By Christine Oh

Where an individual is in his/her career makes a big difference in what he/she is expecting to gain from joining an association. Career stage also makes a critical difference in whether or not someone chooses to participate in your association’s events and courses. Understanding these career stages and tailoring your marketing approach for each will make the difference between a successful education program or a disappointing one. Discover the five career stages below: The Student, The New Grad, The Early Career Worker, The Mid-Career Professional, and The Seasoned Expert.

The Student
The Student may still be in school, but they’re already thinking about career direction, wanting information about the industry, and looking for mentorship. Although The Student is not an ideal candidate for education sales at this particular stage (after all, they do juggle a full load of courses already, and may not even have the prerequisites to qualify for professional development courses), it is still important to market the overall value of your association for their future careers.

If you’re able to build a good relationship at this stage, The Student has strong potential to become a lifelong member. The good news is that as an association, you have the authority, credibility and neutrality to provide The Student with the type of guidance they’re looking for. Collaborate with career centers and participate in career fairs, speak to professors about coming in for guest lectures, and recruit student ambassadors to share information about your association and what it can do for The Student’s future career. This investment will pay off in the long run.

The New Grad
Having recently graduated from school, The New Grad’s driving motivation is finding a job and getting a career started. Education sales from this group is likely to come from new graduates on the job search, looking to pad their resumes with certifications, courses, and new skills. They may also be hungry for opportunities to network as part of their job search and eager to participate in industry conferences and events. So, when you’re marketing to this group, make sure to emphasize the networking, mentorship, and job search related benefits of becoming a member of your association and/or participating in your events and education programs.

Employed or not, The New Grad is making the transition from student life, getting their footing in the industry, and seeking validation that this career path is right for them. Similarly to The Student, the impressionable and malleable New Grad could become a valuable member for life if engaged in the right way—in other words, with education programs that resonate with them. In a previous article we covered the top 5 reasons why your conference needs to go digital, which included reasons like connecting with the net generation and attracting new members. If you haven’t already, we encourage you to check it out!

The Early Career Worker
Having completed the school-work transition, The Early Career Worker continues to network, make connections in the industry, and expand their professional network. The Early Career Worker enjoys more stability and disposable income than The New Grad, giving them the flexibility to join new organizations, attend events, enroll in courses, and generally incorporate more extracurricular activities into their lives. Furthermore due to their work experience and practical knowledge of the field, this group is more likely than The Student or The New Grad to be looking for specific skills or training from an association rather than broad, general benefits of joining. Therefore, when marketing to this group, it is important to explain specific skills and learning objectives to be gained from your courses and how those skills can be applied in the workplace.

With relatively fewer years of experience in the industry, The Early Career Worker is less likely to be attached to existing norms and more likely to be open to trying newer forms of education and communication. If your association is able to engage The Early Career Worker, they could become valuable brand ambassadors and key players in your word-of-mouth marketing.

The Mid-Career Professional
The Mid-Career Professional has likely reached a point in their career where they are looking for a major update in their skill sets, or even a career change. They may be considering returning to school for another degree or exploring new certificate programs. They are more likely than other groups to be looking for tools to help them move up in their careers, such as managerial and soft skills training. They are researching options, meaning they are visiting your association's website to see what educational opportunities are available. Make sure you are prepared for them! If you haven’t already, check out our previous article on turning wandering website visitors into valuable online learners.  

The Mid-Career Professional has significant influence on many of the other groups that could be potential members or participants of your education programs and events. As managers and supervisors, they may recommend (or even make mandatory) your association and your courses to the Early Career Workers and New Grads they mentor or supervise. The Mid-Career Professional has had the time to build a meaningful professional network, which serves as a valuable resource for word-of-mouth marketing. Furthermore, the Mid-Career Professional has greater access to top tier decision makers of the companies they work for, which is particularly relevant for associations targeting institutional members or selling group licenses for their education programs.

The Seasoned Expert
With years of experience in the industry, The Seasoned Expert may be looking for a convenient and quick way to update their skills. They may also be motivated to make their mark or give back to the industry by sharing their knowledge, mentoring, and presenting at events. This group is instrumental not only in generating a sense of community within your association, but also in creating meaningful educational content that attract the other career groups to your association. With their wide professional network and decision making authority in the workplace, this group is also likely to have access to internships and career opportunities that catch the attention of The Student, The New Grad, and The Early Career Worker.

1. Establish basic understanding of your eLearning with everyone in your association.
Each person in your association, regardless of their formal function or title, is an ambassador and representative of your eLearning programs. Make sure you have informed brand ambassadors! They don’t necessarily have to understand the technology inside out, but they should be able to answer basic questions. Sit down with your colleagues to demonstrate the learning system, explain the content, and address questions they may have. Test them on these six questions members will ask about your eLearning programs, as previously covered on the ScholarLab Research Desk.

2. Thoroughly incorporate eLearning into your in-person events.
Consider:

• Conference packages (e.g. offer a "complete experience" conference package - attendees can purchase the in-person and online experience together at a discounted price)
  
• Incentives (e.g. early bird registrants for the in-person event receive 20% off on the online event)
  
• Prizes (e.g. host an interactive activity at the in-person event and reward participants with access passes to the online event)
  

Raise your members’ awareness and openness to eLearning by initiating conversations and educating your members on the topic. For example, remind audiences before and after each speaker that the session will be available online for those who want to revisit the content. Have one of the sessions at your conference focus on the benefits of learning online.

Just because your in-person event is over, it doesn't mean that your marketing is done—keep your members engaged and excited. Constantly remind your members about your eLearning through email blasts, newsletters, in-person announcements, website advertising, and social media. Tell them why your programs are important and where they can be accessed.

3. Work closely with your IT and marketing team to optimize your website’s marketing power.
In a previous post we discussed the importance of setting up your association’s website to maximize its marketing power. Your association has full control of the website’s content and doesn't have to pay advertising fees to an external vendor. Best of all, you have potential learners at a computer, receptive to information about your programs. If you haven’t already, check out our piece on how to revamp your website to convert wandering website visitors into valuable online learners.

4. Coordinate with other timelines within your association and industry.
If your association has an annual membership renewal season, use this as an opportunity to promote your eLearning programs. For example, members who renew their membership by a certain date may receive a free access pass to an online course.

If there is a deadline coming up for members to submit their continuing education credits for the year, they will definitely be looking for quick and convenient education opportunities in the few weeks leading up to the deadline. Online courses are the perfect solution for these members, so make sure to increase your marketing efforts around this time.

Remember to keep conflicting industry-wide deadlines or events in mind. Members can only handle so many marketing blasts at once, and they won’t react positively to yours if they have other priorities. For example, avoid sending emails when there is an industry-wide annual conference approaching (unless of course, you are co-marketing with the conference).

5. Consolidate your library.
Minimize the amount of work your members have to do to access your complete eLearning library. If your content is spread out over various platforms and systems, your members have to figure out where to find the specific information they are looking for. They will also have to memorize and keep track of several usernames and passwords. This inconvenience discourages them from going online more often, and ultimately makes it difficult for you to build a powerful, memorable presence in one go-to place.

By Alexandra Caufin

Earlier this month Dr. Laurelle Jno Baptiste, ScholarLab's COO and Co-founder, travelled to Austin, Texas to present her innovative new workshop iLearn, iConnect, iGrow at Texas Society of Association Executives' Tech Talks Conference. Check out this summary that highlights the workshop's most important ideas about the future of learning online and why organizations around the world need to take notice!

In the Age of Information, Madison is your quintessential digital native and more importantly, your new member. She is digitally literate, digitally socialized, and digitally cultured, looking to learn in the same ways she connects with the world every day. She has never known a world that couldn't be googled, and thus, access to information defines the tools she uses in daily life. Most importantly, she’s spurred by the wealth of knowledge, discourse, and communication that’s right at her fingertips, online.

As an association executive, you should get to know Madison, because someone just like her is coming to a classroom, workplace or association near you.  The question is, how are you going to capture her attention?

In 2014, we’re securely in the Web 2.0 age of the internet. It’s the age of mobile devices, tablets, apps, video conferencing and instant messaging technologies. With these technologies, the world has seen an upheaval of outdated and inefficient online learning systems and watched a new era of global education, digital literacy and cross-the-world communication emerge. For the first time in history, we have the technology and the tools to create a virtual experience that is on par or even superior to the in-person equivalent.

Barriers: Do you have learning communities for people like Madison?

Learning communities mean much more than just a classroom or some online courses. They represent an ecosystem of tools for members to not only learn, but to discuss, share, create and network along the way.

Issue 1: Madison wants to take your course but can’t make the 45 minute commute to your association’s headquarters. Plus between her school, practicum and other volunteer responsibilities, she can’t guarantee her availability every week at the same time.

Issue 2: Madison has taken one of your courses online but found the course layout, design, and content delivery outdated, text-heavy and administrative.

Issue 3: Madison is interested in your online learning programs, but none of your courses or events can be viewed on her iPhone or iPad, nor do they involve any kind of networking or social media functions. She instead opts for an online course or event that is mobile-friendly and collaboration-oriented.

What started out as a great opportunity for Madison to connect with your association has become complicated and stressful, so she seeks another vendor.

Breaking down barriers:
What are your new and existing members looking for?

Are you developing your education strategy with learners like Madison in mind? Here are some of the elements that new learners look for, and elements that you can provide by making the jump to learning in the digital:

Just-in-time learning: Turn your one-way, one-time only courses, presentations or events into ongoing resources, with unlimited outreach to potential members worldwide.

Mobile-friendly technology: With the mobile classroom, learners can use their smart phones and tablets to view your courses, conferences, presentations and events anywhere they want, whenever works for them.

24/7 access: Give members around-the-clock access to course presentations and materials, and the flexibility to learn in the way that works best for them.

Pause, skip ahead, replay: Let your members learn at their own pace, take notes, review or move ahead. You’ll be creating learning environments that cater to individual learners instead of the masses and your members will appreciate it.
 
Economic renaissance: The rapid development of technology has made it far more economical to bring content online. Associations all over the world are using new forms of webinars, learning systems, video conferencing and more to attract and connect with learners all over the world.

Digital learning communities open doors and create borderless connections. Your biggest question as an association should be: how do I attract the enormous demographic of new members?

Remember that these new members are intricately attracted to new learning communities.

We now have the technologies to address the biggest issue that associations face: how to connect with all the people who would like to come to take courses or attend your events, but can’t.

Adapted from Dr. Laurelle Jno Baptiste’s Tech Talks workshop “iLearn, iConnect, iGrow: How to create the online learning your members need.”

Source List
Infographic clip: 75% of American post-secondaries offering online education etc. http://blog.hotspotshield.com/2014/01/16/rise-online-education-infographic/
Online Learning Stats: http://www.edudemic.com/thumbs-online-learning/ via, created by http://www.coloradotech.edu/
“Why use video?” statistics from http://brainrules.net/pdf/BrainRules_JohnMedina_MediaKit.pdf and http://www.edudemic.com/use-video-education/

By Alexandra Caufin

As the leader of an association, you know how important your annual conferences and meetings are for your members and for the financial strength of your organization. Conferences across the world are going digital with an exciting array of  new live streaming and video-conferencing technologies, and yours should be no exception.

Going digital with your conference is no longer a cutting-edge idea only for the technologically brave. It’s now both easy and inexpensive—and more than this, it’s going to be necessary for the survival of your association. Here’s why:

Maximize value proposition for attendees.
The simple fact is, you can’t be in two places at once. This is especially problematic when your conference attendee wants to attend multiple sessions at the same time. If conference-goers had the opportunity to participate in every session of a conference, some physically and some that have been digitally recorded, it would present an obviously greater value proposition than one-time only conference sessions.