10 MARKETING TASTERS in online learning to create sense of URGENCY
Online learning is so often launched then unused and unloved. So much effort goes into the making, that the marketing gets ignored. How often is there a substantial marketing budget in the project? Rarely. How often is there anyone with real marketing expertise in the team? Rarely.
1. Create sense of urgency
1. Create sense of urgency
You’re reading this because something in your head said –
this matters. Kotter, the great expert on change management, says that before
you write vision documents, project plans and Gantt charts, ‘create a sense of
urgency’, the first in his famous 8 steps in change management. That may be a threat, new initiative, new product, the promise of
something new for them– use a trigger to excite people. The same istrue of learning. You must stimulate curiosity.
2. Tasters
Good movies have good tasters. Good courses should also have
good tasters. Tailor the taster to the needs of your learners based on the 7 key questions you’ve used in your market research. What do they want to get out of this? If the
main barrier to use is the perception of compliance training as a ‘lose the
will to live’ experience, spice it up. Remind them of the dire consequences of not doing hte training. Remember that a good taster needs to
stimulate curiosity. It needs to be short, relevant and intriguing.
3. Title tricks
Something that often receives cursory attention is the
title. Yet this is the tip of your marketing spear. You can live with a boring
old teacher-speak title such as ‘Introduction
to marketing’. That’s OK if you want it to be literal (there may be good
reasons for this). Alternatively, if you’re appealing to people who want to
acquire a skill it may be better to say ‘Practical
marketing’. If you need to create a sense of urgency then up the stakes to
‘10 things you need to know about
marketing’. You get the idea.
4. Email
Whatever people say about social media, email is still the
hub in the centre of many people’s communication wheel, with spokes coming in
from social media and other sources. Short emails, when cleverly written, with
links to tasters and a clear call to action are still an effective marketing tool.
Tasters can be sent as attachments or embedded so that they appear in the email
when it is opened. The email, in itself, should be seen as a taster.
5. Tasty tweets
Internally, perhaps on yammer, or externally on
twitter/Facebook, Tweets, posts and messages will get to people through that
little portable, powerful and personal gadget in their pocket – their mobile.
I, personally think mobile learning is more about the mobile marketing of
learning, and tasters, spaced practice and so on, than the delivery of courses.
6. Trigger txts
Your learners almost certainly have a mobile, so why not
text them. Whatsapp also allows you to send images, even videos. Snapchat is
fun – why not. Make sure your txt is short, sharp and sweet.
7. Curiosity question
Ask a fascinating question from the course. one that will
puzzle or surprise. Along the lines of Why
do men have nipples? Make them think. This can be around a surprising
statistic, counterintuitive fact or technique, anything that makes them
curious. Every learning experience should have this cognitive ‘apercu’,
something that makes your eyebrows rise.
8. Infographic
Infographics summarise a course. They are single graphics
that encapsulate al of the main learning points using a graphic style. This has
become a well known graphic genre on the web and can also be used as an
aide-memoire screen for the course as a whole.
9. Trigger video
Create a short, snappy taster video and upload it to YouTube
or wherever it can be retrieved. It may even be a short ‘talking head’ message
from someone who really matters in the organisation – Principal, Expert, CEO
etc. If you can’t get a video done, record a short audio piece and send out as
a podcast – may be easier if you don’t have time and budget.
10. Calls to action
Links, registration, email addresses – whatever you’re
after, you will need a call to action. This is the time you say, come forward
and sign here. Without this you’re still in the word of awareness marketing.
You need to grab them, get them through the door and get them to commit. So
work on this – the call, link….. if you have any suggestions please leave a
comment on this blog (it will be much appreciated).
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