When implementing a new technology into a business, it’s easy to think after a new product is launched, the job is done. So why is no one is using it? Employees at every level of a business have a lot on their plates and learning to use a new technology can be easily ignored or put off.
A great way to increase adoption and encourage engagement from employees is by using marketing techniques.
It might sound strange, but you are selling a new product to your employees. Although you understand the benefits, they need to be conveyed to your employees. Convince them that it is a good use of their time and energy to stop their daily work and learn how to use this new training platform.
How can marketing help increase LMS user engagement?
Sending out an announcement and putting up a poster in the break room is not enough to encourage people to take the time to learn and use a new tool.
Using marketing techniques will help employees:
- Familiarize themselves with the idea of the LMS
- Understand the goals and importance of the platform
- See how it will benefit them
- Know where to go to find support
Let’s break these points down to understand their importance, then we’ll discuss some ideas of how to convey these points to employees to encourage engagement.
Familiarize themselves with the idea of the LMS
Start with the basics. Maybe your team has never heard of a Learning Management System. This would certainly make them skeptical about why they should be using it. Help ensure that employees fully understand what the platform is.
If you are moving from a previous LMS, highlight how this system will be different and more effective than the last one.
Your new LMS company will be a great resource for this. They will have plenty of resources on what an LMS is and how their platform differs from others in the industry. This is skipped over by a lot of administrators, but it is very important for learners to understand the goals and importance of the new platform.
Understand the goals and importance of the platform
This is skipped over by a lot of administrators, but it is very important for learners to understand the goals and importance of the new platform. Seeing the bigger picture of why the LMS is being implemented can help your learners give valuable feedback and show them why they should make an effort to use the training platform.
See how it will benefit them
Make it clear how this platform is meaningful to them. There were clearly large inadequacies in the previous methods and processes, or you wouldn’t be buying a new training platform. Tell employees how the LMS is going to change this for the better.
Will training documents and videos be better organized? Will it save them time? Will training be tied to possible promotions or leadership positions? Will gamification get them any rewards or recognition?
Ensure that learners know where to go if they have questions about the platform. Who is their contact at your company? If there is a more technical issue with the LMS, who do they email? Will there be a formal training for how to use the LMS?
Know where to go to find support
Ensure that learners know where to go if they have questions about the platform. Who is their contact at your company? If there is a more technical issue with the LMS, who do they email? Will there be a formal training for how to use the LMS?
Learners shouldn’t have to guess about this stuff. Remove as much friction as possible with how to login, get support, and who to ask questions to.
Here are 3 ways to use marketing to effectively communicate the benefits of your companies’ new learning platform.
1. Start communicating about the new platform well before it is implemented.
Employees should be seeing information about their new training platform well before it is implemented. The “rule of 7” in marketing suggests that people need to see a message or brand 7 times before they are moved to take action. Make sure your learners are familiar with the basics of the new platform before they login. Aim to make sure everyone: know what it is, where to find it, why they are using it, and when it will be launched.
2. Add a note of support from the CEO or other leaders in the company.
Support from top leadership can be a great way to add some more authority to the learning initiatives. Ask the CEO or other leaders to send out an email supporting the new platform and why they are excited for everyone to start using it.
3. Launch to a small group, then move to everyone else.
This idea is similar to creating a case study in marketing to convince other companies to buy your product. Try launching your LMS to a small number of motivated, creative people at your company who will take the time to learn and use the new technology. Ask for their feedback and implement their suggestions. Don’t stop there! The next step would be to ask these adopters to be advocates for the platform. Get quotes from them to send to the rest of the employees and have them introduce the LMS to other people in their team.
The main takeaway from this article is to communicate as much as possible with your learners. Make sure that the platform feels familiar to employees by the time they log in.
If you can achieve that, you will get faster adoption and deeper learner engagement than the average business, allowing learning and development to become a competitive advantage for your company.