You’ve probably heard of the information-marketing (also known as internet marketing) buzzword. But, like many marketing terms, what does it really mean?

In short, information marketing encompasses all of the following (and more!):

• Actions taken to acquire, engage, and convert customers through digital and online marketing,
• The distribution and management of relevant content to attract the right audience,
• Outsourced creative content for material such as websites, email promotions, and social media campaigns,
• And the measurement and analysis of all this activity to gauge performance.

It’s a broad term, but it can be helpful in understanding the various functions of a marketing department within an organization. From the development of SEO strategies to measuring the success of a digital marketing campaign, the term provides a general framework for how an online marketer functions.

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at how to grow your information-marketing efforts and your online business using SEMINARS and ONLINE TRAINING.

Why SEMINARS?

SEMINARS were first implemented by major brands to provide trainings to employees on various topics such as SEO, digital marketing, and social media. These trainings often included classroom lectures as well as interactive sessions where attendees could ask questions about the material or about working with the brand in question.

However, in the era of COVID-19, class meetings and corporate gatherings aren’t the same as they were before the pandemic. Thus, brands are now turning to online trainings.

The main advantages of online trainings are as follows:

• The ability to provide access to high-quality content to anyone, anywhere, anytime,
• The ability to engage with your audience through real-time interaction,
• And the ability to record and review presentations for later archival or playback purposes.

The disadvantage, however, is that you can’t be sure that everyone will have a high-speed internet connection or a steady stream of internet traffic. Thus, you have to be sure to cover all the topics you plan to in your training session.

Why ONLINE TRAINING?

While some might see online trainings as a drawback since you can’t be sure of an adequate connection, the opposite is true.

With the rise of online classrooms, individuals can access high quality content from the convenience of their own homes. This content can be in the form of a recorded video lecture or a written tutorial. Additionally, students can interact with the instructor or fellow students via chat room or forum participation during the training session.

The convenience and flexibility of the internet make it an ideal platform for delivering educational content. And during the pandemic, when in-classroom meetings aren’t possible, the internet offers a lifeline for continuing education.

The disadvantage of an online training session is that you, as the instructor, have to be available to go over material as needed during the session. If you want to make sure that your students fully understand the concepts you cover, you have to be available to provide real-time assistance when needed.

Keeping all that in mind, let’s now take a closer look at how to grow your information-marketing efforts and your online business using SEMINARS and ONLINE TRAINING.

Step 1: Identify The Need For Training

As the Head of Marketing at a luxury goods brand, I’m sure you’d agree that your team already has sufficient experience in digital marketing. However, if you’re looking for that extra training to further develop your skills or to educate your staff on the latest trends, you might find it helpful to take a closer look at the following:

Product knowledge Base

The most successful brands in today’s digital world have a solid foundation of product knowledge built over time through trial and error. That’s what makes them so attractive to customers!

If you’re looking to grow your business, you must have a clear idea of what your customers want and need. It might be helpful to undertake a customer-centric approach and perform customer interviews. To get the most out of these interviews, you’ll have to take the time to understand what your customers say about your product and how you can best engage with them to meet their needs.

Step 2: Develop The Training Program

Depending on the size of your business and how much you want to invest in additional training, you’ll have to set the stage by figuring out what courses you want to take and when you want to take them.

For larger operations, it might be a good idea to look at vendor-provided trainings. These courses are usually offered by marketing- or digital-marketing-specific training vendors, and they can provide an overview of the various functions and tasks associated with information marketing.

If your operation is smaller and you’d like to take the time to develop a more in-depth training program, you can either train yourself through additional reading or hire someone to help you design and develop a customized training program for your specific needs.

One advantage of doing this is that it will allow you to see a clear picture of your marketing efforts. If you know what topics you’ll cover during your training program, it’ll be easier to set benchmarks for measuring your success. Another advantage of a structured training program is that it provides you with a clear idea of what you need to learn before you can start delivering results. And finally, doing this will give you the opportunity to identify specific areas where you need more training before moving forward.

Step 3: Distribute The Content

Once you’ve developed your training program, you can start to distribute the content. First, you’ll want to make sure that everyone in your organization is actually reading and comprehending the material (and responding appropriately to what they’re reading).

A good place to start is your website. If someone comes across a blog post that interests them, they might read the whole article or take the time to find more information about the subject matter via a FAQ or live chat session with a customer-service representative.

If you own a YouTube channel, you can feature more in-depth tutorials where you explain everything in a step-by-step manner. Additionally, many larger retailers and brands have digital marketing and social media specialists in-house who can develop detailed blogs and websites on the topics you train them on.

The distribution of content doesn’t end here, either. Once you’ve got your web presence in order, you can move on to emails and social media. If someone was looking for information about your product and finds your email address, you can use that to send them directly to your website.

From there, they can find additional information about your product or service or opt-in to receive regular email updates from you about exciting new developments and useful tips.

Step 4: Measure & Analyze The Results

Now that you’ve launched your educational initiative, it’s time to take a step back and see how it’s performing. Is anyone accessing the content? Are they finding it useful? Are they coming back for additional courses? These are all important questions that you must ask yourself and that will help you determine the next steps for your business.

You can start by looking at the numbers. How many people are actually viewing the content? Where do these views come from? Are there any patterns or differences between those who view your content and those who don’t? These are all important questions to ask yourself and that will help you determine the next steps for your business.

Next, look at the behavior of your viewers. How are they interacting with the content? Are they signing up for email updates? Are they taking the time to explore the website or are they just jumping in and signing up for a free trial or a discounted product?

The last step is to determine which content was responsible for the desired results. Were the website visits, e-mail sign-ups, or transactions what you were looking for? It’s important to be clear about what you’re actually trying to achieve before you start measuring the results of your efforts. You can use tools like Google Analytics to track these results and determine which content was most effective.