Guest post by Risë Birnbaum from ZCOMM, a marketing agency with over 27 years of experience.
Associations strive to provide value to existing members and offer benefits that attract new ones. Learning Management Systems (LMSs) are a critical part of this value proposition. When associations provide members with superior continuing education and professional development opportunities, everyone wins.
But building your education programs isn’t easy, or cheap. And once you’ve made the investment, you need to attract users. You must convince your members to use the LMS, and keep them engaged for lifelong learning.
Traditional email campaigns and webinars won’t cut it. Younger members are used to building communities through social media and new technology. Associations must change the way they communicate to inspire these young professionals to join them.
You’ve probably heard the phrase “content is king.” Just like consumer brands, associations need engaging digital content that fosters conversation, and to make sure that content reaches the right people at the right time.
Any of these strategies can help attract new users to your LMS:
- Designing integrated, strategic internal marketing plans that give members and prospects an “inside look” at the LMS (using video, infographics, user reviews, case studies, etc.)
- Securing trade and B2B press about the benefits of your education programs, and sharing that media coverage to generate more users
- Producing microsites filled with polished, fresh video content that can be used for social media, email marketing and intranet
- Offering eLearning kiosks, demos and discounts at your annual convention and other key meetings throughout the year
- Publishing free, public podcasts that offer a taste of what your members-only platform provides
- Offering bulk discounts for new member organizations
When combined, these promotional tactics are powerful ways for associations to engage current members and attract new members to their education offerings.
Create a better user experience for your members by attending Web Coursework’s February Managing eLearning Thought Leaders Webinar with Michael Hartman. Sign up today!
