For years training and development departments have struggled to compile the data they need to show value to their organizations. However in 2010 we will find ourselves in an unique position. For the first time companies are beginning to see the value in educating their consumers. Companies are starting to use social media tools to educate and form relationships with their consumers in an attempt to win their loyalty and business. According to a study by Unisfair, marketers plan to increase the level of social media use in 2010 by 75%. The secret for social learning success in 2010 is how to capitalize on the marketing industry’s new found belief in education.
Vendors know that marketing departments rank pretty high on the budget allocation list. Therefore, they are spending millions of dollars on research for the use of social media tools in marketing. These vendors track metrics and determine ROI for these new types of marketing campaigns all in the hopes of being contracted by marketing departments to run their campaigns. Many of the items they cover are the same issues we discuss. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the Social Media Marketing Industry Report from the perspective of a learning professional. You’ll quickly see they are asking the same questions we are and coming up with some great answers.
Now you may be wondering why I’m talking about marketing and not education. Well, the answer is simple, in the new world of social media marketing education is the key to building a loyal customer base. Marketers want to help you get the information you need to make a decision. They want to connect with you on many levels to reinforce the information they have provided. They want to build upon prior messages with new more detailed information. In the end, they want to change your behavior and get you to become a consumer of their product. Marketers are looking to make an investment in their consumers the same way that we are looking to invest in our learners. In the end, we are both trying to use education to change behavior.
As learning professionals we need to leverage this connection by building a partnership the marketing industry. We have the ability to share with them our knowledge of adult learning theory and they have the research we need to prove these technologies work on a grand scale. Take a walk over and talk to some of your friends in the marketing department about social media. You’ll be amazed at how much you have in common… I was.
Renée Robbins is Chief Executive Officer at Causerie, LLC. She is passionate about adult learning theory, web 2.0 technologies and the possibility of enhancing training and development by combining these passions. Renee has a degree in Adult Learning Theory from DePaul University and has spent the last four years leading the internal medical education program for a mid-sized pharmaceutical company. Renee is also the primary author for the training and development blog LearningPutty.com. {/xtypo_code} 
