WHAT IS THE ‘WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?’ FOR L&D?

“What’s in it for me?” is the single most important question for L&D teams. We mention it in almost every marketing for learning podcast episode. And we definitely mention it in every single session of our Strategic Marketing for L&D Masterclass. So what is the ‘what’s in it for me?’ (WIIFM) and why do we keep going on about it?

WTF IS THE WIIFM?

Answering the “What’s in it for me?” question is a task of empathy. It’s about putting yourself in your audience’s shoes and thinking: what are they going to gain by getting involved with your learning opportunity?

It's not enough to go and say to somebody, “Hey, the business wants you to learn this, so you better go and learn it.” That’s not going to get their butts a’movin. That’s not going to create a group of engaged, active learners ready to dive into your subject matter. At best, it might generate a group of employees, dragging their feet and begrudgingly taking part in learning – because they’re scared they’ll get in trouble if they don’t!

And it’s also not good enough to focus on the business needs or requirements. The majority of your audience will not care that your business has a skills gap. Or that you’ve invested lots of money into your learning offering. They don’t care about any of that… What they do care about is themselves.

In fact, LinkedIn Learning’s latest Workplace Learning Report sums it up nicely: the top reasons an employee will spend more time learning are:

• If it helps them progress towards their career goals.

• If it helps them stay up-to-date in their field.

• If it’s personalised to their interests & goals.

All about them. Nothing about you.

And that’s where the WIIFM lies. In their wants and needs, not yours.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

What we're trying to do with marketing for learning is to influence and engage our people with learning. And the only way we can do that is by talking to them like human beings. And to do that, we really need to understand who they are, what their wants, needs and pain points are. And that’s why we are such huge advocates of learner personas here at MAAS. Once you have your personas, sit back and think – ‘What is Motivated Michael getting from my learning offering? Why would he bother getting involved?” and base your marketing around the answer to THAT question. That’s what’s going to get ‘Michael’ (and your other employees in that persona group) learning… not the fact you have a shiny new LXP!

The truth is, answering the WIIFM makes your work resonate more deeply with your audience. Even utilising this way of thinking in your instructional or learning experience design will be a game changer. If you’re highlighting why your audience should care… well they’re more likely to, right? And let’s not forget that if people are connecting to learning more deeply, they’re more likely to get more from it. Win, win, right?

And once you’ve knocked their socks off with a great learning experience, that they’re truly engaged with – they’re much more likely to build the habit of learning. And come back time and time again. And that’s when you’re going to see the impact in performance. And better performance = better business = happy stakeholders. Look, we’re all winning by answering the WIIFM!

HOW TO ANSWER THE QUESTION: ‘WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?’

One of the best ways you can answer the WIIFM is by using the Value Proposition Canvas (VPC), particularly your Gain Creators and Pain Relievers boxes.

• Gain creators focus on what you are giving your audience in addition to what they currently have. The benefit, or bonus, they’ll receive by getting involved with your learning offering. For example it might be: ‘More profitable and impactful conversations with clients, due to their new knowledge in generative AI’.

• Pain relievers focus on how you are removing a pre-existing difficulty in your audience’s life. For example it might be: ‘Becoming more efficient and productive at work, thanks to improved time management skills’.

Using these two boxes on your VPC will help you quickly determine the WIIFM for your audience. In fact, both of the examples above are great examples of a WIIFM. However, remember to make sure you’re answering the question on behalf of a specific persona – not just a generic audience (or every single employee!)

WHEN TO USE THE WIIFM

The WIIFM is another one of those areas where we step over the line and say: this should be in your learning strategy too. Identifying the clear benefit for your audience shouldn’t just happen when you’re trying to promote your learning offering. Instead, it should be involved in all aspects of your learning function. Development, strategising, and indeed, marketing. Even down to your LMS course descriptions: Focus on the ‘What’s in it for me?’

If you truly want to capture the attention of your audience and create real, long-term engagement, you have to answer the WIIFM. It aligns your offering with their wants and needs. It makes them realise why they should get involved. It helps to make learning a ‘get to do’ rather than a ‘have to do’. And I know that’s where you want to be.

So, next time you’re creating a learning strategy, designing a programme, or promoting your offering, sit back and think “What is in it for my audience?” and we promise, it’ll change the way you do things.