Self-hosted or a platform: Where to sell my online courses

Introduction

As online courses grow in popularity, creators face a key decision - should they self-host their courses on their own website or sell through an established platform like Teachable, Thinkific or Marketsy.ai? Both options have their pros and cons when it comes to features, control, reach, revenue, and effort required. Marketsy.ai offers an AI-powered platform that allows users to quickly create an online store with minimal technical skills. However, fully building out your own platform from scratch provides more customization. This article will dive into the key factors to consider when deciding where to sell online courses.

Benefits of Using a Platform Like Marketsy.ai

Selling courses through an established platform like Marketsy.ai comes with some major advantages that make getting started quick and easy.

Low Barrier to Entry

Platforms like Marketsy.ai remove much of the technical headache of running an online business. Creators can launch a full-featured online course marketplace in minutes with no coding using simple AI prompts. The easy setup lets you focus efforts on creating great course content, not building a website.

No need to build your own site - just type "build me an online course marketplace" and Marketsy.ai's AI handles the rest
Extremely fast and simple launch process - go from idea to live platform in under 5 minutes
No web development or design skills required - Marketsy.ai is completely no-code
Affordable pricing including a free tier to get started - test it out at no cost
Start selling immediately instead of spending months building a platform

Built-in Ecommerce Functionality

Platforms like Marketsy.ai come equipped with all the tools needed to sell courses and run a business - no need to integrate multiple services yourself.

Payment processing, taxes, refunds handled seamlessly through Stripe integration
Shopping carts, multi-step checkout process, order management built-in
Coupons, promotions, and email marketing tools included to boost sales
In-depth analytics provide data and insights on sales, traffic, and customers
Enterprise-grade security and infrastructure to protect payment info

Marketing & Audience Reach

Leverage the platform's built-in marketing tools and existing student base to expand your reach.

SEO optimization helps surface your courses in search engines
Promote to Marketsy.ai's current students and followers
Built-in email marketing and social media sharing
Collaborate with other successful course creators on the platform
Access wider audience vs just your own subscribers

For example, a fitness instructor using Marketsy.ai could promote their new course to the thousands of existing students taking cooking or photography classes on the platform.

Benefits of Self-Hosting Your Online Courses

Building your own platform from the ground up provides complete control and customization for a branded experience.

Branding & Customization

Own the full student experience under your brand, tailored to your courses.

Showcase brand identity through custom fonts, colors, and logos
Customize student portal and course dashboards to match branding
Add interactive elements like quizzes, certificates, discussion forums
Create consistent experience across all courses

For example, an educator can design personalized course completion certificates with their own branding and logo.

Data Ownership & Independence

Maintain control over your student data and avoid platform dependency.

Keep full student analytics and info in your own database
Integrate your own marketing and analytics tools, like Salesforce or HubSpot
Modify platform based on student data and feedback
Change platforms without losing student access and account history

Avoid platform fees and keep 100% of earnings by managing your own payment processing.

Set your own pricing and sales policies without restrictions
Offer custom bundles and student discounts to drive sales
Run promotions on your own schedule without approval
Higher profit margins by avoiding the ~5% revenue sharing common on platforms

Key Factors to Consider

There are a few key variables that impact whether self-hosting or using a platform like Marketsy.ai makes more sense for selling your courses:

Your technical skills and ability to build an online platform from scratch
Time required to create and maintain your own platform - easily 100+ hours
Number of courses you plan to sell - a single course may not warrant a custom platform
Your existing student base and audience reach - leveraging a platform's audience can give a boost
Whether you want to focus on course creation or platform management - platforms handle the backend
Your budget for payments, security, marketing, support etc. - platforms provide this
Desire for full creative control and custom experiences for your brand

For example, a developer with ample time may opt to build a custom platform from scratch to have full control, while a chef creating their first online cooking course may prefer Marketsy.ai for its speed and reach.

Conclusion

There are good arguments on both sides - it comes down to your specific goals and priorities as a course creator. Platforms like Marketsy.ai offer speed, marketing capabilities, and built-in tools to get started quickly, while self-hosting provides ultimate control and customization. Assess your individual skills, time, audience, focus and other factors to decide the best approach for selling your online courses. Weigh the ease of use and reach of platforms vs the control of self-hosting to determine the right solution for your needs. The key is carefully evaluating your situation to choose whether a ready-made platform like Marketsy.ai or a fully custom-built website aligns better with your objectives.