More and more online entrepreneurs are choosing to leverage their expertise by offering online programs and courses. And why wouldn’t you!? It’s a cost-effective way to access a lucrative market hungry for education! But, if you are already offering online courses or thinking of doing so, have you thought about how to protect this important money earner for your business?

The online education market is worth billions of dollars and continually growing. So whether you have a ‘mini” course as an entry-level step in your sales funnel or your core business is a high-end program, it’s easy to see why having an online course is so enticing.

Online courses and programs are a powerful and efficient way to reach your target market and source of passive income, making your business profitable and sustainable. So, what do you need to do to protect this asset, so it doesn’t become a liability?

Your online course is a product

Your online course or program is a product. As with all products, you must manage customer expectations with accurate advertising and course purchase Terms and Conditions to clarify content, payment terms, and outcomes.

The last thing any business needs is a lack of clarity, causing disgruntled customers – this can cost you time, money and your good reputation. The solution is to have course terms and conditions in place to manage customer expectations. When terms are communicated clearly to your course customer, the chances of unrealistic outcome expectations resulting in refund requests are significantly reduced.

Why you need terms

Having an Online Course Terms and Conditions is an effective way to show your client that you, as the course creator, have thought about all aspects of offering an online course and have your processes in place.

Well-drafted course terms and conditions will positively manage the relationship between you and your course customer and should include

• Course content details
• How the content is delivered
• Price, payment methods
• How refund requests will be managed
• How long is the course accessible to the customer
• The rules about your intellectual property in the course content
• Professional disclaimers about the advice offered in your course content

Could a template work for you?

For low investment/low-risk courses, an Online Course Terms Template can be a practical choice. A good template includes all of the above, and you simply ‘fill in the blanks” where indicated to make it about your course.

Using a template is not recommended if you provide a program requiring a higher investment level or offering specific outcomes. If your course or program is related to finances, increasing wealth, or improving health, then you will be better protected by having a chat with your lawyer so they can put the necessary disclaimers in place.

No one wants their customers to be disappointed in their course because they felt it did not meet their expectations. However, in most cases, the situation could have been avoided with an Online Course Terms and Conditions. Have your customers tick a box or add their name to confirm that they have read the terms and agree to be bound by them when they purchase your online course.

You’ve invested too much time, experience and knowledge into making your online course unique and valuable. Don’t risk it now by putting it out into the big world without a safety net. Instead, put implementing or reviewing your Online Course Terms and Conditions Agreement on your To Do List today.

Shalini has a range of legal templates for small business owners and you can access them here. KBB readers can get a discount by using the code SAVE15.

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