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The vast majority of training companies have grasped the fact that content is an incredibly valuable ingredient when it comes to developing a marketing strategy that wins new business and fresh leads.

As we clearly outline in our current whitepaper report (which you can download here ), content can come in many different forms – though online blogging is probably the most recognisable. Why is blogging so important?

Blogging is the most informal of the content types, and allows the writer the freedom to be expressive while embedding their key messages into the content. So, for instance, a sales training company may write 500 words on a personal experience they had in a sales environment – highlighting the good and the bad, but ultimately using it as a vehicle to transport its key message (our specific sales training approach will help you to close more deals) to target market.

Why is it so important to trainers? Well, despite the rise in training management software , the training industry remains a very personal industry. Trainers sell their programmes because the delivery and learning material is good, of course. However, they also sell the programmes because the budget holder buys into the individual. You wouldn’t sign off a £50,000 training deal with someone you don’t like and someone you don’t think will be able to engage and motivate your team.

One of the easiest ways to get started with blogging is to change the way you digest news and information – once you have mastered this the blogging will become a way of life. What are your key messages, and why are they so important in today’s working environment? Be clear on this, and then read the paper from front to back. Also sign up to news feeds on specific search terms and get on Twitter (read our latest article on Twitter use for training companies ) as this is a really effective way to find out what’s a hot topic at the moment.

When you digest the news, don’t do it to simply find out what’s going on – think intently about whether the news you’re reading has any links (don’t worry if they’re tenuous) to your training programme’s unique selling point. This USP is what you want to exploit and market in your blog.

So, let’s say you run leadership training and management programmes and everywhere you look the news is about local elections. In fact, just last night a campaigner knocked on your door to talk about the local leadership battle.

What is happening in that real situation that you could write about? Perhaps more importantly, what value (as a leadership and management guru) could you bring to the conversation? You have your hook: Local leadership battles. Now, how can you add value and expertise? Think about the approach that the different camps are taking to engage with the pubic and secure that all-important buy-in. As a leadership expert , what mistakes are they making and what would you do to help them develop a greater strategy for success?

This is a good example of how blogging works – it’s actually a very simple formula. To get it right, and trainers are getting it right (some more than others) there needs to be a shift in mindset when you gather the news. Give it a go. What’s happening right now that could be just the kind of material you need to promote the USP of your training business?

If you want to hear more about content creation and its importance in the training marketing mix, click here and download our latest whitepaper report: The new approach to effective marketing for training companies.

At accessplanit we’re passionate about your training administration system . Much of the functionality within this software allows trainers to transform the way they market their business and manage new and existing customers. Trial the software for FREE today and join the growing number of companies in learning and development that have benefited from a streamlines and automated approach. Email us on enquiries@accessplanit.com or call 0845 543 0229 and get your trial started…

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OK, so sometimes it might be hard to take, but we all know the truth: If you want to improve at something and be sure that you are performing at your very best, you need to accept some good old-fashioned honest feedback once in a while.

While training content is crucial, it's nothing without expert delivery, which is why trainers need to be constantly fishing for feedback from those around them, it's the one way they can be sure they are hitting the right spots when training and squeezing on those pain-points when imparting knowledge.

This has always been the case, of course, so what's different today?

Training management software is constantly chipping away at the way trainers 'get things done', and one area that has developed so dramatically over the past decade is communication. The way we receive and send information has transformed, and for the savvy trainers out there, this transformation is opening new doors to new levels of feedback.

Put simply, training companies are using the digital age to shift slow trickles of feedback to enormous waves – and they'll be using that feedback to improve their offering each time they stand up in a classroom or write an elearning programme.

Here are five crucial ways that technology can open the floodgates to direct feedback, whether you like it or not.

Automated happy sheets

For too long training companies' levels of development have relied on pieces of paper that have been filled out by exhausted delegates after three days of intensive training. Today, technology allows training companies to generate online happy sheets or surveys that delegates can fill out in their own time. It's also hugely important for companies to know that their training investment has made a difference so they can justify every penny invested in training and development.

Social media

Like it or not, social media channels have their finger on the world's pulse, they can provide instant reaction in a social environment. For this reason, every training company should be using them for feedback. Twitter offers instant feedback, and a great source for testimonials. Ask delegates to tweet and 'mention' (using an '@') the trainer at the end of the programme.

e-Learning

Move out of the classroom and benefit from instant and effective feedback. Via an online learning programme delegates can be assessed at certain milestones during the course to see how they are developing and getting to grips with the content. If they are falling behind, that is fed back to the trainer and those investing in the training immediately.

Digital surveys

As we mentioned before, return on investment is crucial, and training only really comes into its own when delegates are back in the workplace putting their learning into practice. This is when the return can be evaluated. So, it makes perfect sense that this is the point in time that the trainers want to be communicating with delegates once again. Emailing out surveys (tick box to answer) will not just earn feedback, it will earn the right kind of feedback. These powerful messages of support can then be used to market the training to other potential clients.

LinkedIn groups

While LinkedIn does technically fall under social media, it should be given a special mention when talking about gathering feedback from clients. The group section on LinkedIn is a perfect platform for trainers to create an exclusive zone for delegates to network with others who have experienced the training, offer feedback, and discuss the ways it has helped them to progress. Better still, the groups are free, and you can control who enters. You can also pose questions to the group, such as 'What was the key benefit of coming on this leadership programme', and run surveys across the network.

For the training companies truly dedicated to designing and delivering programmes that make a difference, regular feedback is critical. In 2012, technology is playing an integral role in facilitating this process, and training companies not jumping on this fast-moving vehicle, are being left behind.

Speak with accessplanit today to find out about our learning management system software and our Course Manager software. Don't forget you can demo the software and find out about the key benefits of automating the processes at your training business, by getting in touch on 0845 543 0229 or email enquiries@accessplanit.com.

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Sometimes all customers need is a gentle nudge, and although most of us associate ‘deals’ with the local supermarket, there is something to be said for training providers who are pro-active enough to make discount strategies work for them…

Every training company has absolute faith in their products and services , if they don’t there’s little point in them being in business. They know that their training content will transform the performance of individuals at work, and that if companies were to only give their programmes a go, they would realise the potential.

The challenge, of course, is that training is not a particularly cheap investment for businesses attempting to yank themselves through a fairly testing recession period, and while return will undoubtedly be gathered at some point in the future through the likes of engagement, retention, improved performance and commitment to the business, guardians of the purse may need a little more encouragement to engage initially.

Discount strategies may not always be associated with training businesses, but adopting one could well help you to get that ‘in’ that has never been available before.

And, while these strategies are not your traditional ‘closing down sale, all stock must go’ style savers, they can light the spark that starts a healthy long-term working partnership years down the line…

Buy-one-get-one-free

Discount strategies will always come down to value, and not necessarily the value that the customer is getting. Let’s say, for a moment, that you were to offer a buy-one-get-one-free offer at your next training event for 20 individuals. Getting two people from one organisation is extremely valuable as they could go back into that organisation and both champion the programme. As the trainer you could also promote in-house training to them, and work the programme so that they tackle issues that are specific to their own organisation to give them a taster of an in-house session. Be careful to stipulate that the other place is for a colleague, and this can be a neat little discount strategy, as part of your training management system .

Taster sessions

All too often key decision makers think that the majority of training programmes are the same, and they stick with the training company they have been with for years. They might not be against change, they just don’t want to invest thousands into a new training programme that might not generate the same results. As a training company, offering taster sessions is very compelling. Again, be careful with the rules. You are prepared to offer a free training sessions in-house, but there has to be at least three decision-makers in attendance, as well as the HR Director (who will really appreciate the impact your programme will have on staff). Make sure you get feedback from these sessions too.

Guarantees

This one comes back to risk and investment once again, though is proving more and more popular among training companies. Not an initial discount strategy per se, but still offers extra value in exactly the same way. So, under a guarantee, a training business will offer prospects the opportunity to claim all of their money back after the contract has finished, if they haven’t hit the pre-arranged objectives laid out at the start of the programme. Minimise the risk, and find out if potential clients are actually interested in your training products.

This also comes down to maintaining quality customer service, something we wrote about here: Customer Service Blog

Get in touch with training management software house accessplanit today to discuss the different ways its software can help to automate your training business, from reducing administration to providing functionality like online booking. Launch discount strategies to boost client base without the problem of extra administrative burdens. Call 0845 5430229 or email enquiries@accessplanit.com .

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