Coursera started as a B2C company. Their initial mission was to provide the highest-quality educational content from respected and well-known universities to learners worldwide.
This proved to be effective: In 2020, this business model generated $193 million.
But moving to B2B with the launch of Coursera for Business was an even smarter decision.
Their B2B model brings in about 1/3 of the company’s annual revenue.
How does Coursera keep a balance between B2C and B2B?
The way a final consumer makes a buying decision in B2C is very different from the way a company forms a buying decision in B2B.
Here’s how they do it:
First of all, Coursera didn’t radically change its positioning.
They still define themselves as the global online learning platform that offers access to online courses to “anyone, anywhere.”
And they still use one main landing page: Coursera.org.
But how do they balance their communication?
They have a dedicated landing page
Coursera For Business, where the language is more business-like.
They focus on course-ROI and speak to decision-makers.
Chatbot
On the business platform, they use a chatbot to pre-qualify leads.
Salespeople
When it comes to high-ticket products, a one-to-one interaction is critical.
Their process to get potential clients on a call is seamless. Coursera does not push you with Calendly links to book a meeting.
The process is smooth and leaves little room for aggressive sales.
In-demand courses
This is one of the characteristics that set Coursera apart from the rest. In-demand courses teach skills that give access to jobs that are in high demand.
This positions Coursera as the go-to platform for a company that wants to upskill its workforce.
Dominating the search engines
Coursera has probably the most effective SEO approach in the MOOC industry (Massive Open Online Courses).
(Further reading: Wise’s SEO strategy)
The dedicated Coursera for Business landing page generates 1.8 million traffic and ranks for 726,000 different keywords.
They achieve this by matching the intent of high-level professionals looking to achieve strategic business goals.
These individuals understand a specific language, have goals, and need to track ROI.
And Coursera’s content is created accordingly.
