EDITOR’S NOTE: Because extended enterprise learning involves multiple disciplines, we sometimes ask other experts to share their insights. Today we feature advice from Daniel Newman, Principal Analyst at Futurum Research and CEO of Broadsuite Media Group. Daniel is an author, speaker, blogger and educator who works with leading technology brands to help businesses around the world embrace the benefits of digital transformation.
Is Corporate Learning Ready to Fill the Skills Gap?
For years, I’ve wondered if digital transformation would make today’s colleges and universities irrelevant. That day may be coming sooner than any of us think.
Case in point: Recently, Amazon announced that it’s investing $700 million to upskill 100,000 of its employees, so they can work more successfully in today’s fluid digital business environment. These upskilling efforts are expected to involve employees in all functional areas of the company and at all experience levels.
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This kind of commitment is bold. But here’s what’s even more impressive. Amazon isn’t sending these employees to graduate school or other external institutions.
Instead, participants will develop new knowledge and skills at the company’s own Amazon Technical Academy and Machine Learning University.
What Can Amazon’s Upskilling Plan Teach Us?
The concept seems straightforward enough. Amazon aims to make technical education more accessible by letting employees participate in relevant classes, pursue job-related apprenticeships and earn certificates that qualify them for new positions elsewhere in the company or beyond.
The scope of this initiative is huge. One in three Amazon employees will engage in upskilling to become more technically proficient in their current position – whether they’re a marketing professional, business analyst, warehouse supervisor or coding specialist.
Why is one of the world’s best-known employers making such a massive upskilling commitment? Amazon’s leaders realize that every job is essentially a technical job in today’s marketplace. The company’s future depends on the competency of its employees, and Amazon can no longer rely on other sources to train its workers effectively.
Breaking Down the Amazon Upskilling Investment
What does this new corporate learning strategy suggest about the future of work? And how is it likely to impact the rest of us?
First, let’s break it down. The $700 million Amazon upskilling investment is tied to a broader workforce initiative that includes employee benefits like a higher minimum wage ($15 per hour), 401K and parental leave. Even if the entire budget were applied to training alone, the investment would equal about $7,000 per employee – not that much, by corporate training standards.
This makes me wonder if the initiative is really as ambitious as it sounds. Or perhaps digital transformation will help individuals realize that they’re overpaying academic institutions for education that employers don’t need.
Either way, with such a low initial per-employee investment, Amazon will likely need to continue upskilling employees on a regular basis.
Will Non-Technical Workers Still Fit-In?
Amazon has made it clear that both technical and nontechnical employees will participate in training – but every job is becoming more technical. That means there will be a need to develop non-technical business competencies such as critical thinking, leadership, public speaking and other soft skills.
However, as Amazon sees it, people with soft skills will also need at least some technical acumen if they want to play a valuable role in advancing the company’s agenda.
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Of course, this is true for all of us outside of Amazon, as well. Data fluency and technical competency are essential for any organization that wants to embrace digital transformation. So employees who want to help their company leverage new technologies will need to develop technical acumen, regardless of their professional focus.
For example, consider human resources specialists. To be more effective, they should learn how to leverage automated tools and AI technology to recruit and retain employees.
Mastery of coding, itself, isn’t required. However, a new level of technical understanding is important for HR professionals who want to achieve better results.
This kind of technical comfort and capability is vital for anyone working in 2019 or beyond.
How Can Smaller Businesses Compete?
Clearly, not every company is Amazon. Many don’t have the resources to build their own on-campus technical university. But what happens when an employer can’t afford to offer this kind of upskilling benefit? And what if effective training programs aren’t available in the local community?
Let me frame those questions another way. Which employer would you choose?
A larger company where free upskilling is always available, so you can sharpen relevant skills on an ongoing basis, or
A smaller company that asks you to find your own skill development outside of the organization and pay for it yourself.
Truth be told, as digital transformation unfolds, the “haves” are separating themselves from the “have-nots.” It’s not just about having sufficient money to fund transformative efforts, but also about having the right people with the right skills.
And this need for technical acumen extends to the broader workforce at-large. For instance, demand is stronger for writers who know how to improve their content quality with apps like Grammarly, or how to increase their output with AI-powered productivity tools. Those who don’t master advanced technologies will ultimately accomplish less – and earn less – than technically savvy writers.
The same equation works for other functions. Jobs are becoming a challenge for anyone who hasn’t yet jumped on board the digital transformation skills train. That’s why employers are seeking creative solutions to close the gap.
Is In-House Upskilling Really The Answer?
Some believe Amazon’s upskilling initiative is just a bunch of hype. Cynics think it’s a PR stunt designed to get attention – which has happened. But as I said, $7,000 per employee isn’t a steep investment.
The result could be nothing more than a lot of static PowerPoint slide decks describing technical terms. On the other hand, it could lead to powerful learning experiences that revolutionize Amazon’s talent pool. Time will tell.
Universities aren’t adapting swiftly enough. And Amazon is no longer willing to wait. So in a preemptive strike, the company has committed to bridging the skills gap on its own. This may not be easy for Amazon to accomplish. But acting now to develop a future-ready workforce could be a very smart business move, indeed.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This post has been adapted, with permission, from a post published on the Futurum blog.
What kind of learning experiences actually drive employee loyalty and business performance?
Join John Leh, CEO and Lead Analyst at Talented Learning, and Paul Morton, Regional Director at CrossKnowledge, for practical advice and proven examples.
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Tara and Tristan are joining us fresh on the heels of their annual customer conference, Xperience. With more than 1800 attendees, this is the largest forum of its kind in the association and non-profit world.
What exactly makes this conference so successful? Why does learning play such a critical role? What insights emerged from this event? And what’s ahead for association technology? We cover it all…
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
For rapidly growing companies, strong customer communication is vital – not just to help users gain value from your products, but also to keep them onboard with your evolving roadmap.
Community conferences are a powerful way to build a brand – strengthening relationships while you celebrate customer successes and explore common challenges.
This year’s Xperience conference revealed that associations have reached a pivotal point in their commitment to innovation. They realize that member interests have changed and they’re ready to transform continuing education programs, accordingly.
Q&A HIGHLIGHTS:
JOHN: First, maybe we should introduce Community Brands. With mergers and acquisitions over the last few years, a lot of people may know you by other names…
TRISTAN: Sure. Community Brands is an umbrella organization with different complementary technology products that serve common audiences – associations, nonprofits, schools and faith-based organizations. Our portfolio currently includes 59 companies.
JOHN: Impressive. I had no idea your portfolio spans 59 brands!
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TRISTAN: Yeah. It’s a broad scope – more than we expect any individual customer to digest.
However, many associations and non-profits are served by lots of disparate technology vendors. Those vendors are often under-funded and under-resourced. And historically, their products don’t integrate well.
As a result, many customers spend a tremendous amount of time, money and other resources trying to build custom implementations between disparate solutions.
That’s a headache. Plus, it doesn’t capitalize on the promise of unified data, unified reporting and a seamless customer experience when moving between systems like an AMS and an LMS.
JOHN: True…
TRISTAN: Customers deserve better. So with all these different complementary technology products, we try to bring the best in each niche under our umbrella. The goal is to offer an ecosystem of products that work seamlessly together.
And because we make these products available in a way that’s smarter, more automated and more frictionless for end-users, it’s easier for customers to expand the services we provide to them, overall.
JOHN: Makes sense.
TRISTAN: So that’s why our annual customer event is so large. It brings together a great collection of minds from across that broad, diverse ecosystem.
JOHN: No wonder your conference is so popular. So after this week’s event, are you feeling exhilarated? Exhausted? Or both?
TARA: Coming off this big event, we’re energized by everything we learned from our customers and what they learned from each other. It’s especially valuable when people make connections and share their stories and ideas in the same forum.
JOHN: No doubt…
TARA: This year, we moved the event to November, so we’ve been anxious to see how that would play-out. But it’s actually great timing, because everyone’s getting ready for next year. Planning and budgeting are in full swing and January 1st will be here before we know it.
JOHN: Yep. And the cycle begins again…
TRISTAN: I have to say that the conference preparation process is really anxiety-ridden. But watching our colleagues talk about advances we’ve all been working on for months is energizing. And seeing customers talk about how their vision is coming together is hugely rewarding.
JOHN: I bet!
TRISTAN: You know, among technology vendors, there’s a cliche about serving customers as a true partner. I think every vendor aspires to that.
But having the opportunity to see long-standing customers talk about shared goals and progress we’ve made together through the years is really amazing. Especially in today’s digital world, when we communicate online with customers all the time, being able to sit side-by-side with them builds a whole different kind of chemistry.
JOHN: Yep. There’s nothing like good old face-to-face communication. What other benefits does the conference bring to you, your customers and the association community at-large?
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TARA: Because the conference spans all of our various brands, it brings together industry executives, IT professionals, marketing specialists, membership professionals, fundraisers and event planners.
This diverse mix of interests gives attendees exposure to a rich learning and networking opportunity they can’t find elsewhere. People from very different environments can talk through similar challenges and learn from one another.
Plus, by connecting directly with our team, they can be at the forefront of product innovation.
JOHN: That networking aspect is really important. Do you just let it happen naturally? What’s your strategy?
TARA: We really want to let people network in their own style. Some people prefer a happy-hour event. Others just prefer to have one-on-one interactions in a session breakout, or through natural conversations in the hallway.
JOHN: Do you use your products to facilitate social learning?
TARA: Absolutely, we leverage our technology to encourage interaction. One popular example is a kind of badge flair concept. A lot of attendees love to check-in online and identify the various products they use. This makes it easy to find others with similar interests, and it helps them strike-up organic conversations.
JOHN: Good idea…
TRISTAN: We also have an event app called TripBuilder that we use pretty extensively. It includes a social feed for event-specific content. People can search profiles, connect with other attendees and add them to their LinkedIn network. Or they invite others to meet-up at conference activities.
But just bringing like-minded people together in one room to discuss thought-provoking, relevant topics is very effective. We strive to make sessions interactive, not just lecture format.
Also, we make sure there’s ample break time between sessions, so the conversation can continue around the water cooler or coffee stop. That’s where I see some of the best networking. It’s a kind of “conversation after the conversation,” where people actually shake hands, trade business cards and things like that…
JOHN: Sure. And do attendees with common interests tend to share best practices about how they do X, Y, or Z in an application? Does that happen?
TRISTAN: Yeah, tons of that. The nonprofit/association space is full of people who are trying to do good or support a cause or further an industry. By definition, associations are niche. They rarely compete head-to-head for the same members. So our customers are super keen to share best practices.
They actually find a lot of value and comfort in talking with peers who are facing similar challenges – whether it’s about how to make the most of a particular product, or just the pressures they face from competing with other sources of information, like social networks.
JOHN: Cool…
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TRISTAN: Actually, one association’s issues are usually the same for others. As people talk about challenges and solutions, the dialogue takes on a life of its own.
When someone has a great idea, we see lots of people taking notes as we talk through it. That’s because so many of these topics are relevant to all.
JOHN: What are the most important insights you’re taking away from this year’s conference? Anything surprising or new?
TARA: This week, we released a new study focused on member engagement and loyalty. A key finding is that 93% of association members want personalized content.
In fact, members ranked personalized continuing education course recommendations as their number one need across all career stages – early, middle and late. Yet only 13% of associations are actually delivering it.
JOHN: Wow. Big gap there…
Our technology teams have been working hard to support personalized content, so this is a good opportunity for our customers to deliver what members want. And conference attendees told us that they’re actually ready to embrace new technology so they can meet members’ expectations.
So there’s no more resistance to change. In fact, associations are really eager to bring this to life for their members. This means that personalization and the idea of a “customer of one” are here to stay.
JOHN: Seems like it took a long time for this to happen. Why do you think associations are finally embracing personalization?
TARA: I think it’s a couple of things. Definitely competing forces are coming into play. Technology advances have created other places for members to go, like LinkedIn and Lynda. Also, associations are taking a closer look at their value, and they understand that it comes from knowing their members and offering what they want.
JOHN: Great news!
Another insight from the study focuses on why members join associations. In the past we found that many people joined out of obligation. They felt it was necessary to be part of an association in their industry.
But this year, we saw a shift toward the desire for networking and continuing education. A lot of associations are starting to recognize this shift, and they’re trying to pivot their value propositions based on things that interest and engage members now.
JOHN: Any additional insights about continuing education? How about content strategies like video or microlearning or gamification?
TRISTAN: Yes. During the conference, we hosted a client council meeting, where we discussed learning products. In one exercise we asked, “What’s your big bet? What do you believe will drive the biggest impact on your learning program in the next year?”
This prompted four important takeaways:
1) Many associations are becoming more comfortable with moving traditional classroom programs online. It sounds like an obvious move, but for some associations, these classroom-based learning programs are their biggest revenue drivers. And some have been around for decades. So change does not come naturally there.
2) Programs with a clear learning path are gaining traction. Associations like using technology to assess individual knowledge, sync it with information from other learners, assign a clear path forward and prompt learners throughout their journey.
In other words, let’s say the goal is to pass a high-stakes exam where failure could mean that members can’t practice their profession. Healthcare certifications are one example.
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It’s helpful to send learners periodic messages about their progress. Those little nudges seem to be a productive way to keep people engaged with their course of study.
3) Personalized exam prep is important, particularly for high-stakes exams. Time is precious for medical practitioners and other professionals. So study guides are moving from one-size-fits-all books to more personalized education programs with prescriptive learning based on an individual’s strengths and weaknesses.
With digital technology, study guides can focus effort where a learner’s competency is lacking, so exam prep becomes much more efficient. Busy professionals like surgeons will pay a premium for this. So it represents a big revenue opportunity.
4) Just-in-time learning. This shouldn’t be a surprise, but it really jumped off the page for us. The focus isn’t on just-in-time learning to earn a credential. Rather, it’s about driving competence.
Associations want to provide a searchable library of digital knowledge assets with really low access barriers. That’s because members want to be more competent, but they don’t want to dig through hour-long courses to find 10-minutes-worth of information that helps them solve an immediate problem.
JOHN: Exciting feedback! So how do you document all of the input you receive during two fast, furious days? Is it formal or informal?
TRISTAN: Great question. It’s both formal and informal. Of course, we rely on formal surveys tied to the sessions. But this year, we also used some super cool new technologies.
For example, our employees all use our Expo Logic product. This includes a little scanner on their mobile phone, so they can point it at someone’s badge and take notes about conversations with that person. It’s a great way to capture input and ideas that happen informally over lunch or whatever.
JOHN: Nice…
TRISTAN: We also use another innovative product called PropFuel. It’s a cool “voice of the member” platform that basically lets attendees participate in micro surveys. So rather than sending out a traditional 20-question survey that people might ignore, we’ll send just one question prior to the event.
We’ll ask something like, “What’s your primary reason for attending?” They can answer in a free-form narrative. Then we use technology to analyze responses, so we can see the most common reasons, overall.
With a traditional pre-event survey, you’d never get a high response. But with this micro survey – the response rate was 51%.
JOHN: Excellent!
This kind of tool is helpful after the conference, too. For example, in the next few days, attendees will receive a follow-up question from us. Something like, “Would you recommend Xperience to a peer?” They can answer yes or no, and explain why if they wish.
So this micro survey concept of questions and answers is a great way to capture feedback over time in a frictionless, conversational way. Next month, we’ll ask, “Have you put into practice anything you learned at Xperience?” It’s an easy way to keep in touch, while gathering intelligence along the way.
JOHN: Anything else you would add, Tara?
TARA: As Tristan said, we “eat our own dog food” in that we use our technology to scan and capture information before, during and after the conference. And we consolidate that data in segments, so we can analyze it and share it effectively with everyone on our teams.
This is really important because each of us has only a limited impression of what happened at the conference. We’re all in different sessions throughout the event. So it’s super important to consolidate, interpret and share this information from a bigger-picture view.
JOHN: Fantastic. It’s one thing to host a massive forum where many different attendees can learn collaboratively. But the fact that you gather intelligence, analyze it and learn from everything that happens really takes it to a different level.
TARA: Thanks, John!
JOHN: So, imagine you’re talking with someone who wants to plan a similar conference, but they’re just starting out. What advice would you share…?
…FOR COMPLETE ANSWERS TO THIS QUESTION AND MORE, LISTEN TO THE FULL 30-MINUTE PODCAST!
With countless ways to promote and package instructional content, what’s the best investment of your time and budget?
Join our Lead Analyst John Leh and Tiffany Mack, Senior Marketing Manager of Careers & Education at Community Brands, as they explore solutions. You’ll find practical ideas and real-world examples, including:
Must-have elements of a marketing-led learning strategy
Motivational techniques to engage new and existing participants
Methods for improving content quality and relevance
Tools to scale your audience reach and involvement
How to measure marketing’s impact on program performance
Looking for a learning platform that truly fits your organization’s needs? We’re here to help! Submit the form below to schedule a free preliminary consultation at your convenience.
Where Does Content Marketing End and Instructional Marketing Begin?
On the surface, marketing and learning may seem like separate disciplines. But if you look closer, you’ll see that these worlds are deeply intertwined. And the overlap continues to spread, as digital content channels, strategies and tools weave themselves more deeply into the fabric of modern educational experiences.
Our Lead Analyst, John Leh, says that today’s learning practitioners are more accurately described as “instructional marketers.” I couldn’t agree more. And I would add that, in this brave new world of instructional marketing, the common denominator is content. Here’s why…
For both disciplines, creating high-quality educational content is essential. But content alone is not enough. You also need to draw the right kind of people to this content, encourage them to engage with it and then lead them to a logical next step.
In other words, an instructional marketer’s mission sounds a lot like the definition of content marketing.
“A strategic approach to creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience – with the objective of driving profitable action.”
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Content marketing is so powerful because it’s about sharing educational experiences with your constituents anytime – even before they’ve established a formal relationship with your organization.
Also, because content marketing emphasizes ongoing interaction, you can strengthen and expand relationships over time.
But why take my word for it, when you can learn from the masters? Below are 16 excellent blog posts about various aspects of content marketing:
Strategies for Success
Managing Content Marketing Programs
Measuring and Improving Results
All are written by industry experts who’ve been leading the pack for years. I hand-picked this collection of posts because I think they’re particularly useful for anyone involved in offering educational content to customers, business partners, suppliers, association members or even employees.
I hope this advice helps you push new marketing boundaries!
Content Marketing Advice That Will Raise Your Instructional Marketing Game
Why Do Content Marketing Campaigns Fail? By Shelley Walsh, Founder, ShellShock
(via SiteVisibility)
Your initiatives can miss the mark for multiple reasons. This helpful podcast interview explores six of the most common issues, within the context of SEO practices and today’s rapidly changing marketing environment.
The Future of Content Marketing: It’s Not What You Think
By Neil Patel, Co-Founder Neil Patel Digital
Any digital marketing professional can tell you that change is the only constant. But when an industry authority like Neil Patel talks about what’s ahead, it’s worth taking time to listen. In this post, Neil looks at how to achieve more with every new post you publish.
Closing Notes
Obviously, this list only scratches the surface. There’s a wealth of freely available content marketing advice. Do you have a favorite resource that isn’t included here? Who would you add to this list?
Tell me about marketing advice that has been most helpful for you as a learning professional! I look forward to hearing from you, so I can write a follow-up post focused on lessons you’ve learned and ideas you’d like to share. Thanks!
With countless ways to promote and package instructional content, what’s the best investment of your time and budget?
Join our Lead Analyst John Leh and Tiffany Mack, Senior Marketing Manager of Careers & Education at Community Brands, as they explore solutions. You’ll find practical ideas and real-world examples, including:
Must-have elements of a marketing-led learning strategy
Motivational techniques to engage new and existing participants
Methods for improving content quality and relevance
Tools to scale your audience reach and involvement
How to measure marketing’s impact on program performance
Looking for a learning platform that truly fits your organization’s needs? We’re here to help! Submit the form below to schedule a free preliminary consultation at your convenience.
Not surprisingly, a 2018 survey of more than 1000 association members confirmed that career development is now the primary reason why most people join associations. Yet that same study also revealed several disturbing trends:
82% of respondents had participated in professional development activities during the prior 2 years. However, only 53% relied on their association for those educational experiences.
Even worse, that 53% represents a decline of 7% over the year prior, with employers stepping in to deliver a larger share of professional development. And among younger members, the one-year decline was even steeper – 11%.
So, at a time when member education programs should be thriving, many have been losing ground. How can associations reverse this trend? What will it take to engage more new and existing members in professional development?
Let’s tackle this topic in today’s “Ask Me Anything” column…
“Ask Me Anything” About Creating More Successful Member Education Programs
1) What can associations learn about member education from other sources of professional development?
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Associations may have altruistic motives, but it’s time to embrace a for-profit mentality. Why? Because commercial continuing education providers are already here, and they’re competing to win.
What sets successful providers apart? They’re digging deep with robust CRM data, marketing automation platforms and ecommerce strategies that target profitable learner segments, drive new revenue streams and maximize the lifetime value of every relationship.
Commercial players need these tools because associations are a formidable presence in the professional development space. Most associations are naturally positioned to succeed with reinvented member education programs because they’re already widely known and respected in their industry.
With the right kind of packaging and outreach, associations can easily engage more members in educational programs. With smart marketing strategies and tools, attracting non-members is relatively easy, as well. That’s a powerful advantage.
3) What kind of return-on-investment should we expect?
Reinventing member education requires a deep, sustained commitment. But successful organizations will tell you that the payoff is more than worth the effort.
Before developing a plan, explore broader possibilities. Reach out to your members, your staff and your existing partners. Actively solicit their creative ideas. Investigate what is working elsewhere – and why. Talk with consultants who’ve helped other organizations retool their learning programs.
Whatever you do, don’t wait to make a move. The cost of inaction will be high and sales will be low!
4) How should we clarify member education needs?
Developing programs in a vacuum is a sure-fire way to miss the mark. Successful organizations engage members at every stage in the continuing education journey. They seek ongoing feedback to understand what works and what doesn’t. This includes:
Skills that members want to develop
Content they find most useful
Types of support they prefer
Keep in mind that preferences are likely to shift over the span of a member’s career. For example, early-stage professionals often want to develop knowledge and skills through certification programs. But experienced practitioners usually want to refresh or expand their skills.
Also remember that partners have a vested interest in how you shape member education. If your association works with corporations, universities or other allies to extend your program reach, these constituents can offer a unique market perspective. It’s worthwhile to capture ongoing input from them all.
After your initial intake round, prioritize the most promising ideas. Next, develop the most valuable concepts and test them on a limited basis. Then evaluate the outcomes and create a roadmap for incremental expansion.
5) We don’t have education partners yet. Should we consider it?
Partnerships are a smart way to extend your reach and add lasting value. There are many creative ways to partner. I often see associations with complementary programs teaming up to offer a broader selection of content through ecommerce sites.
I also see U.S. associations partnering with smaller, similar associations around the globe. In other words, these networks leverage the primary association’s brand, certifications and content to better serve their local members.
Also, the corporate sector is ripe for partnerships, especially with associations that are willing and able to focus on industry-specific job readiness, reskilling and upskilling.
Having business, content or reseller partners is a great way to expand reach but it does come with some administrative and managerial overhead.
6) Are credentialing programs becoming a viable alternative to higher education? What does this mean for associations?
Absolutely. In many industries, credentialing programs help professionals gain the skills and competencies they need for employment without a formal academic degree.
Employers are increasingly concerned that graduates lack skills that are critical for success in today’s world of work. Associations are equipped to bridge this skills gap, but they’re somewhat late to the game.
Nevertheless, member-based organizations can draw upon several core advantages:
A strong history of continuing education leadership
Subject matter expertise
Deep content reserves
Built-in social networking
Existing marketing engines
Brand recognition
Together, these assets can generate significant traction for a credentialing program.
7) How can our education programs appeal to younger members on a limited budget?
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Young professionals can buy continuing education content from a variety of sources. But associations are uniquely compelling because community-driven social learning is part of the association experience.
Members can interact with like-minded professionals to gain deeper understanding of their industry and career specialty. By offering live and virtual community-driven learning forums, associations can add value in meaningful ways that lower-priced standalone continuing education can’t touch.
In fact, many associations find that this kind of social learning experience is an effective membership gateway when offered to non-members on a standalone basis for free, or for a fee. This outreach strategy is commonly used to expand globally in a cost-effective manner.
8) How else are associations rethinking educational experiences?
• ADD INTERACTIVE ENHANCEMENTS
If you already produce video or podcasts, you can go a step further with integrated pop-up questions or comment tools that encourage ongoing conversations with instructors and participants. You can also include uploading capabilities, so it’s easy to share related documents, images, videos and completed assignments.
• CONVERT CONTENT TO MICROLEARNING
Many professionals aren’t willing or able to travel to live conferences or sit through full-blown online courses. However, they can digest learning content in short bursts. Think about sending members a daily question or case brief via email or mobile app. By thoughtfully “chunking” content, you can reach more members on their terms, and engage them on an ongoing basis.
• MAP CONTENT TO COMPETENCY Many associations outline relevant career paths for their domain, including skills required for each step, from entry-level to senior executive. You can use this framework to guide member education and apply gamification techniques to track individual progress. As participants unlock achievements and earn badges, they’re likely to engage more deeply with your organization as well as its instructional programming.
9) Let’s talk about technology. We have a tight tech budget. Will we be able to find a high-quality learning system?
Associations of every size want to make the most of their investment in learning technology. Fortunately, viable learning platforms are available at all price points.
For example, if your organization is just starting to offer member education, you may need to bootstrap your launch and early growth. Some systems offer a licensing structure that lets you start small at a very reasonable cost. Then as you scale the program over time, you can absorb additional costs incrementally, in a sustainable way.
Bottom-line – technology costs are no longer a deal-breaker for low-budget continuing education providers.
10) When researching member education platforms, how should we narrow the field?
If you have the time and budget to research all these options, you can study industry publications, read analyst websites, comb through product reviews, watch hours of pre-recorded demos, attend tradeshows and speaking directly with vendors of interest.
But that can be a lengthy and overwhelming process. Vetting every vendor is impractical. So, how can you be sure that your shortlist includes the best candidates?
That’s why we exist. As independent LMS selection consultants, we continuously evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of all vendors in the association market. It’s our business to stay ahead of the curve. So when any organization requests recommendations, we can quickly and confidently suggest the strongest options.
11) How important is finding the right vendor culture “fit”?
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Choosing the right technology solution involves more than picking functionality that works. I agree 100% that culture “fit” is a key factor if you want to forge a long-term relationship. No matter what platform you choose, you’ll need to feel comfortable with the people behind it.
This is especially important for associations because your learning solution partner is really an extension of your mission. If you believe in each other, the relationship is likely to be much more successful in the long haul.
12) What other criteria should we consider in a learning platform?
Beyond a vendor’s culture, it’s vital to evaluate a variety of additional factors, such as:
Also, keep in mind that you want to choose a vendor that understands your level of learning technology expertise and wants to help expand your know-how as your learning programs grow and evolve. This is especially important for organizations with little or no prior LMS experience.
13) What mistakes do associations make when defining learning system requirements?
When selecting an LMS, it’s essential to start by documenting your requirements effectively. I see three common issues:
When organizations don’t have an existing learning platform – or they’re limping along with a substandard system – they lack perspective about what to expect from modern solutions. As a result, they struggle to identify and articulate their needs.
Many organizations are deploying specialized content and certification solutions to help drive new revenue streams. But these systems are usually complex and multi-dimensional. The learning curve is steep – especially when it involves integration with marketing automation platforms, ecommerce tools and other sophisticated applications. Requirements often reveal a lack of familiarity with these solutions.
The association LMS market has evolved into its own thriving segment of the overall learning technology landscape. Many innovative solutions are available, and their feature sets are broader and deeper than many association professionals realize.
14) How can we avoid LMS implementation surprises?
It’s hard to prepare for implementation when you don’t know what you don’t know. But defining requirements thoroughly upfront definitely reduces surprises. On the other hand, if you rush through the selection process, brace yourself for the unexpected during implementation and deployment. For example:
If you’re replacing an LMS, you should specify how to handle historical training completion data, what to do with existing content and other migration details. Otherwise, a lack of documentation opens the door to miscommunication, detours and schedule delays.
Another common point of failure is a lack of integration specifics. It’s critical to define which integrations are included, as well as the functional what, when, how and why for each integration. Otherwise, you’ll be forced to deal with these details in the heat of the implementation process. That’s a sure way to expand your project scope, cost and time to completion.
15) What else should we know about improving member education?
You should know that I want you to succeed. I hope the advice I’ve shared here is helpful. If you want more guidance, I invite you to check-out the Association LMS Buyers Companion post we recently published, because it includes links to all sorts of free resources.
And if you have additional questions, I’m always happy to schedule a preliminary phone discussion. Let’s talk.
Thanks for reading!
WHAT WOULD YOU ASK? Got more questions you want John to answer in an “Ask Me Anything” column? Submit your question here. You might be featured in a future post!
With hundreds of learning systems available today, finding the right LMS for your unique extended enterprise needs can be tricky. But with so much at stake for, it’s worth the extra effort.
How can you choose the best solution? Walk step-by-step through a real-world example with John Leh, CEO and Lead Analyst at Talented Learning. You’ll learn:
How to develop a relevant business case and success metrics
Methods for researching and defining use cases and requirements
When to issue an RFP (or not)
Tips for creating a viable LMS shortlist
How to make the most of vendor demos and proof-of-concept projects
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