167: Secrets to a Successful Alumni Launch: Boost Your Revenue and Student Success

Well, hey there. Welcome back to the Professional Creative Podcast. I'm so happy to spend this time with you and also really excited to dive into our topic today. I want to talk about the success and the strategy behind our annual alumni launch. And so this is going to be how to engage and re enroll your students year after year. So, calling all course creators, I'm going to dive into one of the most powerful strategies that will really help you sustain success in your courses or classes. It's all about cultivating a really engaged and supportive network of alumni. Now, we do a lot for our alumni. We absolutely adore and love our alumni community. So if you are an alum listening to this, we love you so much. And one thing that we often say is that you are the lifeblood of our community and of everything that we really strive for. It's that ongoing connection. And our alumni are a huge part of that. So one of the biggest challenges I think many course creators face is how to keep alumni engaged, you know, beyond the course and in years to come. And so once a student completes your course, oftentimes you probably think that they're thinking they've got all that they need, so let's move on. But what we do is really cultivate an alumni culture. And so what we do is really intentionally cultivate an alumni culture. And so I know what my course makes possible, but I also know what it makes possible when someone comes back year after year after year. There is a really powerful thing that comes when you commit to a community long term and you commit to that ongoing learning and progress. So today I'll tell you exactly how I've been able to build this community and alumni culture that really has our alumni coming back stronger year after year. And it also means that we see more and more success stories from our alumni as well, so bringing them new insights, new training, new energy, new friends and connections, and renewed commitment year over year. So stay tuned until the end of this episode because I've created an incredible freebie that goes along with this episode and it's a template that we made just for you on how we gather alumni success stories. So this is a huge part that will help you kind of boost your alumni launch efforts. And so we're going to have that available for you over@PropriationalCreative.com and I'll tell you more a bit about it at the end.

I'm Bonnie Christine. And this is where all things creativity, design, business and marketing unite. I'm a mama living in a tiny town tucked right inside the smoky mountains, running a multi seven figure business, doing the most creative and impactful work of my life. But when I first set out to become an entrepreneur, I was struggling to make ends meet and wrestling with how to accomplish my biggest dream of becoming a fabric designer. Fast forward to today. I'm not only licensing my artwork all over the world, but also teaching others how to design their creative life and experience the same success. I'm here to help you spend your life doing something that lights you up. I'll help you build a creative business that also creates an impact, changes people's lives, gives you all of the freedom you want, and is wildly profitable. Welcome to the Professional Creative Podcast.

Now, when I first introduced an alumni launch, I wasn't really sure what to expect. And I had done things, you know, I had misstepped a few times. So I began my signature course, Surface Design immersion, in 2018, but I didn't start an alumni launch until 2020. And so 2018 and 2019 students get lifetime access to the course indefinitely, forever. And so I really have two different sets of alumni that I have to communicate with a little bit differently every year. And one of the biggest reasons that we changed that is because we started sending a package in the mail to every student. And so then I wasn't really sure what to do with the founding members, if you will, 2018, 2019 students, because now there were some real costs associated with the student year over year. And so what we did was decide to do an alumni launch for new alumni, and we do it at a deep discount. So I'm going to get into all of that, but I wanted to share that I have these two years of students who we've had to figure out exactly the messaging there and how to talk about it with them so they get lifetime access. My word is my word. That's what I promised back then. And so we deliver it year over year, but they have the option to kind of upgrade to get the box that we send in the mail. So we'll get into all of it. But I wanted to share that. So started alumni launching in 2020. So this will be our fifth time hosting an alumni launch this coming year. So I really had no idea what to expect. I didn't know how impactful it would be. But to give you a few examples of what our enrollment looks like, I did some digging and grabbed some numbers for you. So in 2023, 37% of the students in the immersion course were alumni returning alumni. And in 2024, this past year, that number grew to 44%. So another way to look at that is that about 15 to 20 of our student body comes back year over year. As a alumni, you know, one reason that that number continues to grow is because, well, with every graduating class, our body of alumni grows as well. So this increase in enrollments year over year shows not only the value that our alumni find in returning, but it also is how our efforts to re engage them have created this really vibrant and supportive community for aluminum. So it wasn't really until we started offering this alumni rate, this special discount, and a dedicated week on the calendar just for the alumni launch. We host alumni only events. We feature alumni stories that really take things to the next level. And so once we began implementing these really simple but powerful strategies, alumni started to see a return to the course as the invaluable opportunity that it is to recommit and grow and reconnect with each other. And we've been amazed by their results. So let's dive into the strategies that we use every year to host this successful alumni launch. My first tip is to block out your calendar to include this dedicated week for your alumni launch that predates your public launch. So before the door is open to the public, you can jumpstart your enrollment by giving the alumni the first opportunity to join at this special rate just for them. So in the immersion course, our alumni launches the week before we open the doors to the public, and alumni are invited to return at 75% off the public rate. Okay. So I found that though this is an incredibly generous discount, it's still enough of an investment for returning students to recommit themselves and show up ready and excited to do the work. Another really nice benefit that my team and I have found is that our alumni launch acts as a soft opening. So our returning alumni are amazing. They're some of my absolutely favorite people, and they are so gentle with us when kind of it's inevitable that mistakes might happen. So we use our alumni launch internally just to make sure that everything on the back end is working and connected, and that really helps ensure that our public launch goes as smoothly as possible.

Goal.

So, again, it's not really why we did it, but we've found after the fact that it's been a really nice side benefit, because if you are a course creator, you know how much goes into the back end of just connecting everything and triggering the right, you know, welcome email and login and community tags and all of the things. And so it's been a really nice way to just make sure that by the time we hit public launch, all the kinks have been worked out. So dedicating time to your alumni launch is also a really special way to celebrate your alumni. We always want to make our alumni feel super incredibly special and valued because, well, they are. So my second strategy is to highlight alumni success stories. This might seem obvious, like, shouldn't you be celebrating your alumni anyways? Yes, of course. But one way to guarantee your alumni see the value in returning to your course or your program year over year is to show them what's possible because of it. So what's possible when someone comes through the course a second time, third time, fourth time, fifth time, when they see the success that their peers have achieved, it's a really powerful motivator. So when they see others who've taken the same course and gone on to achieve great things, it instills a sense of possibility and excitement about what they can accomplish as well. We love to celebrate alumni, so all of our bonus modules are taught by alumni who have come through the course and also just been incredibly successful. We also have Love Squad, our expert support team that is built of alumni as well. And so this is just a bit of a side note, but one of I think the biggest gifts that I can give is opportunity for alumni to expand and even work for us in many circumstances. And so it's just a really big beautiful culture. Are you ready to take your passion and your expertise to the next level? If you've been dreaming about creating a digital course, but maybe feel overwhelmed by where to start, I've got just the thing for you. Amy Porterfield's Digital Course Academy is the ultimate program that will guide you step by step through the entire course creation journey. From strategy to planning to launching, Amy leaves no stone unturned. So you have everything you need to build a profitable course that you can launch over and over and over again. I'm a huge encourager of teaching what you know. In fact, I believe that creatives are called to be educators. And adding education to what I do completely changed my life. So whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur looking to scale or you're someone who's ready to transition from maybe one on one client work to a more scalable business model. Digital Course Academy is truly perfect for you. Amy's patient and kind and personable and you're going to love her teaching style and the community support which is going to keep you moving forward even when you're uncertain. But listen up, when you sign up through my link before September 26th, you're also going to get my special bonus. For the very first time ever, I'm going to give you my very own comprehensive launch debrief for our last 5, 6 million course launch. It's super detailed and full of incredible insights of everything that we did leading up to and following through this course launch. I think you're going to love it. So it's an insider's look at what it takes to launch a successful course and it's packed with valuable insights that you don't want to miss. So what are you waiting for? Head on over to BonnieCristine.com Amy to learn more and claim your bonus before September 26th. Let's turn your dream into a reality. I've got you. Let's go. Now let's talk about the exclusive alumni events. Something that we found that adds so much value for our alum is to organize events specifically for them. So I have an alumni only kickoff call. We have workshops and alumni only Q and A sessions. Not only are these events like really packed with value, but they're also a chance for alum to be in the same room with each other. Meaning if you're in the room, so to speak, you know that you have so much in common with everyone else. You've been through the same experience already. They've gone through the program before. They are by default now at a higher level than a brand new student would be. So facilitating opportunities for alum to be in company with one another is honoring the stage that they're in as well as supporting their continued growth. So my last tip for a successful alumni launch is really one that you should be doing anyway, and that is keeping your content fresh and updated year after year. Let's really take a moment to talk about the importance of keeping your course content fresh and up to date, and also how it can be a game changer for alumni to re enroll. So we update our course regularly. We do the entire course every other year, but in the years that it's not entirely updated, we have new bonuses, new lessons, and new experiences as well. And that just ensures that the content is relevant and up to date with the latest in industry trends and tools and techniques. This is crucial, especially in a field where things are rapidly evolving. Right? So by continuing to really improve the course year over year, you're really giving alumni the most current and valuable information and a really good reason to come back. So imagine the value of coming back to a course that not only refreshes your knowledge, but also introduces you to the latest in your field. Okay. So let me recap what we provide alumni year over year. First of all, we don't call the Surface Design Immersion course a course very often. We actually call it an experience because that's what it is. And so coming back as an alum for 75% off gets you the entire immersion experience. That includes the course, the updated course that also includes access to the that year's community. Right. It gets you the student box experience delivered to you in the mail. That includes like a gorgeous 438 page course workbook. It's amazing. It also includes like a brand new module. Typically. It includes the weekly live Q&As and the ability to attend what we call office hours. It includes access to student pricing on our conference, our annual conference for surface design. It includes access to joining the study group. And so we offer study groups that small groups of students that go through the course together. And the really special thing is that we always ensure that alumni get put with other alumni. It gets their name on our community wall, which is something that I build in the studio. It gets them an alumni badge. And alumni st us in our community. So we badge all of our alumni as such, so everyone knows that they're alum and it gives them access to that year's immersion expert support team. Now that's amazing because the support team is built of about 24 experts that are at, you know, at your disposal for questions and feedback on your work. And so it really is way more than a course. Right. It's an entire experience. And so we make sure to let them know. And so the other thing that I would recommend is just being really clear with current students about what will happen when they're an alumni. So the. Maybe, maybe you're going to do an alumni launch for the first time. Well, with your current body of students, just make sure that you really clearly explain what the opportunity is for them to come back. Now, for us, we do give lifetime access to their version of the course. So let's say you joined the immersion course in 2022. Well, you would still have access to that course. You'll still have access to that version of the course forever. But if you wanted to come back and take the 2023 version or the 2024 version or the upcoming 2025 version, then you'd have to come back as alumni to get the updated version. So in some sense we do give lifetime access to the version of the course that they purchased. But then we invite them to come back for the new experience year over year. And so it just take. And honestly, students are always so incredibly excited about the offer. And so I just wanted to make a note how important it is to be able to clearly explain what happens to a student after they graduate and what does it look like to become an alumni, and then they get really, really excited about it. So now some of you might still be having some hesitations and so. So I think there are some misconceptions about dedicating a launch to your alumni, and I want to address those head on. So show you misconception versus reality. First, there's, I think, a misconception that alumni won't be interested in retaking a course that they've already completed, but it's simply not true. And the first time that I really understood this was a course that I took that I have gone back to and retaken year over year over year. Even if it's not new, even if it's not been updated, I still retake it because a year has passed. And even if the course isn't new, I'm new, right? I'm not the person I was a year ago. Which means that the information is falling on new ears with new perspective. And so it's just one of the most incredible things you can do is dedicate the same learning experience in the same field over and over and over again. So what we see is that oftentimes our best biggest success stories come from the second, third year alumni, because they've just dedicated themselves to immersing themselves in the industry and in the learning. Every time they come back to the program, they're coming as new, better, focused, different perspective, more deeply committed. So they return with increased knowledge and practical experience from the year that they, you know, practice everything that they learned the first time. So really allows them to dive deeper into their learning. They have refined their goals, they understand their learning style, and probably one of the biggest things is that they know how the course works. So they're not coming in with a bunch of questions about lesson comments or Q&As or the community, right? They're seasoned pros, so now they can come in and get straight to work. I think another misconception is that discounting the course for alumni would devalue it. But the truth is that offering this alumni only discount is a way of rewarding and celebrating your alumni as well as encouraging them to recommit. So again, they're really the lifeblood of our community, and so we want to incentivize them. We also want to honor them. The alumni launch for US typically covers all of our ad spend for the entire year. So to put that into perspective, our alumni launch this past year brought in over $500,000 and that was right before we opened cart to the public. And so it's really an incredible kind of boost and practice for your business as well. My friends, let's wrap up today's episode. Remember that hosting an alumni launch benefits everyone involved. It is an incredible opportunity for your alumni. It's also an incredible opportunity for your new students because they have this kind of person that has gone before them there to guide them and answer questions. Not that every alumni has to do that, but oftentimes they do. And so it builds this really sweet connection between second year and first year students. It also is an incredible opportunity for your business to really boost your revenue and practice your open cart before you get to the public. Now, don't forget to download the free guide that we have over@PropriationalCreative.com it's on today's Show Notes and we've packed it with tips and the right questions that you can ask your alumni in order to get really solid alumni success stories. So it's your turn. Head over to theprofessionalcreative.com to download today's freebie, read the show notes and start planning your alumni launch. My friends, create the beauty that you want to see come alive in the world. And remember, there's room for you. I'll see you next time. Bye for now.