6 Ways Trade Schools Can Promote Online Classes in a Hands-On World
When people think of trade schools, they don’t often correlate that with online or distance learning. But to be honest, that’s kind of a backward way of thinking when it comes to modern vocational training. So many colleges and schools that offer focused, short-term programs in the skilled trades incorporate online coursework as part of their programs, and it’s a selling point that you might not be marketing as well as you can.
A Look at Online Trade School Courses
Online education has come a very long way since the University of Alberta’s Department of Medicine offered some of the first online courses using IBM 1500 computers. By the fall of 2022, over half of college students took at least one course online and just over a quarter took classes exclusively online. That’s because an online course can give a student more flexibility with their schedule and the opportunity to work around existing commitments and responsibilities.
That has led trade schools to shift toward hybrid learning as a way to give their students the benefits of online learning without sacrificing the practical, hands-on education they’re known for. But the advent of advanced simulations and virtual environments has shifted this as well, making it even more possible for someone to train in the skilled trades from home at their own pace.
6 Ways Trade Schools Can Better Promote Online Courses
If you have a trade school that incorporates online classes, the question then is: how do you market this aspect of your curricula in a way that reaches the right student?
What we don’t want to do with this section is just cover the basics of digital marketing. Yes, you should be taking the time upfront to identify your ideal customer. Yes, you should be making sure the applicable web pages are SEO-optimized. Yes, you should be utilizing your email lists and social media platforms. But what else?
Invest in your lead magnets
If you’re not familiar with the term lead magnet, it refers to free resources or items that you use to gather contact details. So think of times you might’ve been interested in downloading a report or getting an ebook, and the company or organization asks you to give them your name and email first – that’s a lead magnet.
And if you haven’t been using any lead magnets before, implementing some to promote your online courses can be a great place to start. Consider things like:
- Infographics
- Expert essays and insights
- Webinars
- Short ebooks or instructional guides
Give them a sneak peek
One of the big questions your potential students will likely have about online classes, especially in a trade school program, is, “What is it going to look like?” And the best way to answer that is by showing them.
This can be handled multiple ways. You can record virtual tours of the online spaces they’ll be working in, which you can then embed on your website and promote on your socials and over email. You can have an online instructor do a video walk-through of what a day as an enrollee of the class would look like. If you have the resources, you can even offer a trial mini-course to let them see what it would really feel like to attend.
We’d recommend collecting and making quite a bit of video content in this space so you can cut and recut it for a lot of different uses.
Link up with local business partners and industry experts
Online coursework can feel really intangible. Because everything is digital and virtual, prospective students may not feel they have a grounded idea of what they will learn and how they will benefit.
This is where trade schools have an advantage because a lot of them have created relationships with local employers in order to make informed decisions on their curricula and help place graduates in externships and entry-level jobs. Those contacts can be helpful in establishing authority and credibility.
Ask these employers about whether they’re interested in doing things like writing guest blogs, shooting videos and interviews, etc. It can be mutually beneficial for them, as well, by promoting their company.
Utilize testimonials
Authenticity is the key to content in 2026. No matter what you put on your website or in your ads, nothing is going to sell your online classes as well as testimonials for students and graduates. We actually discussed this topic as its own article not too long ago.
If you haven’t already been collecting student feedback, reviews, testimonials, and success stories, it’s not too late to get started because it can make the difference between a lost lead and an enrollment.
Feature your instructors
Like we’ve mentioned before, online classes can feel distant and disconnected, so one of the best ways to promote them is to ground and humanize them. Your instructors and faculty are going to be key parts of a student’s educational journey; it helps to put them front and center.
This can be pretty simple. Get their pictures and post them on your website, socials, etc., along with their background and qualifications. You can take it to the next level, however, by making video content that shows off their personalities, teaching styles, and passion for their industries.
Leverage QR codes
This may seem small, but the easier you can make it to learn about your online classes, the better. Attention spans are short; if a prospective student has to take multiple steps in order to find the information they’re looking for, they’re more likely to just nope out instead.
Including QR codes on physical materials, emails, and socials can let them very quickly access…well, whatever it is you want to drive them to. Online course landing pages or websites, the lead magnets from above, or some of the promotional video materials you’ve created.
The Future Is Online
There will always be aspects of the skilled trades that are best learned in-person and through hands-on work, but more and more we’re seeing today’s learners looking to expand their opportunities and skills in a way that’s flexible and accessible. If you are a trade school looking to highlight your online classes and aren’t sure where to begin, we’d love to partner with you to highlight everything that makes your programs great.
