The good news is that there are a variety of powerful LMS platforms available to take the heavy lifting out of offering continuing education. However, an LMS isn’t a one-size-fits-all platform: each association requires its own unique functions and features. Despite this, there are some factors that all associations need in an LMS–so here are the 5 things not to leave out of your LMS!

1) Direct Instructions and Training Resources

New members are at their most vulnerable early on in their memberships. When they first access training, it’s important that they feel comfortable and supported. Each course and training module should be clearly described, with the goals and requirements laid out in full detail. Members should be able to access a walkthrough or user guide for the LMS, ensuring that they know how to maximize their ability (and therefore benefit!) when using the system. 

Members should have access to a clear curriculum and course outline for every course they take. If they encounter problems–either in their training or with the system–they should be able to contact the instructor or the administrator for assistance. With proper support lines and resources in place, your association can help its members overcome their issues before the system’s molehill grows into a mountain.

2) Overall Accessibility

One of the major benefits of eLearning, when compared to more traditional training, is convenience. After all, members can take courses on their own time and from any location! Therefore, to continue this trend and to make the most out of your LMS, your training should be as accessible as possible. 

Accessibility can mean a host of different things, but each factor is equally important for your learners. For one, courses need to be mobile-friendly and have a responsive design that adapts to any device and operating system. The LMS interface itself should be intuitive and easy to operate. Similarly, the courses should be easy to understand and follow. Furthermore, by allowing for asynchronous access in your courses–that means no scheduled time slots!–learners will be able to study and complete their training on their own time, without having to worry about schedule conflicts. You could even consider offering offline learning (e.g. downloadable courses) to increase access even further!

3) Clear, Concise Content

While a powerful LMS can really round out a user’s experience, it is primarily the content that keeps members coming back course after course and year after year. Associations should dedicate time and resources to creating and maintaining high-quality content. Make sure that any industry changes are reflected in the training, and that the course materials are organized and easy to follow. While it may be tempting to put as much information as possible into your courses, you need them to be concise and focused if you want them to be memorable and usable. Consider creating multiple specialized courses instead of a single generalized one.

4) Assessment Tools

For many associations, it’s the behind-the-scenes operations that make an LMS what it is. When exploring LMS options, look for a system that has powerful assessment tools. When equipped with these, course administrators and instructors can record learner growth and progress, spot weaknesses or soft spots in the course content, and track compliance percentages. Many LMSs send periodical reports about your courses, flagging any issues or concerns. Not only can this help save your course administrators and instructors time, but it can make course administration more effective overall.

5) Integration and Customization

When an LMS is at its best, it looks and operates similarly to its association’s overall system. With optimal integration, the user experience feels smooth and seamless. Members should be able to navigate between the association’s website, the LMS, and the e-commerce section with ease–and with a single login! Integration also means that associations should be able to incorporate different learning formats, applications, and software into the LMS.

While your association may have a current set of desired applications, features, and functions that it wants for its LMS, remember to keep a close eye on the future. You want to ensure that your LMS can grow and adapt over time; to accomplish this, customization is key. If and when new applications or formats are later developed, you will want to have the option to integrate them into your LMS as well. To add a truly individual touch to your association’s LMS, you may also want to look for a system that allows for back-end development–there’s nothing more custom than building part of it yourself!

When it comes to picking the perfect Learning Management System, there will be a lot of features you want it to fit. Different associations have different needs; they need a tailored solution. When you’re shopping around for your LMS, make sure to remember to look for our five most crucial factors: clear instructions, easy access, focussed content, analytic tools, and seamless integration. Get your organization the LMS that can do it all!

The post 5 Things NOT to Leave Out of Your LMS appeared first on Online Learning Solutions | Association Management System | Vocalmeet.

Let your association speak for itself by having your members connect with one another. There’s no better testimony than that of your actual audience!

Just as the employees really create the atmosphere of the work environment, members create the atmosphere of the association environment. If you have a welcoming, engaging community, new members are sure to follow. And remember, strong leadership is not enough: help your members foster bonds between each other, too!

Online Engagement is Critical

The structure with which the association operates is largely what will encourage or discourage members from making connections. Does your association’s online platform allow members to talk to each other? If not, you’re pushing them away from your organization and towards other more socialization-friendly outlets.

Member organizations are always looking for new members and new talent, and your site can function as the perfect recruitment tool–especially when it comes to millennials! One of the reasons people join associations is to be part of a community, and it’s your job to ensure that you’re creating a community that suits their needs. 

A good way to increase engagement is to provide regularly updated content, whether it be in the form of blog posts, images, videos, or infographics. Be aware of online trends, and use thought leaders in your organization to promote new ideas and insights to your audience. By opening your online platform to your members, you’re encouraging them to share ideas and experiences.

Another great opportunity for engagement amongst your audience is your association’s annual meeting. Annual meetings are the perfect chance to deliver the value your members expect with plenty of online social interaction and opportunities to make connections.

Courses and Training and Certifications–Oh my!

When talking about associations, one can’t forget the importance of education! Associations can offer value to their members through the provision of training opportunities and certification courses. Bonus–by completing these, your members also get to add some shiny new skills to their CVs! By offering online education courses to your members, you can engage with them directly through your content, bring value to their memberships, and even increase your non-dues revenue!

If you continuously provide your members with the value they deserve, you’ll not only be bettering your association, but the industry you all share. Your opportunities for professional development and networking will build loyalty over time as you demonstrate your association’s high quality for members both new and old.

Make New Members and Keep the Old: One is Silver and the Other, Gold!

While existing members need to feel connected to your organization, you can’t forget to make new members feel welcome, too! One of the best ways to extend your hospitality to new members is to invite them to your next online event. Show them that you see them and that you care! Your association is here for their development and encouragement.    

By attending association events, new members will be able to connect with others, engage with the organization leaders, and experience the warmth of community. When members of an organization feel like they’re getting a lot out of their network, they’ll be more willing to continue to engage with it in the future, too! 

Member commitment is crucial to the success of your organization, so don’t forget to develop a strategy for member retention and engagement improvement to keep your association as valuable and attractive as possible.  Focus on really showcasing the benefits of your association, making your members feel valued, and promoting communication between members and staff. Members are more likely to renew their memberships when they’re properly cared for, all after!

Connect on Multiple Levels

As competition increases between associations, it is important for your organization to frequently engage with its members on a variety of platforms. 

Promote member engagement through online membership communities, eLearning opportunities, and organizing charity events. Connect with them on social media, on your content platform, in your newsletters and blogs–the more opportunities, the better!  Make it easy for your members to network through online social channels and through your platform. Developing your skills together is more fun and memorable than developing your skills alone!

Make sure to simplify and streamline your communication where possible, so that no one gets left out. Accessibility is important in all things, so be mindful when developing your content!

Analytics are also an important factor for associations. For every channel of communication, learn how to follow the statistics. How many new members are contacting you with questions? Which channels are the most effective for spreading information? Which ones garner the most engagement? Who are you sending messages to, and who is replying? The more information you gather about how your platforms function, the better you can learn to utilize them, and the more effective your posts will become!

The post How to Bring Your Association Closer to Your Members appeared first on Online Learning Solutions | Association Management System | Vocalmeet.

Hosting In-Person Events in the “New Normal”

It is important for event organizers to be aware of the legal concerns that will arise when hosting in-person events in the wake of the pandemic. First, there are the privacy concerns that come with collecting personal information; events require COVID-screening processes and employees to register each attendee, which means handling a lot of sensitive data.

Next, organizers must stay up to date with the public health orders in their area. What limitations are being enforced? Is proof of vaccination required? How many people can gather in an area at a time, and what types of preventative measures must be taken? Ventilation, masks, vaccination statuses, sanitizers, and more must be considered when hosting an in-person event.

Unfortunately, in the “new normal”, in-person events have also risen in cost. Venues must be deep-cleaned before and after every event to prevent the spread of illness, and the price of both venues and hotels is on the rise. Not only this, but the combination of social distancing and attendance restrictions means fewer attendees, which means reduced revenue—further cutting into event profits!

Making a Case for Virtual and Hybrid Events

If you still want to open your event up to the public, you could consider hosting a hybrid event, which draws from both virtual and in-person settings. While online-only events are the safest and cheapest option, hybrid events are a nice balance between the familiarity and warmth of in-person interaction and the convenience of online events.

First, virtual and hybrid events can help reduce the costs of hosting, as well as make the event accessible to those who wouldn’t be able to otherwise make it. Because much of your content will be available online, you’ll be able to host a much larger event; more speakers, more attendees, more days—it’s up to you! With virtual events, you don’t need to worry about booking venues or hotels, and your attendees don’t have to worry about planning travel.

A fantastic feature of virtual and hybrid events is the ability to pre-record sessions. By doing this, the event not only runs smoother (no unforeseen slip-ups or interruptions!), it also allows the content to be accessible anywhere and–if you so choose–at any time. These recordings can even be used for continuing education courses later, generating additional revenue and engagement even after the conference ends!

The benefits don’t end here, however; because your content will be hosted online, it will provide you with helpful analytics that you can use when planning future events. View counts, generalized attendee locations, engagement, and more—all useful statistics to know about your event, and all available through a few clicks of your mouse!

Finally, by hosting most or all of your events online, you’re making it not just more affordable for your association, but for your attendees! No one has to worry about booking travel, hotels, or days off—the event can be enjoyed by everyone in the comfort of their own homes. Now, that’s convenient!

Is your association trying to make a decision for future events? This decision can be a long and arduous one, and it can be hard to resist the siren’s call of in-person events—after all, how long has it been since you got to go out and see other people? Despite this, it’s important to take a moment and consider your options when organizing your next event. Attendee and staff safety, extending the value of the education content produced at the event, and maximizing revenue from the event are some of the critical factors you need to assess before planning your event.

The post Virtual Events vs In-Person Events: Which to Choose? appeared first on Online Learning Solutions | Association Management System | Vocalmeet.

The first step is to sell your courses to your association members in a simple and data-driven way. This requires the right online learning platform for associations and the right systems in place to sell effectively.

The key ingredients you’ll need to sell online courses to your members are a comprehensive, advanced, Online Learning Management System, a targeted sales strategy, and most importantly, the right course for your members.

Start With the Course

Before you can sell anything, you need the right courses for your association members. To identify the highest-value courses for your members, use association member data and surveys to do a comprehensive needs assessment.

To start, you should have the best software solutions for association management. This will allow you to collect and organize key data about your association members to provide them with courses that match their professional trajectory and professional needs.

You can also reach out directly to ask them what they want to learn or whether some skills might be valuable to them.

“Sell Me This Pen”

Anyone who has seen The Wolf of Wall Street knows that you need to have demand to sell anything. If you don’t already have demand, then you might be able to create it. The skills needed for professional development today are constantly evolving. While you should never sell something your members don’t need, you can open their eyes to the value of what you’re offering.

Create materials or get in touch directly to communicate exactly what learning specific skills or one of your online courses is so critical in the modern workforce. Always aim to inform before selling, and you will naturally create the demand. If the pen in this story is your members’ skills to take on the world, they can write their ticket with your online course (pen)!

The Right Tools

You can’t offer online continuing education and generate non-dues revenue without the right tools. An online learning management system (LMS) will generate revenue for your association. Modern online learning management systems are designed to reduce administrative work and increase member satisfaction. From a single platform, members should have access to multiple courses and the ability to complete them at their own convenience. With the right online learning software, associations can prioritize value-added initiatives over managing their online learning platform.

The best learning management systems out there will make it easy for your members to sign up for your online courses, and they will include a secure and smooth payment processor. The best solutions should have everything in one to deliver your courses and sell those courses all in one place.

Don’t Forget the Value

Above all, remember to add value for your members through your online courses. The best products in the world sell themselves, particularly through word of mouth. Studies have shown that people trust the word of a friend or family member more often than that of an online review or distant testimonial. If your courses deliver good value for your members, that could come up at their next networking event. Having your members talk up your courses between themselves is the best sales strategy you could ask for.

The post How to Sell Your Online Courses to Your Members appeared first on Online Learning Solutions | Association Management System | Vocalmeet.

• The Types of CLE Topics Offered
• The Usability of Their Online CLE Platform
• How CLE’s Are Promoted to Attorneys

The 5 Marketing Strategies to Increase CLE Revenue in 2021 and beyond Webinar

We recently hosted a webinar with several bar association leaders to explore various strategies to create and maintain a successful CLE program. During the 1 hour conversation, the panelists explored numerous marketing strategies and shared insights into what works and doesn’t work for their CLE programs.

To give you a glimpse into the conversation, we have provided a brief recap of the conversation.

1. Know Your Audience and Create Highly Targeted CLEs

The first step to developing a highly profitable CLE program is to understand the needs of your members and the general public. By understanding what attorneys are looking for and highlighting how they will benefit from purchasing your CLE, your association can create targeted CLEs that provide value.

For example: aside from offering comprehensive courses that are of great importance for all legal professionals, your association can also provide education on topics that resonate with attorneys based on their interests and what they wish to pursue.

A great way to know what your audience wants is to ask them! Then, incorporate their feedback into your CLE program planning.

2. Course Quality over Course Quantity Matters

Providing quality programs is more significant than a large number of miscellaneous CLEs. When bar associations focus on quality instead of quantity, they achieve better results and accomplish their strategic goals faster. In addition, producing quality CLEs saves time, generates more revenue, and provides value to your members.

3. Everybody’s Experience with Online CLE Programs Is Different

Keep in mind that your members will interact with your Learning Management System in different ways–some members are used to attending CLEs in-person, while others are more tech-savvy and prefer online options. So, make sure your association is there to provide support to those who need it.

Also, associations that don’t use a mobile-responsive online CLE platform could lose up to 70% of online traffic. Hence, apart from being user-friendly, your platform needs to be mobile-friendly as well!

4. Create an Outstanding Promotional Plan For Your Courses

Having a solid and thorough promotional plan is also an important strategy to increase the revenue of your association’s continuing education. After all, once you have quality CLE courses ready for your target audience, you have to let them know!

Advertise your courses where your audience is present–websites and social media accounts alike. Reach out to them via a separate CLE-only newsletter. Pay close attention to the email frequency and overall information contained in the email–you don’t want to spam your members with your offers, but make them aware of it instead!

You can also create landing pages for specific courses aimed at different members–as previously stated, your audience has different needs! Make sure your courses are diverse and engaging to different professionals.

5. Don’t Be Afraid to Change Approaches

Associations have to be in sync with their members and the general public. So, do not fear change! If you develop a strategy that doesn’t yield the results you are looking for, pivot and create one that does–otherwise, you will end up with the same outcome. Ensure that your association’s CLE program is relevant and your marketing plan even more, so members can find your courses–and, eventually, buy them!

By following this outline, you can help your association move in the right direction by creating quality CLEs and effectively promoting them to your members.

View the webinar in its entirety below.

The post The Top 5 Strategies for Bar Associations to Increase CLE Revenue in 2021 and Beyond appeared first on Online Learning Solutions | Association Management System | Vocalmeet.

Yet, going viral is not as easy as it sounds, but that’s a good thing. If it were easy, the value of viral marketing would be decreased. Still, viral marketing may not be available to every organization, but it’s definitely worth investigating. To help your organization decide if it’s for you, we’ve put together some information about viral marketing, highlighting what it is, how it’s accomplished, and what it can result in.

Why Things Go Viral

While people and organizations everywhere are looking for the key to virality, content may go viral for a number of reasons. Sure, some material has a better chance to go viral for the average audience than others, but for marketing purposes, virality is a little more tricky. In general, however, people share and participate in viral content because they want to be part of a larger community of people with shared interests. They want to be seen, heard, and accepted.

Social media and viral content go hand-in-hand because people naturally want to be early adopters of popular content and want to help others, but they also want to be noticed while doing it. When content is destined for virality, it starts to get popular and picks up steam. At this point, more people share, comment, and post about the content because they want to be part of the trend. If the content is expressing a specific opinion or mindset, people may participate in the movement as a way of co-signing the material.

Understand your Audience

To use the capability of internet media for marketing purposes, organizations need to identify and understand their target audience. When trying to get your content to reach and move through your audience, you need to know what drives and inspires them. The best way to find this information is to observe and participate. Track what your audience responds to and what type of posts they share on social media. Watch your competition or other associations in a comparable industry. See what works for them and think of ways to translate that into your field.

If you know what appeals to your audience, you can cater to your content to satisfy their needs. The more you know about the important communities in your industry, the more on-point your messaging will be. It’s important, however, to stay true to your brand. The messaging in your viral content should be consistent with your overall goals, or else it could be counterproductive. This will also improve the odds that viral brand awareness may also lead to new members and consumers.

Provide Real Value

Modern audiences are clever and skeptical of anything that might be construed as purely marketing-driven, so organizations need to change their sights to focus on another target when setting off on a viral adventure. Pure marketing should be an indirect goal. Nix the endless self-promotion and create something truly valuable for users. The organizations that can fully commit to this path will experience the best results. 

How to provide value really depends on your audience, but some of the common triggers for viral content are emotion, positivity, practicality, and unexpectedness. People also love a good story, so if you can create a compelling narrative that injects some of these elements, you’re off to a running start. Moreover, the more current or novelty-based the content, the more people will be excited to join and ride the viral wave.

Make it Interactive

Viral marketing is participatory at its core, but by adding more interactive elements to the content, organizations may increase the effectiveness. There are countless ways of making viral marketing more interactive. For example, the interactivity built into live streams makes them strong possibilities for going viral. Associations may also make their material actionable. They can start a viral movement by having members record themselves participating in or demonstrating something. Give people an excuse to have fun or do something positive and share it with their friends online. 

You may even choose to incentivize participation in some way. This may be something as small as trying to respond to or communicate with each participating member on social media or providing a benefit to sharing or joining in. Think of ways that your association can incentivize members to help spread your message. In essence, your viral content should have inherent value that people want to share, but it can’t hurt to help make it worth their while.

Find Your Primary Supporters

For the most part, viral content really doesn’t pick up steam until it gets picked up by a large and influential account. These people usually have a massive network with large swaths of followers. When they co-sign or share something, it gets seen and supported by their respective community. Members of that community then spread the word beyond the reach of your organization and help accelerate the viral process. 

If going viral is the goal, your association should try to get your content in front of these supporters in any way possible. You can incentivize them or support the influencer, hoping to get mutual support back in return. You may also seek out influencers who share similar values or goals as your association. If your target audiences overlap and your content holds true value, these influencers will be much more willing to help spread the message.

If You Can’t Beat Them, Join Them

Creating original content is hard enough as it is. Creating original content that goes viral is a behemoth. Don’t get too caught up in originality. In fact, by looking at what has caught on in the past, your association can get a good idea of what has the potential to work in the future. Now, you never want to copy or plagiarize, but there’s no shame in following in the footsteps of another organization. It may really help to piggyback on current trends. Leverage the popularity of a fad to generate more interest in your material. Give it a unique twist if you can to spice it up.

Yet, as we said off the top, viral marketing is not available to everyone, and that’s ok. If you can’t create something yourself, share other things that deliver your ideal message. Find positive and meaningful content that appears bound for massive popularity and share it with your audience. It may not be as effective as creating the content, but it’s a close second that can still help build brand awareness.

The post Is Viral Marketing a Good Strategy for Associations? appeared first on Online Learning Solutions | Association Management System | Vocalmeet.

Once you have a firm grasp on what your new LMS offers and what the integration process might look like, it’s time to sit down and develop an action plan. By following the steps below,  the rollout of your new LMS can be stress-free, seamless, and well-received.

Creating the Transition Plan

After picking a new LMS, you have to create an integration plan. Record all the expected costs, including the price of the overall system, all new technologies required, any necessary training, and downtime costs.

Next, layout a generous timeline for each stage of the integration. Speak with the vendor and your staff to determine the most accurate timelines possible. Along with these timelines, set goals to be met along the way and then manage and assess their progress.

Designate trainers and support staff and ensure they know the material thoroughly and take care of any possible problems in advance. Understand the technical side of the integration and ensure that you have the proper people on hand to handle the job. Prepare everyone involved for the changes so that no one is caught off guard.

Communicate the Reasons for Change

Change can be difficult for many people.To avoid having your new LMS met with resistance by stakeholders, employees, and users, it’s necessary to communicate why these changes are being made. While highlighting the new and improved features of the new system is likely required, be sure to elucidate the whole picture.

For your stakeholders, outline what the unmet opportunity is and how this new LMS helps meet that. Highlight what the projected costs are and how much time it will take to get up and running.

Furthermore, discuss potential cost savings and when the association may begin seeing these savings. By involving stakeholders, along with being as upfront and accurate as possible, you should have a much-improved chance at receiving total buy-in. 

Review Your Content and Functionality

Before you move everything over, you should perform a quality audit of your content and functionalities. There’s no need to keep and integrate outdated training programs or plugins, or add-ons. Anything that isn’t being used from the previous system should be omitted. Audit everything that you intend to move over and make sure it’s worth the effort to keep. This is also an effective way to determine what content or features need updating. When the new system is uploaded, all content and features attached will be clean, revitalized, and needed. 

Integrate Your Systems

When it comes time to actually integrate the system, create and follow an integration map. This will help track where each component will move to, including reports, structures, and content. This process can also help identify where any holes or needs might arise. If something from the former LMS has no place to go, you may need to customize the new system to accommodate.

The next step is to clean up the data that is to be transferred over. Archive the old data somewhere safe if the thought of permanently deleting old data concerns you. After that, you can quickly transfer user data from one system to another by creating an Excel sheet with all the user information and then converting the sheet into a .csv format and moving it over. 

Testing your New LMS

Before taking the system live, consider running a pilot system and testing each feature and functionalities.

Ensure that the system meets each of your association’s needs and address any issues or concerns before attempting to bring the system online. Test out the mobile capability of the LMS, try out the user enrollment, and scale it up slowly as a stress test on the system. Try to catch and eliminate any surprises before end users do.

Training and Support

While the support step should start early in the process, training is a continual process that must continue throughout much of the LMS’s lifecycle. The first training stage begins with educating staff and administrators on running the system. This gives the frontline operators a chance to solve any problems early on. In the future, they may be tasked with answering such questions from end-users and will need the answers. 

To ensure the best training is available for your staff, members, and visitors, you need to provide the best training resources. Ask the vendor for any and all support materials they provide and develop your own to cover any blind spots. You may want to host all resources on the LMS for easy access. In the early days of the new system, an online training forum can allow users to share ideas, concerns, and opinions.

Feedback

Before launching the new LMS, be sure to establish some performance metrics for the former system. This will provide a standard on which to compare and evaluate the new LMS. You can then measure if the new system improves user performance and satisfaction, track increases in course completions, and look at the compliance percentages. You can also track performance behind the scenes. All this information can then be passed on to users as a continued demonstration of why things changed in the first place.

The post Successfully Transition from One LMS Vendor to Another appeared first on Online Learning Solutions | Association Management System | Vocalmeet.

Our buyer’s guide to online learning platforms will help you select a user-friendly online learning platform that will help your association achieve its continuing educational goals. In this guide, we will present the 4 key considerations for selecting a learning platform that best suits your association’s and your members’ needs:

1. Understand Your Association’s Goals for the Online Learning Platform

Before you begin to evaluate online learning platforms, make sure to take some time to establish your goals. These possibilities could include:

• Increasing member engagement & retention rates
• Maintaining your current position as the go-to source of high-quality continuing education
• Increasing non-dues revenue through online education courses and programs
• Reducing the amount of administrative work for your staff

To achieve the outcome your association is looking for, you’ll need to ensure that the online learning platform you select meets the requirements you set.

For a detailed guide on how to transition to online continuing education, click here.

2. Create a Positive Online Learning Experience for Your Members

Your online learning platform is your storefront; it’s the first thing your members will interact with when looking for continuing education courses online. Therefore, when evaluating online learning platforms, it is essential to view them from your members’ perspectives.

Keep the following in mind when determining if the platform you are considering is easy to use:

• How straightforward is it for you to complete a course?
• After testing the online learning platform, would you use it again?
• Did you leave with a positive experience?
• Does the platform remember where you left off? Can you resume your activities when you sign in again, or does it force you to start at the beginning?
• What does the site look like on different devices? Is the platform mobile responsive?
• If your members need help, how long do they have to wait?

Remember, your members’ online experience is the most critical component in your online continuing education program. If members have consistent negative experiences using your platform, chances are, they won’t come back! Even worse: they’ll tell fellow colleagues not to use your services. Word of mouth is a powerful tool, so make sure you choose wisely and leave your members satisfied.

3. Examine the E-commerce Functionality

Accepting payment for online continuing education courses is a crucial part of the process. Your members are accustomed to making payments online that are secure, accurate, and prompt. Ask yourself:

• Is the platform capable of offering tiered (member and non-member) pricing?
• Is it capable of offering coupons and discounts?
• Can it offer group pricing to sell courses in bulk?

If simply making the payment for a course is challenging and cumbersome, members will be less likely to view your platform favourably. So instead, choose an online learning platform that offers easy payment options and competitive deals–your members will thank you!

4. Research its Enrollment and Continuing Education Credit Tracking Capabilities

The online learning platform you select should automatically track course enrollment, course completion, and continuing education credits. Remember that an online learning platform should reduce the amount of administrative work for your association–not add to it!

Reporting is a critical function that your online learning platform should facilitate. Online learning reporting helps you collect data and monitor how your members are interacting with your platform.

Reporting can be done on mandatory training, assessments, learning progress, and activities, as well as provide general information on users and courses.

When reviewing the platform, check to see if your members can skip ahead in course videos–you want to ensure that the platform actively blocks members from skipping straight to the end of the video!

Conclusion

By keeping these 4 key considerations in mind when selecting an online learning platform, your association will be able to bring members new, accessible, and useful content for years to come–increasing your association’s revenue and value in the process!

Make sure to refer to this checklist regularly when selecting your online platform, and feel safe knowing that you’ll be making an informed decision for your association. Now, go forth and find the best platform for your association!

The post Your Guide to Buying an Online Learning Platform for Your Association appeared first on Online Learning Solutions | Association Management System | Vocalmeet.

But while Agile leaders may possess many qualities that are the engine of the success of their association, it is also important for them to remember that they are not immune to the potential pitfalls of leadership.

What often decides the long-term accomplishments of an Agile leader is their ability to avoid committing certain errors–and, if they do–their willingness to make the necessary adjustments to not repeat them.

Because of this, we have compiled a list of the four biggest problems an association’s Agile leader can face–and how to deal with them:

Lacking or Ineffective Communication

Typically, Agile leaders are well-recognized for generating innovative ideas and formulating nicely structured strategies that encompass all of the areas required to plan, implement, and execute the objectives of a project. This includes understanding which team members should be assigned certain tasks, as well as what timeframes and deadlines are appropriate for the project.

What often leads to disorganization and obstacles, however, is when an Agile leader fails to clearly and effectively communicate the vision in their head and onto the team.

In order for Agile leaders to get the best results from their team, it is imperative that each team member is assigned a clearly defined role, defined expectations, and a defined procedure.

While Agile leaders may have a promising vision and brilliant solutions, if they are unable to convey these effectively, it will only lead to confusion, frustration, and underperformance.

To avoid making this mistake, Agile leaders should always maintain a straight line of communication with their team.

If they see warning signs of any potential issues or concerns with the project, the leader must be proactive and discuss these matters with the team before the issue escalates or additional problems arise. Moreover, Agile leaders should allow for open dialogues with the team; after all, team members may have their own ideas and suggestions on how to better complete a task!

A great communicator will encourage their team by granting their team the freedom to approach, steering them towards smarter, more optimized results and happy, more fulfilled members.

An Agile Leader Not Hiring the Right Team Members

While it is important for an Agile leader to search for the best and brightest with whom to assemble their team, they must not neglect the importance of team fit as well.

Hiring the wrong team members can lead to an unmitigated disaster. Granted, the wrong team member may still bring numerous positive attributes to the table–however, if they join the team with a bad/negative attitude, poor work ethic, refusal to follow protocol, or expectations of special treatment, this can destroy team morale and cause tension, in-fighting, resentment, and overall poor results.

To increase the odds of maintaining great team chemistry, an Agile leader should vet any potential hire thoroughly.

This involves ensuring that the candidate not only has the right attitude and values but also the right mindset, focus, and work ethic for the team. By doing this, an Agile leader can work with confidence and ease knowing that they can trust every person on their team to fulfill their role and get the job done.

Additionally, it is crucial to rule with wisdom and not with stubbornness; if a team member is not working out and is no longer the right fit, do not keep them out of a sense of loyalty or refusal to admit your mistake. Have a frank discussion with the member and see what can be changed; if “nothing”, they may be better suited to another project.

An Agile Leader Implementing Changes Too Quickly

The late legendary college basketball coach John Wooden once said, “Be quick, but don’t hurry.”

In today’s global marketplace, an Agile leader needs to make quick decisions to avoid competition leaving their association in the dust. However, too much hurrying can result in rash decisions that only lead to even less desirable outcomes.

Having a promising vision to implement changes is great. But, when an Agile leader rushes too far ahead, many problems can arise.

For instance, rushing could indicate a haphazardly constructed plan. If any flaws arise, the Agile leader or team may not be fully prepared to deal with them. Implementing rushed changes may also mean that the team is not ready to adapt, or else lead to them undergoing unnecessary pressure to complete tasks with unrealistic expectations; this can lead to poor execution and disappointing results which, in turn, can lead to the team losing faith in their leader and feeling like they were put in a position to fail.

Yes, an Agile leader must implement changes in a timely fashion. However, this alone is not enough. They must also combine their vision with intelligence, patience, and scrutiny. Keeping an alternative solution or two in their back pocket doesn’t hurt either!

Not Addressing Dysfunction within the Organization

Several barriers emerge when transitioning to an Agile environment.

For example, the culture of a workplace can be dysfunctional, where there is little to no respect between management and team members. There could be complaints of inequality or favoritism, and of team members that do not work well with others.

Team members can also feel stifled if they believe their contributions are devalued, or if they are denied the opportunity to expand their horizons. A lack of a firm structure, strategies, and objectives can also be a hindrance in the workplace, which can lead to confusion over the definitions of roles within the team.

Management can fail to demonstrate flexibility when dealing with unforeseen obstacles, or the team may show a hesitancy or unwillingness to adapt during the transition to an Agile environment.

If an Agile leader fails to address any of these matters, the issues will continue to manifest and could even jeopardize the long-term growth and success of the organization!

If a team still has reservations about transitioning to an Agile environment, the leader should encourage them by highlighting Agile’s promotion of employee freedom to think outside the box.

Just think–team members would no longer have to waste time with excessive documentation but focus on strategy and development instead! Now, that’s a win for everyone involved.

Conclusion

While there are several daunting issues that can face an association’s Agile leader–poor communication, ill-fitting hires, recklessly hasty changes, and dysfunction in the workplace–every problem has a solution. With an open line of communication, a vetted team, a steady pace, a culture of respect, and a determined Agile lead, anything is possible! 

The post Four Mistakes Agile Leaders Need to Avoid appeared first on Online Learning Solutions | Association Management System | Vocalmeet.

Social media can yield many benefits for an association. In the marketing world, social media represents one of the strongest tools available. Utilizing this avenue can create more brand awareness than traditional advertising, increase traffic to your website, and help improve conversion rates for visitors and consumers. Yet there’s more to social media than just blindly posting in the hopes of being seen. With a little thought and strategy, every association can turn social media from a mystery into a strength.

Create Meaningful Interactions

In order to get the most out of social media, associations need to do more than simply broadcast information. In fact, Facebook announced that its algorithms are moving toward promoting meaningful interactions ahead of all other posts. Now, this includes “engagement bait” posts as well. These are posts that ask for likes to create the illusion of meaningful interactions. Therefore, associations need to drive discussions that encourage thoughtful responses and queries from viewers in a more natural way.

Try using hashtags to create a more focused discussion, and don’t be afraid to be conversational. Social media users are well-versed in marketing speak, so try to use regular language to break through. In addition to increased brand awareness and interest, the results of these interactions can be enormous. Though social media interactions don’t directly increase search engine rankings, they can help influence them. Meaningful interactions also help to build relationships and create more involved members.

Be Present and Active

Social media allows people to connect with organizations better than ever before, but visibility isn’t enough. To make social media work for you, your association must be present and active, responding quickly to queries and joining conversations. In fact, many people now use social media for customer service inquiries the moment they need them. Although you can schedule your content submission to ensure that you’re posting regularly, try to communicate with your audience at different times.

In addition to being a space for basic customer service, social media allows for personalization. Use the platform to provide information to inquiring minds. Don’t be afraid to jump into relevant conversations and help people asking general questions about the industry. A continued social media presence can help with brand awareness and generate interest in the association without requiring much in the way of advertising dollars.

Learn from the Experience

While social media offers excellent opportunities for providing information to current and potential members, it is also home to a large congregation of professionals from every industry. Use this as a source of information and insight into what professionals are looking for, what industry trends are popping up, and what topics are generating the most interest. By incorporating these topics and trends in various ways, the association demonstrates it’s tapped in and paying attention.

Furthermore, like any customer service experience, social media interactions provide a great source of feedback and constructive criticism. Associations that use this information and build from it illustrate how they are willing to adapt and grow. On social media, this happens in real time and in front of many eyes, which provides plenty of great opportunities to provide excellent customer service.

Track your Results

After posting on social media for an extended period of time, it’s time to start learning from your experience and perfecting the artform. From the beginning, track your results to get the most from each post in the future. Measure what hashtags perform the best, and see what comments get the most likes. Ask yourself, what times do posts get the most interactions? Do posts with images do better than those without? While tracking can be done manually, various software and applications make this job easier and more automatic. Before long, your social media work will be more efficient and effective.

Mix Things Up

A little mixture goes a long way on social media, so it’s important to vary the type of content you post. You want to avoid strictly posting at people. Join in conversations, post about things outside your direct lane, and most importantly, avoid always self-promoting. Not only will constant self-promotion hurt your visibility on social media, but people may react negatively to your posts. Do all these things, but don’t stray too far off topic or relevance. People want their associations to be involved in industry- or professional-specific conversations. Last but not least, avoid posting the same thing on different social media channels as people will see posts as ads and not meaningful content.

The post How Associations Can Benefit From Social Media appeared first on Online Learning Solutions | Association Management System | Vocalmeet.