Why Collaborative E-Learning?

While E-Learning has been around for many years, a new and more sophisticated model is beginning to emerge as the standard for learning and comprehension. The concept adds a sense of community to the learning process where individuals can learn through a shared experience. The technical name is Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL).

The short description for this evolution in E-Learning is, it allows learning to venture outside of the individuals learning silo as they sit at their computer - and they can take advantage of social media tools to discuss relevant issues with other learners in forums, chat rooms and blogs. It can create a dialogue around learning that simulates the classroom experience without the many distractions and delays. It also helps reinforce comprehension leading to a change in behaviour, a common expected outcome in adult learning.

Most E-Learning in Canada remains antiquated and text based with the occasional use of images to underwhelm us - ultimately leading to an uninspired learning process, similar to written training that would sit on shelves in the past. The promise of a technology that would give learners the power to pursue knowledge and learn at their own pace has gone largely unfulfilled, and all in the name of lower cost. It is important to realize that the cost of developing an immersive E-learning experience is greater at the beginning. We just can’t take an existing curriculum or subject matter and convert it, as is, into E-Learning. E-Learning uses the full spectrum of media and in the case of Collaborative E-Learning, it utilizes social networking. This demands a more media savvy approach to developing collaborative E-Learning. Subject matter experts must undertake due diligence in developing the basic knowledge that will be presented in the E-Learning program but it is in the domain of the E-Learning content developer to synthesize that knowledge into a more immersive learning experience that is consistent with expected learning outcomes.

Our experience suggests that this can often lead to misunderstandings at the outset of E-Learning projects as subject matter experts seek to main control and authority over the content development process. Their experience in text and classroom based learning offers them a skewed understanding of what the final product might “look and feel” like. As a result it is important to “focus on content rather than the wrapper” in developing an E-Learning project to ensure that once the content is developed it will serve as a knowledge base and a learning experience that can be built upon rather than discarded as pedantic and boring.

This is where collaborative E-learning so comes in - it means really two things, first it suggests that we collaborate as learners with other learners in the pursuit of knowledge and secondly it creates a scenario where the learning content, once developed need not be re-developed by other organizations since the cost of developing sound content in a well thought out curriculum can be utilized and updated in perpetuity or shared with other organizations. Often times, sharing content with other organizations allows the original developer an opportunity to recover the costs of the more costly initial curriculum development and it allows the organization seeking to utilize the shared knowledge an opportunity to access the content at a significantly reduced cost.

In the end it simply means that an organization that has spent the time, effort and cost in developing a truly effective Collaborative E-learning module can recoup costs by sharing the content in a collaborative process. This coupled with the unique learning outcomes resulting from a truly CSCL approach can make Collaborative E-Learning more effective than classroom learning from a cost point of view and from a knowledge retention point of view.

Barriers to Collaborative E-Learning

Collaborative E-Learning - it’s not a new concept, just one that has never been utilized effectively in the “Canadian” learning experience. Ycommunicate has worked with many government organizations across Canada developing a broad spectrum of unique healthcare related E-Learning projects and one theme seems come up continually when we answer questions, explain our development process or respond to RFPs. The focus is always on cost and technology.

Surprisingly, behavioral change or comprehension is generally not evaluated in the process of determining value in a collaborative E-Learning or any E-Learning project. As recently noted in a Higher Education Strategy Associates’ 2011 report, The State of E-Learning in Canadian Universities, “In Canada, universities have been implementing e-learning and purchasing virtual learning environment platforms such as Blackboard and Desire2Learn and so on. However in comparison to the United States, there has been less focus on cost-savings and almost no focus at all on outcomes.”

I guess I’m bias in many ways on this topic, in that we have focused a great deal of effort on developing E-Learning modules that are media rich and create an immersive e-learning experience. The objectives for E-learning are to inform and facilitate the retention of information and/or to change behaviour. Given that this is the most important outcome for any E-Learning module it is hard to understand how organizations can continue to focus solely on technical specifications or budgetary issues. I will try and address both of these issues individually.

Let’s tackle the technology issue first – most organizations, when deploying any communications technology must first prostrate themselves before the alter of the IT department, the guardians or technology and secure confidential communications. Often times as part of their mandate, the IT Department wants to manage, advise and otherwise control any technology process. Their first choice is often to buy a product and install it so that it can be managed. E-Learning product manufactures are only too happy to accommodate by bombarding organizations with many such products and reaping the long terms rewards in renewable licensing and product support. Given the fact that most administrators within organizations are not technical experts, they rely on the IT department to guide them through this decisions making process. The reality of the technology dilemma is that there is no need to purchase and install “an E-Learning product” as there are many solutions available now that are web based and offer easy management by organization of shared individual and group participation. For example ycommunicate has deployed an E-Learning environment for dozens of organizations and thousands of unique learners that has run without so much as one hour of down time in over 8 years and the best part is that no IT department is involved. The truth is that technology has not been a barrier in terms of cost or technology for the past 6 – 8 years as a result of a relatively mature technology, yet the focus remains on the technology rather than the results for E-Learning.

The second issue relates to the first in many ways. The very fact that the IT department is involved complicates the decisions making process and ultimately the time, effort and cost of implementing E-Learning. E-Learning also cuts across many disciplines within any organization and as such demands careful attention to detail and participation by many levels of an organization to ensure the efficacy of the content and this tends to drive up costs from both an internal and external perspective

While cost is always an important issue relating to any project, it is our thought that the cost of a project be linked directly to the goals of the E-Learning. Of course if the goals include behavioral change or demonstrated understanding of the content than it makes sense that budgets must reflect that. Defining a budget because that is what we have available” does not necessarily result in achieving your learning goals. Sometimes it is just better to wait and ensure that the project is designed to achieve your goals against measured learning outcomes.

Our E-Learning approach has always tried to consider, technology, cost and perhaps most importantly the collaborative nature of the experience. This is not a new approach - but perhaps it’s new to the marketplace. We call our approach Collaborative E-Learning. The term has been around and called Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL)for a few years but we first launched approach to E-Learning back in 2003.

In my next blog I will expand on out take on CSCL!

Advertising Stories

Every once in a while I realize that not everybody has had the opportunity to experience the many marketing situations I have been fortunate enough to encounter and in this case I have a relevant story to complement my last two blogs.

In the mid 80’s I was Senior Marketing Specialist for Consumer Distributing (some of you may remember it fondly – or not) and I had the occasion to be involved in the process of selecting an advertising firm to represent us in our national advertising campaign. Back then, we had one of the largest seasonal television advertising campaigns in Canada after companies like Ford or McDonalds’s. We produced over 5 million catalogues each year with more than 5,000 SKUs. The reason I am relating this story is to illustrate that measurement and demographics have a place in guiding the advertising decisions but often final decisions are made based on an emotional reaction to a clever creative concept.

Creativity in advertising is largely under-appreciated and misunderstood. Companies and business owners often design their own advertising using designers & graphic artists, etc. but the process of developing unique powerful advertising that can change a person’s buying habits is complex and emotional at its heart. Never mind, the idea that you might be producing an advertising campaign for and audience that you do not relate to through age or preferences.

The competing advertising firms as I recall were Foster Advertising and Prizm Advertising and two others. The contract was worth millions to the eventual winner so the stakes were high. The process took several weeks and each firm had more than one meeting to present its creative concepts and supporting research. In fact the process was so onerous that the advertising firms were allowed to charge for the development of their campaigns. Each firm brought in its research in a printed tomb of several hundred pages chronicling the buying habits of Consumer Distributing customers.

The winning concept, You Work Hard For Your Money, based on a song and a concept that had resonance with Consumer’s customers had more going for it than a good creative concept. The concept of psychographic research was introduced by the winning advertising firm while the other firms used demographic research to support their creative concepts. The difference between the two was that psychographic research contained an additional dimension of research into the emotional profile of consumers.

The point of all this is that a good creative concept was well supported by unique research on the emotional profile of Consumer Distributing customers. The creative idea was good because it was based on an in-depth understanding of its customers.

Failure To Launch: Part Two

I have expanded on the four rules guiding the decisions around the advertising process. If you work your way through this process using these basic principles you will have a much better idea on which medium(s) to use and the kind of message that will resonate with your audience.

Understand The People Who Buy Your Products or Services: To help you make the right decisions you need to understand people who buy your products, note that I used the term “people” … not clients, customers or consumers…but people! Understanding what people want, how they will use your product, what is motivating their buying decisions, how external market forces are affecting them, can help frame your advertising decisions.

Develop Clever Product Incentives: Look at the features and benefits in your products and match those against why your clients are buying your products and how they use them to develop some sales incentives. These can take the form of cost reductions on volume, additional features added at the regular price, packaging the product with another to create value. Using a unique and surprising message to deliver the news about your incentives can enhance the response of people who buy your products.

Recognize Strengths and Weaknesses: this process is often called a SWAT analysis but a simplified version is to simply recognize what the level of help you need and what you can contribute effectively. Delegating advertising decisions, allows companies to improve the quality of decision making as it relates to advertising. Leaders can sometimes be too close to a process and rely on statistics rather than a deeper understanding of the buying decision - as an emotionally driven process.

Multi-Channel Advertising program: Using a variety of mediums to reach the people who buy your products or services is important. While there may be a core advertising strategy; say like using web based marketing through e-mails, banners, social networks etc.; this should be complemented by a broader initiative that includes some of the more traditional methods of advertising. Repetition creates greater awareness and results in better sales.

The effectiveness of advertising is often defined by its emotional impact on audiences. The steps I have outlined, offer a means by which you can set a frame work for developing an effective advertising campaign but keep in mind that an advertising campaign’s success is most often defined by the budget you allocate to a campaign.

Failure To Launch: Part One

In recent years I have encountered one marketing issue that seems to be pervasive among all types and sizes of businesses and organizations. They seem to possess all the basic elements to achieve success, including passion about their product, good understanding of sales, product selection, good customer service, a professional attitude and good marketing tools to name a few; but the road ends there …the final leg; advertising is often missing in a long term strategic plan. No money has been allocated to reach out to potential customers through an organized process.

I must admit I am not sure why; smart, knowledgeable business leaders seem to drop the ball when it comes to bringing the process full circle. Marketing and advertising is costly , often equaling the total cash outlay leading up to the launch of the company or product, but any business plan must include a means of reaching out to potential customers … and for some unforeseen reason this final step is consistently undervalued, regardless of the logic in taking that step.

Options for advertising can be bewildering. Some clients misunderstand the advertising process and as a result they put in place a sales force in an attempt to reach out; others are overwhelmed by the advertising options or they feel the volume of marketing materials make up for the lack of advertising, and some just can’t seem to get past the cost. Now…I am not advocating a foray into advertising at any cost ….but I am suggesting a consistent, customized and well researched marketing and advertising initiative is paramount to your business’s success.

The scope and customized approach of a well thought out advertising program based on a reasonable budget can have a dramatic impact on your business, but it’s not a quick fix. In my opinion there are four basic rules guiding the process:

1. Understand the people who buy your products and why they buy them
2. Develop incentives to enhance the benefits of your product
3. Recognize your strengths and weaknesses in contributing to the process
4. Design and advertising program that uses a variety of mediums, both traditional and new media

When you are launching a new marketing initiative for a product, a service or a location, allocating a budget for advertising will factor into the success of your initiative. Stay tuned for part two of this article where I offer some concrete suggestions and steps you can take to effectively complement your marketing plan with sound advertising decisions.

Your Image – What Is It Saying About You?

Six seconds. It takes approximately six seconds to tie a shoelace, six seconds to open one letter, butter one slice of bread and it takes six short seconds to make a first impression.

All things considered, this is not a lot of time within which to convey a lot of information about yourself, your company or your services. Yet people will make assumptions about credibility and ability within these few short seconds. What do your first six seconds say about you?

You need to ensure that you are capable of selling yourself and your company positively, if you are going to be given the opportunity to sell or promote your products and services. Dr. Albert Mehrabian of UCLA found that there are three key elements that combine to create your first impression…

Verbal – what you say 7%
Vocal – how you say it 38%
Visual – how you look and act 55%

You will notice that the content of what we say is not nearly as important as how we say it, or even how we look as we say it. Yet, most sales professionals focus more of their time preparing their verbal communications rather than the other two elements. They are inadvertently overlooking the power of the non-verbal elements in creating their image and risk not being as successful.

Creating a strong first impression requires you to strategically refine the image you portray by aligning the vocal and visual elements with the message that you want to deliver. The consistency of the message is the key.

For the vocal elements - listen to yourself on tape. How does your voice sound? Is it too nasal or too high? Do you speak too fast or too slow? Do you speak too loud or too soft? In general, you convey confidence by speaking at a moderate pace with a slightly lower tone range. Deepening your voice slightly will often lend you a credibility and authority you might have lacked. You should try to speak loud enough to be heard clearly by your audience.

Choose carefully the visual elements, considering the tales they tell about you. Are you dressed too casually or are you over-dressed? Does the colour convey confidence or a lack of? Are you clean, well-groomed and professional? Do your own marketing self-survey by asking for others’ opinions about the messages that your current dress imparts. Does it fit with the impression you wish to make?

Your image is either going to contribute to or detract from your business success. Imagine for a moment that you are creating your own retail store at a major intersection. The store will have no name above the door; all that will be on display in the front window is you. What kind of customers will you attract?

A New Age of Corporate Video

There are many flavours of video today as a result of a loosening of our expectations, our viewing habits and the many mediums that we now receive video through, ranging from YouTube and Facebook to HBO and Netflix. The era of episodic television is over…wait a minute maybe not …maybe it has just morphed into such a broad ranging format we can no longer point our finger and define video so easily.

Video is no longer in neat little categories like corporate video or television shows or readily recognizable commercials – the lines between these mediums has been fudged and it should be pointed out that they have been fudged by advertisers for the most part. We have lulled ourselves into believing that we have created these new popular videos through a more diverse and creative medium; but in fact w have simply been allowed to develop mediums that will better hide the messages of advertisers.

The problem, in part, is that as individuals and companies we have bought into this process. The advent of cheap video production, basement online suites, small lower cost cameras and an army of creative types being churned out by colleges and universities has created expectations for lower cost and more creativity. A reasonable expectation I’d say …The unfortunate truth remains that while we have benefited from a less formal video production process, the hall marks of good video have remained consistent.

Great interviews still require good interviewers who are prepared and provide meaningful insight. Great imagery still needs a good cameraman, complemented by good sound and good editing. Well planned and thought out videos produce better results when a professional team is involved in production. Don’t kid yourself, all of the “reality television “ we see today that started with Survivor and followed by shows such as such as Jersey Shore, Big Brother, Hoarders, The Deadliest Catch, American Pickers, etc. all remain carefully constructed. They were the result of decreased budgets but as these shows now evolve and seek to compete for audience their budgets have also begun to expand with the expansion of their market share.

Big Budget television productions still remain the standard in television today; they have simply moved from regular broadcasting television channels to pay-per-view. Sky-rocketing budgets due to the more sophisticated, reality based demands of viewers have forced video/television production to create more on-location, dynamic productions that have the feel of feature length productions rather than episodic television.

The upshot of all this for corporate or industrial videos, is and has been, that as television becomes more sophisticated, so do the tastes of your audience, your customers, your corporate partners & suppliers. Relying on a more experienced production team and resisting the temptation to micro-manage the video will often produce good results. Good videos can inspire, inform and change behaviour if the production team is given some creative license and a budget that reflects the expectations of the video.

Choosing a Company Name

It is important to offer customers, staff and business partners a consistent and accurate understanding of what the company, product or service stands for. More often than not the company name and or icon are secondary to how you market that name. Having a strong name and then not promoting consistently over time will yield little awareness or recognition.

Long term effectiveness of a name or brand identity is based on the marketing strategy and not the name itself. Don’t knock yourself out coming up with a cool name - - Arnold Schwarzenegger was told he would never make it with his name! It’s about name recognition and what you do to promote it, but here are some established ways of thinking about names …

A. Often times, using a proper name associates the company with a person place or thing, thus identifying the company specifically but not creating any strong link to descriptive product or service offering, i.e., Johnson & Johnson, MacDonald’s, etc. Through the use of consistent long term branding strategies these names have come to represent a very specific product image.

B. Alternately, a company can be identified by the service or product they offer, creating a direct connection to the product or service. This is a very focused approach and offers people an immediate understanding of the product or service your company produces, i.e., First National Bank, Algoma Steel Manufacturing, etc.

C. The third and most nebulous naming convention creates an emotional attachment to the company or product but does not identify a specific product or service. This, while unfocused, it can create an immediate emotional profile for the company. The name is designed to create a state that will allow the company to attach the product or service to an emotion. Some examples would include SkyLife or Winners.

D. Finally there is a naming convention that creates or invents a company name from scratch. It can represent a product or service and a combination of any existing words to create new word. These have been very popular recently as companies seek to differentiate themselves with unique names. Some examples of this are Nautica or Enron.

Once a name has been developed, regardless of how or what it represents at the time of its creation, two basic elements can affect the perceived meaning of a name or emotional attachment to a name. These are advertising and unforeseen acts. Each of these can affect a company, both negatively and positively.

Combining a sales initiative and marketing plan is the key to the success of your name and your business.

Electronic Newsletters Are Overused

Newsletters have always seemed to suffer from one anemic deficit or another. First it was paper versus electronic, then ineffective use of the electronic newsletter, then inconsistent use of the electronic newsletter and now overuse of the newsletter.

If you are in business today….you generally get several newsletters a week of one sort or another: some we have signed up for and others …not so much. The issue, (if I can use that pun) is that most newsletters are uninformative, unimaginative and they remain a relic of the print age. Today, with information on demand, the newsletter’s effectiveness has been eroded by competing noise in the marketplace …everybody has a newsletter. Most newsletters are simply marketing speak and do not offer true insight. They are usually an assemblage of new product launches, product support, broadly available statistics, product fixes and self promotion.

Other factors that have dramatically impacted the newsletter are the advent of the blog, forum, twitter, texting, chat functions, FAQs, press releases, social networking sites etc. Subject matter experts are now more accessible and user groups of high profile products offer unique opportunities to gain non-bias information on a product or service.

The print newsletter and initially the electronic newsletter were considered a push medium, in other words the newsletter was pushed out to clients as a marketing and information piece. With the advent of privacy laws, greater interactive design, instant access to subject matter expertise and more graphic design, newsletters have increasingly become “pull” medium where the user signs up or registers for information they want.

Marketers are now resorting to incentives to encourage subscribers by offering VIP treatment, discounts and giveaways. The idea is that if you are offered something of value you will accept regular updates about a product or service in the form of a newsletter. The basic problem with this approach is that the value of newsletter subscriptions is overweighed on quantity rather than quality. The same formula that defines spamming is being used to define the benefits of the business or corporate newsletter. The more subscribers you have the more” impressions” you get for your product, ultimately resulting in greater sales and product awareness.

The basic problem with this formula is just that …it’s a formula. As in spamming, it is a passionless medium, where the information is unimaginative, uninformative and it lacks the basic incentive for buying … emotion. Apple is an example of a product that has created a cult-like status around its products. Generally they are far more expensive and perform similarly to many other products. They main emotional appeal is that through their products you have gained membership into a select group. Apple has successfully tapped into our need to belong.

If you want to engage your audience, you have to invest the time and energy in making the information wanted, needed and even demanded by your customers with the use of in-depth content - delivered in a memorable way.

Web Marketing Trends

Recently, as part of our on-going research we have compiled some interesting online statistics that will affect decisions you make about your company. For each set of stats we have tried to provide some interpretation but as many of you probably already know, how such trends and influencing factors affect a company must be considered carefully on an individual basis to understand how to best to benefit from this information.

This first set of statistics comes from Statistic Canada. Such information is released publically periodically. You can purchase such information well in advance of the release of the analysis, if you are willing to pay a premium. Internet use in Canada continues to lead the way in the industrialized world and Southern Ontario continues to be one of the heaviest user regions in Canada.

Usage statistics released recently from Stats Canada can attest to these facts. The CBC had some basic interpretation of the stats.

We recently attended a social media conference/seminar that provided some perspective on the use of social networking tools (such as Facebook), online marketing and e-mail best practices. The following include a few important stats that underline the importance of utilizing this medium more effectively.

• 7 million customers will shop on their mobile phone in 2010, up from 4 million in 2009.
• Facebook link, free shipping offer and store locater are the top three retail-e-mail techniques
• Estimated value of a Facebook fan is $ 136
• Victoria Secret has 11.7 million fans and Wal Mart has 4.1 million
• The most popular e-mail send days are Monday, Thursday and Friday
• Location based marketing is a growing trend
• There are 2.6 million mobile devices worldwide

We work with clients to help interpret this information and put plans into place that take advantage of trends in the marketplace. We then put into play, best practice strategies for online marketing so that your business can maximize its benefit. In talking to clients, the most common barrier to effective implementation is mistaking function for strategy, and buy that I mean they consider the technical implementation and the costs rather than understanding how it can be used to best effect for their particular business model.

We have been hearing about smart phone shopping in the news for quite some time but how is it actually affecting sales at the retail level?  An article in “Lies, Dam Lies & Statistics” blog offers some interested statistics. A US study shows us that more consumers are browsing and researching products while in store – up from 27% in November 2009 to 48% in December 2010.   And it’s the under 35s that are most likely to do so – 60% compared to 27% for the over 55s (actually still quite a high % for that age group.)

Overall men (51%) browse and research in-store more than women (44%).

However, according to another US study by the BabyCenter, the percentages are very different when you only look at mothers with 68% using their Smartphone while shopping.    That BabyCenter study says that “moms love smart phones” with 53% having bought one as a direct result of becoming a mother.  An important point for marketers to bear in mind – even when wheeling their prams around, mothers today are increasingly connected via their mobile devices.

One final set of statistics that you may find interesting is this tidbit on retail couponing which has been the leading edge in terms of selling Smartphone shopping to retailers. "The consumer just wants a seamless service and doesn't want to go through something extra like downloading individual coupons. It has to be more convenient for them." To learn more visit CBC.

E-Learning – Confused on Many Levels

E-Learning has long been misunderstood and it continues to be confused on many levels. This confusion stems from a broad swath of learning solutions having collided with the introduction of technology and the internet. Many of the E-Learning solutions developed as a result of this collision are driven by cost and not effectiveness. We have recently had the opportunity to respond to many E-Learning RFPs and we are always surprised that the balance of these RFP’s deal with technical parameters and infrastructure and not the learning objectives, instructional design, the interactivity of the content or the diverse makeup of the learners. Today, the technical delivery of E-Learning is relatively easy to implement, band width considerations are virtually non-existent even in remote rural settings and there are plenty of well-designed, easy to use, scalable, non-proprietary E-Learning development platforms.

So then the question has to be asked, if the technology exists, and is easily implemented, why are most E-Learning initiatives are either boring, ineffective or bogged down in technical issues? Well, to truly understand this we have to take step back and look at the evolution of E-Learning and the effect that the traditional learning process has had on E-Learning. In short, the technology is mature but the process and our ideas framing E-Learning development are relics of the past. Administrators who fund and develop E-Learning projects apply a linear process to E-Learning to help manage costs, schedule project milestones and ensure the efficacy of the content. Managing E-Learning like traditional training, often results in a finished E-Learning product that looks like traditional training, delivered in a much more robust interactive domain. Typically, in such a process the content has not realized the value and benefit of a mature interactive process, such as the inclusion of selective video, branching based on pre-test and post test questions or quizzes, access to multi-layered depth of content, etc. 

A well developed E-Learning solution includes subject matter experts, a diverse and creative instructional design team that is experienced in the production of media in all forms, including simulations, animation, video and interactive design. A well designed E-Learning module or comprehensive curriculum can last indefinitely since, like annually updated university text Books, E-Learning modules undergo a review for updates and efficacy on an annualized basis. A well designed E-Learning program has the power to change behaviour, enhance comprehension and create incentive for people to value and engage in lifelong learning.

More confusion reigns when  many flavours of, what I would call,  less than ideal interactive learning are slapped with the moniker of E-Learning. E-Learning means different things to different sectors of the economy. The most common expression of E-Learning is often cited when discussing colleges and universities. It offers instructor led learning with complementary opportunities for learning through assigned activities, reading activities or instructor designed PowerPoint presentations. While using the interactive medium, it remains a lecture style presentation best suited to students rather than adults. The main learning still takes place in an interactive live session with the instructor and the final test and/or interim tests are still delivered on campus or proctored through associated organizations that must meet Government educational guidelines. It’s called E-Learning but I prefer the term Distance Learning since the interaction is not under the control of the learner.

Organizations offer yet another watered down version of E-Learning through the use of Webinars; incorporating the use of video (but usually not), a guest speaker and a PowerPoint presentation. This is recorded and posted on a web site as E-Learning. These have the feel of warmed up left-over’s. Often in these examples the most important ingredient not mentioned is the learner, how are they represented in the content, the objectives and (what I like to call) the engagement level?  The engagement level is driven by our need for entertainment, distraction and love affair with media on the internet and on television. Good teachers and instructors know and understand this and use this in traditional learning to provide insight, humour, gravity and life experiences to the learning process to make learning unpredictable and enjoyable.  

The final flavor is the corporate E-Learning – usually designed to teach us mandatory repetitive information. Most are designed as interactive web pages and even real interactive E-Learning with plenty of interactive control but the content is often text heavy, lacks any engagement and the learning outcomes are not substantiated.  The biggest drawback is the poor engagement level.

We’ve all been to school and understand the nature of boring learning; the difference is that we are forced to participate as students while we must have engaged to learn as adults. Somehow this lesson is lost when developing E-Learning, perhaps because of cost, our lack of understanding of the E-Learning medium or the need to use traditional methods to manage a very untraditional medium and its potential.

11 Things I've Learned About Advertising

A sentiment I often run into, is the idea that there is some kind of “Magic Bullet” in advertising … a sure fire plan or technique, a new technology, a unique approach or a sense that it's easy! While you can catch lightening in a bottle on ocassion, most simply waste a lot of money with no real understanding of the beneftis or the possibilities.

Perhaps not the  advise you want to hear but  - the “stay the course” approach, with a heaping helping of passion will see you through to repeat business and a predictbale revenue stream. Passion for your product or servicve is infectious; and it will serve you in good stead in the long run. But let’s make no mistake …it is a long run to predictable growth. These are a few tips that I'd like to pass along. Each of these tips should not be considered in isolation ...think about combining them to ensure maximum effect. 

1. Most business owners are passionate about their products and very knowledgeable about their services. That passion and knowledge does not necessarily make you a great marketing expert. You need not hire a firm to develop a grand marketing initiative, but you should seek objective marketing insight to help create a consistent and focused marketing plan.
2.  Avoid including too much information. The message is more effective if it is simple and focused. Anchor your message on a “substantial” incentive to attract customers and ensure that it offers real value. A sale just isn’t what it used to be! 
3. Avoid running an ad infrequently. This is the most classic of all advertising errors. Potential customers need to see an ad multiple times. Frequent smaller ads are generally more effective than irregular large ads.
4. Don’t draft your message around what you want to say but around what your clients need. If you are not sure what they need, ask them -- before you advertise. 
5. Using shotgun approach, through traditional advertising channels such a TV, Newspaper or Radio do not always produce the desired effect. Consider more unique and focused channels like viral marketing, unique events, online advertising. 
6. Don’t use poor quality images or graphics in your ads (clip art just won’t do).  Short cuts, and low cost alternatives may not be the bargin you perceive them to be – you may save some money but end up turning off customers.
7. Many of today’s companies are uniquely online businesses. Just as traditional bricks and mortar businesses need to use the web to advertise. Conversely, online businesses need to use traditional advertising to create awareness as well. 
8. Don’t change your advertising from month to month or from one medium to another on a whim. Run shorter advertising programs and wait until they have completed the cycle, then analyze the results and apply what you have learned to the next cycle. To smaller companies this may seem difficult but over time you will accumulate important information about your customers and selling cycles and perhaps most importantly what works and what doesn’t. 
9. Graphic artists are not marketing specialists. Remember a graphic artist is trained to put your ads together professionally – they are not trained to synthesize your marketing goals and objectives into compelling creative concepts.  
10. Don’t forget to set up a process to close the sale by adding value when a customer visits. You can also track the response to your ads more easily by adding a new phone number or e-mail address that are specific to a particular campaign. This will help you respond more effectively to those inquires because you will have the advantage of knowing that they are responding to your advertising. 
11. Advertising, Marketing and Sales are not the same thing! Each plays a unique role. Marketing is the broader process for planning advertising, communications and sales programs. Advertising is the process of communicating a persuasive message to potential customers. Sales is the process of consummating that advertising process by accepting payment for goods and services.  A sales person is not a substitute for advertising or a marketing plan!

One final thought... your freinds and family don't always know what's good for you or for your conmpany. Keep that in mind when creating a mentoring group to consider marketing plans and initiatives. Trust your intuition and knowledge.

If you want feedback on a marketing initiaitve or idea  - post it on the blog and I will be happy to offer my thoughtful observations.

The Likeability Factor

The likeability factor is often viewed as a very personal trait. We all want to be liked and we want to associate ourselves with likeable people, products and services. “What’s Hot is Hot and What’s Not is Not” aptly describes our shared social need to be associated with the most current likeable symbols in society. These can range from entertainers and products to politicians and ideas. If you can establish a likeability factor for a product or service it can grow your business exponentially.

Viral marketing is the most obvious face of the likeability factor. It has become more visible with the growing use of social media such as Facebook and, Twitter; and the use of hand held computing devices. The spread of Likeability is similar to the spread of a virus; hence the name viral, which connotes the rapid spread of likeability.

Most clients, when considering a communication project of just about any sort do not consider the likeability factor. The main reason for this is that it costs time and money. Marketing campaigns, and make no mistake; any communication project is in some way a marketing campaign, underwrites the likeability factor. Whether it’s Justin Bieber, environmental causes, I-Pads, pro-biotic yogurt or electric cars; each has a carefully orchestrated marketing plan that reinforces its likeability factor.

The fact that the product is innovative or is effective only ads to or complements its likeability factor. A perfect example if Proactiv – a product whose sole purpose is to help clear up facial blemishes and it’s endorsed by likeable people like Justin Bieber. The product has primarily the same ingredients and the same effectiveness as Clearasil, one of its competitors, but it cost 4 times as much; why because it has a higher likeability factor.

Now, having mentioned Justin Bieber does require a slight clarification of terms… it is important to note that likeability and popularity are not the same thing. Likeability can occur on a small scale and can influence buying decisions at very basic level while popularity has to achieve a larger scale to be considered effective.  

We may be led to believe that viral marketing is free but this is the exception rather than the rule. Most likeability campaigns are supported through marketing in a variety of distribution channels that are unseen or appear to be casual or unsponsored. This is important to a likeability campaign since we value unsponsored endorsements more than those that are sponsored.

While these likeability campaigns may appear unattainable to small and medium size businesses, they can be scaled into smaller projects in the way that we promote our customer service, or how we greet customers on the phone or, the style of a web site or a video. All of these and many others contribute to the likeability and help determine if the call to action in any communications project is going to be effective.

 If you are interested in learning more we have a documentary we offer to clients for viewing called Art & Copy that helps demystify some of the aspects of Likeability. Also, you may want to read The Likeability Factor: How to Boost Your L-Factor and Achieve Your Life's Dreams by Tim Sanders.

Cheap Video?

I worked in television and video production as a writer , producer, director for the best part of 30 years so I know a bit about video production and one recurring misconception has struck me over the years...and it’s this ...videos are cheap and easy to produce.

Everybody seems to think they know something about video because they can use a camera or they have some type of editing software. With the advent of smaller, lower cost, higher quality cameras, access to digital editing; and even the broad appeal of YouTube, anybody can make a video, right …well, not necessarily. It all depends on what you want to achieve with your video. Video can make us laugh, it can motivate us, it can inform us, it can empower us - or it can just bore us to tears. Unfortunately most videos fall under the bore us to tears category.

Corporate videos for the most part are designed to create a call to action, communicate a concept or describe a service that cannot be easily described in any other way. A video forms a contract with the viewer gained through their experience of watching television every day. That contract suggests that you must entertain as well as inform based on the audience’s expectations.

Most clients who produce video for their web site, or for boardroom presentations make the same mistake that they make with advertising…they try and tell their story in linear fashion without consideration for the customer’s needs and expectations. They focus on cost and in doing so eliminate all creativity and strategic planning. Videos like advertising can change people’s opinions, can have an emotional appeal and can bestow a positive light on your product or service but only with well thought out messaging.

Today’s videos are shorter – whether it’s a flash mob, commercial or just an engaging demonstration. Longer videos can be effective but the viewer has to have a degree of control over the viewing process; and the content has to be engaging and as interactive as possible.

You can produce a video on a budget but the production company should be a partner in the planning and development of the concept…right from the start. Going to a production house and trying to direct the video will result in one thing…a bad video. Let the production company bring their expertise to the table and make sure, as the client; you inform them on your objectives, your audience and your content.

The Evolution of E-Learning

E-Learning, particularly in the business world, has long been praised by many as the final solution to the challenge of continual learning. Administrators in government and industry see it as a cost effective way of sharing valuable information; learners see it as a means of flexible learning, and content/media developers see it as a new service opportunity. Each demanding taskmaster exacts a compromise from the process of creating E-Learning while few understand the complex nature of this information sharing process.
In reality, the learning process is much less predictable and more complex than most people realize. Effective learning utilizes body language, the cadence of rhythmic audio and visual communications, subject matter comprehension, intellectual engagement, technical facilitation and a comfortable learning environment. Just as some teachers are masters at keeping the focus and attention of the students through their teaching techniques in the classroom … E-learning must weave a web of challenge and intrigue that allows the learner to transcend the medium, manipulate the technology with ease …all while working at their own pace in an easy to comprehend format.
Each of the partners involved in developing today’s E-Learning tools and environments has an agenda. Each has their own task master in the private or public sector, where cost-efficiency, regulations and guidelines and counter intuitive processes that have nothing to do with content, often figure significantly in determining the type and quality of the E-Learning administered to learners. The means by which E-Learning is administered often sets up the learner’s expectations and ultimately their level of engagement and enrichment. By not introducing learner expectations, the learner often envisions sitting back and absorbing a one-way theatre style presentation that will contain all the information they need.
To understand how we have arrived at this current state of affairs in E-Learning we can examine the evolution of “corporate training”, as it was once called. There are many parallels between current E-Learning practices and corporate training. Corporate training in the early 1980’s advanced significantly with the advent of video as a learning medium. We can learn a lot about implementing Internet based E-Learning from the video training revolution of the 80's.
When video learning was introduced there was a lot of uncertainty around the technology as a conflict between technologies formats - VHS and Beta – similarly today we are undergoing similar conflicts between various software solutions and delivery technologies. Video learning was difficult and costly to implement because the infrastructure was either non-existent or problematic – Internet based learning continues to be troublesome and laborious to implement as access and implementation are in the domain of the technology guardians - the IT Department.
Strategic business planning did not truly understand the significance of developing effective learning and how it might affect the bottom line. Today we have a more mature business-planning model for learning but many organizations continue to implement Internet Learning on a project-by-project basis with little understanding of the long-term impact or legacy training strategies.
The content was also problematic in video learning as pedantic and boring content was delivered to learners with little understanding of their learning needs, their ethnic make up, ability to comprehend English effectively and their aptitude for use of technology.
Learning focus remained on the content, subject matter specialist and the medium; instead of the learner. Learning strategies also lacked the creation of a long-term plan that considered updating content, new technologies implementation, knowledge migration and the changing face of the learner. As in the classroom we can control the content, the environment and even the learning process but we have a much poorer understanding of the learner and how they learn in unique environments such as E-Learning.
Many E-Learning development companies today are well versed in the standard implementation of E-Learning. They understand the deployment technology (web programming and the Internet) but not the implications of using a broad spectrum of media tools that make up an effective Learning scenario such as video, audio, animation, role-playing, simulations, music, sound effects and perhaps most of all how each of these interacts. Each of these plays an important role in the learning process as research has indicated. Learners use a number of clues and “learning factors” and each person learns by placing somewhat different importance on each of these “media elements.”
Also an important part of the process is the need to encourage a heightened engagement in E-Learning by the learner and to set out critical achievement standards for the leaner from the outset. Many learners, especially those educated during the 70’s and 80’s were indoctrinated into the “theatre” style learning process where the learner would simply sit back and learn or be fed the information. Today’s learner needs to be engaged in the process, this starts with the selection of the subject matter expert, developing long term learning strategies, producing engaging & interactive presentations but ends with a change in the expectations we have of E-Learners and the need for each to understand the subject matter.
During the video learning evolution of the eighties the learner was not considered central to the process; we had little knowledge of how people learn and under what circumstance we learn more effectively. Internet learning or E-Learning as it is commonly called today has not considered the learner any more effectively than did the video learning of the eighties. Many companies and organizations have used the same existing training infrastructure or “legacy learning systems” and tried to implement E-Learning. Even though the technology is more complex, yet ubiquitous; even though learners have become more sophisticated and their ethnic make-up has become more diverse, even though knowledge is now considered a much more important factor in the success of an organization and even though the costs are increasing dramatically. Little thought has been given to developing a unique infrastructure and administration process for E-Learning that places the leaner at the head of the class!
Today there is little left of the video-learning systems of the eighties – the only legacy that remains is the administrative process. We have gone through a number of technologies, from Laser Disks, CD ROMs and DVDs to dial up Internet, high speed Internet and now High Definition. I am sure that the future of learning will continue to become more complex as the body of information we need to know continues to grow and the need to inform and refresh our information demands that we keep pace.
The delivery mechanisms will continue to change but the learning strategies, once put in place, will form an important base upon which organizations can leverage knowledge to deliver products and services more effectively.

Too Much Technology?

With new mobile computing devices, and new applications that allow sending, receiving and sharing information, technology is playing an increasingly important role in business.

Many of our clients have become early adopters, if there is such a thing anymore. One of the problems often described is the lack of integration and the complexity of a computer based technology’s use. This is especially true for small businesses where there are few solutions providers that can help ease the adoption of technology; or, who take the time to understand its implications on their business once implemented.    

Just as in the 90’s, computers and networks promised to release workers from mundane tasks and make business more efficient. The promise of this leap forward was not fulfilled initially. Why?  Because we did not rationalize the integration of new technology. We simply added a layer of technology by putting a computer on everyone’s desk. We didn’t do the hard work of rationalizing the business, by recognizing new efficiencies and seeking to better understand enhanced productivity’s effect on the business. The promise of new business efficiencies is often realized through savings in time, the reduction of demands on resources, or by providing some competitive advantage.   

History is a great teacher and there is a lesson to be learned from our first clumsy attempts to improve business back in the 90’s. This new, more precise evolution of hand held computing devices, network systems and software must be integrated more effectively if we are to reap the rewards. It is absolutely essential to take a practical and planned approach to technology integration. The implementation of new technology will demand redefining our work flow and business processes.

I recommend reverse engineering the process to help you understand how and why you need this new technology so you can measure its effectiveness and plan for how your business process might change as a result. Ultimately all solutions are measured by their effectiveness in positively impacting your business. Unfortunately most business owners and senior managers haven’t got the time or the inclination to conduct a practical evaluation. A new ad or a trend often sets a business entrepreneur on a path of acquiring a shiny new technology that will end up costing more time and resources than might be realized from any new technology.

Of course, you may just want to look cool and don’t mind spending the money to make a statement.  For those that enjoy shiny new technology at any cost – I would offer the following; over the past two decades technology has strived to do one thing, copy the shared experience of the human condition. Replacing that shared experience with technology rather than complementing that shared experience can have a disastrous effect on your business. 

Take the time to think about the five “W’s” on how this new technology will be adopted and ask yourself a few questions. Is your staff technically skilled enough to use it effectively? Is some training required?  How will the new technology enhance the customer experience? Have you explained to clients and staff carefully how this will benefit them?  Are there incentives for adopting the new technology quickly and effectively? Have I factored in my time to research plan and implement it and would that time have been better spent on other parts of the business?

And finally after you have asked yourself these and other questions…. the final one question you should be asking yourself is will the new technology help my business perform better and be more profitable?

Your Business is About to Change: Are You Ready?

There have been few true paradyme shifts in recent history but we are currently in the sway of such an event and it’s going to change the way you do business.

The marketplace, your business and even your household have gradually adapted evolving technology, such as the I- Phone or Blackberry on one end and the net book or lap top on the other. Enter the Dragon, the Tablet - a technology that offers the best of both worlds, great interactive experience and flexibility to do both personal and business anywhere anytime.

The growth of this new product means were headed for a free-for-all – as the burgeoning tablet market really started to take shape in 2010. According to a new report from eMarketer, tablet sales are expected to increase more than 400% by 2012.

Tablets have far outstripped successful technology launches in the recent past such as —personal computers, video-game consoles, DVD and MP3 players, smart phones -led by the Apple iPad, Motorola – Xoom and soon to come, RIM – Playbook. The success of tablets stands out for their instant popularity and steep adoption curve.



Online sales in my opinion have reached tipping point and they are about to go through the roof. A tablet now boasts high speed web access, they are light and portable, they can run office applications and access e-mail from anywhere, anytime.

How will that change my business … you say. Well...millions of web sites that have served as simple qualifiers to products or services will now become accessible and the monetization of those adorable little information web sites will now make or break your business. Whether its customer service, content management, online payment, order-reordering, retail couponing, product knowledge, etc. – it will al be manageable – anywhere, anytime.

Think about it…an aging baby boomer generation, who will have to work longer - will now adapt easily to using this friendlier technology that will accommodate their lifestyle.

If you are going to be successful in adapting you need to start re-thinking your business process to take advantage of the coming boom in your customer demand, i.e., to order product online, to pay for your products or services in a safe secure environment. You will need to re-think your customer service, return policies, warrantees and customer loyalty programs and plan to integrate them into this new technology.

Re-thinking your business process and shaping your online presence to respond to customer demand will allow you to build an enterprise level solution that is scalable and can take advantage of this paradyme shift.

Marketing: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

I received a direct mail piece recently that I thought was funny, effective and evil …all at the same time. It illustrated for me the power of marketing, harnessed effectively. I wonder how you might perceive it?

Many people over the years have complained about the lack of customer support from companies like Rogers. These providers made it difficult to reach a live person, they offered only web pages, frequently asked questions, chat and e-mail functions to respond to problem inquiries; and when you finally found a number that you could actually use you found yourself in an unending loop of automated voice customer service hell.

After having experienced this process on many occasions I perceived the tactic to be a short sighted cost cutting measure, although I must admit that it seemed like every company was taking that approach. In my opinion, it was not a very smart approach to marketing, branding or customer service.

Finally they have seen the light and they have decided to buck the trend with the launch of Live Agent, in May, 2010 - and use a person-to-person customer service approach, to differentiate themselves from their competitors and leverage it to spearhead a massive new marketing campaign. The direct mail piece proudly titles the cover with “WHEN YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS IMMEDIATE ATTENTION…” and then when you open up the direct mail piece and we hear a typical nasal voice message on a customer service telephone line, that could have come out of a Roger’s telephone response script from just a few months ago. A quick listen will bring back all those memories of telephone hell.


This is designed to be humorous and poke fun at competitors who are still using automated customer service and promote the idea of speaking to a person rather than a machine.

On one hand it’s good because it is an improvement to their existing service, on the other its bad since we all had to experience years of frustration while they toyed with connecting us to different flavours of automated machine responses. The ugly is the fact that our own worst fears, which they prorogated, are being used against us to help promote their superior service.

Having said all that, it is still is an effective campaign because it uses clever humour, a little technology and a standard predictable medium to tap into our revulsion of automated responses and leverage a long overdue response to customers unhappiness with their service to position themselves as a cut above the competition. It’s truly amazing that good marketing ideas can change opinions and fortunes so readily!

Re-engineering Business Processes

Existing Business Process

We are often asked to layer on unique web-based toolsets to an existing business model. Such initiatives can include a combination of: database management, e-commerce, e-marketing, product knowledge and content management systems. Because of the complexity, demand on resources and the cost, clients may also want to implement such initiatives over time; and customers assume that these initiatives can be added easily, like the layers of a cake. Now just because you can do something (and someone will always tell you they can) …does not mean that you should.

What is really required is a business process assessment where the company can work with a web development partner to carefully consider the short and long term goals while mapping out the existing business process model for the organization. Once the existing model is defined we can then layer on a secondary map showing how the business process will change with the addition of new layered web initiatives. The unseen effects on an organization can be significant and the more we understand the objectives of such initiatives the better we can recommend streamlined solutions that consider unique business propositions that may not have been considered in the original plan.

New Business Process

Monetizing the business processes in an online environment is the one of the most attractive initiatives in this process and should be considered an enterprise level enhancement of the business model. With the advent of tablets such as the I-Pad and Playbook as well as a host of others, coupled with a do anything anywhere attitude that is beginning to grip the marketplace, companies are beginning to realize that if they embrace online sales initiatives through a well thought out initiatives they will reap the benefits for years to come.

As in any well designed growth initiatives, companies and organizations have to consider the many effects of changing the business model. Businesses have to ask themselves: How will we support online customer service in areas such as: returns or exchange policy, warrantees, product knowledge, delivery times, packaging, postage, etc. These are just a few examples that affect only one part of the business; many others parts are affected, such as: banking & currency exchange, company culture, human resources, accounting, product knowledge, marketing and sales, franchising and distribution; all with significant impact on the existing business model.

Taking the time to consider the broad ranging impact in planning an online implementation will ensure that the money you do choose to spend is well suited for your goals and objectives and generates results that will benefit any company or organization.

Making a Mountain out of Mole Hill

When you consider the relentless march of technology, the skittish state of the economy, proliferating media channels and the competition …organizations and companies are beginning to realize that they need better and more comprehensive solutions.

Certainly our experience has taught us that when customers are seeking solutions from us, we often need to combine business process planning, marketing consulting, interactive programming, e-commerce integration, dynamic creative and effective project management to deliver useful solutions on-time and on-budget. No longer can you sit back and wait for customers bring work to you... you have to research your customers, understand their needs and come up with innovative ideas/solutions to problems they may no yet know they have. You can demonstrate that innovative thinking by starting a dialogue with your customers by making recommendations that can help add additional revenue streams, leverage new technology, streamline their business or develop complementary partnerships.

This means that you as a business have to prepare and present concrete, innovative solutions when you make that first call to your current or potential customers. You need to better understand your customer segment by offering them something they just can’t get elsewhere. Customers today have less time and capacity to consider their situation carefully and often times overlook unique and beneficial opportunities that can change their fortunes. Below are some examples of how we have worked with our clients in just such a way.

Description: an existing business that has used traditional revenue stream from bricks and mortar operations. They also have a web presence with some limited capacity but primarily the web site is a qualifying site rather than sales oriented. Solution: calling a client, with ideas on how they can either partner, develop or create new products that complement their existing business model will be considered at the very least by the client.

Description: an association exists on a fixed budget, so they have a great deal of difficulty in leveraging their knowledge base or serving their members more effectively. Solution: recommend and source third party partner that may be willing to fund an initiative in exchange for access to your client s database, awareness on your web site or a stack in your initiative.

Description: A professional or group of associates is generating sales though his/her hourly wage and/or any ancillary sales or service opportunity they generate. Solution: Creating web based tools that automate parts of the process can helps free up valuable time for additional growth or just for more personal goals. Monetize the web based system to derive new and complementary product sales.

Description: a not-for-profit organization is under pressure to do more with less: Solution: recommending the creation of a combination of signature events that create profile and awareness in a community. Also develop web based tools that allow you to track participants ay events cross reference databases from each event to create ancillary and cross-sell opportunities.

The above examples come out of our experience but there are similar ideas that relate to every kind business. The result of this is that you have to consider your existing clients, past clients and potential clients and approach them with well researched and well thought out creative solutions to problems they may not even know they have.