Creating Quality Training Materials That Stand the Test of Time
Your training materials send a strong statement about your company. In this highly competitive job market, integrated marketers can make a good impression with durable, attractive materials that meet the ongoing needs of new employees and the bottom line.
Whether you’re welcoming a new crop of entry-level employees or you’re bringing in a new C-suite executive, your training materials matter. One recent survey of more than 25,000 companies showed that those with comprehensive training have 218% higher revenue per employee and 24% higher profit margins.
Deciding Whether to Create ‘Hard Copy’ or Electronic Materials
Whether you’ve been tasked with freshening up existing materials or creating something all-new, the first step is determining if you want to create a ‘hard copy’ printed piece or if you’ll distribute it digitally.
While creating your training material for an electronic format lets you save money and quickly make updates, digital copies may not be suitable for all employees (such as those who don’t have company-furnished computers or email addresses). And, traditional sales training materials such as binders and portfolios send a message of strength, quality, and dependability.
Best Practices for Distributing Electronic Training Materials
If you decide to create documents that you send out by email or via a dedicated web page or microsite, think beyond simply taking the same files you use for printed pieces and putting them on a website. Electronic files and documents can help you bring your training to life. For example, you can link to videos that give step-by-step demonstrations. You can also link or “anchor” to points in the document to allow users to find a reference spot.
Whatever program you use to create the materials, output them in a file that everyone can open and use, like a PDF. Another advantage of using PDFs: you can include fillable forms and collect signatures easily.
Security should be a top priority for training materials distributed by email, especially for anything containing proprietary information. That means sending encrypted emails and possibly creating password-protected documents. Ask your company’s IT administrator to help you make sure you’re not accidentally violating privacy or security rules.
Creating Traditional Training Manuals
Binders and spiral-bound books are still a popular option with many employers because they’re tangible and accessible for all employees. If you’re training many employees at once, it may be more efficient to use hard copies rather than sending a PDF or other electronic files. Plus, hard copies may offer employees a better learning experience: one informal study showed that people were more likely to remember and better understand something they read in print than on a digital device.
Durability is key for creating training to be used over and over in a high-volume environment. Choose more rugged materials and a heavier paper weight that will stand up to repeated page-flipping. For environments such as kitchens and warehouses, add a coating that will help keep the pages stain-free and stand up to more wear-and-tear.
It’s always a nice touch to include personalized elements, such as adding the new employee’s name on the cover or title sheet. This feels welcoming and also imparts the message that you value each employee.
Contact Us for a Free Consultation
High-quality training materials are an investment that will start to pay off immediately and serve both your employees and your company in the long term.
If you think we only do print jobs, it’s time to get to know us better! We’ve helped hundreds of companies produce materials in a wide variety of formats. Call us to discuss your needs and learn how we can help at almost every step of the way.