How to Create Marketing Training Content That Actually Gets Results Not Just Views

Marketing teams are often given training materials that lack substance – if they’re given any training at all. Too often, companies throw together generic PDFs or drag employees through long, boring videos that don’t even connect to their daily workflows. The result is teams that watch, nod, and continue to make the same mistakes. Effective training content makes employees smarter and more effective.

If your marketing team is struggling, before you whip out the same boring training materials for a refresher, consider building an entirely new training system from the ground up designed to get better results. Here’s how to do it.

1. Use screen recording software to demonstrate effective workflows

The most effective training is practical. And screen recordings allow you to provide teams with real-world examples of how to do their job. You might be surprised to know just how many people struggle to create effective workflows. A simple video showing the best way to get things done will make a huge difference. Video walkthroughs help whether it’s a demonstration for setting up an ad campaign, navigating an analytics dashboard, or creating reports.

Recording the exact steps to take for important tasks will eliminate confusion and reduce employee support tickets. Sure, most people can figure things out eventually, but it’s more efficient to demonstrate how it’s done from the start.

New hires learn faster by watching workflows in action rather than consuming text-based theory. The best part is that all the video screen recordings you create will become scalable assets you can use for onboarding and retraining without ever having to create new content. You can even add the videos to a training repository so employees can watch them anytime they need help with something without involving a manager.

When your onboarding process is efficient, it lowers turnover and boosts retention at the same time. Video screen recordings happen to be a training tool that speeds up this process significantly.

2. Break training into short video lessons

If you force employees to watch an hour-long video, you’re going to lose them. Short, focused lessons will keep people engaged and help them absorb the information better. The key is to keep each segment under 10 minutes so employees can revisit points when needed. Trying to look through an hour-long video to find a key point isn’t easy, and they’ll probably give up.

With short video segments, you can cover one topic at a time. This helps when you’re trying to train on specific skills. For example, if you’re training people how to use advanced email marketing techniques, you’ll want to isolate each component to avoid overwhelm and support mastery.

3. Create micro-content

Not every question an employee has needs a 30-minute course. Smaller pieces of content like cheat sheets, templates, and one-minute explainers are ideal. To implement shorter content, create some quick reference guides for things like ad metrics and campaign naming conventions. Then organize all of your resources in a searchable library, remembering to keep it mobile-friendly so it can be accessed from any device.

4. Measure results

If you don’t measure the results of your training, you’ll never know if it’s working. Research by the Brandon Hall Group found that 58% of companies say measuring the effectiveness of training is their top challenge. But it doesn’t have to be that way for your business.

By asking employees to take a quiz before training and after, you can assess how well they’ve retained the information. You can also follow up a week later to see how it’s going in the long term. This is much more effective than just tracking completion rates.

The best approach is to ask employees for feedback after they complete a training session, so you know if there’s anything confusing or ineffective.

5. Update your training materials regularly

Marketing platforms and strategies evolve quickly and your training should keep up. Always keep the source files for videos you create so you can go back and replace screenshots when something important changes.

When you switch platforms, you’ll need to record your videos over again, but once that’s done, it will be smooth sailing. Keeping all training materials current will avoid wasted effort and frustration.

6. Use both live and on-demand learning

Live training is great, but many people appreciate the flexibility of having access to materials on their own time. If you host live trainings, record them and make them available on demand for your team. They will appreciate it greatly.

Create an impactful training program

If you want your training program to work, you need to do more than just hand out information and force people to watch long videos. You need to create content that is easily absorbed, learned, and connected to real workflows. As a result, an impactful training program will translate directly into better ROI.