students may actually know some of your former students.
Keep testimonials short and focused. The student may have written a paragraph in your feedback form, but it’s okay to choose the best sentence from that paragraph to highlight. Look for unusual words and interesting phrases. Quotes like, “This is a great class!” or “I learned a lot!” are vague and don’t convey much information.
Look for the testimonial that says: “I went into Musical Improv Class feeling like an extra in my own life, and now I happily take center stage.”
Ask them to act
Your class page is not complete until you’ve asked the user to act. What does that mean? It means every class page must have a call to action.
Include phrases like this at the end of each class description:
- Register here
- Enroll now
- Get started
- Claim your seat
- Reserve your spot
- Get your ticket
- Join the mailing list
Sometimes all it takes is an invitation to move people from indecision to action. Of course, make sure you include an obvious link or button where they can take action.
You might think marketing ends when a learner clicks on the registration button. But your website still has a lot of work to do. If the registration process is confusing or complicated, students might abandon their cart. If you’re lucky, they may come back later and finish what they started, but the most likely result is a lost sale for you and a missed learning opportunity for your student. Here are four ways to make sure every student who wants to register can do so.
1. Provide online registration
They’ve gone to your website, they’ve found the class they wanted, do you really think they want to pick up the phone now? Probably not. Research says that 67% of customers prefer self-service over talking to a representative on the phone. That means online registration must be one of your options. If you’re relying solely on calls and mail-in registration forms you may be missing a lot of potential students.
2. Take credit cards
Yes, there are fees associated with taking credit cards, but this form of payment also brings multiple advantages.
- Students can easily pay in advance
- No need to mail anything
- Instructors don’t have to handle money
- Payment plans and refunds are easy to process
- Increased security
Most importantly, refusing to take credit cards marks your program as old-fashioned or out of touch. Students may worry that you’ll be difficult to deal with since you’ve already made it harder for them to register.
3. Keep forms simple
Registration forms tend to grow over time. You keep thinking of new information that would be nice to have and suddenly you have a six-page form that looks completely overwhelming. Keep your forms as simple as possible. Ask only for essential details.
Custom forms can help here. When you use one form for all of your classes, you end up with something that doesn’t quite fit any of them. By customizing your form for specific classes you’re able to gather and share only the most essential information.
Even as you keep it simple, don’t forget that forms are powerful communication tools. You can use them to share policies, instructions, and course expectations. Including a checkbox that says “I agree” can help you confirm that students have read and understood the guidelines.
4. Create an account when they register
You don’t just want this student to register today. You want them to take the class and be so happy with it that they return again and again. Use that first registration as an opportunity to create a user account. That way, when the student comes back to enroll again, they don’t have to fill in all of the same information over again. The best thing about this strategy is that you’re already collecting the necessary information on their registration form. You might as well streamline the process by creating a user profile at the same time.
5. Enable group registration
Registering one student is wonderful. Registering a whole group is even better. Make it simple for parents to register all of their children, coworkers to sign up for classes together, and loved ones to share a learning experience. Don’t make them go through the hassle of adding each attendee individually. Offer online group registration instead.
