Promoting Online Education & Certification

Current PulseWhere Are We Now

Things We Know• Online Education & Certification Programs are a key offering• Part of Association’s value proposition• Relevant and relatable to all membership

• Continued learning• Industry standards / best practices• Emerging concepts

• We generally don’t have to convince membership of the program’s value…but we do have to remind them

Why We’re ChallengedOur goal is to ensure our site visitors are getting to the information they need:• But remember - people don’t visit your website on their own

• Need digital marketing strategies to bring visitors in (think Inbound)• Email is a great vehicle, but you’re only marketing to the same people who already know

the value of the programs• Reports say 25% of your list will go bad each year

• Ultimate Challenge: Find New People

How Can I Find New People?#1 - Know Your Audience• Take some time to map out:

• Participant Personas• Participant Journey• How You’ll Measure

• Think Inbound• Attract via social media• Don’t rely on email alone

How Can I Find New People?#2 – Focus on Digital Communications:• Do you have a “Subscribe to” form on your online education page?• Are you sending relevant communications to people?• Are you doing email blasts?• Are you sending the same message to the same people?• Are you sending helpful information?

How Can I Find New People?#3 – Think About Your Offers:• Are you bundling the promotion of online education and certification content

with other content?• Should you?• What kind of bundles could you offer?

• Leverage your participant personas – what are they looking for? What would they want to hear about?

• Are you able to cross-sell / upsell on your ecommerce receipts?

How Can I Find New People?#4 – Use the Right Digital Marketing Vehicles:

• Are you using banner ads effectively on partner sites / other communication vehicles?• Paid Advertising

• Are you using Google AdWords?• Are you using Facebook Ads?• Are you using LinkedIn Ads?

• Are you leveraging your Social Media channels?• Facebook for new courses?• Twitter for reminders?• YouTube for quick recaps / or intros?• Pinterest for thought leadership?

Your Biggest ChallengeBreak away from the “If we build it, they will come” mindset

• Better to assume “they” won’t come without an invitation• Lean on digital marketing strategies to bring new people in• Rely on email marketing to communicate relevant information

• But not as the only single source of communication

Real World ExamplesStart at the Source - Websites

RememberBreak away from the “If we build it, they will come” mindset• Avoid using email to communicate the same message to the same set of

people• Leverage digital marketing strategies to share a compelling message that will

encourage registration / sign-ups and find new people• Use Social Media• Cross Sell across multiple channels (website, social, paid ads, etc.)• Know your participants