Elearning! Magazine: Building Smarter Companies via Learning & Workplace Technologies.
Issue link: http://elmezine.epubxp.com/i/714072
Recharge your training by thinking like a marketer. I f a sales team keeps a company propelling forward by hitting numbers and marketing spurs ripples by creatively capturing mindshare, what are trainers? Trainers help keep business afloat from the bottom up, imparting the data and strategies high-performing personnel need to suc- cessfully do their jobs. at's all well and good — aer all, no company, whether enterprise organization or SMB, wants a stagnant workforce. Wasn't it Einstein who said, "Once you stop learning, you start dying?" I stopped studying quotes years ago, so I digress. Sarcasm aside, the fact of the matter is that while training is necessary, it can also be sluggish and a big budget suck if it's not approached appropriately. What can help? Train like a marketer — specifi- cally, a forward-thinking, design-savvy, customer-empowering, data-analyzing, digital marketer. Here's why. THE MARKETING GRASS — IS IT REALLY GREENER? Trainers oen look at the marketing team in envy, with their big budgets, fancy graphics, and lavish events. Marketers in this digital age are sort of like hipsters — you don't really understand everything they do, but you know it's probably trendy and cool. is, understandably, can be a little off-putting to trainers stuck in a downward spiral of endless budget cuts, PowerPoints and 18 options of Word Art. Although marketers may appear to have more options than trainers when it comes to design (and the truth is that anyone can design, by the way), the real point of contention here is that many trainers don't seem to need marketers. In fact, they have the tendency to exhibit a bit of indifference when it comes to the tactics marketers use — aer all, isn't most training mandatory? e marketing frills, then, don't do trainers any good. People will show up anyway — donuts or no donuts, Word Art or cinematography. Not true. e corporate landscape is changing. Now, trainers have to approach customers and partners — not always the other way around — to not only help them improve product knowledge, but even boost product usage or revenue. In addition, some trainers today are being asked to improve attendance rates. at's where marketing skills come into play. Let's break down some of the major lessons trainers can take from their marketing brothers and sisters down the hall. MARKETING TIPS FOR TRAINERS Here are a few lessons trainers can take from the marketer's playbook: >> Leverage, leverage, leverage. Market- ers leverage spokespeople all the time, so why can't trainers? Executive sponsors are recognizable, relatable, and authoritative. You're probably not going to get an execu- tive sponsor to deliver the training, but he or she could at minimum ask people to par- ticipate via email, intranet, instant message or Slack. Even better — have the spokesper- son film a short video invitation to hype up the training. It shouldn't be difficult to get the sponsor on board with this idea. It won't take much time and, as a stakeholder in the success of the business, it should be a no- brainer. If Your Stop If Your Stop Learning, You Start Dying Learning, If Your Stop Learning, You Start Dying You Start Dying If Your Stop Learning, You Start Dying 14 August / September 2016 Elearning! Business of Learning