Why modern organisations need to build an L&D brand

If you thought our first THRIVE INSIGHT newsletter had all the makings of a one-hit wonder, you couldn’t be more wrong.

In our second edition, we’re tackling the critical relationship between marketing and L&D. Below, you’ll find some handy tips on building an L&D brand that changes behaviours, drums up excitement and rocket fuels engagement.

So, let’s take it from the top.

What is a brand?

Here's the THRIVE take on brand. It's an identity. It’s distinct, it’s recognisable, and it should evoke a positive response from your audience. That could be excitement, intrigue, or simply the feeling that you’re a trustworthy, reliable pair of hands.?

A brand isn’t a logo. Or a slogan. It's a marketing strategy. In reality, brands are built from every touch point - and every corresponding emotion your audience feels - meshing together to create an experience that’s totally unique.?

Why is branding applicable to L&D?

L&D is all about changing behaviours and mindsets for the better. Just like Apple wants you to buy their shiny new phone, L&D teams exist to help people understand their opportunities, take control of their development and realise their potential.?

The benefits of a strong brand include:

• Increased brand recognition and an established identity
• Credibility, trust and confidence in the vision you’re trying to achieve
• Creating loyalty amongst your audience
• Positive word of mouth and recommendations to others.

Look at those benefits through an L&D lens and think about their positive impacts on engagement, completions, staff retention, creativity and skills development, and it’s no coincidence that marketing is L&D’s BFF.

And, it doesn’t just feed into that relationship, it arguably leads it in a number of ways.

How to begin developing an L&D brand

Know your personas

Who are you targeting? How are you going to reach them? And why should they care?

Marketers obsess over their audience’s interests, behaviours and decision-making journey so they can present their product or service to the right people, at the right time, in the right format. Guess what? Learning professionals do this too.

To get people to engage with your learning content, campaigns and build a happier, more skilful workforce, you need to understand their thought processes. So, ask yourself, what sort of language, visuals and formats will resonate with your Sales team? Does the same apply to your Tech team? Or your Leadership Team? or do you need to re-target your approach to find their sweet spot - and hit it?

This flexibility and adaptation can be across departments, teams, locations, levels of seniority or any other variables. But when you understand your audience and personalise your efforts to tap into that, that’s when you’ll see results.

Who are you? Establishing an identity

Establishing your L&D function's identity, building a recognisable brand and shining a spotlight internally are all hugely important.

Communicate your vision, objectives and what you’re trying to achieve as a team openly and honestly. And, importantly, ask for feedback.?

Find out how the rest of the business portrays you, and what they want to see more - or less of from your team.

How do you look?

The importance of visual elements in a brand can’t be overestimated, because they’re your first chance to grab your audience’s attention.?

In a sea of internal comms, how are you going to make your message stand out?

Think about how you can make your content distinguishable. Create templates to streamline the creative process and make it repeatable and consistent. You don’t need InDesign, Illustrator or Photoshop licences to create a killer visual brand, and remember, it doesn’t need to be super slick and polished. You can use free tools like Canva to create eye-catching content in a fraction of the time.?

How do you sound?

Messaging and tone of voice is another vital cog in your brand machine. Global brands like Innocent, Oatly and Monzo have nailed personable, quirky styles in recent times - and reaped the rewards when it comes to engagement.?

Always try to communicate with clarity and brevity. Some tips we follow are to strip out jargon, explain acronyms and ‘listen’ to your writing to make sure it sounds human. Use 1-4 line paragraphs as much as possible, and use subheaders as signposts to break up larger pieces of text and make certain elements easier to find.

At the same time, don’t pass up opportunities to say things in relatable, entertaining or unexpected ways. Internal comms and elearning can be a lifeless, barren landscape, and engagement cliff dives as a result. So, treat your subject lines and titles as headlines. If it doesn’t A) inform, B) intrigue, or C) start a conversation, then it’s back to the drawing board.

Rolling it out

The main takeaway here is that your team isn’t Nike or Coca-Cola, you don’t need to roll out with pristine resources and a jaw-dropping logo. Take note of the well-known brands and Just Do It.?

Start small and don’t be afraid to evolve, build your brand and get bigger and bolder as you go. But, stay consistent. Don’t try to overhaul your brand every other week. That’s the key to being memorable, and you can make sure your brand always has an authentic feel by placing a heavy emphasis on user-generated and social aspects of learning.

It’s all about getting the feels

What is your L&D brand doing to make people feel energised, curious and empowered to chase opportunities and drive their own development?

Sending out a plain text email saying, “Hi, please complete this health and safety course” is hardly a call to arms. Give people the ‘why’, not a tick-box exercise. Why is it important? What are they going to gain from it? Why should they do it right now? Learning, like marketing, is a continual process, not a one stop shop. You need to hook into the things that matter to people, and become part of the stories they tell.

As we’ve mentioned, L&D is about changing mindsets and behaviours, which is, by nature, very meaningful. So, apply the marketing principles we’ve mentioned, always put yourself in your audience’s shoes, and have some fun with it. That way, your brand - and your results - can be meaningful too.

Coming soon: MARKETING STUDIO

This won’t be the last time we share tips and show you how to upskill your team and market your learning. Far from it, in fact.?

We’re launching a new service for THRIVE users, Marketing Studio, in the not-too-distant future that will be based solely on some of these principles. So, keep ‘em peeled, and if you’ve got any Q's that need an A, you know where to find us.?

And in the meantime, if you’re keen to shine a light on your content offering or are considering a new content provider, check out this blog on the things you need to consider. Enjoy!