6 Tips to Ensure a Successful First eLearning Launch
Imagine this scenario. After months of hard work, your team has finally managed to put together a high-quality eLearning course. But when you throw it, no one picks it up, and all the time and effort you put into it is wasted. Whether this has happened to you in the past or it’s a scary thought that’s holding you back from developing eLearning content, we’ve got you covered. In this article, you’ll find 6 tips that will ensure your first eLearning launch is successful and makes a real difference to your business.
6 things to consider when launching an online course
1. Make a great first impression
As with most things in life, first impressions also matter in online training. To get your employees or customers to take time out of their busy schedules and click on your course, you’ll need to find something that appeals to them. Let them know in a few words what you Online course is about and how they would benefit by taking it. Think of it as a pitch to convince them to buy your product. Once they know your course can help them solve a specific problem, streamline a process, or add value to their development, success will be inevitable.
2. Create excitement
A new eLearning course is exciting, and everything should be the same. But how do you create buzz around your first eLearning launch? Take a page from each major brand’s book. Tech companies announce their new products months in advance, singers share little snippets of their new songs, and more. You can get your audience excited with teasers that provide insight into your course and outline its key selling points. It is not necessary to detail it. Share enough to capture their attention and make them known. Consider releasing it just a few weeks before your launch so you don’t lose momentum.
3. Timing is everything
Sometimes bad timing is all that stands between you and a successful launch. Posting your training course during an extremely busy time or a holiday will likely cause it to get lost in your employees’ inboxes. On the contrary, if you take the time to figure out the best time to grab attention and create buzz around your business, the results will reward you. Additionally, you should let your employees know when they will find your course more useful. For example, if your course covers product knowledge, suggest that your employees take it before approaching a new customer.
4. Run a driver
It can be hard to tell if your eLearning course is engaging and effective until people actually take it. To avoid disappointment and unnecessary complaints, consider running a pilot before you get started. Ask a small group of people (ten or twenty) to take your course and get their feedback. As far as you know, your course may be perfect or require a series of small tweaks that are easy to make but will dramatically improve its success and effectiveness after launch. You can even take the course yourself. Putting yourself in the learners’ shoes will give you a whole new perspective and help you create a best learning experience.
5. Secure stakeholder support
The success of your first eLearning launch is highly dependent on the support you receive from stakeholders. This term refers to everyone who will be affected by the training, from employees to managers. If you convince them of the benefits and value of your project early on, they will be more likely to promote and support it when it launches. Therefore, share with them the main benefits of your course and even involve them in the development process. Asking them for their opinion will encourage them to invest more in finding out what the end result looks like.
6. Prepare to manage comments
The last thing to keep in mind is how you are going to handle comments. When launching any new project in a company, and in particular training, it is important to have a system for collecting and analyzing feedback. How it will look is up to you. Perhaps you can conduct a survey or incorporate a review option at the end of the course. In any case, be sure to carefully filter this data and use it to optimize the experience of future users and eLearning programs.
What happens after launch?
The pre-launch phase is obviously followed by a post-launch phase, which also requires you to take steps to keep your eLearning program running. dungeon commitment levels high by staying in touch with learners, offering tutorials and updating content. Follow the tips we have shared in this article and you will surely engage your audience and make your first eLearning launch a complete success.