When it comes to content marketing on WordPress, the focus is always on blogging. Individuals quickly learn that blogs should be made of easy-to-read, “snackable” content that will eventually increase their following (if they do a good job). The end goal for any aspiring blogger is to become an authority in their niche which leads them to all kinds of opportunities.
The problem with this approach is actually very simple. Since bloggers tend to post about many different aspects of their industry in a seemingly random order, the only people who end up benefitting at all are professionals that are perfecting their skill. The larger audience (everyone else) is lost since they don’t know where to even begin.
Enter E-Learning
The solution to overcoming this frustrating situation en route to becoming an expert in your industry is, perhaps, a bit unconventional but is the most effective solution available. E-learning systems have been around for a while and are finally starting to gain more and more momentum in marketing circles.
Whether you have a highly sought after skill set that people are willing to pay for or you want to offer your knowledge to the world, a Learning Management System allows for a structured teaching environment that makes the learning process so much easier for the individual than browsing thousands of random blog posts online. Creating online courses will not only solve the beginners’ problem but also increase your engagement with your current audience. Here’s how:
Structure (1 + 2 = 3)
Just like in school, a well laid-out online course starts with the basics and then builds on that information to teach the more complex subject. This is a more holistic approach than the “snackable” content method and allows beginners to start at the beginning while more advanced users can just skip over the sections they know.
Because of this, the structure of a good learning management system is perfect for all skill levels, adding tremendous value to the content provided by the site owner. Apart from the obvious advantages of grabbing the beginning crowd for your niche, your course can also become a reference point for businesses and organizations.
Knowing Your Audience – Marketing 101
Unless a user signs up for a newsletter or “gimme” of some sort, blog owners don’t know a lot about their users. Analytics may give insight on which countries they come from, what browser they use and if they’re using a mobile device or not, but without dedicated collection the blog owner won’t have an email address or a name.
With an online e-learning system this becomes far less of a problem:
- Warm leads – People who have taken the time to go through your course are truly interested in what you have to teach and already view you with far more trust than your average, everyday blogger. This opens up opportunities for you to market further to them and to continue to win their trust.
- Follow up – At registrations, visitors give you their name and email address, allowing you to enjoy many more future multiple points of content through email marketing.
Deeper Engagement – It’s All About the Community
From a marketing standpoint, there aren’t many better opportunities to increase your revenue and effectiveness than having a group of your most loyal fans available to help engage new visitors and create community around your offering. Not all Learning Management Systems are built equal on this subject but if you choose the right one, your community engagement will skyrocket!
One Usage Example
Julie is a marketing manager at “Yellowstone Bank.” Her task is to expose new clients to her bank’s services. In addition to her blogging activity, Julie composed an online course called “Managing Personal Finances 101” which teaches users how to plan their income and expenses, start various funds, and even showed them how to manage their taxes.
Julie then promotes the course as a learning opportunity for everyone. This is MASSIVE for her bank’s patrons. The users taking the course receive a value add that no other bank is offering by learning how to manage their finances. Of course, Julie makes sure that, in the process, they learn the best tools Yellowstone Bank offers to help them manage their finances. While taking the course, the users discuss the subject and any questions they have in the forum. Julie’s team interacts with them, answering each of the questions and engaging their conversations while showing them how the bank can meet their needs. Once the courses are finished, Julie is able to continually touch base with each one and send emails to each of the participants, continuing her marketing cycle.
Using Julie’s scenario, how could a similar situation play out for your circumstance?
So, What Learning Management System Do We Recommend?
Over the years, my team has searched for learning management systems that were both feature complete and easy to use. We’re a bunch of developers but we don’t want to have to work with code when we are marketing. We want an easy to use solution that just works.
We tried many different LMS options which seemed to fall short in one way or another. Ultimately, we decided it would be best to create our own system that offered all of the basics and everything else we had been searching for. We selected WordPress as the underlying CMS because we loved using WordPress ourselves and it was an easy-to-use, familiar tool for many around the world.
LucidLMS is the name of our learning management system and it comes in a package containing a premium theme and a plugin. The plugin also works great with any theme if you already have a site designed and want to integrate it into your existing look. We built in strong compatibility for bbPress, WooCommerce (for paid courses), and Disqus. Our goal is to make it easy to teach, easy to learn, and easy to create communities around your subject matter.
E-learning is becoming a prominent tool for content marketers and WordPress is leading the charge with learning management systems like Lucid LMS.
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