In addition to discussions of the top tv commercials for the big football game each year or for ads during the big movie awards from Hollywood, the cost of running those ads is also a frequent topic.
In 2020, it cost an estimated $5.6 million for a 30-second spot for the Football ads, and around $2.8 million for an ad during the golden statue presentation...not including production.
How much content could you develop for those budgets?!
The reason, of course, for these steep amounts is SUPPLY & DEMAND.
My question to you: have you ever stopped to think about this principle when it comes to promoting your learning programs?
For the tv commercials, it's about exposure - the number of eyeballs. It's truly advertising, that is, raising awareness. There's not usually an immediate tie to purchase or sales. Rather, it's an understanding that one has to know something exists before they take another step to learn more and eventually take action.
If you get buzz (like the Boston cah ad), even better.
Most learning professionals I know tend to send out 1-2 mass emails announcing the launch of a new course, then wonder why so few people respond. FYI - a marketer would never approach things that way.
What if, instead, you did an audit of your most popular LMS pages, courses, tip sheets, etc. Look at traffic (website - use Google Analytics), downloads, shares, likes - depending on what tools you use. Then, see if there are ways to leverage that "real estate" for promoting other courses.
For example:
- add a screen before a certificate is awarded that can include a promotion that regularly gets updates
- on someone's learning path page, include an "ad"
- add a pop-up to share new offerings
What's important with this, though, is to tailor the messages to the people whom will care - don't show the same ad to everyone.
Also, don't over use this. Save it for when it matters, or it becomes like ads online that people stop noticing after a while.
I started this post around the expensive ads for major events - and I did so for a reason. The point is exclusivity. If you chose to employ this way of promoting your learning, be careful to use it selectively.
What do you think? Have you done this? Do you have questions about how to implement it? Share in the comments below!
