Regardless of industry, one thing is clear: true marketing success lies beyond the simple promotion of products or services–it involves the creation of a thriving community.

This, of course, is also true of associations. When you weave connections between your organization and its members, you create a sense of belonging. Member engagement is key to success!

Today, we’ll be looking at 5 ways to enhance your member engagement by building a flourishing, healthy community with your members:

1. Discussion Boards

The impact of a space that allows members to build relationships, talk experience, and engage meaningfully should never be discounted. And where better to foster this space than on discussion boards?

Forums can be organized to cater to your different courses, categories, events, career stages, and other interests. You aren’t only creating a hub of knowledge for your members–you’re creating a place for everyone to connect and collaborate.

(Don’t forget to moderate your boards, though; you want posts to stay appropriate and on-topic!)

2. User Reviews

It’s said that word of mouth is one of the most powerful methods of engagement and marketing; take advantage of this by encouraging members to share their experiences by posting reviews. Positive testimonials shared by members can help influence the purchasing decision of fellow peers.

If you’re having trouble getting people to take part, you can try encouraging members to submit feedback by offering discounts (or other rewards) for their participation.

Make sure to keep it authentic: you want to keep your members’ trust. Showcase the positive reviews, but make sure to address any issues that are shared. You want to demonstrate a genuine commitment to improving the member experience!

3. Course Descriptions

When it comes to writing a course description, keep in mind that you’re trying to catch the attention of your members. Try to create a compelling narrative that highlights the value of each course and clearly outlines what it teaches.

Remember to include any learning objectives and key features that your continuing education course covers. You’re offering members a taste of what they’ll get if they buy the full thing, so make it enticing!

4. How-to Guides

You want your members to be able to navigate your platform with ease, and the best way to accomplish this is with how-to guides.

Whether you use step-by-step picture and text tutorials or video demonstrations, make sure your instructions are clear. Make sure you cover platform navigation, course enrollment, and resource access.

Regardless of format, the use of visual aids will make it easy for members to learn and go–breaking down any barriers to entry they may face and allowing them to get the most out of your platform.

Don’t forget to keep your tutorials in a visible place (like a main tab or your front page) so that members can review them at any time!

5. Member Discounts

Show your community how much your association cares by offering exclusive discounts and perks. Member benefits (like course discounts) are valuable incentives to keep members coming back year after year.

You want to make sure these discounts are easy to find and use; try incorporating them into your marketing campaigns and newsletters to really show off the value membership provides. Attract new members and reward loyal members with a single step!

Conclusion

Weaving these strategies into your marketing plan won’t only help drive sales, but help you build a loyal community of enriched, engaged members. By prioritizing the experience of members and helping them connect (both to each other and your association), you can cultivate a welcoming, valuable environment. After all–the more the merrier!

The post Building Better Bonds: Boosting Engagement through Community appeared first on Online Learning Solutions | Association Management System | Vocalmeet.

Now, while discounts and bundles and incentives (oh my!) may sound like simple enough solutions to keeping your members invested, it’s important to note that strategy should be employed here. You don’t just want to improve your return on investment: you want to maximize it!

In today’s article, we’ll be going through how to tailor your efforts so that everyone gets the best bang for their buck.

Boosting Your Reach

First, you can’t sell a course if your members don’t know it exists. Coupons and discount codes are similar; they’ll go unused unless you advertise them to your members.
There are plenty of ways to get the word out: post discount codes to your association’s social media, send out an email blast, announce them at events, add them to your newsletter, put them on your website–anything that helps you drum up excitement and let members know about the sweet, sweet savings you’re offering.

Don’t Go Big–Go Small

While broad discounts cast a wider net, you may be missing members with this approach. Instead, think small. Target specific groups with your discounts to create a sense of exclusivity and urgency. There’s a reason “limited time offers” are so enticing–you’re touching that Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO)!

When it comes to the “who” of your group, the sky’s the limit, so make sure to experiment. You can target different membership tiers, frequent users, or event attendees. Reward members for their time (and money) spent!

Your Approach

When it comes to discounts, there are plenty of options to pick from:

1. Giveaways

Have an upcoming event? Just looking to get some engagement going? Try hosting a contest where participants get the chance to win discount codes. Whether you do it online or off, giveaways present a fun and interactive way to give a little something back to your audience.

Hold a raffle, play bingo, do a quiz–whatever game you play, your members will be sure to enjoy it. You can even have “tiered” rewards–varying levels of discount for those who come in first, second, or third place!

2. Early Bird Renewal Discounts

If you want to encourage members to renew their memberships early, you can try offering discounts for on-demand continuing education content during the renewal season. You can even be adventurous and offer more alluring rewards, like 5 free courses for members renewing in the first month!

3. Bundles

Sometimes, members want to buy courses. Sometimes, they even want to buy a lot of courses. Take advantage of this by creating bundle discounts where members save more as they buy more. You could set it so that purchasing x number of courses gets them a nice percentage off (e.g. 4 courses give you 25% off), or you could set a spending threshold that, once passed, gives even greater savings (e.g. spend $50 to get $5 off or $100 to get $15 off).

This strategy doesn’t just increase the perceived value of your content, but encourages members to explore all the categories your platform has to offer. They may stumble across courses they never thought otherwise to take!

4. Student Discounts

One should never forget students when it comes to discounts. Not only are you providing a service to those who are not yet fully out in the field–you’re paving the way for a long (and strong!) relationship with your association.

Connect with local educational institutions and reach out to guidance counselors, teachers, and registrars; provide them with discount codes for students of your industry who may be interested in what content you have to offer. You’re building loyalty and value in one easy step!

You may also like: Vocalmeet’s Guide to Optimizing Your Association’s Marketing Channels

Conclusion

When it comes to boosting engagement, sales, and reach, discounts are an association’s best friend. By tailoring your discounts to different audiences, you maximize your impact within those groups. Additionally, taking a variety of approaches (giveaways, early bird discounts, bundles, and student discounts) can help you reach members of every kind. You’re not just slashing prices–you’re creating value!

Finally, keep in mind that what you want to do with this is experiment. You can’t make great decisions without great data, so try out as many options as you can when it comes to finding the best discount strategy for your association. You never know what’s going to get the most members through the door–but a nice discount never hurts your chances!

The post Who Doesn’t Love a Good Discount? appeared first on Online Learning Solutions | Association Management System | Vocalmeet.

In today’s digital age, many associations are turning to learning management systems (LMS) to provide continuing education (CE) programs for their members.

But, how do you know if investing in an LMS is worth it?

The answer lies in calculating your Return on Investment (ROI)!

ROI is a measurement of how much money you get back compared to the money you put in.

Calculating the ROI for an LMS is not a one-size-fits-all equation; every organization will have different results depending on its needs.

The basic formula for calculating the ROI of investing in an LMS for continuing education programs is as follows:

ROI = [(Average revenue per course x Number of courses sold) – (Cost of LMS technology)]

Let’s say your association is looking to use an LMS to host its CE programs.

After doing some research, you’ve determined that the average revenue per course is $50; keeping that in mind, you predict that you will sell 100 courses per year.

You speak to a vendor and learn that the yearly cost of their technology is $2,000.

To calculate ROI in this case, we would use the formula as follows:

ROI = [(Average revenue per course x Number of courses sold) – (Cost of LMS technology)]

ROI = (50 x 100) – 2000

ROI = 5000 – 2000

ROI = $3,000

This means that in this scenario, investing in an LMS would give your association a return of $3,000!

Want to see the figure as a percentage? No problem!

All you have to do is take the cost of the LMS technology ($2,000) and divide it by $3,000 (total revenue earned).

This gives us a result of 50%. For every $1 you spend, you get $1.50 back.

This means that if your association were to invest in this LMS for its CE programs, it would get a return of 50%.

These figures are an easy way to find the right LMS for your association’s continuing education programs. Remember–a quality LMS can be a great way to boost engagement and keep your members informed and up-to-date on the latest trends! Not only can it help your association stay competitive, but it can also help you generate more revenue from your CE offerings.

There are a few key things to consider before investing in an LMS:

• First, you should make sure that the LMS you choose is the right fit for your organization. You need to make sure that it can offer the features and tools you need to successfully implement your continuing education programs.
• Next, you should ensure that the LMS is easy to use and navigate for your members. If your members can’t figure it out, they won’t use it!
• Finally, you should make sure that the cost of the LMS is within your budget. This is where the ROI calculation comes in; if the result is in the negatives, don’t buy it!

Conclusion

Investing in an LMS can be a great way to get the most out of your continuing education programs. By calculating your ROI and taking the time to find the right fit, you can ensure that you get the most out of your investment. And, by arming your association with the right tools, you’ll be able to offer your members a comprehensive and engaging learning experience that’ll keep them coming back for more!

The post ROI 101: How to Calculate the Return an LMS Could Bring Your Association appeared first on Online Learning Solutions | Association Management System | Vocalmeet.