Great elearning content often goes unnoticed because organisations don’t market it effectively. If people can’t find your courses, they won’t engage with them.
A data-driven approach helps make content more visible, increasing adoption and return on investment (ROI).
The Basics
- The elearning market is growing fast, but visibility remains a challenge.
- Tools like Google Trends help identify trending topics and improve content strategy.
- A lack of awareness, poor content indexing, and disconnected teams lead to low engagement.
- Structuring and marketing elearning content effectively ensures users can find and engage with it.
Why Do Great Courses Go Unnoticed?
Many organisations invest heavily in creating high quality elearning content but then struggle with a fundamental issue: visibility.
The problem isn’t a lack of content, it’s ensuring that the right audience knows it exists, can easily access it, and sees its relevance.
Have you ever gone into a library looking for a book? It actually doesn’t take long to find the right section. Everything is categorised, and if you can’t find the one you are looking for there is a librarian on hand to help.
Your local library is also probably pretty good about letting people know about new books and new events coming soon.
If people can’t find your courses, they won’t engage with them. If they don’t know what is coming then they don’t have anything to get excited about.
That’s where a data-driven approach comes in.
By leveraging tools like Google Trends, understanding user engagement metrics, and refining marketing techniques, you can significantly improve adoption and ROI. It’s time to bring in techniques from outside of L&D, like SEO and digital marketing.
The Scale of the Elearning Market
The demand for elearning is growing, but visibility remains a challenge. Organisations that invest in data-driven marketing can capitalise on this growth:
- Market Growth – The elearning market is projected to reach $320.96 billion by 2025. (Source: DemandSage)
- Corporate Adoption – 90% of companies offer their employees some form of digital learning. (Source: Exploding Topics)
- Learner Preferences – 68% of employees prefer to learn at work, highlighting the importance of accessible and relevant elearning content. (Source: Exploding Topics)
- Data-Driven Marketing Impact – Organisations with mature data-driven marketing strategies see up to 2.5x more revenue impact compared to those with low-maturity strategies. (Source: Think with Google)
- Google Trends Utility – Using Google Trends helps organisations identify emerging topics and tailor their content to meet current learner demands, enhancing engagement. (Source: Advance Metrics)
The Common Marketing Challenges in Elearning
Many organisations assume that once courses are published, users will naturally find them. This is a mistake made by mainly organisations, with people then sharing that they have too much content or the content isn’t used.
The other issue is that content is poorly indexed or hidden behind a poorly designed interface.
Elearning content is often buried within an LMS or LXP, poorly indexed, or not effectively promoted.
The real issue isn’t a lack of courses,it’s that users don’t know what’s available or how to access it.
Without a structured marketing approach, engagement will often be a challenge.
“Organisations don’t actually market their own elearning content. They just expect employees to find it on their own, which is a huge mistake.” – Scott Hewitt
Key challenges include:
- Poor content visibility – Without proper indexing, courses get buried.
- Lack of awareness – Infrequent updates and weak promotion lead to low engagement.
- Disconnected teams – Misalignment between marketing, technical, and content teams results in ineffective messaging.
Think of an elearning library like a record shop. If everything is stacked in unlabelled bins, people won’t browse. Instead, content must be surfaced, recommended, and marketed strategically.
“Make your content more visible—you don’t want to walk into a library and struggle to find a book. Libraries have an index system and, if needed, someone to help. Elearning should work the same way.” – Scott Hewitt
Making Content Easier to Find
Users don’t engage with what they can’t find.
Elearning content needs to be structured in a way that makes finding content easy.. The easier it is for users to log in, browse, and access content, the more likely they are to engage.
Many elearning platforms miss this, users get frustrated and it leads to frustration and disengagement. A well-organised and user-friendly experience is essential. Don’t forget the user experience as well.
Key strategies include:
- Optimising indexing – Make courses searchable and structured within the LMS.
- Improving accessibility – The login and navigation experience should be effortless.
- Tracking user engagement – Use basic metrics to identify what’s working and where gaps exist.
When marketing, technical, and content teams work together, you’ll get the right results. Find out what courses are popular, how to communicate to teams and when.
You need to ensure that people find the right content at the right time.
Using Google Trends to Tailor Content
Many organisations create content based on assumptions rather than data. Use insights from the data that you have, not just from L&D but from across the business.
Think about what you can use from SEO and Digital Marketing to understand what are the current topic trends.
Google Trends provides real-time insights into what learners are searching for, helping organisations create and promote content that meets actual demand.
“Google Trends provides real-time insights on what topics people are looking for, allowing organisations to integrate this data into their L&D and content strategy.” – Scott Hewitt
This approach helps elearning providers:
- Identify emerging topics – Spot what’s gaining traction in your industry.
- Align course development with demand – Prioritise topics that learners actively search for.
- Optimise marketing campaigns – Use trending keywords in course descriptions and promotions.
For example, if searches for “AI in the workplace” are coming up, and you offer a related course, you can adjust messaging, SEO, and email campaigns to meet this demand.
Google Trends can be used to not only find out ideas for new courses, but to help promote your existing courses.
Building a Community Around Elearning
Publishing content is only the first step.
To maintain engagement, organisations need to create a sense of community around their courses.
Without an active community, even the best content can feel static.
A strong elearning community helps keep users engaged, encourages knowledge sharing, and increases retention rates.
Can you engage learning champions to share their knowledge and success with other people within the organisation?
Strategies that help build engagement include:
- Early access and pre-launch marketing – Generate interest before releasing new content.
- Targeted email marketing – Send personalised campaigns at the right time.
- Leveraging user feedback – Direct conversations with learners help refine both content and marketing.
Many assume people don’t want to engage with learning content, yet YouTube proves the opposite, people actively seek educational content when it’s accessible and well-positioned.
Driving Continuous Improvement with Data
Marketing should never be static.
Organisations that continuously analyse engagement data can refine their strategies over time. Metrics such as course enrolments, completion rates, and user feedback provide valuable insights into what’s working and what needs improvement.
“Data provides insights into what people are using and how to shape future content. Think about learner behaviour, analysing performance metrics, and optimising campaigns based on insight.” – Scott Hewitt
To keep content relevant and impactful:
- Monitor conversion metrics – Track sign-ups, drop-offs, and engagement rates.
- Gather user insights – Understand what’s working and what’s not.
- Refine your approach – Adjust marketing tactics based on real behaviour.
Take Action
- Work with your marketing team to refine your promotional strategy.
- Use Google Trends to identify content opportunities.
- Build an engagement plan to keep content visible and accessible.
A data-driven approach ensures elearning content doesn’t just exist—it thrives.
Questions
How do you market elearning?
You market elearning by understanding your audience, using SEO techniques to improve visibility, leveraging social media, and running targeted ad campaigns. Email marketing, partnerships, and showcasing success stories also help. The key is making courses easy to find, engaging, and relevant to users’ needs.
How to promote digital learning?
Use a mix of organic and paid strategies. Optimise course pages for search engines, create engaging content, leverage social proof, and use email marketing. Webinars, LinkedIn posts, and influencer collaborations can also boost visibility and encourage engagement.
How would you improve elearning?
Improve elearning by making content easier to access, adding interactive elements, and using real-world examples. Personalisation, better UX design, and community engagement also enhance learning. Regularly reviewing engagement data helps refine the approach and boost effectiveness.
