Mindsets & skills

Online Learning and Digital Marketing: How are they related?

Originally published on February 15, 2017.

In my previous post, I listed six ways to get ready for online learning. My first suggestion for online learning designers was to learn more about online marketing. As the amount of content in the online world continues to increase, the competition for attention will continue to intensify. Many of us are overrun with e-mails, documents and presentations to read, watch or write. Naturally, the consumer’s attention is increasingly at a premium. Successful marketing companies are adjusting their advertisements to this new reality. Their content is generally shorter, tailored to the platform, and visually stunning. They keep their messages clear and relatable for their intended audiences. The consumption of their marketing content is tracked and measured using the latest trends in data analytics. More and more, online ads rival, if not exceed, the effectiveness of TV advertising. During this shift, we’ve developed the ability to ignore most of the ads even though they are everywhere. Our brains have learned to overlook the unnecessary details and focus on the take-home message. We can see examples of digital marketing adaptation in YouTube videos, where companies fit their ads into the five-second window before we can skip them.

People looking at a computer screen smiling. Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

WHERE HAVE WE SEEN THIS BEFORE?

Akin to the rest of the Internet, the amount of online learning content is rapidly growing. The abundance of educational opportunities poses the same challenges as digital marketing. Reading paragraph after paragraph of course material can be difficult. In the case of a technical course, for example security training, each step must be described. However, what never changes is the importance of keeping your message clear and concise. You first have to grab someone’s attention before you can deliver your message.

Person reading a book. Photo by Rubén García on Unsplash.

TELL A GOOD STORY

We have a desire for immediacy and simplicity. While I am aware that deep learning takes time, online courses typically fit into a category where the messages need to be delivered quickly. So, how do you proceed?

1. Tell a good story. Unpacking the benefits is an article in itself, but briefly, the power of the narrative is amazing. There’s nothing like a short story to get a message across.
2. Keep it simple, not boring. There are so many visuals you can use to support your story, but limit your page to as few as possible to keep your learners focused.
3. Be redundant. Find opportunities to repeat messages throughout the course, but stay true to points 1 and 2.
4. Leave a mark. Building on points 2 and 3 (see, I’m being redundant!), include unique visuals with your message. Learners will remember them when they see them later in the course.
5. Use the data. Whereas TV marketing estimates its impact, online marketing uses better data to see what works and what doesn’t. Online learning is no different. Find out what is working and adapt as needed.

Online learning and marketing provide us with opportunities to reach a wider audience, faster. Don’t walk on eggshells when publishing your content — you can change it! Lastly, have fun with the process. It will be messy, but your learners will thank you for it.

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