Month: March 2019

DevelopmentInsightsMartech

Why You Should Deploy Online Training in Your Organization

Learning and development (L&D) departments are constantly working on identifying new opportunities for employees. Thanks to the new emerging technologies and software solutions, such as LMS software, all professional growth, and development efforts can be streamlined now.

Since there is a lot of buzz around corporate training software, and online training in general, but very few resources that go in-depth, giving organizations reasons to implement it, we decided to give you exactly that.

Here is why you should deploy online training in your organization.

Cut Down Training Expenses

You are probably aware of the high costs of traditional training. First, there are physical copies of all the learning materials, then you have to deal with trainer’s fee, and not to mention the price of the certifications everyone expects to get by the end of the course.

In some instances, you will also have to rent the space for training. Online training removes all these factors from the equation. All the materials are stored online so that anybody can access them. There is no need to rent any space, as learners can study from wherever they want and the certification is in digital form. Your employee can choose whether they want to print their certificates or not.

Make Training More Convenient

When it comes to training, you have to go the extra mile to make it convenient for the workers. Keep in mind that most of them work from 9 to 5 and having to go to training after they are done with their work might be overwhelming for most of them.

If you decide to take another course of action and organize training during weekends, your employees may feel like you’ve robbed them of their free time.

This is where cloud-based LMS software comes in as a true savior. All of the courses can be stored in the cloud and your employees can access them whenever they want. For instance, they can do a short quiz on a coffee break, finish a course chapter while commuting, and so on.

True Mobility

The online training has gone through some transitions along the way. Improvements have been made to make learning as easy as possible.

Just a few years ago, learners had to log in an LMS via a desktop computer only. Today the connectivity and accessibility issues are definitely resolved.

Your employees will be able to learn whenever they have Internet access. And since we live in a mobile era, you will be happy to know that the best LMS software tools on the market are completely mobile-friendly. This means that learners can access learning materials, take tests, and communicate on the go.

Save Time and Effort

In a traditional setting, both learning and exams take a lot of time and effort. If there is someone who doesn’t understand the lecture, they might interrupt the presentation to ask questions, thus taking a portion of the time reserved for training. Not to mention the unit tests that have to be graded after any exam.

You will be happy to know that all this is automated by the corporate training software. You can leverage the automated corrections so that trainees can go back to read that specific material again and give the right answer.

The grading is automatic and the reports are immediately generated and sent to the manager.

Better Knowledge Retention

LMS software is also designed to improve knowledge retention. It supports the use of all sorts of media to increase the engagement potential of the learning material.

You can use images, animations, videos, and gamification to make it easier for trainees to learn.

Furthermore, corporate training software can be used to engage trainees in solving real-life situations. This can help them live the experience and learn in a better way.

Learning by participating in real-life scenarios is a great way to nurture employees for more demanding positions.

Progress Report on Demand

In a traditional setting, it is impossible to assess the performance of training and trainees. At least not in terms of objectivity. With online training, assessments are made easy.

You can see the reports at any time – how many participants are there, how much time each one of them has spent learning, and the average score of each individual.

You can use these reports to identify the learning material that’s causing problems to trainees. Whether it is too complex or too boring, you will be able to pinpoint it and improve it.

Streamlined Communication

Corporate learning software comes with a brand new line of communication. In fact, several of them do so. Course creators and trainees can communicate via message boards or direct private messaging. There is no need to stop the lecture to answer a question.

New enrollees can communicate both with trainers and among themselves. Streamlined communication improves efficiency and affects knowledge retention as well.

Individualized Training Paths

Creating individualized training paths for each employee is borderline impossible in traditional training. The main reasons are cost and time.

On the other hand, doing it with LMS software is easy. How? Modern LMS solutions come with Tin Can specification that tracks, records, and stores every learning effort made by an enrollee in the form of statements.

In just a couple of days, you will be able to gauge the reports and see the personal growth and development levels of all your employees.

Wrap Up

Deploying online training in your organization will help you reduce training costs, make it more efficient, and improve knowledge retention, among other things. Since the success of your online training efforts depends on the quality of LMS software, we suggest that you dig a little deeper to identify the best software for your company.

DevelopmentInsightsMartech

What You Need to Know for a Successful Digital Marketing Campaign

What keeps a business on its track? Many would say a good strategy. This strategy encompasses all the areas of your business, including the marketing aspect. And in the age of modern technology, a good marketing strategy is more important than ever.

If you want your business to grow and innovate, having a good strategy that you can integrate into your marketing campaign is a step in the right direction. The people behind SerpWatch have underlined the importance of a powerful marketing strategy in the infographic below.

The infographic presents the hottest statistics and trends that define the digital landscape today. Keeping an eye on these ensures that your marketing strategy will remain effective in 2019. Here are some of the important points you should remember before formulating your marketing campaign.

Local SEO

Having a general SEO strategy is great, but you should also focus on growing your local customer base. Stats say that over 40% of business revenue is driven by organic traffic. This means you need to rank in search engine results pages to gain more exposure which, in turn, can increase your leads.

But while general SEO is hugely beneficial, it also makes sense for you to give more attention to your local SEO in case you run a local business.

Many consumers go online to search for a company or store near them. In fact, 72% of those who do a local search end up visiting a store within five miles. What’s more, 28% of customers searching for a local business make a purchase.

That said, improving your local SEO ranking could help you build a strong relationship with customers who are within your business location.

PPC vs. Organic Traffic

Paid online advertising has been growing by the minute, but it must be used with caution. Studies show that 64.6% of people click on Google ads when they are looking to buy an item online. This means that they already have the intention to buy when they conduct a search.

But what if a person is looking for information and weighing options? The statistics are just as damning. For one, 80% of people ignore paid search results and opt to click on the organic listings instead.

Ads on mobile devices tell the same story, where 70% of respondents admitted to disliking mobile ads. There is also a significant increase, around 90%, in mobile ad blocking.

What does this mean to businesses? Paid advertising across different online platforms could help your campaign, but you should also make sure to weigh its pros and cons. Will it do more harm than good?

Content is King

Content marketing still holds an established place in any marketing strategy, whether it is on your website, social pages, or through emails. Producing valuable and relevant content across all your marketing channels can cement your credibility and authority in your niche.

Content marketing gets three times more leads than the paid search. Buyers have become more discerning, with 47% of them consulting 3-5 pieces of content before engaging with a sales representative.

There are many more trends that you need to consider when you start creating your digital marketing campaign this year. Take a look at the infographic below to get started.

Insights

How technology can help boost your productivity

We have come a long way in finding ways to boost our productivity, and today we are on the threshold where we are able to look back and see the long winding road behind and be satisfied that we have achieved something. But should we be happy and contended that we are on the threshold or could we do better. We could do better and we have many things to learn and by doing so we could achieve greater heights and be superhuman somewhere in the future. Whether that would be a reality we may not see it in our generation, but the future is bright and that dream would be realized one day.

There are no limits to where we could go in the future and the more technologically advanced we become using it to increase our productivity and through it a better life is our paramount objective. There may be some very irrelevant distractions that could hamper our progress to that ultimate goal. One that we are encountering today wherever we may be is the very distracting prospect of being disturbed. Disturbance has become a very alarming factor which has put paid to concentration.

Concentration is paramount

To be able to accomplish anything we would need to concentrate and telescope our energies to ensure that we complete the tasks we accept or are delegated. If we are unable to concentrate then it would be an immense problem to concentrate and ensure completion.

Whether it is an office environment, field endeavor or even if you are flying in the air concentration would be what you should enjoy because most of what we do could depend on it. This issue has been a perennial problem especially for those living and working in an urban environment. The noise of traffic, the chattering of colleagues, the sound of machinery and a host of other sounds could put you off your concentration mode and your work could suffer.

Technologies to assist us

Today we are surrounded by technology and use and utilize numerous devices, equipment, online apps, machinery and many more to ensure we increase productivity. Every invention that has come before us beginning from the wheel which is considered the best invention of Man, are all geared to increase productivity. The list of the technologies that we use to increase productivity would take us around the Earth many times over but one issue would always stand apart.

That would be our ability to concentrate especially in the rat race environment that we live and work. A solution to this problem is now found and we are able to concentrate on anything from working to even sleeping which would increase productivity. Some may think as to why we would need to concentrate when we are sleeping, it is because if we are constantly disturbed during our sleep we would not be able to concentrate in our work the next day and productivity would drop drastically. Hence sleep is a very important component if we are to be productive. It we don’t get adequate sleep our wok could suffer and that would have a string of adverse consequences.

White noise technology

Research has found and it is a very important breakthrough in human behavior that we are constantly disturbed by the many sounds that emanate in the environment. If these sounds are completely and totally eliminated whether it is in an office, factory, any other work place or even at home our concentration levels would rise substantially. This would be easier said than done because such an ideal situation would be a near impossibility.       

It is to help in this impossible endeavor that the white noise machine has been developed which could be considered as a breakthrough in technology which directly affects productivity. This small but effective contraption does a very simple chore and that is, it emits a constant sound neither loud nor silent but just to be heard by those around. This sound when it pierces our ear drums in a continuous sequence it tends to tune our ears to that particular sound and eliminating all the other disturbing sounds that would otherwise be picked up by your ears.

The white noise machine is proving its effectiveness and is becoming an integral part with all other technologies being employed to increase productivity. It has taken the need to concentrate and increase productivity to greater heights and is fast becoming one of the most important technologies, though simple it could be to ensure a new working environment for many.

Tests have proven that it is bringing positive results wherever it has been used and is being introduced into many workplaces. Whether it is an office or large factory it does not matter as it is providing the right impetus and the foil to the inability for many to concentrate in their tasks.

It could be used in your bedroom to ensure that you get a good night’s sleep undisturbed from all the honking, banging, shouting and other noises manmade and otherwise. If you get up fresh in the morning that too would be the first positive step to increase productivity. Deprivation of sleep especially over a prolonged period of time though you may get a few winks intermittently would still take its toll on your body.

A sleep-deprived individual would be half less or more unproductive compared to one who would have had a good night’s sleep. Hence it is imperative that you grab some quality bedtime every day to be at your best spirits the next day. If you are being disturbed take home a white noise machine today and see the wonders that it could do to you. This is technology at its best and none other could put you to sleep like you have never had before.

When we talk about technologies our minds would float to how we could get to the Moon, but there are many little things that we need which are also technology-based that would do better for us here rather than getting to the Moon. The white noise machine is just one of them.