If you are selling online courses or are thinking about selling them, then you probably wonder how you are going to market them.

Many of you probably know this but it’s worth saying: there is no magic-bullet for online (internet) marketing.

You will find people who tell you otherwise, but it simply isn’t true.

In the event that there is some form of loophole or shortcut, you can rest assured that it won’t be there long as Google will eventually punish any tactic that cheats their system.

In the end you will save your time, money, and sanity by going about marketing through trusted methods.

There are a slew of paid and free ways to get the word out about your course offering. My general advice in this area is to pick two or three and really work them.

Leverage Your Network

If you are just started out with your elearning business then the easiest way to get started is to tap into your network.

The beauty of a personal and professional network is that you can build it prior to even creating your course content. As you create your courses, you also begin to connect with others.

This takes more than connecting with people via social media. Sure, that’s a great place to start (I am a fan of LinkedIn personally as it was the main social network we used prior to launching LearnDash).

However, a network is only worth as much as you put into it.

Another way of saying this: do good things for those in your network and they will return the favor.

Some examples of ways to accomplish this include:

• Offer free consulting in your area of expertise
• Join your local chamber of commerce and host helpful seminars
• Offer free consulting or advice in your area of expertise
• Present free webinars on an in-demand topic (no selling!)
• Participate in forums related to your niche
• Write guest articles for bloggers in your niche

The methods above are just meant as a place for you to start. The important thing is that you not only network online, but also put in some effort to offline marketing. Sure, your reach won’t be as large but often the local, offline network will be some of your first sales.

Join the chamber of commerce in your area, or hop onto MeetUp.com to begin attending gatherings where you live.

Your business is only going to be as strong as your network. You shouldn’t stop networking after launch – but instead continue growing it as it will only help you to grow your business.