USING MARKETING METHODOLOGY FOR LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT
Marketing and Learning & Development may seem to be completely distinct functions, but in fact, they share many common goals.
The ultimate goal of marketing is to influence behaviour. Beyond the simplest product information, the same goal applies to learning & development - especially with the focus increasingly on developing soft skills and improving the customer experience.
The effectiveness of L&D initiatives hinges on the level of engagement it generates among employees and using marketing techniques can help achieve this. Marketing departments excel in selling products, and these strategies can be applied to sell knowledge in exchange for time spent learning. By integrating marketing practices into learning, we can make L&D more effective in shaping desired behaviours. Here, we will look at adopting the ways Marketing delivers in two key areas – Campaign Planning and Content - for more engaging and effective Learning.
1. Treat Learning Delivery Like an Advertising Campaign
Identify and Connect with your Audience:
Understanding your audience to target them effectively is the first step in planning a campaign. It is vital not to assume you already know who they are and what they want or need. This is just as important even if the content is mandatory. This involves identifying the different learning styles, preferences, and needs within the distinct functions you are addressing.
Explain the benefit – what is in it for the learner? Training might be mandatory but even then, convincing the learner there are tangible benefits will improve engagement.
Plan content delivery:
Identify the purpose and the stage of the learning. These stages are like marketing a product: Engagement, Acquisition, and Retention. Determine which stage you want to achieve for the learner. Do you want to build excitement by letting them know something is coming soon, engage and support the launch, or remind and reinforce their knowledge?
Also, consider the stage of the product or service in its lifecycle - Introduction, Growth, Maturity, or Decline. This can relate to the learner's knowledge stage as well. It's crucial to address the middle stages of learning, not just introductions and reminders.
Get Attention:
Consider reaching outside the LMS (Learning Management Systems) to promote your campaign and engage other channels within the organisation. This could include advertising on the intranet, promoting via internal digital signage, email or even physically. Building awareness creates a perception of importance and encourages engagement.
2. Create Compelling Content
Content is Key:
In both Marketing and L&D, the message plays a vital role, and good copy is crucial for engagement. By keeping the points from the Content Delivery Plan in mind, you can ensure the message stays on target and can be customised to achieve the desired behavioural influence.
A memorable message is concise - it is the key to knowledge retention. This is especially true in time-based media. – Consider the attention a learner can give and make sure to say the one thing well that matters most. It helps to understand cognitive capacity (what the learner can absorb in one go) and never make content longer than necessary. Remember to open and close with impact - the most important (and remembered) lines are the first and last. Typically, this would mean starting with the Why and ending with the Action.
Use the right medium(s):
Next, decide what the appropriate delivery mechanisms are for each stage of the campaign, and if needed, tailor the message to the medium. For example, videos are great for high-level communication and excitement, but not for in-depth information.
It is unlikely the same delivery method will work for all stages of the campaign, so understanding how to deliver different pieces of content is important. It is also important to be flexible and adapt to the assets that can be acquired or generated. Assets may not be available on time as products change and develop, so creative concepts that do not have to rely heavily on assets that are still being generated are a sensible approach.
Where possible, create as much engagement as possible with creative use of technology. Gamification is a well-established branding technique and can be a great motivator in L&D too. The possibilities of XR in the right circumstances can be highly interactive and great for non-linear learning.
However, if new technology is used for the sake of it, it can often be perceived as a gimmick and dismissed, so consider how to make the most of what can be done in the medium. Using XR, as an example, can bring great benefits to the user but only if the experience brings something that they would not be able to learn more effectively in ‘traditional’ methods. The experience can be compelling but should not get in the way of knowledge acquisition / retention.
Stand out (but Maintain Identity):
Learning should feel like part of the brand ecosystem. Enormous efforts are spent on building a universal identity for the organisation and extensive guidelines will likely exist that can provide a great framework.
However, while respecting Corporate Identity and not breaking brand guidelines is important, it is just as important not to become stuck in a mould. Flex with individual product themes and give campaigns recognisable identities of their own. A good example is our work for a major OEM in the creation of an online academy, with complimentary but individual branding that flows consistently throughout and ties the content together.
Improvement Through Measurement
This is covered in detail in another of our articles but measuring the success of an L&D programme should go beyond simply analysing completion rates and scores. An important part of the loop is to understand engagement through market feedback, identifying areas of improvement and refinement for future campaigns, but also the maintenance and updates of the existing one.
Conclusion
By applying marketing techniques to L&D, organisations can enhance the effectiveness of their training programs. Understanding your audience, creating compelling content, branding your L&D initiatives, promoting your campaigns, and measuring their effectiveness will lead to enhanced engagement and improved knowledge retention, driving business performance.