Beacon Financial Training
Case Study
About Beacon Financial Training:
Beacon Financial Training specialises in training mortgage advisors. Before COVID-19, all its courses were classroom based.
Key Measurables:
The Challenge
With the UK in lockdown, Engage Web helped formulate a plan to convert the classroom course into an online product. Speed was key, as Beacon stood to lose its turnover overnight and faced the possibility of refunding existing bookings up to the sum of £9,000.  The biggest challenge was to market the online version within a short timescale.
Online Marketing
The quickest way to market the online offering was to use a free lead magnet. A squeeze page was set up on the website to gather email addresses in return for a free training module. An automated email sequence was developed to follow up the leads, offering a discount code for fast action using Mailchimp, with a manual monthly email after that.  Mailchimp was linked to the website for course purchases, enabling Beacon to filter out contacts who had already purchased.
Facebook Advertising
The quickest way to market the online offering was to use a free lead magnet. A squeeze page was set up on the website to gather email addresses in return for a free training module. An automated email sequence was developed to follow up the leads, offering a discount code for fast action using Mailchimp, with a manual monthly email after that.  Mailchimp was linked to the website for course purchases, enabling Beacon to filter out contacts who had already purchased.
Video Production
The two five-day courses were filmed over a month. Engage Web embedded the videos on the website as part of the website’s new online course material. The website was adapted to allow customers to register for, pay online and complete the courses remotely.
Success factors
The feedback from existing and new customers was universally positive. Corporate clients were particularly enthusiastic, as the online experience allowed them cost savings and greater flexibility.
It also opened up the target market. In the past, Beacon had considered recruiting more trainers to expand the business’ reach, however, finding suitable candidates had been a challenge, and the training the company could provide was limited to the North West and Leeds. With the launch of online courses, Beacon can now offer the product nationally and has even sold courses to participants internationally, including Dubai and Saudi Arabia.
Moving forward
Beacon Financial Training now aims to take its new business model forward. There is still a market for classroom-based courses, and the company offers the option to upgrade from online to classroom. However, Beacon is now able to provide its courses to double the number of students using the online offering, saving time and increasing revenue.
