Leading WordPress expert, Syed Balkhi shares tools and actionable tips on boosting course revenue by upselling to existing students.
You’ve poured your heart and soul into creating amazing online courses for your existing learners. Your audience has expressed that they love what you offer, but now you’re ready to take things to the next level with new, exciting content.
The challenge is getting your existing students to invest in your latest lesson. If you have to track down a new target audience every time you create a course, you’ll spend a lot of extra time and energy on marketing.
On the other hand, people who’ve already bought a course from you know you, trust you, and are more likely to buy from your site again.
The key to making this happen is upselling. This powerful strategy can help you boost revenue and provide even more value to your dedicated students.
Believe it or not, it’s easier than you think to implement this strategy without coming across as pushy or salesy.
Today, we’ll show you a few proven techniques and tips that you can use to upsell your new courses to your existing learners.
By the end of this post, you’ll have what you need to go back to your website and make meaningful changes to your strategy.
Let’s dive in!
Learn More About Your Target Audience
Before you can start upselling, you need to really get to know who you’re talking to.
The best way to do this is to take a deep dive into your current audience.
Figure out what courses they are taking, which topics seem to spark the most interest, and what they want to see next.
Data is your best friend here. We suggest using an on-site analytics tool like MonsterInsights to track which of your courses is most popular.
If you’re using MemberPress, you can easily track this data in just a couple of clicks with MonsterInsights ecommerce add-on.
We also suggest asking your learners directly about what they want to see next.
Use course surveys, feedback forms via email, and customer support conversations as opportunities to learn more about your audience and what they expect from your content.
The key is to ask targeted questions that lead to actionable responses.
All of this data will help you make informed decisions when you’re trying to narrow down a list of potential topics or determine which audience would benefit most from your new course.
Structure Marketing for Existing Learners
Once you understand your audience, it’s time to create marketing campaigns that align with their interests, goals, and pain points.
The following strategies will help you showcase your new courses and build hype in ways that resonate with existing learners.
Leverage Email Marketing
There’s no question that email is still one of the most powerful ways to connect with your audience, particularly existing customers since they’re more likely to be subscribed to your email list.
You’ll want to segment before you start sending out messages. Segmenting essentially means dividing your audience into groups based on factors that are unique to your business.
In this instance, you should consider segmenting your list based on courses taken, completion rates, and engagement levels.
This process allows you to create targeted campaigns that speak directly to each group’s needs, which means they are more likely to convert.
You can also use this opportunity to personalize the offers you’re sending to users.
Crafting compelling subject lines and personalized content that highlights how your new course builds on what they’ve already learned will lead to more engagement and sales.
For context, using personalized subject lines alone can boost your open rate by 22%.
Offer Exclusive Previews or Beta Access
Everyone loves feeling special. Giving your current audience a sneak peek at your new course before it goes live can win them over and result in them taking action.
We’ve found that giving a small group of users exclusive access helped to create anticipation and generate more day-one sales.
You could even use this to turn existing learners into paying customers. You might consider offering a limited number of beta spots at a discounted rate on a first-come, first-serve basis.
In exchange for giving learners a lower price, ask for detailed feedback so you can optimize your new course before it goes live.
This strategy not only helps you refine the course but also creates a sense of ownership among your early adopters.
Implement a Loyalty Program
Another great marketing strategy for introducing your new course to existing customers is to implement a loyalty program across your website.
You could offer points for completed courses and past purchases, which can be redeemed for discounts on new orders. This type of sales loop encourages people to keep buying from your site.
Some brands have found it helpful to create a tier system that rewards customers for continued engagement and support.
For example, after buying three courses, a learner may move from the bronze tier to silver, which means a bigger discount on future lesson plans.
Offering exclusive benefits for higher tiers, like 1:1 training sessions and access to bonus courses, is a surefire way to get people interested when you present an upsell.
Harness the Power of Social Proof
Nothing sells quite like success stories. Showcasing testimonials from students who’ve benefited from your previous courses will help you sell to new people, but it’s also a powerful tool for capturing the attention of other existing customers.
This concept is called prova social. Social proof is simply when people are more likely to trust you and your products if they see that other people and organizations also trust you.
If someone really enjoyed your baking course but isn’t sure if they want to take the expert-level cooking course in your upsell, a few well-placed reviews can easily sway their decision.
They can see that others, perhaps beginners, found value in the lesson and assume that they will, too.
We suggest including initial positive feedback on your course landing pages, in your upsell emails, and on social media. Real stories from real people can be incredibly persuasive when learners are considering investing in a new course.
Smart Pricing and Packaging
When it comes to upselling, how you package and price your cursos digitais can have a serious impact on your success. Here are a few strategies you should keep in mind if you want to nail this aspect of your upsell strategy for existing learners:
- Build Value-Packed Bundles – Create course packages that combine your new course with older, relevant courses. This not only provides more value to your learners but also makes the new course feel like a natural next step.
- Develop a Cross-Sell Strategy – At the end of a course, suggest your new lesson as the perfect way to continue learning. Make it clear how the new course builds on what they’ve just learned so existing users see the value.
- Give Exclusive Discounts – Offer a special “alumni” discount to learners who’ve completed previous courses.
This acknowledges their loyalty and incentivizes them to continue their education with you. - Provide Flexible Payment Options – Some learners might hesitate to buy because you don’t offer their preferred payment method.
Fix this issue by expanding your payment options to include new options, like Google Pay and Apple Pay. - Partner with financing providers – If you’re selling a high-ticket course, this strategy can help. It opens doors for learners who want to invest in their education but need more financial flexibility.
Just be sure to choose reputable partners and clearly communicate the terms.
Optimize Your Upsell Flow
Now, let’s look at a few actionable ways to optimize your upsell flow and convert even more learners into existing customers.
Timing is everything when it comes to upselling. If you manage to reach a user at just the right time, say, after they complete a course, you have a much better chance of securing an upsell.
If the student found value in the first course and wants to learn more, you’ll see them accept your upsell offer almost instantly.
You can present this deal through email or on the last page of the course.
Our advice is to make sure the email is automated and triggered by them completing the course so there isn’t a big gap between them wrapping up the last lesson and receiving your message.
We’ve found seasonal events are a good time to offer new products, especially if they’re bundled with other products and deeply discounted.
If you’re in a position where you need reviews for your new course, this strategy can help immensely. People are more likely to give you favorable feedback if the course provides value and they get it for less than the full price.
You can also consider asking learners to add your new course to their cart when they are in the middle of buying something that has been out for a while.
MemberPress has a built-in feature called Pedidos de colisões that can help with and dramatically improve your upsells.
Essentially, Order Bumps let you ask visitors if they would like to add a specific item to their cart before they checkout – and it works wonders for course creators and membership sites.
Highlight Your Value Proposition
When upselling your new course, remember that selling benefits always trump features. Your learners aren’t just buying a course; they’re investing in something that they believe will improve their lives.
So, paint a vivid picture that shows the direct benefits customers can experience if they buy your new course.
Will it help them land a promotion? Start a successful side hustle? Learn a new skill? Improve in social situations? Focus on these tangible benefits so your target audience has a reason to take action.
What sounds better: a robotic list of modules, ETA, and prices; or a detailed and engaging post that explains how you, the learner, are going to see positive results from each module? Virtually every person would pick the latter.
We also suggest addressing common objections head-on. For instance, if time is a concern, highlight how the course fits into busy schedules.
If it’s about money, emphasize the return on investment or value in the skills you’re teaching. Your job is to show that the benefits outweigh these various concerns.
And remember, your existing learners already trust you.
You can make the most of this relationship by being transparent and explaining why you created this new course and how it addresses their needs and will help them reach a goal or overcome a roadblock.
Measure and Improve
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. When it comes to upselling, tracking the right metrics is important for understanding what works and what doesn’t.
You’ll want to start by monitoring your conversion rate, specifically the percentage of existing students who purchase your new course. This will help you determine whether people are actually accepting your upsell offers.
We also suggest keeping an eye on your average order value (AOV). If existing customers are coming back and buying multiple new courses, your strategy is likely paying off.
The goal is to increase how much people are spending by a little bit while offering them enough value to make it worthwhile.
It’s also important to keep an eye on your average customer lifetime value (CLV), which represents how much a person spends with you over time.
Successful upselling should increase how much a student spends with you over time. If your CLV is going up, you’re on the right track!
Conduct A/B Testing
Aside from measuring your results, you should also consider ways to improve with A/B testing. Teste A/B is when you test two different versions of a campaign, offer, or another piece of marketing material to see which version gets the best results.
For example, you could change the headline of your upsell landing page for half your audience to see if the new version outperforms your original choice.
Similarly, you can try upselling to customers at two different times, once as soon as they complete a course, and the other group will get an email the following morning.
The goal is to find a plan that resonates with your learners and encourages them to keep engaging with your site.
Please remember that improvement is an ongoing process. You’ll want to continue A/B testing even after you find something that works well.
If you’re not experimenting, you could be missing out on opportunities to reach your audience. With that in mind, be sure to regularly review your metrics, analyze your test results, and be ready to make changes based on what you learn.
Considerações finais
Upselling to existing learners is about building rapport, boosting revenue, and ensuring people can always find something new and valuable when they visit your website.
The strategies and best practices shared here today have helped us upsell over the years, and we are confident that they will help you, too.
It takes time, patience, and persistence to nail upselling, but we are confident that you now have the knowledge you need to start your journey or take your existing strategy to the next level.
Got any tips on upselling your online course to existing customers? Share them with the MemberPress community in the comments section below.
And don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter below for more advice on boosting your revenue for your online course or membership site.
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This great advice! I really would like to hear your suggestions on how to upsell memberships from monthly to yearly besides discounts?