Welcome to the Setup Sidekick Blog
Where I share my thoughts and experience in building an online business
Including course creation, sales funnels, marketing – and the occasional book review
Using persuasion in marketing
I recently completed a course on ethical user experience design and now I can’t help but notice dodgy stuff on websites, sometimes, in the most surprising places. I have to believe that the owner of the website doesn’t know that these are dodgy persuasive practices....
Let’s talk about using aspiration in marketing
I’ll bet you’ve seen pics of sleazy internet marketers posing with Lamborghinis before. You know what I mean, right? Super dodgy… and yet, still effective as a marketing tool. Why? It’s effective because it’s aspirational, and we all aspire to something. I’ll give you...
Just how accurate are email open rates?
A while back I implemented an email contact list cleaning campaign. Something I was taught to do regularly, as having people in your contact list who never open any of your emails affects your email deliverability score. You’ve probably been taught to do the same....
Beyond video – here are 8 content types you should consider adding to your course.
Beyond video - here are 8 content types you should consider adding to your course. I think it’s safe to say that most courses have video/audio and usually some downloadable or fillable documents. And maybe a private community for you to ask questions in. Which is...
Is it ethical to disclose that you’ve used AI-generated content in your course?
Is it ethical to disclose that you’ve used AI-generated content in your course? Consider it from the perspective of a course buyer. Would knowing someone used AI to create their course influence your decision to buy it? It’s a sticky one, isn’t it? And it’s a bit like...
Let’s talk about icky marketing techniques
Let’s talk icky marketing techniques and I’m going to start by asking you a question. Are you making people feel manipulated or uncomfortable? I had a sales call with someone recently that made me feel very uncomfortable. The call started off ok – but she swiftly...
If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough
“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” - Albert Einstein Einstein’s quote applies to all teaching but especially to online courses. I’ve written before about the fact that I never finish courses I sign up for. And I’ve even signed up...
What’s in a course name?
"What's in a name?" Well, when it comes to online courses, the answer is quite a lot! Just like with anything we promote online, the words matter. People are busy, especially online and they have seconds to decide whether or not to click on something. There are also...
Let’s talk about customer journeys
Have you considered your customer journey? That is, how people enter your world and the steps they go through until they (hopefully) buy your course/service. I recently spoke about the importance of laying important business foundations and why it’s important to have...
Why I don’t talk about AI
You can’t throw a pebble without hitting someone promoting something AI-related these days. It’s EVERYWHERE! And someone recently asked me why I never talk about it, especially considering I’m all about making course creation as easy and stress-free as possible. And I...
How do you make sure your course is engaging?
Want to know how to make sure your course is engaging? Well, you may be surprised to find out that it's not as hard as you think. Creating a course takes a pretty big investment of your time, energy and possibly even money. The last thing you want to do is to create...
There is no silver bullet in business
I hate to break it to you but there's no silver bullet in business. Everyone’s looking for that one strategy that’ll mean instant success for their business. That ONE thing. That simple and seemingly magical solution. And a lot of people think an online course is that...
Is an online course REALLY right for you?
If you’re considering whether an online course is right for you, I hate to break it to you but, it may not be. Courses are my passion, and as much as I believe that we all have something to teach and that anyone can create an online course - there are some instances...
How an online course can help you make a much bigger impact in the world
Last week I spoke about the hidden benefits of creating an online course. But today, I want to talk about something that often drives people to create courses: the desire to make a real difference. Let’s talk about how an online course can help you make a bigger...
The hidden benefits of creating an online course
Have you ever considered the hidden benefits of creating an online course? If you’re involved in the world of online business, I’m sure you’ve heard all about the benefits of creating an online course. How it’ll help you move from being fully booked in your 1:1...
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