A few years ago, I went to a live event in the States.

It was all about online publishing.

Now, before I continue, let’s just say that I honestly believe there’s always something to learn, even when an event covers topics you already know.

It could be a new angle, a new insight, a new tool…

Sometimes it takes just one golden nugget of information that helps your business to make it all worth it.

However, this was two days’ worth of events, which involved a LOT of talking and listening, and I was getting a bit impatient.

You see, they were covering a lot of basic things I knew already, explained by experts whose work I had read and ideas I’d already tested or put into practice.

But what I was really there for was to hear the latest on Facebook marketing and how to use it to find paying customers.

That was my hot topic.

It was what I was hungry to find out information about – not the run of the mill stuff which I knew back to front, but the cutting edge, in-depth stuff.

I wanted to see exactly how the top US marketers were using it, what techniques they used, and what results they were getting. I wanted secrets, templates, shortcuts, data, tools – everything I could get my hands on!

But the Facebook bit was buried away in the second afternoon, with not enough time to really dig into the details.

So I came away a little disappointed.

What I really craved, I realised, was an event or course that was totally focussed on Facebook advanced techniques.

Similarly, I am sure there were others at the same event who wished that it was focussed on other specialties like copywriting, website optimisation, or webinars.

This is true for most areas of interest…

Not everybody wants the Full Monty

There are some people who want a complete overview of a topic, touching on many different elements.

For instance, someone might want to know about how to make and sell their own crafts online.

They might like to know about everything from setting up a website, to the best platforms to sell on (like Etsy or eBay), to the latest methods of marketing on social media and the best places to source materials.

However, at the same time, there are others who are desperate to concentrate on one particular thing, so that that they can master it properly.

For instance, someone might ONLY want to know about how to make hand-stamped and engraved jewellery.

Those people want to know everything about that one, narrow topic… where to get materials and tools, what the hot trends are, how to make the items, where to get the materials, what kind of prices they can sell at, who’s out there having the most success.

They don’t want to know about the other subjects, and a course that’s too general will make them feel like they are paying for advice they don’t need.

What they would look for instead is something known as a ‘Focus Course’.

Which could be something YOU can offer.

The benefits of a ‘Focus’ Course

In my last email, I talked about 3 types of courses that I recommend you consider.

The first option, as I explained, is a Quick Start Course, where you help someone reach a specific goal as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The second option is a Focus Course, where you pick one particular aspect of a broader subject, or one particular step, and drill deeper into the details.

It is limited in scope, but that’s a good thing for the buyer.

They don’t have to feel like they’re wading through information they don’t want or need in order to get to the essential secrets.

For instance, let’s say your special interest area is social media marketing.

That subject covers a whole range of platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat and others (Tik Tok anyone ;-)).

It also includes many different topics, including free content marketing, paid advertising, building follower numbers, driving traffic to websites, launching products and using the latest tools of automation and analysis.

A Focus Course would specialise in just ONE of these aspects.

For instance…

• You might concentrate entirely on Instagram Stories.
• You might concentrate solely on how to create Facebook ad campaigns.
• You might detail a step-by-step method of driving traffic to a website from Twitter.

What’s great about a Focus Course is that you don’t have to spend a lot of time and effort covering all bases.

You go narrow… and you go deep…

Another great benefit is that you don’t have to charge customers for an in-depth course that takes more commitment in terms of their time, focus and money.

They can instead buy this one course that gets them to do one thing very well.

This is an appealing prospect for people – particularly if they already know a lot of the basics and just want info on that problem or goal that obsesses them most.

A Focus Course can typically cost anything from £49 to £449 (sometimes higher particularly in financial trading for example), depending on how deep you go into the details, and also on the perceived value of an outcome.

For instance, if your engraved jewellery course has the potential to make the customer £100+ a month, you can charge the higher end.

That can be something you think about once your Focus Course is complete.

The main thing to ask yourself is, do I know enough about this one narrow topic to make a course?

If you think you do, this could be a great option for you.

And even if you don’t know everything about that one topic, you can always do some research to fill in any gaps.

Next week we’ll look at Signature Courses.

While these are often the most complex to create they are also (usually) by far the most profitable.

If you are already one of my Course Creation Academy students and are stuck on deciding which course type is right for you do let me know.

And if you are not already a member but would like to be, just email me at [email protected].