marketing your elearning program
DESCRIPTION
I think of training as the filling in a marketing sandwich. Training itself should be part of an company’s or organization’s overall marketing plan. But you also need to have a marketing plan to ensure the success of your training. E-Learning or online training/education ensures the online channel is open to your prospective students and, thus, can play a tactical role in delivering marketing messages. This presentation discusses the necessity of having a solid marketing plan for your training deployment and some tactical implementations we\'ve used successfully.TRANSCRIPT
Marketing Your eLearning Programs
Vicky Frank, Executive Director, Seward Inc.
Recently traveled to the Sultanate of Oman to conduct a seminar on using social media tools in teaching.
You can call it “marketing,” but what do you really mean?
mar ž ket ž ing noun
An aggregate of functions involved in moving goods from producer to consumer
- Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionaryy
Training itself should be part of an organization’s overall marketing plan.
But you also need to have a marketing plan to ensure the success of your training.
Training is like the filling in a marketing sandwich.
If you want your training product to be used, you need to let people know about it and build their expectations about what it will do for them.
Elevate the eLearning experience from that of a set of isolated training events to an integral part of the work environment.
Pre-Release Marketing Prepares Learners for the eLearning
• Raise learner awareness• Establish expectations about how learners will benefit• Foster anticipation• Increase their perceived value of the eLearning program
At-Release Marketing Motivates Learners to Participate
• Launch / Celebration /Communications• Emphasize the importance of the
eLearning• Recognize the contributions of those
who produced the eLearning
Post-Release Marketing Keeps the Momentum Going
• Extend the life of the eLearning product
• Heighten learner awareness• Encourage participation
• Support continuous improvement
So what can you do to make your training suitablefor consumption?
eLearning marketing should increase use by accomplishing 6 things:•Make people aware of the product while it is under development•Let them know who will use it•Explain how it will benefit them and their organization•Communicate the release date•Celebrate the implementation of the training•Follow up with periodic announcements and reports
• Launch event, "ribbon cutting" ceremony• Open house and invite prominent individuals as guests of honor• Cast party• Cake• Giveaways
ScenariosLaunch – Getting the Training off the Ground
Divisional CEO video (and printed alternative) message of how the training ties into strategic objectives of the company.
Sales Executive video introduces training to sales force. Training coincides with new sales structure.
Email from executive highlighting the purpose, timeline, and desired outcomes of the training. Contact information provided.
ScenariosExecutive Endorsement
Point of sale props set up at cafeteria entrance to promote training.
Develop special web pages (blog, intranet, extranet, website, webinar) with announcements, progress reports and sample lessons.
ScenariosCommunications
For mandatory training, staged email communications that alert learners of approaching deadline.
Posters and newsletters that promote consistent visual and message theme of why training is important.
When the timetable for completion is very shortWhen the volume of content for learners is very largeWhen learners are otherwise poorly motivatedWhen competition serves the purpose
When the timetable for completion is very shortWhen the volume of content for learners is very largeWhen learners are otherwise poorly motivatedWhen competition serves the purpose
ScenariosIncentive Programs
• Training games with scoring mechanisms• Group scores posted • Cumulative scores posted (thermometer)• Incentive gifts awarded for completion by score or deadline
Thanks! Questions?
Seward Websites: http://www.sewardinc.comhttp://
international.sewardinc.com
Seward blog: http://blog.sewardinc.com
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/vickyfrank
Twitter: @vickyfrank
Vicky Frank
Executive Director
Director of Digital Strategies
Seward Inc.