Passion, Script, Action: Construct an Evergreen Course

Before we even dive into this, there are a few things that we need to look at. First is going to be the fact that perhaps you don't know what evergreen means in regard to eCourses. In the world of online education, evergreen refers to content that is recorded and doesn’t need to be updated often, if at all. Evergreen content isn't like a live session, but it’s similar in that you still have to create the same amount of content just without as much in-person conversation.

Keep in mind that evergreen content is there for your students to have extra information.  This can also help people see your content and invest in your work in smaller increments.  Evergreen content has a LOT of uses!  How about we dive in?

Step one: Plan Accordingly

Before you even begin recording, you have to plan. You'll need to think about how you're going to market and advertise your course, what audience you're trying to address, and how accessible do you want your course to be? There are plenty of other things as well, but this is a good place to start.

Ready to start planning now?  Hold on a sec, you might want to go and take the Managed by Magic Elevate to e-Course course because you are going to get tons of planning freebies that will really help with this process.  But don’t worry, I’ve still got a few tips here!  

Way before you take the full dive into social media, though, you’ll also want to plan what it is that you're going to record. You can't just go around all willy-nilly. Scripts will need to be written, locations chosen, and handouts must be made.  It’s a lot to do in the beginning, but it is so worth it!  

As to planning out your marketing, let's think of the following: 

How are you going to reach your students? 

The easiest answer and number one answer is marketing. Plan ahead to make sure that you have at least a month’s worth of marketing content ready to roll out. Don't forget things like blogs, and instructional videos on how to operate any website that students might encounter.

Step Two: Write it out

As you’re planning of course you are probably writing.  But this step has a few parts to it.

Now that you have your plan, you need to make sure that you have everything written down clearly in a way that you understand. More often than not the best way to do this is to create a Word document so that everything is clear. After you've written everything down, the rest is going to be very work-intensive.

Another way to look at this step is; do you have your blogs written? Do you have your media content written? Do you have your scripts ready to go? Out of everything, scripts are going to be one of your most important tools when recording Evergreen content. Scripts help make sure that you don't have to re-record everything all the time or cut through hundreds of pieces of video.

Step Three: Record

Now it's time to start! 

The prep work has been done. 

Everything has been written out. 

By this time you should have the recording equipment that you need, And any kind of additional props or supports you need for your evergreen content. Make sure that you also have access to any programs that you need so that you aren't stuck in the mud waiting to learn any new updates or get your work set up.

Even if you aren’t ready to start recording, get to it!  You want to keep in mind the following: How do you want to come across? You need to consider what you are wearing, how you look, as well as your speaking tone. This is going to give people a sample of who you are and introduce them to the topics.  

Don't go too crazy with the amount of information that you're giving in these videos. Remember, people can only recall so much. Don't overload them with high amounts of information in an evergreen video unless you have the handouts and activities to back up the learning.  It is wiser to make a series of videos that address the topic and then break it down into finer points.

Step Four: Website

Now we're starting to get into the scary zone. The scary zone is when you start to put things together in a way that people can actually access your information and your courses. That means you need to have a website. 

Of course, we here at Managed by Magic suggest Kajabi, however, there are also several other course housing platforms.  Kajabi is definitely one of the most feature-packed websites that we have seen and I use it on a regular basis. I even use it for the website! 

The biggest piece to remember here is that you need to purchase a site and a domain that are going to be easy for you to operate. Don't try and follow the crowd, go for what you know. As you get more familiar with assistance and more familiar with how things work, then upgrade your system.

When creating a website, remember that you want your creativity to show, but not distract from your message. We do offer e-course reviews in case you want me to take a look at your E-course and at your website! I'll even throw in an eCourse Roadmap!

Step Five: The First Post

How about posting the content? Are you ready to dive into that? The first post you make is probably going to be the hardest. 

That first post will be nerve-wracking, how am I doing this, why am I doing this, I'm not good enough, kind of post. This is where you must fight the hardest. Get your Evergreen content up there. Do it! You can hit the button. I know you can!

Step Six: Market and Reach Out

When you release your first course, you will have to jump on the promotion train and ride that puppy till dawn!  Reach out to your customer base to promote the content constantly in your email lists. Look for people who are constantly commenting, those that have been with you since day one, or even those that are always helping.

Don’t forget to reach out to new potential clients as well.  Advertise on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, anywhere you can make sure that you are constantly reaching out to your customer base to promote this new evergreen content. 

Take a breath …

Keep in mind that this task is not a light workload.  From video editing to writing scripts, to ensuring that everyone is ready to go, you're gonna have a lot to do. If you have a team, that's wonderful. If not, this is going to be a little rough. But I know you can do it, and we are here to support you every step of the way.

Stay tuned for more tips and tricks on how to facilitate or know how to. How to create your courses and how to help your students!