As business owners and entrepreneurs, itโs easy to assume that the more knowledgeable a customer is, the more likely they are to start comparison shopping and hard negotiating. However, the opposite is true. Research tells us that clients who receive impactful educational content actually feel a deeper sense of loyalty in a company.
By empowering clients with industry insights and guides on using your products or services, you can help them discover new ways to generate value from your offerings. When they understand the โwhyโ and โhowโ behind what you offer, they see you as a reliable partner instead of just a service provider. This leads to higher customer lifetime value (CLV) and strengthens the bond between businesses and clients. Analysis from Forrester Consulting confirms this:
- 96% of customer education (CE)ย programs see positive returns
- 75% found increased product adoption
- 58% saw a reduction in churn rates
If weโve piqued your interest in building a CE program for your customers, you might be wondering, โWhere do I start?โ The answer is simple โ right here.
Recognizing Client Needs
Every successful customer education initiative begins with understanding the client and their unique experiences, goals, and challenges. Client education is not marketing. Though the two are often conflated, they have very different objectives. While marketing primarily aims for increased sales, customer education is about providing practical, valuable information to customers and thereby increasing trust. Itโs simply a waste of time and money to put together an educational package only to discover that most of your clients already have that knowledge and donโt find it valuable.
We recommend starting by gathering information from your customers. Reach out to them for interviews and one-on-one chats to get a clearer picture of how much they know about your products or services. Set up easy-to-take online surveys and build a data collection system to identify gaps in client knowledge. As you go, donโt just look for the answers you want โ actively listen to client concerns. Larry King said it best, โI remind myself every morning: nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So if Iโm going to learn, I must do it by listening.โ
Pro Tip: When gathering client feedback, ask open-ended questions like, โIs there anything you wish you understood better about our service?โ or, โWhat kind of challenges have you run into while using our product?โ This is great for uncovering insights you may not have anticipated.
Creating Educational Content
Once you know the categories of information that would be useful for your target audience, youโre ready to start building a library of educational content. This can come in many forms, including:
- Blogs: Like this one!ย Short, informative articles are excellent for answering common questions or providing step-by-step guides related to your products or services. Contrary to what you may have heard, blogging remains a vital communication channel, with 77% of internet users still reading blogs today.
- Videos: Engaging visual content is perfect for demonstrating processes, explaining concepts, or providing tutorials. Science has found that we tend to retain visuals exceptionally well, making it an ideal medium for education.
- Webinars: Live sessions allow for interactive learning and often feature Q&A segments for client participation. Plus, with easy-to-use tools like Demio, BigMarker, and Sessions, you no longer need to be an expert to hold and promote your own online events.
- Infographics: Visual summaries can help clients comprehend complex data sets. Again, easy-to-use platforms like Canva make building out your own branded infographics incredibly easy to do.
- Email Newsletters: Though short, even your email newsletters are an opportunity to provide client education. Consider featuring tips, guides, and updates on new educational resources to keep your clients informed.
Ultimately, whichever medium you choose, itโs the message that counts. Focus on clear, simple communicationย and offer practical knowledge your customers can apply to real-world situations.
Implementing Educational Strategies
Once youโve built a collection of educational content, you must determine how to deliver this information to clients. Effective presentation is critical to making this investment worth your time. Here are three main educational strategies:
Workshops and Seminars
Whether online or in person, workshops help build relationships by creating a space for direct interaction. They allow clients to share experiences and learn collaboratively. Be sure to offer a clear agenda so that attendees know what to expect and provide follow-up materials like slide decks to reinforce learning.
One-on-One Training
Often, when companies begin producing and releasing educational materials, they find that specific clients will follow up and ask repeated questions about how to apply concepts to their unique situations. These clients would love the personalized training sessions that one-on-one education can provide. Consider offering this tailored experience to clients who want custom guidance to meet their needs.
Online Courses
Combining elements of eBooks and interactive quizzes, online courses offer engaging, structured learning experiences free of the limitations of shorter formats. Not only are they great for helping clients learn more about complicated industry topics, but they also position you as an expert in your field. For an example of what this looks like, check out these free HubSpot marketing courses.
Leveraging Technology for Client Education
Now at this point, you might be wondering where on Earth youโre going to find the time to get to all this while youโre working on managing the rest of your business. Technology is the answer. There are countless tools and platforms on the market today that make client education more accessible, engaging, and scalable. The right platform enhances how you deliver content, track client progress, and maintain a long-term management system.
Learning management systems, for example, allow you to quickly spin up your own online courses, making it simple to create, host, and manage your content. Other vehicles for information delivery include social media and email. Using X, YouTube, and Facebook are excellent ways to put educational content in places that are easy to reach for your target audience. Email remains a potent form of direct communication between brands and customers.
Remember, when using technology to create client education programs, incorporate interactivity. Use quizzes and feedback forms to ensure that your clients stay engaged and can genuinely extract value from your materials.
Measuring the Impact of Education
Customer education is not compatible with a set-and-forget approach. To succeed, youโll need to continually improve your programs by tracking key performance indicators (KPIs). Some of the ideal metrics to monitor in this case are:
- Engagement Rates: Track attendance at webinars, course completions, or downloads of educational materials
- Knowledge Retention: Use quizzes or surveys to measure how much clients have learned
- Customer Loyalty: Look for reductions in support requests or increased adoption of your services.
By watching these KPIs, you can refine your programs and ensure your education remains relevant.
Building Trust For The Long Haul
Client education is a long-term investment that can help you and your customers achieve mutual success. By leveraging technology, incorporating interactivity, and measuring impact, you can create a sustainable education initiative that empowers your clients and strengthens their loyalty to your business.
Whatโs your experience?
Have you implemented education in your business? Share your insights and explore our blog to find more tips and strategies for growing your business and supporting your clients.
