6 Ways Marketing Can Boost Learner Engagement (Advice From MAAS Marketing)

After facilitating a fantastic conversation on Marketing Your L&D Efforts at L&D Disrupt: After Dark, we asked Hannah Waddams to share her best advice on using marketing tactics to boost your learner engagement. Enjoy!

As we hurtle towards the end of 2023, I find myself spending a lot of time mustering up the willpower to ignore the mince pies for just a little bit longer.

But with delicious Christmas goodies put to one side… I’m also feeling reflective, and planning ahead for 2024. And I’m sure I’m not alone.?

However for L&D professionals, these moments of reflection and planning may bring a sense of déjà vu.

As you list off anticipated challenges, like stakeholder management, new technologies and engagement issues, you probably feel like you’ve been here before.?

And that’s because we have.

No, I’m not telling you that time travel is real. Instead, I’m highlighting that most of the challenges faced by L&D recur year after year.

Not least the challenge of learner engagement.?

But here at MAAS Marketing , we’re optimistic. We think 2024 is the year L&D overcomes the problem of poor engagement once and for all.

And if you know us, you won’t be surprised to hear we think the answer lies in marketing for learning?.

No, we’re not saying you need to become a marketing expert. But we are saying with a shift in mindset and honing a few key skills – that marketing could solve your learner engagement challenges.

So, how can you use marketing to overcome your engagement challenges?

1. Adopting a marketing mindset

Having a marketing mindset isn’t about doing marketing. It’s about being commercially savvy, collaborative and always putting your audience first.

If you want to overcome your engagement challenges, consider:?

• Identifying clear objectives and measuring them against business impact: The days of proving L&D worth with completion rates or smile sheets are long behind us. It’s time to demonstrate how we’re impacting the bottom line.
• Putting a stop to the siloed approach at L&D development: If you think of any great marketer you know, the chances are they have friends in every single department of their business. They know what’s going on, and they’re always identifying ways to team up with other functions. Imagine how much duplication would be eradicated if L&D did the same?
• Championing your audience: You should be putting their needs front and centre of absolutely everything you do. You should be acting on their behalf, challenging requests, and ensuring the ‘What’s in it for me?’ question can always be answered from the audience's point of view.

2. Getting to know your audience really well

Nope, “employees of my organisation” is not a good enough answer to “who is your target audience?”

Learning is emotional and people are selfish – so if you want to get butts a’movin, you’ve got to understand them on a deeper level.?

According to the latest LinkedIn Learning report, individuals will only get involved in learning opportunities that help them progress towards their career goals, stay up to date in their field or if it’s personalised to their interests.

But how can you tailor your communications (and indeed your entire learning offering) to their career goals, field or personal interests if you know nothing about them?

If you haven’t already, I’d recommend now is the time to invest in learner personas.

Check out our free guide if you need a little help.

3. Leverage your personas and understand audience journeys

Let’s face it, nobody is just going to happen upon your learning. They’re not just going to open up their laptops and stumble into your learning platform on an off-chance. They need to be told where to go – and why.?

For most L&D practitioners, that means sending them an email. Pushing audiences to a particular course, programme or module. Bish. Bash. Bosh. Job done.

But when employees are receiving over 100 emails a day – what makes you think they’re going to open your email, amongst the sea of noise?

So using your personas, define your audience journeys and work out where they hang out.

Are they spending time on your intranet trying to find resources? Are they procrastinating with their colleagues in the office kitchen? Whatever they’re doing – find them, and promote your offering to them where they’re already hanging out.?

4. Adopt a campaign approach to communications

Okay, this might take a little more effort. But the truth is – one email, one time is not going to get you the learner engagement you want. So instead of a one-and-done approach to marketing your learning, adopt a campaign approach.

Simply put, learning campaigns are organised, strategic efforts to promote learning and boost engagement .

They last a number of months and focus on one key topic, theme or objective at a time.

This means you will utilise a range of marketing channels, such as sending multiple emails (shocker!), using banner ads and posters, utilising influencer marketing and much more.

Keeping your initiative front-of-mind, and making sure you actually get the engagement you deserve.

5. Hone your copywriting skills

How many times have you got an email in your inbox that was quite simply too boring to read?

Crammed full of text. Dull. Lifeless. You have better things to be doing, right?

Well that’s exactly how your audience feels when you send them a boring email.?

So it’s time to brush up on your copywriting skills if you want to get maximum impact from your marketing and communications.

Here’s some great resources:

• Harry Dry on the Nudge podcast – Harry is a fantastic copywriter and founder of MarketingExamples.com , this podcast is an absolute must to learn what works – and what doesn’t – for marketing copywriting.?
• Read The Art of the Click : A personal recommendation from none other than HowNow’s own Gary Stringer!
• Keep your writing concise with the Hemingway App . My personal favourite tool to keep my copy in check.

6. Don’t overlook design

The execution of your marketing is incredibly important. Because first impressions matter, right?

If your poster looks like it’s been designed by a 9 year old who’s just discovered clip art for the first time… your audience isn't going to take it very seriously!?

Many L&D'ers are fortunate enough to have a design team to work alongside, but if you don’t, take the time to learn the fundamentals of design.

Robin Williams’ book “The Non-Designers Design Book ” is a great place to start. It covers the fundamentals of design including the four key design principles:

1. Contrast: To help readability and grab attention.
2. Repetition: Repeating colours, shapes, fonts, sizes and so on, to create a uniformed piece.?
3. Alignment: Every element should have some visual connection with the other elements on the page (Or screen... Or poster…)
4. Proximity: Group elements related to one another together, to aid comprehension.

Acquiring and applying these four design principles alone will level up your marketing visuals. So if you want to make sure you’re really grabbing attention – make sure you don’t overlook design.?

For more marketing for learning? tips, advice and content, connect with Hannah Waddams , and follow the MAAS Marketing page.