Recommendations: Promotion

ByGiuliano Alviani

Recommendations: Promotion

In this section, we presented four selected recommendations for a targeted and effective promotion of Business MOOCs:

  • Recommendations for Business MOOC Promotion
    1. Design and apply a two stage promotion campaign
    2. Carefully choose the platform
    3. Carefully select channels and Networks
    4. Ensure that promotion of the MOOC is targeted

Recommendations for Business MOOC Promotion

Design and apply a two stage promotion campaign Design and apply a two stage promotion campaign: to organizations and partners (first) and learners (second).

      • Start early, but not too early. You need to contact target groups well in advance, but not so far in advance that they might lose interest. The same with end-user promotion. We would advise to start two months in advance with intensified promotion, but not earlier, as you will have too many “no-shows” in your MOOC.
Carefully choose the platform
  • MOOC platforms are not based on standards which would allow to offer MOOCs on different platforms at the same time. Also creating a MOOC on one platform means that the content is lost if the platform goes offline.
  • It is important to understand and evaluate the features of a MOOC platform first, before you start to develop the course.
  • An important criterion for choosing the platform is whether its functionality fits with your MOOC’s design and with your target group´s expectations/learning style.
Carefully select channels and Networks
  • Go with well-established channels at a regional, national and global level (e.g., a MOOC platform with a critical mass of learners, portals and aggregators); do not start from scratch and try to do everything by yourself. There are well-working medium-sized, affordable or even free-of-charge MOOC platforms available, if you do not have the means/opportunity to go with the larger, well-known ones.
  • Activate and make use of your own networks, use multipliers (such as HR managers, key bloggers, key newsletters, professional networks, employment services, Social Media groups, MOOC aggregators etc.), who can stretch your outreach. Try to get personal recommendations.
Ensure that promotion of the MOOC is targeted
  • The promotion material should refer to a specific target group and should not consist of too many separate sub-target groups. Promotion material that is too broad can lead to smaller participant numbers.
  • Know the main characteristics and motivations of your (not too broad) target group(s).
  • Introduce the respective key selling points to your target group(s).
  • Use an attractive and catchy course title.
  • Indicate clearly the benefits, learning objectives and requirements of the MOOC.
  • An engaging course trailer helps, but only if it is convincing, attractive and professional (not too long, comes to the point quickly, lists the benefits for the target audience(s)).
  • To attract companies to actively support use of a MOOC, an adaptable strategy to convince key people in HR departments is required. This could involve ensuring the MOOC is easily adaptable (e.g. by openly licensing it), aligning the content to a company learning program/catalogue and/or aligning/adapting the course to company competence frameworks.
  • It is important that a MOOC reaches a large number of participants simultaneously. This will enable for better communication and exchange between the participants and consequently projects in teams.