Online courses are big.
In 2015, the online course industry made $107 Billion dollars. Online courses have been created and sold as valuable products designed to teach every day people new skills that can help them in their lives.
Typically, online courses have been created for things like photography, art, social media and digital marketing. It’s natural that online courses would be created for those subjects because there is a lot of demand to learn those skills.
However, I believe that in the next few years online courses will become a big market for addiction recovery as well. They provide tremendous value and can be very helpful to people who may be struggling. Addiction courses for sobriety can teach people the skills they need to possibly get sober, but also remain sober and build upon their own recovery.
Choosing a Platform
Up until a few years ago, the most challenging aspect of creating online courses was figuring out how to build the infrastructure. We had to get creative. Courses were typically custom coded and it was difficult for people without coding or design experience to create a course without hiring someone.
Now, there are many online platforms that make it easy for you. Here are two of my favorite.
Teachable – This platform is everything you need. Teachable allows you to build a great looking website and gives you the power to sell your courses right from the website. Teachable also has a ton of marketing features built right in. For instance, you can SEO your pages and you can create an email list directly from the back end. My #1 recommendation.
Kajabi – Another platform design exactly for the same reason. In my opinion, Kajabi is a little more sleek than teachable, but also is a little less user friendly. I find the user interface of teachable easier to use. But, Kajabi is another great option. Many people prefer Kajabi over teachable. It’s all about preference.
Deciding on the Course Outline
Creating course material is harder that you think . But the process can be broken down into smaller steps which will make it easier to write your recovery course and also easier to present it.
What is the purpose of your course? – Before you get started, you need to find your end point. What is it that you want people to learn? What is the value you want to provide? Write down your statement. Some good examples could be “I want people to learn the skills for relapse prevention.” Now you can create your course accordingly.
How long do you want your course to be? – There is a huge range here. Some courses can be months long, other can be days long. Typically, longer courses cost more money. They are more of a commitment. You want to be able to provide value the entire time so don’t make a course longer just to charge more money for it.
How will you sell your recovery course? – The reason why most online courses fail is not because the course itself is poor, but because the marketing behind the course is poor. The email marketing tools with the platforms are great. However, it is a good idea to incorporate online courses into your current drug rehab seo plan, as well as your treatment marketing campaign.
Incorporating Courses into Your Treatment Model
It’s true that anyone can start their own online course. I encourage anyone with sobriety, experience and a willingness to teach to start creating courses for addiction recovery.
The biggest opportunity in this market is within the treatment industry. Online courses create a great platform for continuous care. Parents as well as graduated clients can benefit greatly from course material that they can take home with them after being discharged from treatment.
It’s important to know that it is not mandatory to charge money for courses. Courses can be a great addiction to a treatment centers aftercare program. A treatment center can create online courses in…
- relapse prevention
- setting boundaries between family members
- how to cope with triggers
- spirituality, prayer and meditation
- job interview skills
The options are endless.
Addiction Recovery Courses for Coaches
More and more addiction recovery coaches are coming into the scene. Many of these coaches provide great one on one insights with their clients. I have seen great success from recovery coaching and online courses can add even another layer of value to the business model of a recovery coach.
Offering additional material is beneficial. The same rules apply as with treatment. You can offer these courses for free to your clients. You could also sell them ala cart or you could even sell them as a monthly membership package in which your clients get full access and can communicate among each other about what they have learned.
Recovery coaches have a huge opportunity here.
Getting Started
Online courses for addiction treatment and recovery is just at the beginning stages. Mark my words, this is going to become a huge market. There are so many people who need help with addiction, and very few of them meet the requirements for standard treatment.
Courses offer a valuable and less expensive option for people who may not have private insurance or that can’t leave work or their children to get help.
If creating an online course is something that is interesting to you, please contact us.
