What is the process for developing and marketing a continuing education course?

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

There's a fair amount to it. 

Developing and marketing a nursing continuing education (CE) course involves several detailed steps.

Over the years, I have developed a substantial amount of continuing education for different companies, but I have never marketed it myself; I have just developed and sold it.

CE Provider

To provide continuing education units (CEUs) yourself, you have to be an accredited provider of continuing education. The ANCC  (American Nurses Credentialing Center) is the gold standard for accreditation, although there are other approvers. You would have to apply to be a provider, which is a process, and follow the guidelines, such as length of material, test questions, and use of scholarly sources.

If you are not interested in doing all that, you may want to contact a company and see if you can get hired just to provide content. Indeed.com and other job search engines list jobs for content creators.

Here's a comprehensive overview:

Development Process

• Needs assessment. Identify audience needs. Conduct surveys, focus groups, or review current literature to understand your target audience's educational gaps and needs.
• Regulatory requirements: Ensure your course meets the criteria set by nursing boards and accrediting bodies like the ANCC.

Define Learning Objectives

• Specific and measurable. Objectives should be clear, learner-oriented, achievable, and measurable.
• Alignment with needs. Ensure the objectives address the identified needs and gaps.

Course Design

• Content development. Develop the course content, including reading materials, case studies, and practical exercises.
• Subject matter experts (SMEs). Collaborate with experienced nursing professionals to ensure content accuracy and relevance.
• Instructional design. Use instructional design principles to create engaging and effective learning experiences. Consider incorporating various learning modalities such as videos, interactive modules, and quizzes.
• Accreditation application. Prepare and submit an application to the accrediting body for course approval, including detailed content descriptions, learning objectives, and assessment methods.

Course Delivery

• Platform selection. Choose a suitable platform for delivering the course, whether it'sn-person, online, or hybrid.
• Technical requirements. Ensure the platform supports functionalities like video streaming, discussion forums, and assessments.

Evaluation and Feedback

• Assessments. Create pre-tests, post-tests, and quizzes to measure learning outcomes.
• Feedback mechanisms. Implement surveys and forms to gather participant feedback for continuous improvement.

Marketing Process

• Market research and competitor analysis. Analyze similar courses in the market to understand their strengths and weaknesses.
• Audience analysis. Identify your target audience's demographics, preferences, and pain points.
• Branding and messaging, brand identity. Create a consistent brand identity, including a logo, color scheme, and tone of voice.
• Marketing plan. Content Marketing: Consider developing a content strategy that includes blog posts, articles, webinars, and social media posts related to the course topic.
• Email Marketing. Build an email list and send potential participants regular updates, newsletters, and promotional offers.
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Optimize your course landing page and related content for search engines to attract organic traffic.
• Social media marketing. Utilize platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and X to reach a broader audience.
• Paid advertising. Consider paid ads on Google, social media, or relevant nursing websites and forums.

Sales and Enrollment

• Easy registration process. Ensure a user-friendly and secure registration process.
• Customer support. Provide excellent customer support to assist with inquiries and technical issues.

Partnerships and Collaborations

• Professional organizations. Partner with nursing associations and professional organizations to promote your course.
• Healthcare Institutions. Collaborate with hospitals and clinics to offer the course to their staff.

Continuous Improvement

• Monitor and analyze. Track marketing efforts and course performance using analytics tools.
• Iterate: Continuously improve the course content and marketing strategies based on feedback and data analysis.

By following these steps, you can develop and successfully market a nursing continuing education course.

Best wishes,

Nurse Beth