Lambda Solutions e-Learning 2.0 Online Training and Moodle Experts

• If you want to read some clever eLearning marketing tips, read Brandon Hall Research's What Works: Strategies for Increasing E-Learning Usage (4.7 MB)
• If you are looking for a comprehensive piece of research, with case studies and examples of end-user promotional materials, read Brandon Hall Research's What Works: Strategies for Increasing E-Learning Usage (4.7 MB)
• If you would like to read a fascinating article about high performance marketing using partners, read Richard Gerson's High-Performance Marketing

An organization that excels at communicating eLearning typically does the following:

• Presents eLearning to staff as an integrated part of company's overall training strategy
• Demonstrates that eLearning strategy has been developed not just around business goals but skills individuals want to learn for their own, personal development
• Ensures eLearning course content is relevant to staff's daily activities and emphasizes this in all communications
• Distinguishes between different degrees of IT literacy among target audiences, notably the IT-literate and technophobes
• Targets messages to different types of employees answer "What's in it for me?" at all levels from boardroom to shop floor
• Is seen to act constructively on employee feedback
• Calculates and present ROI to management
• Gets management to support eLearning development (They will be your best promoters)

And does not:

• Assume employees in different disciplines, at different levels within the organization or in different countries will have the same interest and commitment to the potential of eLearning
• Adopt a "one size fits all" approach to internal marketing of eLearning
• Question people's motives for wanting to learn, especially if they want to learn a skill not directly related to their current role
• Exclusively rely on memos, emails or the intranet to communicate your message, but instead uses as many different means as possible including face-to-face briefings, roadshows and interactive workshops
• Think of internal marketing as a one-off event. Keeps employees informed about the benefits of eLearning and the development of course offerings on an ongoing basis.

Source: Human Resources, September 2002.

Once your eLearning program is ready to launch and usability testing is complete, the next set of decisions should address how you will internally market it to employees.

The kick-off launch requires planning. It is made up of many smaller components that are both overt and behind the scenes. For example, it is critical to understand your organization's culture when trying to market a new way of learning. Using contests and recognition programs for one organization may work for one company, but won't for another. You are the best person to understand your company's culture and what will work in it.

There is no doubt that your organization has a myriad of target groups, comprised of entry-level, middle managers, and executives. Within each of these groups are varying levels of comfort in working with technology. This is where your managers will be of assistance. They can help you better understand the membership of each group. It is always better to market to a defined target group than to engage in blanket marketing. Always try to extract an answer to the question "What's in it for me?" and show them how people are using online training in their jobs. Communicate the flexibility to learn at their own pace and the ability to repeat key parts.

Managers play a vital role as role-models to your target groups. Unfortunately, the statistics revealed in a recent Masie/ASTD survey of 714 learners showed 45 percent of respondents say they didn't have the support of their managers. These challenges can only be overcome by educating management on the benefits of eLearning and ultimately having them to market its value to their employees. One practical tip is to target managers with e-mail who in turn will pass it on to their staff.

Mix up the ways in which you reach your target groups: send e-mails, create posters, schedule "lunch and learn" events. We also suggest that you brand your program. Using logos and other graphical triggers will help to deliver a consistent reminder of your program.

Your executive group and HR may decide that the outcome of online learning should be part of an employee's performance appraisal. In an August 2002 Brandon Hall survey of 313 eLearning practitioners, "most respondents said tying eLearning to performance reviews or compensation is the best way to increase usage. Eighty percent said they had good or very good results using this method."

While it may seem onerous, preparing for a face-to-face launch and engaging in on-going communication is fundamental for your online learning program to work.

Finally, return to using focus groups again. Ask questions to get insight on what's working, what isn't and how things can be changed. Again, we reference the best practices point made about acting on constructive feedback and revising as necessary.

Cheryl Milner, Lambda Solutions' newsletter editor, asked Shevy about her perspective on internal marketing.

Which internal marketing approach do you encourage clients and prospective clients to use once the project has been completed at our end?

We try to engage our clients in internal marketing from the very beginning of the project. We collaborate with the owners of the project, key stakeholders, human resources, information technology, subject matter experts, etc. so that a broad range of employees know that the project is underway. Awareness is an important first step in the process of internal marketing.

What type of internal marketing support do you provide for your clients?

This question can be answered with varying degrees of support. For example:

• Lambda is an expert in Moodle training and support. It is fundamental to our business model that we develop courses on Moodle and provide the training necessary for our clients to feel independent. Everyone who purchases developed training products from us obtains free access to Moodle and training on Moodle.
• We recently got a request from a government agency to help them scope out their eLearning strategy, this involves first understanding the agency's overall organizational strategy because they must be aligned, conducting a gap analysis, enlisting support from decision-makers, developing the project using our Moodle and ClearView interface, creating a communication plan, and implementing the eLearning product so that it runs errors free.
• We are not a marketing company, but if a client wants some help in branding their program, we can assist them.
• It's on-going really, we just had a client come back to us two years after we completed the project, as it took them some time to get acceptance by the organization. Obviously, we would have stepped in earlier had we known that they were so stuck.
• We can also be on hand when a client is ready to do their launch.

The previous article cites a recent study which indicates a lack of learner support by managers when engaged in eLearning, how do you think this can be overcome?

Get them involved as early as possible. In the real estate world it's all about location, location, location. In the business world it is all about communication. Don't start the project without their support.

Should eLearning be connected to a company's appraisal system as a means to encourage people to participate in an eLearning initiative?

This depends largely on the project, we are currently doing an orientation program, clearly that shouldn't be appraised by anyone. However, we have had large companies who have been focused on performance issues, and training has been sought to fill the gaps. In this case it might be appropriate.

Company name:

Vancity

Location:

Primarily Lower Mainland

Industry:

Financial Services

Motivation:

To increase accessibility to information/learning; to reduce carbon footprint

Date Initiative started:

Type of users:

Primarily account managers who work within our retail branches.

Biggest obstacle to increasing usage:

Motivation, as a stand-alone program it wouldn't have much impact

A cohort program was built around the eLearning course to blend high tech with high touch. The 12 week program allowed employees to do some work on their own (but completion of the course was broken down for them week by week) and share their learnings through web collaboration (regular meetings through virtual classroom - Microsoft LiveMeeting). Observational coaching from an expert was included and ensured that the behaviours were encouraged through ongoing performance feedback and coaching from their manager. Finally, the course linked to online FAQs and other reference tools.