Engaging Learners: Lessons from Marketing to Drive Employee Engagement
It’s no secret that organisations with highly engaged employees tend to outperform their competitors financially. Yet, despite its critical importance, engaging learners in business-critical training programs often proves challenging. The solution lies in a shift of perspective: Learning and Development (L&D) practitioners need to think like marketers.
The Marketing Mindset
While L&D professionals often survey employees to gauge attitudes toward the organisation, marketing experts go deeper—they uncover consumer needs, preferences, and behaviours to tailor their messaging and influence decision-making. This approach is equally valuable in engaging learners. By treating employees as a sophisticated audience, much like a customer base, organisations can craft training experiences that resonate on a personal level.
Know Your Audience
Understanding your learners begins with recognising that today’s workforce is one of the most discerning groups in the world:
- The 30–50 age group has experienced marketing tactics through economic booms and downturns multiple times, making them astute at identifying messages that lack authenticity.
- The 20–30 age group grew up in the digital age, accustomed to instant access to information and navigating a crowded media landscape.
To capture attention in this competitive environment, organisations must understand what motivates their learners.
Uncovering Learner Drivers
People engage with learning based on three primary drivers:
1 – Have to: Obligations tied to survival or responsibility (e.g., financial stability).
2 – Need to: Necessities for well-being (e.g., health and safety).
3 – Want to: Aspirations tied to personal choice and ambition.
While “have to” and “need to” often dominate business-critical programs, tapping into the “want to” driver—where aspiration lives—can significantly enhance engagement.
Dig Deeper into Interests
Beyond understanding motivation, it’s crucial to explore what captures your learners’ attention. Ask about their hobbies, preferred media, and even sense of humour. For instance:
- A workforce with strong sporting interests might respond well to competitive or gamified elements in training.
- Fans of visual media like glossy magazines may prefer content rich with imagery, while readers of satirical publications might enjoy a witty, irreverent tone.
Crafting Customised Learning
Armed with these insights, you can create a workforce profile that informs how to design engaging learning materials. This approach ensures the training feels relevant and personalised. For example:
- Introduce competitive elements to leverage team dynamics.
- Tailor communication styles—visuals, humour, or storytelling—to match audience preferences.
A quality learning provider will welcome this information and work collaboratively to integrate these creative elements into your materials.
The Payoff
By adopting a marketing mindset, you can transform training programs into experiences that employees want to engage with—not just something they have to do. The result? A more engaged workforce, better financial performance, and a thriving organisational culture.
Start thinking like a marketer and see how it revolutionises your approach to learning and development.
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