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How to Promote Your Digital Learning Platform on Your Website

Prospective students will visit a beauty school's website for many reasons—to get pricing, to review faculty bios, to find contact info. But what many of them are really looking for is that special reason to choose one program over another.

So while your website should provide information on essential items like tuition and faculty, it should also highlight what makes your program stand out. And one of those highlights should be your digital learning platform: CIMA by Milady.

Messages to convey about digital learning

When it comes to promoting your digital learning platform, keep in mind that most students don’t care about the brand name. In other words, the goal isn't to promote CIMA. Not by name, anyway. Rather, the goal is to educate students on why they should care about digital learning in the first place—and why the digital learning platform a school uses matters.

Let's go over the selling points to include in your website content.

Why students should care about digital learning:
  • It's more convenient. Students can access course materials across devices, like smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktops. And they can do it on their schedule, whether that's at home, at school, on the subway, or in the waiting room at the dentist.
  • Most state licensing exams take place online—a digital learning platform naturally prepares students for this testing format.
  • Students who use a digital learning platform have a higher pass rate on their state licensing exams—on the first try.
  • Students can learn just as well online, when the online learning is done right [SOURCE: MSU Today]
Why the platform a school uses matters:
  • Not all digital learning platforms are created equal, so it does matter which one a school uses.
  • A clunky, hard-to-use platform can make learning harder, not easier.
  • Not all platforms have built-in functionality, like Chat. And not all are designed to satisfy different learning styles.
Why your digital learning platform (CIMA by Milady!) leaves all others in the pixelated dust:
  • Works across ALL devices. So whatever device a student has—a phone, tablet, laptop, desktop—it will work.
  • Can be accessed wherever the Internet is available—a coffee shop, the dentist's office, the library, and so on.
  • Is fast and reliable. Practically no down time.
  • Has baked-in features, like Chat and interactive quizzes, that make learning fun and increase engagement.
  • Makes quizzing and testing a breeze—students get real-time grading and valuable experience taking online tests, which helps them better prepare for their state licensing exams (the majority of those happen online).
  • Offers engaging assignments and visuals to fit all learning styles.
  • Allows for and fosters an easy flow of communication between instructor and student.
  • Has been developed by the leader in beauty school education—Milady.

How to use your website to promote your digital learning platform

Now, let's discuss the content you should have on your website to promote your awesome digital learning platform.

1. Create a page called "How Digital Learning Enhances Beauty School Education."

Divide the page into the following sections:

  • Digital Learning: Why It Matters in Beauty School
  • Digital Learning: Not All Platforms Are Created Equal
  • Digital Learning: Why Our Platform Leaves All Others in the Pixelated Dust

After each section, provide a paragraph or two that discusses the relevant points. (Refer to the bulleted list at the beginning of this article for copy points.)

  • The first section would discuss the convenience factor and how working regularly in a digital learning environment can help students succeed on their state license exam. You'll also want to remind students that digital learning enhances education, but it will never replace the hands-on instruction that occurs in the classroom or student salon.
  • The second section should discuss why the platform a school uses matters. The platform needs to make things easier for students, not harder. It should work across devices and be fun to use.
  • The third section will talk about the many benefits your digital learning system (CIMA by Milady!) offers students, like access across devices, visuals and assignments that fit all learning styles, and baked-in features like Chat, which fosters a sense of community, even online.

On this website page, you'd embed the video we created about digital learning. Ideally, and if available, add a testimonial or two from some of your current students who can speak to the power of your platform. (This all-important "social proof" can be incredibly persuasive. Prospective students want to identify with a real student.)

By the way, if you feel each section above could be its own standalone website page, then create multiple pages that go deeper into each topic. (We address how to manage this in the next recommendation below.)

Whether you have one main page that discusses digital learning or multiple pages, the goal of each is to have prospective students inquire about your digital learning platform. Create a call-to-action (CTA) that says something like:

  • LET US SHOW YOU OUR DIGITAL LEARNING PLATFORM
  • GET A PEEK AT OUR DIGITAL LEARNING PLATFORM
  • REQUEST A DEMO OF OUR DIGITAL LEARNING PLATFORM

Beneath the CTA, you'd embed a short form for prospects to fill out. Essentially, students are requesting a tour, but your admissions team would know that the prospect came in from the digital learning page—and that they've specifically requested a demo of the system. (Which your admissions team would then show the prospect during the tour.)

2. Add a link to your website navigation.

In your website navigation, include "Digital Learning" or "About Digital Learning." From there, you will link to the digital learning page.

Note: If you want to create a deeper section about digital learning with multiple pages, add a drop-down menu under "About Digital Learning." It would look something like this. (Each bulleted item would link to its own standalone page.)

About Digital Learning

  • Why It Matters 
  • What to Look For 
  • How Ours Helps Students Excel 
3. Add a link to your website footer.

Thanks to smartphones, people are used to the long scroll and finding helpful information every step of the way—even in the footer. Website footers have become robust areas for communicating key information. Often, you'll find a company's social media links, newsletter sign-up, and essential links from the main navigation.

Because your page on digital learning is so important, you should include a link to it in the footer. You can experiment with the language. Instead of "Digital Learning," you could have it say, "Check Out Our Digital Learning Platform."

4. Write short blurbs about digital learning and place them on highly-trafficked pages (along with calls-to-action to learn more).

On the website pages that receive the most traffic—such as Home, About, Contact—make sure you include short blurbs about your digital learning platform with a call-to-action (CTA) to learn more. The CTA will link to your main digital learning page.

The blurbs should be short, punchy, and enticing. For example, on your home page, you might include "Digital learning platforms can enhance beauty school education, provided the school uses the right platform. Discover why our approach to digital learning sets our program apart. LEARN MORE."

5. Add regular content about digital learning to your blog editorial calendar.

A blog is a great way to take a deeper dive into digital learning. While the digital learning page (or section) in the main nav might have a more promotional tone, your blog content can be more educational in nature. Some topics to add to your editorial calendar:

  • X Ways Digital Learning Can Enhance a Beauty School Education
  • X Tips for Getting The Most Out of Digital Learning While in Beauty School
  • X Strategies for Applying What You Learn Online in the Student Salon
  • X Benefits of Hybrid Beauty School Programs
  • Don't Drift! X Tips for Staying Focused While Studying Online
  • For Prospective Students: What to Ask Schools About Digital Learning

Each blog post will end with a call-to-action (CTA) that invites the reader to learn more about your platform. (This will link to your digital learning page.)

Blog posts make for great content to share on social media, which is another effective way to promote your digital learning platform.

6. Include mentions of your digital learning platform in your email nurturing workflows.

Do you use email "workflows" to nurture leads that come in via your website? If you do, your digital learning platform can make an excellent talking point in these lead nurturing emails.

Whenever you talk about what makes your school's program different or special, make sure you bring up your digital learning platform. You can link to the website page or even include a CTA in the email inviting students to request a demo of your platform.

Need guidance? Our team can help!

If you have questions about any of the above—or need guidance or feedback about showcasing digital learning on your site—reach out to your sales rep. We've also compiled helpful resources (like marketing collateral) that can help you promote your digital learning platform to prospective students.