In Field of Dreams, corn farmer Ray was promised that if he built it, “they would come.” If only it were so easy in eLearning. Unfortunately, you can create the most cutting-edge program, but if there aren’t any learners interested, your efforts fall flat. By tapping into learner motivation and dialing into to what you want to accomplish with your curriculum, you’ll have a better chance at promoting your program to potential learners.
Goals
Whether the instructional designer or the program supervisor, you’ll need to create goals that eLearning helps to fulfill. Without the ability to see the “why” behind the process, learners might miss the point and skip the course.
Interest
Drumming up interest could be as simple as sending around an email or video clip, letting learners know more about the course and even offering course materials as a sample. In the end, you want to give enough information that your learners are interested and intrigued by a) the program curriculum and b) how to program promises to improve learner knowledge base.
Action
Your learners already lead busy lives – don’t make it any harder. By making eLearning easy for learners, you’ll have a better chance at motivating them to action. Online access, offline materials and 24/7 support can help.
Branding
There’s something to be said for exclusivity. By creating a branded program that is exclusive to a set of learners, the program basically promotes itself. Create a recognizable brand with logos, a website and even buzz words within the program.
Social Media
Don’t forget social media as a means of eLearning promotion. Sharing clips on Facebook, posting reviews on Twitter and even posting to Instagram with branded hashtags can help promote your eLearning program for free – and entice more learners to jump on board.
