Think Like a Marketer, Train Like an L&D Pro: Strategies to Ignite Learning

by Bianca Baumann, Mike Taylor

Overview

Use Marketing Strategies to Captivate and Persuade Your Audience

At first glance, marketing and L&D may seem like an unlikely combination. But on closer inspection, both fields share two core goals: getting people’s attention and influencing their behavior. Marketing involves captivating, persuading, and creating value—all of which are key to learning design. When done well, learning design grabs participants’ attention like a great marketing campaign and engages them emotionally and intellectually to make learning stick. In this innovative volume, marketing and L&D experts Bianca Baumann and Mike Taylor ask: How can L&D pros make learning programs more effective by thinking like expert marketers?

To answer that question, Baumann and Taylor explore the potential of marketing-inspired L&D. You’ll discover:

• What makes marketing so persuasive and how to apply it to learning
• How to craft magnetic learner personas and journeys to pull people in
• Tactics for writing and designing content to capture attention
• Digital tools and automation strategies to multiply your effectiveness
• Ways to measure and optimize for maximum results

Whether you’re new to learning design or a seasoned pro, this practical guide will transform how you create and deliver training. Get ready to boost engagement, improve retention, and deliver learning experiences that truly resonate.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781960231208
Publisher:	Association for Talent Development
Publication date:	05/27/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	312
File size:	17 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Bianca Baumann
Bianca Baumann is a seasoned L&D strategist with more than 15 years of experience. She is passionate about consulting on effective new solutions to serve learners’ needs. She’s developed processes, methodologies, and frameworks to help organizations meet their growth targets with the help of innovative L&D approaches. Bianca has helped dozens of organizations with their workforce transformations, as well as onboarding and reskilling programs. She has also spearheaded multiple projects in the marketing, automotive, financial, and events industries, creating award-winning programs along the way. Bianca speaks at international conferences and is a facilitator at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.

Mike Taylor
With more than two decades of experience as a learning consultant, Mike Taylor has been a driving force behind transformative instructional design and organizational performance. Known for his captivating speaking style and influential newsletter, Mike is dedicated to making learning more engaging, accessible, and effective. As a faculty member in Franklin University’s Graduate Instructional Design and Performance Technology program, he bridges the gap between academic theory and real-world practice, equipping future learning professionals with the skills to excel in today’s dynamic landscape. Mike’s innovative approach and infectious passion are redefining the way we think about learning.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction: The Power of Marketing for Learning and Development

Chapter 1. Design Learning for the Way People Think

Chapter 2. Create Learner Personas That Inspire

Chapter 3. Map Learner Journeys From Awareness to Action

Chapter 4. Maximize Learning With an Effective Content Strategy

Chapter 5. Captivate Learners With Writing That Clicks!

Chapter 6. Leverage Visuals for Maximum Impact

Chapter 7. Execute a Successful Learning Campaign

Chapter 8. Level Up Learning With Marketing Technology

Chapter 9. Measure the Impact of Your Efforts

Conclusion: Small Steps, Big Impact

Recommended Resources for Deeper Learning

Editorial Reviews

As an EdTech consultant advising chief learning officers, I can confidently say this book is a game-changer for L&D leaders. It brilliantly bridges the gap between traditional L&D and modern marketing, offering invaluable insights for creating compelling digital learning experiences.”
—Lori Niles-Hofmann, EdTech Strategist and Global Adviser, NilesNolen

“So much value on every page! Bianca and Mike have struck the right balance of instilling high-impact strategies and tactical design advice. Think Like a Marketer, Train Like an L&D Pro is essential reading for any learning and talent leader who is looking to elevate their practice and bring fresh perspectives to their teams. Keep this one beside your desk at all times.”
—Josh Cardoz, Chief Creative and Learning Officer, Sponge Learning Group

“Think Like a Marketer, Train Like an L&D Pro presents a compelling argument for combining marketing ideas and strategies with current L&D techniques to create a powerful combination with the potential to take the L&D function to the next level. Bianca Baumann and Mike Taylor have created a work that will help you envision and achieve a future in which employees eagerly take charge of their learning journeys, acquire new skills, and apply them in real time through this unique intertwining of disciplines. The writing team provides actionable strategies, ideas, and concepts that empower L&D professionals to create training that captivates, motivates, and delivers lasting impact. This book will change the way you think about developing instruction forever.”
—Karl M. Kapp, EdD, Professor of Instructional Design and Technology, Commonwealth University

“‘Get attention, influence behavior’—the book recognizes that these are the central concerns of both learning designers AND marketers, and that learning designers have a lot to learn from marketers on these topics. Packed full of useful tools and frameworks, this book has so much material to help create more engaging and impactful learning.”
—Julie Dirksen, Author, Design for How People Learn

“This is the L&D and marketing crossover you are looking for. Discover how to transform dull learning content into engagement gold with skimmable writing, snappy headlines, and calls to action that demand action.”
—Cara North, Founder and Chief Learning Consultant, The Learning Camel

“Dang! I love this book. Bianca and Mike have written the go-to resource for what-to and how-to for instructional designers and the leaders who guide them. Insightful, readable, actionable, and chock full of activities, this is a must-read for you and your team.”
—Megan Torrance, CEO, TorranceLearning; Author, Agile for Instructional Designers and Data and Analytics for Instructional Designers

“Mike and Bianca have written a masterpiece on how to capture and keep learners’ attention. This how-to guide is filled with research-backed tips for learning professionals who need to create training programs that get business results. Think Like a Marketer, Train Like an L&D Pro is a handbook with practical advice for communicating and capturing attention in a busy world. It belongs on everyone’s bookshelf.”
—Cindy Huggett, CPTD, Author, The Virtual Training Guidebook: How to Design, Deliver, and Implement Live Online Learning, 2nd edition

From the Publisher