Essential Tech Stack for Building Your Online Course: Deep Dive with James Marland
Aug 05, 2024
Tech Stack for My Courses
Summer is the month for birthdays, and we've had a lot of birthdays in the Marland household. And with birthdays at the Marland household comes cake. We like our cake. Generally, we make black Joe cake, which is a chocolate coffee cake with peanut butter icing. It's one of my wife's relatives' favorite recipes.
And since we like coffee, chocolate, and peanut butter in my house, we tend to get a lot of black Joe cake. But when you think about a cake, you're thinking about the icing and the flour and the cocoa and all the ingredients that go into it to get the cake. But what if you didn't have a pan to bake that cake in? Would you be able to create that cake? Or what if you didn't have the measuring cups or the oven or all the little things that you need to actually take those ingredients and turn them into something that is yummy and delicious?
Well, today we're going to be talking about all the things that you need to take your yummy and delicious content and turn it into an online course. We're going to call this your course tech stack.
What is a Tech Stack?
A tech stack includes all the computers, programs, and tools you use to transform your content into life-changing online courses. I'm going to share several essential items I use to create my courses, describe their functions, tell you the options for programs and also explain why I use the ones I do.
Hosting Platform
The first item in the tech stack, and perhaps the most foundational, is where your course will be hosted. This is often called the Learning Management System (LMS). It's where your course files live, people log in, register, view your courses, and track their progress. Choosing a platform can be overwhelming with so many options. You want something easy to use, user-friendly, and with good tech support. My favorites are Kajabi and Teachable.
Kajabi is not the cheapest platform, but it’s cost-effective when you consider all the functions it includes. It doesn't charge you a fee for every course you sell, allowing you to keep more of your earnings.
Payment Processors
The next item is payment processors. These allow you to collect credit card payments, handle customer disputes, send invoices, and manage recurring payments. I've used Stripe with Kajabi, and PayPal with Teachable. Both are secure and reliable, but I prefer Stripe for its neat graphics and user interface.
Graphics and Design
For creating titles, graphics, presentations, and social media content, I use Canva Pro. It's an affordable, comprehensive tool for all your graphic design needs. Recently, I've also started using Adobe Express, which goes well with Kajabi and offers high-quality design capabilities.
Webpage Creation
Having a webpage is crucial. It’s where people find your courses, sign up, and access your content. I host my webpage on Kajabi, but I also use Squarespace for its ease of use and better mobile optimization.
Email Marketing
Email is essential for connecting with your audience. Kajabi includes a built-in email platform, but I've also had success with MailChimp and AWeber for their features and affordability.
Recording and Editing
For recording and editing, I’m a big fan of Descript. It transcribes as I talk, allowing easy editing of text, adding music, and creating summaries. It’s a powerful tool that allows me to sound even better and simplifies the editing process. Zoom is another option, though it’s more suited for video conferencing than high-quality recordings.
Writing and Organizing
I use Google Documents for initial drafts, Descript for editing, and ChatGPT for organizing thoughts and creating outlines. ChatGPT Pro is an invaluable tool for refining content and making it concise.
Webinars
For hosting webinars, I use Sessions, a program I got through a great deal on AppSumo. It allows me to host webinars, manage registrations, and schedule individual meetings.
Social Media
For social media, I use Facebook groups to engage with my audience and help people with course creation. It’s a great platform for building community and providing support. I also use Canva Pro and Adobee Express to create social content. I like Adobee Express better because it integrates with Kajabi, and the social media scheduling service allows me to post to several sites all at once, saving hours of posting time.
Conclusion
These tools are the pots, pans, spoons, and oven of course creation, allowing you to turn your yummy content into a delicious online course. What’s your tech stack? Email me at [email protected] and let me know what you use. Maybe you have a better hosting platform than Kajabi or Teachable. I’d love to hear from you!
Links and Resources
- Kajabi: All-in-one platform for course hosting, payment processing, and email marketing; cost-effective with no per-course sales fees.
- Teachable: Previously used for course hosting; user-friendly with PayPal integration.
- Stripe: Preferred payment processor for Kajabi; offers secure transactions and a visually appealing interface.
- PayPal: Integrated with Teachable for secure payment processing.
- Canva Pro: Used for creating graphics, title cards, and social media content; cost-effective with a wide range of features.
- Adobe Express: Integrated with Kajabi for seamless graphic updates; high-quality design tools with AI features.
- Squarespace: Previously used for website hosting; preferred for its intuitive editor and ease of use.
- MailChimp: Used for email marketing; free for basic use with robust features for managing email lists.
- AWeber: Low-cost email marketing platform with a rich feature set, suitable for beginners.
- Descript: Primary tool for recording and editing podcasts; transcribes audio in real-time and offers easy editing and AI features.
- Zoom: Used for recording webinars and meetings; accessible but with lower video quality unless upgraded.
- Sessions: Used for hosting webinars; offers registration pages, attendance tracking, and integrated scheduling.
- Google Docs: Used for typing and drafting content; versatile, cloud-based word processing tool.
- ChatGPT (Pro Version): Used for organizing thoughts, generating outlines, and rewriting content; enhances productivity and clarity in writing.
- Some links are affiliate links and support the show. Thanks for clicking!
Course Creation Planning Worksheet Download
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