Why Think Like A Marketer

Today we’re talking about what it actually means to think like a marketer and why we believe L&D is going to benefit greatly from marketing skills. Marketing and communications are some of the weakest skills in L&D’s toolkit (seriously, the LPI’s L&D dashboard says so), but they’re SO valuable for L&D professionals to harness.

And we chose the word harness deliberately. L&D already have these skills – it’s just a case of changing your way of thinking and your approach to communication. We’re not suggesting you have to have the skills, knowledge and know-how of a Strategic Head of Marketing. Instead, we’re talking about the basics, the more foundational stuff to do with marketing – like learning campaigns or the 4 P’s. It’s this stuff that’s going to stop you thinking one email equals a learning campaign. Or overlooking the importance of subject lines in your emails (because breaking news guys, if nobody opens the one email you send, they’ll never take the action you want them to!)

Plus, by thinking like a marketer, you’ll start thinking about your learners as customers. And ultimately, thinking about the ‘What’s in it for me?’ for them. It’s time to get into the minds of your learners and think about what drives them, what motivates them and what will push them to take action.

In this podcast Ash & Han have a fantastic chat about what it really means to think like a marketer, and why they really (realllly) believe L&D should start doing so.