If everyone knows professional development is good for them, then why doesn’t every member participate in online learning programs? They have good intentions: education is one of the top reasons for joining an association. However, getting them to follow through on those intentions is the challenge.
Now, imagine being part of a corporate learning and development (L&D) team and having to motivate employees to take training programs. That’s a much tougher ask with a less receptive crowd. Yet, some L&D teams have no problem getting employees to show up, so let’s learn from their success.
Members and employees use the same excuse for not pursuing professional development: they’re too busy. What they really mean is they don’t think the learning program is valuable enough to prioritize over another use of their time.
The goal of marketing is to jostle members out of that mindset. Help them see the value of professional development and make better choices about how they spend their time.
The first stage of the marketing funnel is making people aware they have a problem. Not improving or acquiring skills means they’ll fall behind and become irrelevant and replaceable.
Your communications and marketing campaigns must constantly remind members that learning is not a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have. Regularly share stories about what the future holds and what skills and knowledge members need to succeed.
Once members know they have a problem, tell them how you can help them solve it. But don’t blow this opportunity by promoting programs that have no relevance for their current or future situation.
Corporate trainers don’t blast everyone with a long list of training programs. Employees would tune that out. It’s the same with your members. They’re not likely to browse through the LMS catalog on their own. They will remain clueless about what you offer until you tell them about specific programs that are the right fit for them.
You need data about their career stage, role, interests, and goals so you can predict which programs would be relevant and send tailored messages about them.
Connect the dots for members. Craft marketing messages and program descriptions that clearly describe what the learning experience will do for them. Spell out how what they learn will improve their job performance. Sell the WHY so they’ll buy the WHAT.
Don’t overpromise and underdeliver. Courses and programs must be worth their time and money. They must solve a real pain point or deliver in-demand skills, otherwise you destroy your credibility and trustworthiness.
The biggest barrier to enrollment is a perceived lack of time. Design programs with microlearning modules that fit within a learner’s tight schedule.
Microcredentialing programs are huge right now because their limited duration allows learners to earn a credential focused on a specific skill or skill set.
Corporate L&D teams want employees to reach for an in-house job aid rather than Google. You want members to get in the habit of going to your LMS instead of an AI platform when they want to learn something. Get them used to following their curiosity with an assortment of free microlearning programs.
Nothing motivates an employee to schedule a training session like seeing their boss do it. Incentivize volunteer leaders and other industry influencers to take a program and talk about it.
Members now expect you to know their interests, career stage, role, career goals, and programs they’ve already taken. With that data, make smart recommendations for their next best steps.
Offer personal guidance too. Encourage them to schedule an appointment with a volunteer or staff advisor who helps them figure out what’s next in their learning and career journey.
In the office, employees hear co-workers talking about training programs that gave them a new perspective or helped them figure out a problem. Replicate this social proof. Share testimonials from people in every segment so members see someone they relate to talking about the impact of a program on their job performance and career.
When someone on LinkedIn shares a digital badge from a credentialing program, like ASAE’s Certified Association Executive (CAE) or Sidecar’s new Certified Association AI Professional (AAIP) badge, I notice and sometimes think, hmm, maybe I should look into that program.
Digital badges are a public display of accomplishment that are seen by peers and prospective and current employers. They’re also a marketing tool for your credentialing programs.
Many L&D professionals admit they haven’t reviewed or changed their program evaluations in years and don’t use the information they collect. They’re more concerned about their C-suite than their learners.
In program evaluations, only gather feedback you’ll use. Tell learners how you’ll use their feedback and how much you value their opinions. Give them the opportunity to go deeper by offering open-ended text boxes for their comments—use AI to summarize them if the resulting data is overwhelming.
Don’t let your LMS resemble a hoarder’s house, where nothing gets thrown away. Too often, associations feel like the more they have, the better, but members get lost and tune out if confronted with long lists of programs.
Put programs on a sunset review schedule so you don’t dedicate resources and LMS space to programs no longer considered essential by much of your audience.
Many associations give their online learning catalogs a generic name, like hub or center. The name doesn’t stick in the memory because it has no significant meaning for your audience.
Choose a brand for your online learning hub that everyone in the industry—members, non-members, HR and L&D teams, and employers—will remember because the name is specific to the work your members do.
Members compare your online experience with every other online experience in their lives. From browsing the catalog to registering for a program, exploring your platform, taking a course, providing feedback, getting their digital badge, and seeing recommendations for another program to take—you need an LMS that creates an enjoyable experience with no hitches. Everything makes sense and works as expected.
If you’re ready to start your search for an LMS like that, check out our guide to LMS selection and implementation.