You searched for your LMS, went through the RFP process, implemented the platform, and are preparing for launch.

But first, you need content.

We often hear, especially from those launching their first academy:

• “I don’t have enough content to launch a full-blown academy.”
• “I’m doing this alone and don’t have the time to create content, let alone good content.”
• “I know videos and visual content perform better than text in many situations, but I don’t have the budget.”

If you feel this way, know you’re not the only one—and we got you on this.

Here’s the thing: You don’t need a ton of content to get started on your customer education journey. You also don’t need a ton of bandwidth or an instructional designer.

In this article, we’ll explore how you can get your content engine running without a ton of resources or budget, using what you already have—and a little help from generative AI tools.

Mine Your Entire Content Ecosystem: From Marketing to Support

I’d wager a big bet that you already have the content you need to launch your academy—or at least the foundation of it.

While working with a designer to concept, outline, design, and launch a net-new course is great (and something you’ll certainly work toward), it’s not necessary to get your customer academy started.

I’ll say that again for everyone in the back: You don’t need to recreate the wheel to launch an academy. You can simply use what’s already available.

Here are some examples:

• Blog posts
• Webinars
• Slide decks
• Conference presentations
• Podcasts
• Support docs
• Frequently Asked Questions to Support

You can use any of these assets to get your content engine rolling.
And the best part is that you can version most of these into multiple assets, giving you enough meat to create a complete course.

For example, you can:

• Separate a blog post into five lessons and deliver them via a learning path.
• Snip your webinar into bite-sized segments and include a quiz or assessment at the end of each
• Take the information in a slide deck and copy it into your LMS’ rich text editor (RTE).
• Turn your support docs and FAQs into short courses that address key customer challenges

You don’t need to start from scratch to create something great. You have to be willing to see what you already have and version it for your intended customer outcomes.

Achieve Speed and Scale With Gen AI for Content Creation

The global AI writing assistant software market continues to explode. In fact, it’s growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.2% and is expected to surpass $1b in value by 2028. The explosion of ChatGPT is shining an even brighter light on the technology.

AI is here, and while many people are concerned about robots taking over—these tools are uniquely positioned to help you create content. Use them to:

• Create content for outline courses
• Write course descriptions
• Develop video scripts
  
• Develop reference materials and FAQs
• Create assessments and quizzes
  
• Create survey questions
  
• Synthesize technical documentation into digestible copy
  
• Break up a long blog or ebook into a five-part course
• And so much more!
  

This is just the tip of the iceberg. While AI won’t replace your entire content creation process, it can significantly reduce the resources required and the speed at which you can create. In so many areas of business, generative AI can be your sidekick, empowering you to do more, faster. This is especially true when it comes to content creation.

Learn More

Content creation can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. To get started with your customer academy, use the content you already have, keep it simple, and embrace gen AI tools to help you accelerate the process. Your content engine will grow in no time.

Learn more in our article, How to Use AI to Create Great Customer Education Course Content.