How To Integrate Corporate eLearning Blogs Into Sales Online Training
Blogging is no longer just for public journaling and self-promotion. In fact, organizations can use these thought-provoking platforms to improve employee skills and promote collaborative learning, especially among their geographically dispersed sales employees who require a virtual support network. Here are some tricks and techniques to help you integrate corporate eLearning blogs into your sales online training course.
1. Pick The Right Blogging Platform
It all starts with a sturdy foundation. You have to find a reliable blogging platform that suits your needs. There are a variety of free blogging sites to choose from. Which means that you'll probably have to test out a few of the top contenders. Look for platforms that feature an intuitive User Interface, versatile themes, and a vast assortment of plug-ins. You might even considering polling your employees to see which blogging platforms they prefer. Some of your staff may already be using a blogging site for personal reasons. As such, they are in a unique position to offer helpful recommendations.
2. Create A Posting Schedule To Stay Consistent
If you offer your employees valuable online training content, they're going to look forward to every post. As such, you need to stay consistent in order to keep up with the demand. Not to mention, fuel their enthusiasm. It's wise to create a realistic posting schedule that features a new topic each week or even day, if you are really motivated. Let sales employees know when they can expect the latest post. For example, every Monday at 12 pm you'll update the corporate eLearning blog.
3. Focus On A Single Online Training Topic Each Week
There are two key reasons why you should focus on a single learning objective for each post. The first is that it's easier for employees to find archived entries. For example, you can create tags for the post that allow them to be indexed. Thus, employees are able to locate relevant entries without having to search the entire blog. The second reason for targeted posts is that they prevent cognitive overload. Sales staff can focus on one training topic, task, or tip at a time instead of having to memorize a variety of facts and figures that tie into different concepts.
4. Provide Practical Tips And Tricks
Sales employees are looking for tips, tricks, and techniques that can help them on the job. Which is why your posts need to provide practical information that centers on real-world application. For example, pointers on how to promote the newest product line, or innovative sales techniques that help them achieve their monthly goals. Employees will rely on your blog to build their skills and get the timely information they need to seal the deal, as well as provide better customer service and improve their compliance knowledge.
5. Link To Real-World Activities
To further enhance the practical benefits of your blogging, you can link to external resources of real-world application, such as video demos, podcasts, and online training activities that put their knowledge into practice. For example, a serious game that helps employees develop skills that are mentioned in the blog post, or a video that showcases every step of the task that you highlighted. This makes your corporate eLearning blog more interactive and engaging as sales employees have the opportunity to see the ideas and concepts in action.
6. Invite Sales Employees To Guest Post
Invite other members of your team to write posts for the corporate eLearning blog, so that they can offer their expertise. You can even set a rotating schedule whereby every poster is assigned a different day. For example, Monday features your regional sales manager, who offers a new sales technique or interesting stat for employees to ponder. This is also a great opportunity to get your staff more involved as they can guest post from time to time if they have something unique to offer the group.
7. Add Visual Aids
Corporate eLearning blogs may be informative, but they aren't the most visually appealing online training tools. For this reason, you should incorporate images, eLearning infographics, charts, and other visual aids. Employees can refer to the graphic in order to broaden their understanding and clarify any confusion. Even a carefully chosen image can grab their attention and foster an emotional connection. Thereby, allowing them to absorb the information more effectively.
8. Keep Blog Posts Bite-Sized
You don't want to weigh your sales staff down with unnecessary facts and stats. The key is to keep your blogs bite-sized, so that they can quickly assimilate the ideas. Bear in mind that blogs are great microlearning tools. Employees have the power to log in to the blogging platform, search for relevant keywords, and then apply the tips in the workplace. Try to use bullet list and tables whenever possible to aid in knowledge absorption. Moreover, break long paragraphs into brief blurbs that are free of complex vocabulary.
9. Blend Blogging With Other Social Learning Tools
A corporate eLearning blog is not the only informal, social learning tool at your disposal. Why not take full advantage of social media by including links and icons. For example, hyperlinks to the Facebook group where you discuss related sales topics. This also gives employees the ability to use social media platforms they're already familiar with, as well as play a more active role in the online discussion. Sites like Twitter allow you to post quick tips and updates that accommodate the reduced character count.
These 9 tips can help you maximize the potential of corporate eLearning blogs in your organization. The secret is getting creative and finding new uses for this powerful informal online training tool. You must also find the perfect LMS and tie each post into real-world applications to enhance the benefits.
Are you looking for ways to win over your boss? Read the article 8 Points To Convince Your Boss About The Usefulness Of A Corporate eLearning Blog to find out tips and tricks to convince your managers that corporate eLearning blogs are worth the time and resources.
