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Online learning continues its steady rise while more and more organizations—from publishers to consumer brand—are taking advantage of its many benefits including a la carte sales and sponsored learning which offers high-engagement and repeat visits.
Most organizations work to their strengths and deploy with a revenue model that closely maps to their core business. Whether you already have a digital learning business, are in the ideation stage or looking for some creative ideas to repackage your content, here are a few models that are building value and revenue for many organizations worldwide.
Selling courses and learning programs of all shapes and sizes continue to be the most popular business models by a long shot. Selling models vary, and in many cases are successfully mixed to provide options for learners. A la carte sales are the most popular. This approach is enhanced when optimized by packaging; bundling, upselling and extending premium upgrade options.
The second learning sales model, and one growing in popularity, is the recurring monthly or yearly subscription. This relies in most cases on a large catalog of content or learning material, the Netflix model for all-you-can-eat access. The subscription business can be a lucrative one, and in many cases it offers much higher customer lifetime values. There is a lot to talk about in this area, but that’s for another post.
A new and emerging model that is being embraced by magazine publishing organizations is the ad-supported/sponsored learning experience. It offers a great new product for advertisers with engagement metrics that are significantly higher than most other forms of online content delivery. There is a ton of rich data being generated by users in the learning experience that is valuable not only for the publishers but the advertisers as well. Best of all, upfront commitments enable publishers to get a learning business to market in many cases underwritten by advertisers.
Many organizations are leveraging online learning as a key component of their content marketing strategy, enjoying the exceptionally high engagement metrics and repeat visits. This model relies less on direct revenue and more on audience development, product cross selling and data profiling on learners.
Licensing models are also popular with B2B publishers, especially as they sell learning programs into organizations for corporate training, career development and wellness.
Technological barriers have been addressed offering scalable and cost-effective options that get organizations to market quickly with a learning business. The audience is now there and continues growth year-over-year. Individuals are turning to their favorite brands, publishers and leaders to learn and are willing to pay. By tapping expertise and assets that are already in the building, organizations that have begun this journey are creating new vibrant businesses. For those looking to build new revenue streams with legitimate growth potential, then learning might just be an option worth a closer look at your next strategy and planning session.
For more information download our free e-book, Turn Learning Into Profit.
