As the British economy emerges cautiously from a challenging environment, it is once again time for businesses to look ahead and invest in their future rather than simply looking to stay afloat. Goldsand Digital give us some pointers...
Being able to showcase innovative approaches to generating the best from teams and individuals throughout organisations, and get a headstart over the competition has never been so crucial. But, while the time may be right for these businesses to look to grow, the question remains: Are you set up to do all you can to market your leadership training company during the economic upturn?
Here are the five key marketing challenges for training and development companies:
Finding new business in a competitive market
You can do this by identifying the key challenges that your clients and potential clients are facing. Then you can effectively market to them with the solution to those very specific barriers. This is marketing that allows you to stand out from the competition because it shows you have a deep level understanding of the real issues impacting on your clients.
Getting to grips with social media – does it hold the key?
Sending one tweet a day won't generate new business. But, creating a simple strategy to engage with your clients online with relevant information is a very effective way to grow your profile and support your company initiatives. In simple terms, it's free PR and if harnessed properly has the power to get new messages out to a large number of people in a short space of time. Once you have an engaged community on social media channels, the selling process becomes easier.
Re-marketing and 'staying in touch'
This is where you need to get creative, and where social media can help, as well as innovative ideas like webinars and podcasts. It's not enough today to send an email once a week and make the odd phone call – your competitors are doing more. Adding value is key, so by inviting a potential client to a free webinar you could get the chance to further engage and show off your knowledge, expertise and ability in the training world.
Does my website sell my business effectively?
In the digital world we now live in, being able to sell and promote via your website is crucial. Consider it your senior sales person, marketing director and call centre all rolled into one. If you don't think your website effectively reflects your company's ability, it could be time to revamp or update. The key challenge here is knowing how much of an impact the site has. Via various online tools you can drill down and work out how popular your site is, how people find it, and how long they spend on it.
Knowing how to effectively grow your profile within the industry
How are you looking to grow your profile in the HR, learning and development and talent management arena? Writing articles, blogs, letters, and requesting to provide content for 'ask the expert' sections in magazines and websites is an ideal way to improve your popularity with the training world. By targeting certain publications and building strong relationships with editors, you will find that your expertise is not confined to a small number of current clients.
If you want to download the challenges and solutions in full go to MarketMyTraining.com. Nick Golding and Ingram Sanders are directors at GoldSand Digital, the digital marketing agency with expertise in generating leads for training and development companies and effectively growing their profile within the HR arena
