Creating marketing campaigns for L&D

Marketing campaigns for L&D have become an increasingly hot-topic over recent years. But time and time again, we see the wrong advice being given out. So here we are, the original marketing for L&D experts, spilling all of our secrets about how you can create effective marketing campaigns for L&D.

Why do marketing campaigns matter for L&D?

Creating and disseminating great learning isn’t enough. Content alone doesn’t make an impact – employees actually learning (and applying what they’ve learned) is what makes an impact. And that’s why a marketing-led approach to L&D is so important. Because the right mindset, coupled with thorough research, and an effective campaign is the key to boosting learner engagement.

So, how do we build marketing campaigns for L&D?

If you want to create marketing campaigns for L&D that actually work, it takes 8 steps:

Step 1: Do the ground work

Ok, I’m cheating a little bit by grouping this together as one step. But if you really want campaigns to work for your L&D team, you have to do the research and product work up front. So before you jump into developing a campaign, make sure you:

• Research your market (both your organisation and audience). From the business strategy and the organisation's history, to your audience's wants and needs. You need to know it all! (Oh, and I’d recommend creating some learner personas while you’re at it!)

• Identify your competition - because yes, you do have some! Highlight what distractions your learners are facing, and where else they might be learning.

• Evaluate your product x market fit. Does your L&D offering actually match up to what the organisation and your learners want and need?

Once you’ve done this, then you’re ready to start thinking about developing your marketing campaign.

Step 2: Define your campaign goal

Before diving into tactics, channels, and snazzy taglines, you have to define your campaign goal. And no, ‘more learner engagement’ isn’t a sufficient goal.

To define your goal, ask yourself “What are we trying to achieve with this campaign?”Are you raising awareness? Changing behaviours? Driving long-term performance improvements? Once you’ve answered that, then convert it into a SMART goal (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound). Making your goal SMART isn’t just a tick-box exercise. A well-defined goal will guide every decision in your campaign and help you prove its impact later on.

Oh, and while you’re at it: benchmark where you are today. Check your current engagement rates, completion rates, or participation levels before you start. That way, you can actually measure success at the end of your campaign, not just guess if it’s worked or not.

Step 3: Choose your audience

This might surprise you, but not every campaign needs to target your entire audience. And often when we tell L&Ders this, they challenge us. Isn’t that unfair? Aren’t you leaving people out? And the answer is no.

When it comes to marketing campaigns for L&D, you must ensure you’re tapping into your audience’s emotional drivers and answering the ‘what’s in it for me?’ And with L&D audiences being so diverse; how on earth can you do that if you’re trying to cater to everybody with one message?

So that’s why when you’re devising your campaign, make sure you choose your audience carefully. And if you’ve followed step 1, above, you’ll be able to choose one of your personas in this selection process.

Step 4: Craft your hook

A marketing hook is a carefully crafted phrase, statement or visual element that grabs your audience’s attention – it hooks them in, you might say!

Think of your favourite ad campaign. What sticks with you? Usually, it’s a strong hook that unites all campaign elements. For example, Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke”, Old Spice’s “The man your man could smell like” or the shape of the Absolut Vodka Bottle. This is the impact we’re trying to create with our audiences – a key hook for our marketing for learning campaign that they can’t ignore or forget.

Maybe your hook is something like this, that we created for Capgemini University: “Your future won’t wait. Use AI as an ally.”

Or maybe it’s like Dechra Academy’s “Better veterinary care starts with you. Start with Dechra Academy”.

Whatever it is, make it attention-grabbing, engaging and audience-focused.

Step 5: Choose your channels

L&D has an age-old habit of relying solely on email to communicate with our audiences. But in today’s day and age, that shouldn’t be the case. Yes, email is still hugely valuable for internal communications, but where else are your audience hanging out? Consider utilising:

• The company intranet

• Internal newsletters

• Slack, Teams, or Yammer

• Emails (but make them stand out!)

• Screen savers or digital signage

• Physical posters (yes, print still works!)

• Manager advocacy (word of mouth is powerful)

And there’s one thing you definitely shouldn’t be doing… don’t just put your marketing campaign on your LMS. If your audience isn't visiting your LMS regularly, then they won’t see your campaign. Completely defying the point of doing a campaign in the first place!

Step 6: Define your resources (and be realistic)

Okay, we’d all love to create campaigns that give Barbie 2024 campaign a run for its money. But we work in L&D, so the chances of having the time, money and capacity to launch something with all the bells and whistles is slim. So with your hook in mind, consider what is feasible for you to deliver in terms of a campaign. Consider:

• What’s my timeline? Are there any pressing deadlines I have to meet?

• What skills do we already have in-house? Or do we have any budget for design, video, or events?

• How long will this campaign run? (Hint: a few weeks is too short—think at least 3 months!)

Once you have the answers to these questions in mind, it’ll be a lot easier to bring together a campaign that is not only realistic but incredibly impactful for your L&D team.

Step 7: Plan and execute

By now, you have your goal, audience insights, hook, and channels. So now it’s time to map out when and where your campaign touch points will happen.

Build a simple campaign timeline that includes:

• Pre-launch teasers (hint: never start your campaign on the day you want action!)

• Key launch moments (emails, posters, announcements)

• Ongoing nudges (weekly updates, fresh messaging, engagement strategies)

• Closing push (final reminders, incentives if relevant)

The more you plan up front, the smoother execution will be. And don’t forget to bake the development time into your plan too… you can’t launch a campaign tomorrow, you have no assets! So give yourself the time to create your campaign, plan it out and then launch.

Step 8: Test & optimise

When it comes to marketing campaigns for L&D, it’s really easy to launch, get caught up in the excitement and forget to measure or test our success. But the truth is, no campaign is perfect on day one. So don’t think your job is over after launch day, now is the time to start tracking, measuring and analysing your campaign performance.

Ask yourself:

• Did the subject lines of your email drive opens and click-throughs?

• Are learners clicking our links and taking action?

• Which channels are working best? Which needs tweaking?

The best marketers test, test, and test some more. If something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to tweak it mid-campaign. Your first attempt won’t be perfect, but every campaign gives you data to improve next time.

Marketing campaigns for L&D are the secret to real engagement

If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably buzzing with ideas (or at least feeling more confident about tackling your L&D team's next marketing campaign). But before you go, here are some quick-fire tips for success:

1. Pre-launch marketing is critical. Build anticipation before asking for action.

2. Campaigns should last months, not weeks. Give your audience time to engage.

3. If you think you’re being repetitive with your message - GREAT! This shows your putting out enough content.

4. Consistency is key. Stick to your hook and message across all touch points.

5. Always benchmark at the beginning of your campaign, you’ll want to see how far you’ve come!

6. Don’t be afraid to fail. Every test gives you insights for next time.

So, what’s stopping you? We truly believe that marketing campaigns for L&D are the secret sauce, so get planning and let us know how it goes! And if you want some more help developing your campaign, check out our free ebook. #YoureWelcome