Do it like Julia Brodt
From YouTube channel to online academy
Language school 2.0: How Julia manages online courses with 5000+ participants from all over the world!
For Julia Brodt, founder of Lingster Academy, it was already clear in 2012: language learning must also work online! But the ambitious German teacher didn't learn anything about programming, online marketing and international payments at university. Despite this, Julia made €80,000 in revenue with the launch of her online language course and successfully sold to over 50 countries. Find out how here!
Starting an online business without code and accountants?
Julia learned from her first failure not to underestimate the hurdles of an online business. Help from specialists is expensive and not the solution. "I didn't even know what instructions to give the IT specialist," Julia recalls.
So it all depends on her. As a one-woman company, she faces more than just technical problems:
- Lots of reach, but no sales strategy: Julia's YouTube channel is up and running, but she knows little about online marketing and creating offers.
- Technical complexity: Julia tries to manage online courses via LearnDash, but the platform is too complex and HTML knowledge is required.
- Anonymity and distance in online teaching: Building personal relationships with participants is more difficult online than in the classroom.
- Course platforms mostly from the USA: Julia tries out teachable, but needs an alternative with a German-language interface & GDPR-compliant hosting.
- Lack of knowledge in accounting & taxes: High sales figures and buyers from all over the world? Julia doesn't know how to sell in a legally compliant way.
From YouTube channel to business - How Julia generates 80K+ revenue in her first launch.
Julia is a German teacher and has learned a lot about video creation and online teaching through her YouTube channel. But figuring out web design, marketing and online payments all by herself?
No way. Julia is looking for help!
Julia turns her YouTube channel into a business. Working with an influencer agency, she learns the basics of online marketing. Julia creates a free download product as a lead magnet and builds up her email list.
She decides to use elopage as a sales platform to cover payments and the creation of online courses with one software. The course is created, the sale is announced.
"I would never have thought how this could happen. I was sitting here, right here. I had tears running down my face. I was laughing and crying at the same time. And then I knew, this is my ... This is my business."
Julia's months of preparatory work pay off, as the launch goes through the roof.
- Technical set-up without coding skills: Julia uses elopage to create her store, booking pages and online courses in her own design within 3 months.
- 80K sales at the first launch: A time-controlled discount, a limited additional offer, over 250 sales in 5 days via Julia's booking site.
- 6 interactive online courses for sale: learning videos, audio lessons, downloads and interactive course elements help to teach digitally & personally.
- 1000+ sales p.A. simply processed: International sales without an accountant? In the reseller model, tax calculation & accounting are handled by elopage.
- Automated business with 5000+ customers: Julia teaches, elopage manages payment processing and the course activation of her customers for her.
7 courses and 5000 participants in 3 years - and there's more to come!
Julia has been in business for 3 years and her online business allows her to work independently of time and place. She has fulfilled her dream of moving to Spain. Behind this is a rock-solid marketing strategy. Let's take a closer look at her online language school!
Legally compliant sales in over 50 countries:
Julia's business is based in Spain, her students all over the world. With the reseller model, this works without internal accounting:
- elopage is on the invoice
- elopage managed tax calculation
- Julia receives a payout once a month
- Minimal accounting effort despite many transactions.
"I only found out about this reseller model 3 days before the course launch. Sascha, a colleague of yours, told me: if you're aiming to sell several hundred courses, you have to go for the reseller model, otherwise you won't be able to cope. And I'm so glad he told me that."
Julia tests offer structures in just a few clicks:
Julia sells her online courses via an extensive booking site, which she is constantly improving. Individual courses or product packages? Limited deals or vouchers? Do installment payments work for high-priced products? Julia tests different offer structures and finds out what works best. With elopage, the offer can be easily adapted technically and the performance evaluated.
Interactive online courses retain customers for years:
Julia hosts her course areas via elopage and uses all common content formats. Julia has integrated some course elements into the elopage course area via iFrame. elopage can be easily connected to other systems. This allows Julia to offer modern, digital learning methods that she can manage completely herself. And it pays off! Some customers are so enthusiastic that they have bought every one of Julia's 7 courses.
Fully automated funnel for little time and money:
Julia only needs a few tools for her funnel besides elopage. Instead of advertisements, she relies on organic sales: her social media channels generate traffic. From there, Julia sends interested parties either directly to her elopage store or to her WordPress site, where they can secure a freebie. This fills Julia's list in the newsletter tool Mailerlite, which she uses for email marketing. Interfaces via Zapier allow Julia to connect her tool with elopage and carry out automated email marketing.
Own elopage app planned for better mobile learning:
As Julia wants to improve the learning experience for her customers, she is planning to launch her content app with elopage. This will make all her courses available directly on her community members' smartphones. We are excited!
Julia has planned a total of 12 courses for the Lingster Academy, which will be advertised on a rotating basis. An ambitious goal! But Julia's journey shows that an online business requires perseverance and constant improvement.
"I just work until it's a really stable business. It's still relatively young. Three years? Sure, that's a while, but I think I'll definitely need another two years before everything is completely solid."
7 things Julia advises other coaches, trainers and teachers:
1# Constant production of content for social media & courses must run simultaneously.
2# At the first launch, think carefully in advance about what is to be sold and to what extent.
3# Keep in touch with the competition. "No matter how oversaturated a market seems, you can achieve more together!"
4# Good service ensures long-term customer loyalty
5# Accept that your course or business is never "finished".
6# Whatever you create, you always have to improve it.
7# There will always be low blows, income will waver. You have to endure that.
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