Strategies for marketing a training event

Show biz secrets for adult learning success.

This article suggests strategies for marketing a training event training within a corporate organization.

Imagine a movie that debuts in the theaters without anyone knowing in advance it is coming. Would that film succeed? Not likely. Hollywood knows better. Even a terrible movie can be pushed over $1000,000,000 by imaginative publicity.

Consider the 2007 summer blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. In spite of the fact that the movie was a sequel to two popular films, Disney took no chances. There were TV commercials, inserted mentions on Disney’s ABC network, reports about historical pirates on TV networks Disney has an ownership stake in, including the History Channel and Lifetime, a web site, tie-ins at Disney theme parks, children’s meals at fast food places, a website with interactive features, Pirate’s themed cell phone rings tones and Pirates video games. All these efforts were directed toward a goal of creating moviegoer “buzz” about the movie.

Now imagine the members of two different business teams both signed up to attend the same training event. On one team, there is no communication about the coming event. The attendee’s leader doesn’t realize that the team member will be gone for the day and asks for a project deliverable. When the leader discovers that the team member will be at training, the leader’s face shows consternation. During the event, the leader pages the attendee twice with questions about the project. After the training event, the leader tells the team member that he is glad to have the team member back on the job because of some pressing issue that was stalled while the team member attended the training. The training is never again mentioned.

On the other team, the attendee receives information about the event in advance. The trainer emails the future attendee, introducing herself, stating the course objectives, suggesting preparatory readings and assignments, and offering support in any way possible. The attendee receives a hard copy official invitation in the mail expressing excitement about the upcoming event. Included are directions to the training location and expectations about what to wear, when lunch will likely be, and when the course will likely end.

This team member’s leader approaches the team member in advance and mentions the upcoming training. That leader begins the discussion with enthusiasm, saying, “I see that you are attending the training next week. Good for you. It’ll help you meet our team goals.” The leader then asks the team member what expectations that attendee has for the training. After receiving a response, the leader concludes by saying, “I’d like your observations about the course. I’d like to know how you plan to apply what you learn back here on the job. Let’s discuss it in our next one-on-one meeting.”

Both scenarios occur in real life. Unfortunately, the former is more likely than the latter. The cost of the second approach is high. ASTD has, in numerous, reports suggested that as much as  30% of all attendees do not try the new learning out when they return to the job and another 10% try some facet of the learning but soon abandon it.

Like Hollywood, a learning event without successful marketing will likely fail. But, how can a trainer “market” your training? There are a few items you can do to create “buzz.”

For the learner:

• Send out expectations in advance
• Explain the learning objectives in advance
• Call and introduce yourself
• Ask the trainee what their hoped-for learnings will be
• Create an information sharing blog for past attendees and invite the future attendee to visit it
• Send an action-planning document

For the learner’s leader

• Talk to the leader and explain the learning objectives
• Ask what the leader would hope the learner gains from attending the class
• Send an engraved presentation to the event to the learner’s leader for presentation to the trainee
• Send the diploma from the class to the learner’s leader for presentation to the learner
• Provide the future

To increase you chances of success, use every possible avenue for spreading the training event message. For although training does not have Hollywood sized budgets, you may still be able to produce a blockbuster.