Increasing non-dues revenue is one of the primary challenges that member-based organizations face today. While selling online education courses is a valuable revenue source, there are ever-increasing opportunities to build beyond a standard course catalog.

This article discusses strategies that organizations can adopt to expand their offerings and increase non-dues revenue.

Key Takeaways

Interactive eLearning helps member-based organizations grow non-dues revenue by making online education more flexible, practical, and engaging.

• Interactive courses add value fast: Organizations can upgrade continuing education with quizzes, scenarios, and applied learning without fully rebuilding programs.
• Competency-based education personalizes learning: Members progress based on skill and knowledge levels (not just time spent in a course).
• Interactive videos improve retention: Learners stay engaged by applying concepts directly inside the video experience.
• Nano courses make credits easier to earn: Short, focused lessons help members learn quickly and complete credits on their own schedule.
• Course catalogs grow faster: Short videos and nano courses are easier to create, update, and align with current industry needs.

Interactive Courses: Continuing Education’s Major Facelift with Minimal Change

The recent boom in technological advancements and online education delivery has made it possible to create and offer engaging, interactive courses to members.

To see these advancements in online education delivery, view our interactive demo page here.

Online continuing education programs for organizations can be diverse, filled with members from all sorts of educational backgrounds, experience levels, and aptitudes. Because of this, many organizations have added competency-based online programs that prioritize practical skills, prior knowledge, and individual learning abilities.

What is Competency-Based Education?

Competency-based education provides exactly what it suggests: education progress tracked by competencies. This means that, rather than measuring member progress by time spent in a course, the competency-based model measures student aptitude.

Payne (2025) at the American College of Education explains that in this setup, members progress only when they demonstrate that they truly understand and have mastered the current material. This means that they can spend more or less time on individual topics, depending on their needs!

Benefits of Competency-Based Learning for Organizations

• Minimal time is wasted on subjects that have already been mastered or are unnecessary for the learner.
• Learning is more personalized, focused, and purposeful.
• Learners progress at their own pace and are no longer confined to standardized time markers.
• Skill-based learning allows for quicker progress for more advanced learners.
• More non-dues revenue is generated due to higher enrollment rates caused by tailored programs.

When competency-based education is used in online programs, both organizations and their members benefit.

• Specified learning allows members to earn certifications or credentials in specific fields.
• Focused learning enables quicker mastery of more current and applicable material.
• Organizations earn more non-dues revenue due to their increasingly varied and program-specific catalogs.
• Competencies in most professions are readily defined, which makes course development easier.
• Competency-specific modules double as refreshment courses and reminders for experienced practitioners.
• Knowledge reinforcement tests are powerful tools for measuring program aptitude levels.

Next Steps for Competency-Based Online Programs

As organizations continue to define and build competency maps, competency-based online programs will steadily improve. However, online programs must ensure that they meet the following requirements:

• Learners must be able to absorb and apply their learning.
• Learning objectives must be identifiable and profession-specific.
• Learning must be engaging and immersive for modern learners.
• Competency-based programs must accurately measure prior learning and/or skills.
• Courses must be current, relevant, and flexible.

This is where interactive online videos come in.

Interactive Online Video Learning

Despite being one of the fastest-growing forms of continuing education today, interactive online learning is still relatively new, which means that it’s still in the process of discovery. With online videos taking up about 1/3 of all internet activity, it’s important to strive for the most effective ways to combine them with online education. Optimal online video learning results are achieved when lessons are engaging, responsive, and (most importantly!) interactive.

According to Soydaş and Akyazi (2021), a high level of interaction makes it possible to hold attention, boost motivation, achieve high levels of satisfaction, and provide significant increases in learning performance.

Interactive online training often begins with a demonstration, which transitions into application: the learner is tasked with implementing what they have absorbed into practical scenarios in order to demonstrate that they possess an adequate understanding of the lesson. Even better? All of the above occurs within the video itself!

Curious to see what an interactive video looks like? Click here.

Benefits of Interactive Online Video Learning

One of the best ways to improve the educational experience of online videos is to turn them from a passive endeavor into an active one. How? Through gamified engagement, of course!

According to the University of Groningen (2025), interactive videos can capture and hold learners’ attention more effectively than traditional text-based materials. The combination of visual and auditory elements can make learning more dynamic and powerful.

Interactive online learning allows members to:

• Learn by practicing and recollecting actual experiences.
• Apply their learning to real-world scenarios and situations.
• Stay engaged, attentive, and retentive.
• Gauge their comprehension levels on the go.
• Experience multiple delivery methods, including gamified, scenario- and/or story-based videos.
• Apply their prior learning to interactive videos, or else advance through previously completed sections.

And, looking at how the structure of online courses has changed over time, the results are clear. Online programs have evolved from long, somewhat tedious videos into short, focused, and visually-enhanced modular segments. These micro-lessons are often called nano courses or nano credits. Let’s take a look!

Nano Courses and Credits

By adding interactive online videos to these nano courses, organization members can earn continuing education credits more quickly and practice applying practical skills. Furthermore, the amount of time spent on each course is reduced, and the flexibility of study increases considerably. After all, it’s a lot easier to fit a 30-minute session into your day than it is a 2-hour (or even 2-day) one!

Overall Benefits

• Continuing education typically helps generate more non-dues revenue due to ever-updating fields.
• Realistic and challenging scenarios make learning engaging and memorable.
• The material from nano courses is often learned quickly and is immediately applicable.
• Nano courses are effective for self-assessment, training, and/or mastery of a topic.
• Nano courses are fast and easy to create, allowing organization members to quickly earn credits in newly developed areas.
• Videos are easy to create and update, allowing for the most up-to-date and relevant information.
• Situational-based learning and exercises help teach how to draft documents, answer real-life questions, and act in many other scenarios.

As we have outlined, there are many opportunities for organizations to expand their course libraries, improve their education programs, and increase non-dues revenue.

Adding interactive online training courses and videos can help organizations drastically increase their virtual reach. In addition, competency-based learning can add the educational rigor and focus that may be needed in order to advance online programs. Online continuing education is allowing members and potential members to advance their skills in the fields they choose–when they want, where they want, and in the order they want.

References

Payne, L. (2025, July 8). Pros and cons of competency-based learning | ACE blog. American College of Education. https://ace.edu/blog/competency-based-learning-pros-and-cons/

Soydas, H., & Akyazi, E. (2021). Interaction increasing factors: Research on e-learning content design. International E-Journal of Educational Studies. https://doi.org/10.31458/iejes.786457

University of Groningen. (2025, February 6). Why use video in education? Edusupport.rug.nl. https://edusupport.rug.nl/3211034661/Instructor/Using+video+for+teaching+and+learning/Designing+and+using+video+in+education/Why+use+video+in+education%3F

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The specifics of a membership manager’s job depend largely on their industry, the resources they have available to them, and their association’s values. There are, however, some common requirements and challenges to the job that managers face. Therefore, it can be beneficial and excellent practice for membership managers to put some good habits in place, including strategies that will help keep them on track with their service to members.

Create a Member Roadmap

There’s a progression for a member and consumer, flowing from the initial contact all the way to the point of being a long-term member. While every member has their own unique experience, the path has some standard checkpoints along the way. The more accurately a manager can map these out, the better they can understand their members. To accomplish this, think about every touchpoint an association has with a member, every contact point that could be made. After identifying every potential engagement step along a member’s journey, it’s time to fine-tune the associational responses that they receive.

How will a potential member first hear about your association? What promotional material will they likely get? Think about what type of information you want to provide to entice interest and Imagine you’re a prospective member doing an internet search. Test out some possible searches and see what the rankings indicate. Depending on your industry and your market, you may consider targeting more niche areas and keywords to rank in. Go through every step and try to give members what they would want at every stage. New members, first-time event attendees, prospective renewals, potential mentors, all require a unique approach.

Finally, connect this into one cohesive roadmap; if all goes right, a single member could touch every stage along the way. This will help you to create a continuous and evolving experience for members.

Set Your Targets and Track Them

As a membership manager, it’s important that you break down your overall goal into smaller, measurable targets. For instance, every manager is looking to drive growth, but growth is a collection of a variety of factors, including increased revenues, memberships, renewals, event registrations, and engagement. While some will ultimately be related and overlap, try to isolate your goals by zeroing in on known problems or shortcomings in the association. It might help to go through your entire member roadmap and look at each contact point, evaluating and assessing their individual effectiveness in serving your goals.

When divided into more manageable targets, managers can better focus their attention on a specific goal and measure the results. Take a look at where expectations are falling short and think of ways to improve your outcome. Once a plan has been devised, operationalize it for a set period of time, track the response, and compare it to your previous attempts. You want to commit to the new plan for long enough to get a solid data set, but don’t be afraid to acknowledge when the plan has failed. The ability to admit defeat and move on is important in any situation—know when to cut your losses and get started on the next solution.

Try Something New

When trying to arrive at a solution or improvement, membership managers should not be afraid to try something new. Now, this is typically easy when a fresh attempt doesn’t work, but when members and staff get used to a process or application–even if it doesn’t work particularly well–it can be difficult to make a change. Don’t be shy about making adjustments. Research all of the available tools and resources; consider how they might improve your current setup.

Most of the time, sticking with flawed processes is grounded in budgetary concerns. For example, an association may continue to use underperforming software because they extensively customized it, and making a change would cost money. While understandable, budgetary concerns should be weighed against possible production improvements. Will a change improve your efficiency, member engagement, or member satisfaction enough to warrant the cost? In the odd case, a change can help improve a situation even when something appears to be successful! Rather than changing a working process outright, however, try your alternative out on a test audience or for a short period first. Experimentation is the key to saving both time and money!

Keep Your Eyes and Ears Open

One of the most important habits for a membership manager is to listen to and watch what’s going on around them. First, pay attention to your members. Reach out to them and ask them what they want as members and what aspects of their membership are falling short of expectation. Listen to what they tell you and make sure to actually use the information! When testing out new processes, request user reviews to see how they respond. Conduct surveys and give members as many opportunities to be heard as possible. The more say members have in their membership, the more invested they will become!

The post Helpful Tips for an Association Membership Manager appeared first on Online Learning Solutions | Association Management System | Vocalmeet.

Depending on the association, the information below may vary; however, the following list details a few tricks for helping you catch and maintain consumer interest. Of course, it’s up to you to take the information and put your own unique spin on it. If your association can successfully implement even a few of these tips, you’ll find your audience visiting more often and staying longer each time they do.

Consistent Timeliness

When a potential member first decides to engage with an association, the interest is there, but it has a looming expiry date. Especially in the beginning, a viewer will demand timeliness when it comes to a website’s response. If they request information, provide it to them right away. On social media, if someone reaches out to your association, respond within a reasonable time frame. If they sign up for something, deliver it as soon as possible. If this can’t be done immediately, send the consumer confirmation that lets them know that things are being processed, and when they can expect the next step.

Timeliness can take advantage of pique interest periods and help to put out potential fires such as misinformation, before they get started. There’s no question that being timely requires effort, but it pays off. All audiences, no matter the situation, will appreciate a responsive and prompt response. Timeliness also means that few, if any, barriers exist between the potential member and the requested information. Even the most engaged person will lose interest if they have to jump through too many hoops to get what they want. Consequently, make it simple and make it quick!

Captivating Design

Design is one of the most important elements when it comes to capturing someone’s interest. An eye-catching ad or website can encourage viewers to look deeper and linger longer. While associations shouldn’t be afraid to get creative and try something unique, making sure to work in some tried-and-true methods can also help. Consider, for example, using small movements or animations in your ads, or using Call-to-Action (CTA) buttons. Make the animation large enough that it draws the eye but small enough that it doesn’t annoy the potential consumer.

Effective use of attractive colors and contrasts can also work to bring attention to something specific. Having a CTA contrast against the background colors so that it pops off the page can, for example, convince viewers to focus on the intended message. Yet, even the greatest laid plans and structures may not work for some viewers. A technically perfect ad still needs timing and a bit of luck for it to land, so experiment with a variety of ads to find the best fit. Work in different formats, sizes, and styles until you land on something that hits the way your association desires.

Humanized Interactions

The modern consumer is equipped with the uncanny ability to sidestep and ignore most marketing attempts. They can spot ads with a quick glance and see through veiled promotional materials with ease, but they also have a soft spot for personal connections. Members want to be treated as real people by real people. Associations can accomplish this rather easily by communicating in a natural way with a friendly tone and treating consumers respectfully.

Personalizing communications for consumers can also work wonders. To do this properly–and take it further than just using the person’s given name in an auto-generated email–you must segment your audience into more manageable groups. Once divided, these groups can be sent targeted communications based on their location, interests, career types, or any other demographic. Associations can use retargeting pixels to track the engagement levels on their communications and dedicate their efforts and budgets to only the genuinely interested people, giving every audience only the most personally relevant information.

Kept Promises

This may seem like an obvious point to make, but actually having the content or product you’ve promised, is absolutely integral to the success of your interest-catching endeavors. Tricking people into thinking you offer one thing, only to offer them something completely different after they’ve clicked through is an outdated and entirely ineffective tactic. Not only will your audience realize quickly that they’ve been conned, damaging all trust and potential of working with your association in the future, but this kind of activity is extremely counterproductive for website search results.

Under the current search engine algorithms, associations that try to trick viewers into getting clicks receive harsh penalties that can sink their search results. Instead, delivering good content and following through on promises is what leads to positive search results. So, skip the bait-and-switch and give the people only what promised. Then, continue to do so regularly. If your association can deliver useful and quality content on a continual basis, your search results and your ads will perform better in both the short term and the long term.

Always Listen

In the end, perhaps the best way to keep your association’s audience interested and engaged is to listen to what they tell you. There’s a lot to learn both from the times that you win and those that you lose when it comes to marketing. Ask your members what worked for them. Poll consumers to find out what they want to see from your association. Track the bounce rates from people who clicked once and then left without further engagement. Identify and evaluate every possible touch point and tinker, tinker, tinker with it until it has been perfected. Take the chance to really connect with your members and listen to their input—the results may just surprise you.

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Marketing online CLE courses requires a different strategy than marketing in-person CLE sessions. For example, it’s not enough to simply rebrand all in-person sessions as “virtual” or “on-demand” without any additional information. As some members may not be comfortable with taking online CLE, let them know that it’s easy to sign up, that there’s technical support if they need it, and if offered on-demand, that they can access the CLE courses at their own convenience. For that reason, marketing is a complimentary service Vocalmeet provides to all our legal clients to help them increase their online CLE sales.

Additionally, a concrete marketing plan must be accompanied with a solid website. How a website looks and functions is every bit as important as the content itself. Your website content could be relevant and meaningful, but your members may still ignore your message if it is not designed well.

Continue reading below for our top 10 website design best practices to help drive traffic to your site and increase your online course sales. Incorporate these tips as you see fit and make your association’s website the best resource it can be!

Top 10 Website Design Best Practices

1. Set a Goal and Follow Through

When designing a website, it’s important to make a list of goals that you want your website to accomplish. Do you want it to drive membership, teach viewers the benefits of joining your association, or convince them to purchase courses? Try thinking about these goals in terms of a “call to action” to better help formulate your goals. After ranking this list in order of priority and importance, identify and implement as many ways to achieve these goals as possible.

2. Audience-Driven Design

If you want your website to attract an audience, you need to know who they are and what they like. If you have this information, you can better direct your design, tone, and content to match your target audience. Identify them by demographic. For example, what kind of work do they do, and what interests them the most? What other products and services do they use?

3. Simplicity Over Everything

A simple and clean aesthetic is one of the most effective design decisions you can make for your website. An uncomplicated design and user-friendly interface allow for clean navigation and accessible options. In general, clutter can have a negative impact on viewership and engagement. Too many options or pages, regardless of how amazing their content may be, can lead to “paralysis by analysis” for viewers – a form of overthinking that can be counterproductive for a website. As a result, websites should limit the number of overall pages, as well as design each page with plenty of white (or “negative” space) in order to give each item of content or image the space to breathe and be experienced.

4. Responsive Design

Responsive design almost always refers to the ability of a website to automatically accommodate the screen size, viewing platform, and screen orientation of each visitor. All modern websites should take into consideration a diverse array of viewers and devices. In this case, however, responsive design also speaks to a design that reacts quickly and effectively to user decisions while browsing. This means that the images, videos, and playable media of a website should load quickly. It also means that users should receive responses to their requests in short order. Additionally, organizations should ensure that all contact is met with a confirmation immediately after processing any kinds of requests.

5. Helpful Color Schemes

The choice of website colors can make or break a website. Colors can invoke specific emotions in viewers. They can help people better identify with an organization, as well as instill stronger brand recognition among visitors. It’s also important to ensure that colors are used effectively with each other. Websites should be designed in a way that has the text popping off the background color without putting too much strain on the eye. This is usually done by using a dark font over a lighter background. Try avoiding using similar shades, hues, and saturation alongside each other as well, as this can lead to a distracting effect where the colors meet.

6. Strategic Design

While common sense and thoughtfulness usually go a long way, there are some strategic choices that organizations can make for their website design. Organizations may, for example, employ the rule of thirds, which breaks the screen into a grid of two evenly spaced horizontal lines and two evenly spaced vertical lines. The four resulting intersecting points on the screen are your thirds – the points on the screen to which the eye is naturally drawn. It is on these intersections that a website’s most important features should be placed, such as the call to actions. Another option is to connect components into thematic groupings by using similar shapes, colors, and fonts. This allows viewers to subtly associate different on-screen elements with each other.

7. Proper Structure

How a website is structured can help users navigate and browse more easily. One of the most important structure elements is the header. Headers should only be used sparingly and should accurately explain and contextualize the content below them; this aids visitors in interpreting and digesting the material. Websites should also include tools like “breadcrumbs” so users can retrace their steps when desired. If your website incorporates forms, they should be clearly labeled and easy to complete. Be sure to provide clear instructions and information – assume that everyone is unaware of the typical process and new to your webpage (and organization!) as a whole.

8. Consistency

A good website is an extension of an organization. The tone and feel of the website should be consistent with the overall brand. There should also be a consistency between the pages on the site, a natural flow that is present throughout. However, the website should be consistent not only with itself, but with the conventions of the rest of the web as well. While it can be tempting to be unique and artsy, being too adventurous and unconventional can lead to miscommunication. When using call to actions, for example, users should be able to easily identify and understand them. You may wish to follow some of the language and conventions used by major online brands, like Amazon, Facebook, or Google.

9. Avoid Automatic Media

While more of a faux pas than a rule, automatic media has quickly become a major no-no in the design community. Things like scrolling text, auto-playing sounds or videos, carousels, and sliders are more distracting and harmful to a viewing experience than anything else. Additionally, organizations should consider allowing users to alter the text and layout of a website. Locking down the text size can be very limiting for some viewers, especially those with poor vision.

10. Track, Report, and Adjust

If your goal is constant website improvement, you should use every tool in your belt. Don’t be shy about testing something new, but be sure to track and analyze how effective it was. Make sure to take advantage of website analytics; organizations can now identify how viewers find their page, where they go first, and where they stay longest. They can measure how people scroll and how they interact with the site. If an organization finds that certain elements are underperforming, they should be moved or replaced altogether. Use the available data to optimize every component of your website, and your organization will enjoy more satisfied viewers and higher conversion rates.

By taking all of the above into account, your association will have a sleek new website in no time!

The post Why Legal Associations Should Care About Their Website to Increase Online CLE Sales appeared first on Online Learning Solutions | Association Management System | Vocalmeet.

Can associations use the same strategy to market online events as they would in-person events? Well, not necessarily.

Welcome back to our conversation on proven strategies that associations have used to run successful online events with Dr. Laurelle Jno Baptiste, Vice President of Professional Services at Vocalmeet. In Part 1, we focused on the key factors that associations must explore before choosing an online platform. In Part 2, we discussed the different hybrid formats and how associations can offer hybrid events cost-effectively. And last but certainly not least, in Part 3, we address how associations can generate revenue with online events.

Q: Many associations fear that members do not see the value in paying for online events, and so they decide to offer these online events for a significant discount or even free. Consequently, some associations haven’t been able to generate the same level of non-dues revenue from online events, as they would with in-person events. Based on your work with association clients, would you agree that online events should essentially be offered for free?

A: That is 100% a myth that must be demystified. Helping members and other attendees see the value in online content requires a shift in mindset. And that shift in mindset must start with the association. What do I mean by that?

1. To start off, the traditional in-person format means that the financial benefits of these in-person events are singular and often marginal, as in-person events cannot be recreated once completed.
2. With online events, associations can get a longer-lived value from the investment of time and money. This means that with pre-recorded sessions or sessions that are recorded during the live events, associations can continue to generate revenue by selling these sessions on-demand long after the event has ended.
3. The shift in mindset comes from understanding that there is value in convenience, reduced expenses of attending online events, and flexibility for members to access on-demand sessions at any time afterwards.

In fact, through our work with association clients, we see first-hand how much members do see the value in convenience and not having additional expenses around travel, accommodation, and taking time off work. For example, associations we work with typically attract about 10% of their total membership base to in-person conferences. Of course, you can argue that members who attend in-person events regularly value the in-person networking opportunities. But what about the remaining 90% of members?

Well, I mentioned earlier in Part 2 that although some members are eager to network, others may simply wish to attend education sessions. Removing the traditional barriers to attending events, and offering sessions on-demand afterwards, have certainly helped our clients significantly increase the percentage of the membership that are engaged in their events and programs in general.

Q: That’s a great point, and engaging more members throughout the year with online events will surely help with membership retention as well! You mentioned that associations need to help attendees see the value in online content. Can you share some strategies on how to accomplish this?

A: It all comes down to marketing, and I can’t stress this enough: marketing online events requires a different strategy than marketing in-person events. It’s not enough to simply rebrand all in-person events as “virtual” without any additional information. Be mindful that some attendees may not be comfortable with technology and especially with attending online events. That said, it’s critical that associations outline the benefits of online events:

• Address the technical concerns by letting attendees know that it’s easy to sign up for online events and that there’s technical support if they need it.
• Highlight the savings they obtain from not having to travel and still getting the value of the education sessions (not to mention access to the on-demand recordings for as long as the content remains relevant!).
• Remind attendees how the online sessions can help them improve their skill sets for their professional work; this is even more important if the sessions are voluntary and not for continuing education credits.
• One of my colleagues wrote an article for the American Society of Association Executives on Why Associations May Be Disappointed in Their Online Course Sales – it’s worth reading! The article covers how associations can mitigate the challenges around having to compete with so much content available online today.

That wraps up our conversation! Thank you for joining us, and we hope you gained some valuable insights on running successful online events. We understand that every association has different goals and mandates. If you’d like a second opinion for your upcoming events, send us a request and we’d be happy to share additional insights into what our association clients have done.

The post Proven Strategies for Associations to Run Successful Online Events: Part 3 appeared first on Online Learning Solutions | Association Management System | Vocalmeet.

Can associations offer hybrid events without breaking the bank? The answer is YES!

Welcome back to our conversation with Dr. Laurelle Jno Baptiste, Vice President of Professional Services at Vocalmeet, on proven strategies that associations have used to run successful online events. In Part 1, we focused on the key factors that associations must explore before choosing an online platform. And in Part 2, we discuss the different hybrid formats and how associations can offer hybrid events cost-effectively.

Q: From our conversations with associations across the US and Canada, we know that hybrid events are at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Before we dive deeper, can you expand on the definition of “hybrid”?

A: Hybrid events can mean a variety of different things for different associations. There isn’t necessarily one exact definition of what a hybrid event entails; however, some of the more common approaches that we’ve seen associations use include:

1. Live-stream in-person events. This means there are in-person attendees, as well as online/remote attendees. This approach gives remote attendees the chance to experience the event as it is happening live. Some attendees within a local area may even choose to watch the live-stream together to create a more immersive experience. Most associations choose to record their live-streamed content as well to be made available on-demand afterward.
2. Conduct all presentations or education sessions online – whether live or pre-recorded – and organize in-person networking sessions. Some members may simply wish to attend education sessions, while others are eager to network. This type of hybrid approach not only provides flexibility for attendees but also allows associations to better allocate resources (i.e. the education sessions and networking events do not have to be scheduled on the same day).
3. Offer a combination of live-streamed sessions and on-demand pre-recorded content. Associations may choose to live-stream keynote speakers and have educational presentations pre-recorded. This means that some speakers are recorded prior to the day of the event, and the pre-recorded sessions can be viewed on-demand on the day of the event and after the event has ended. Other speakers are live-streamed on the day of the event. This approach provides flexibility for both presenters and attendees, as well as reduces the risks of running into technical difficulties on the day of.

Going back to Part 1 of our conversation, the goals of each event will guide how your association defines hybrid. Consequently, your definition of hybrid will determine whether you use a live-streaming solution or a learning management platform for on-demand content, whether you charge for an all-access event pass or a per session access, whether you work with a vendor that can provide live-streaming support and on-going support for on-demand content, and so on.

Q: Many associations are concerned about budget moving forward, and live-streaming an in-person event can often feel like planning for two separate events (an in-person event and an online event). Can you explain how associations can live-stream an in-person event cost-effectively?

A: Great question! I should mention that at Vocalmeet, we work primarily with associations, and this means that we understand how important budget and resources are for associations.

Live-streaming solutions have progressed considerably over the past few years. To give some context, traditional live-streaming typically required hiring a full AV team to set up large recording equipment, conduct the actual recording and manage the broadcast. Now, live-streaming can be done easily through your mobile devices and it can be set up within minutes!

Most of the associations we work with land on a solution somewhere in the middle – where they have 1 or 2 videographers onsite to live-stream, and these videographers simply connect to a live-streaming platform. This means that live-streaming in-person events can be done way more cost-effectively than you may think. Some of our clients even have presenters located at different locations and each presenter simply clicks on a link to join the live-stream recording. It really is quite simple and budget-friendly if you use the right live-streaming platform!

If you’d like to see how our association clients accomplish this, send us a request and we’d also be happy to help you determine whether a hybrid solution is right for your association.

While planning for a hybrid event may seem like planning for two separate events, there are different strategies that associations can use to not only ensure that members’ needs are being met, but also stay within budget. In Part 3, we will share the best ways for associations to increase online attendance and generate additional non-dues revenue long after the event has ended.

Continue to Part 3

The post Proven Strategies for Associations to Run Successful Online Events: Part 2 appeared first on Online Learning Solutions | Association Management System | Vocalmeet.

Having a great membership package can lead to more engagement, more loyalty, and more renewals. However, as members may be overwhelmed with information overload on top of their packed schedules, it can be challenging for them to keep your membership benefits top of mind.

So how can you communicate these benefits to members effectively? On one hand, you don’t want to bombard them with messages; and on the other hand, you want your members to not only know about your benefits, but also use them. This is assuming that your association has placed quality over quantity in the benefits offered, as that is an essential first step. With too many benefits, it will be difficult for members to experience them all.

The following information covers some of the ways your association can communicate the benefits with impact, in order to get members interested, excited, and engaged.

Hone Your Messaging

Whenever you communicate anything to your members, you need to ensure the message hits home. For that to happen, messages need to present value. Members must have a reason to read the piece and take it seriously. You also need communication to be clear and concise. This will encourage members to read it, retain the information, and take it seriously.

For communications to be truly effective, they need a memorable quality. When it comes to member benefits, you want members to remember what they are. Communications on the topic should be infused with value, clarity, and concision, along with uniqueness and a narrative if possible. Consider adding a memorable story or a relatable anecdote with your communications. Your communications need credibility as well; members need to believe that the benefits are as advertised or else they’ll simply ignore them. Finally, be as transparent as possible. Avoid advertising anything that isn’t part of the package. Be upfront about any perceived obstacles or possible challenges when claiming a benefit to avoid any issues later on.

Speak Their Language

One of the best ways to explain benefits to members for them to understand and appreciate the message is through customization. Every benefit carries a different weight for different people, so your goal should be to individually demonstrate value in the most meaningful way. Now, catering every benefit to each individual member is likely impossible, but you may consider customizing benefits for specific demographics or member groups.

Another way your association might execute this is to prepare a benefit map for members. You may send this out when they first join or post it on the member benefit page. By way of a map, you can lay out the typical member journey with your association based on career, membership level, or professional level. Illustrate how each individual member might go about using each of the benefits at different points. This will help users relate to your offerings and make the content more memorable.

Have Multiple Touch Points

If your association wants members to know about the benefits available to them, you need to remind them. When they first sign up, most associations present the registrant with a member benefit package, but you shouldn’t stop there. Create a benefits page on your website that clearly outlines and defines each individual benefit. Send out reminders in weekly or monthly newsletters. If you track what benefits your members use and what they don’t, consider grouping members together and sending them targeted advertisements about unused benefits. You can also leverage social media to communicate with your members.

Unused benefits are unused value for members, so don’t shy away from discussing them whenever you can. Leave some time at the end of your service calls to remind members about a benefit they may have overlooked or integrate these talks into your online discussions. It may sound like a lot, but these reminders usually come over the course of several months to a year. The more value your members can squeeze out of their membership, the more likely they will remain a member. No one wants to discover that they’ve missed a valuable opportunity when it’s too late.

Communicate One Specific Benefit at A Time

When trying to get members to use their benefits, it’s best not to throw everything at them at once. Instead, try zeroing in on one benefit at a time. You may consider a “Benefit of the Month” plan and highlight the details of one particular — ideally underused — member benefit. You can send it out in your monthly newsletters or post it on your website, really anywhere that gets regular traffic. You may also try posting about the benefit on social media or running a targeted ad campaign.

Explain what the benefit is and why it’s important. Explain clearly how your members can access the benefit and all that it entails. You can also try highlighting member stories to bring attention to a benefit. Share details on how a member is currently using the benefit. Showcasing peer-to-peer testimonials will help members remember the benefit in the long-term. Another useful tactic with this strategy is to further improve the benefit. If you offer a discounted price with a partner organization, try discounting it even more for a limited period of time. This might be enough to increase interest in the benefit or, at least, make it noteworthy and memorable.

Don’t Be Afraid to Pivot

Perhaps the most important part of a membership benefit promotional strategy is to know when to make changes. If a membership benefit is largely underused by members and you’ve explored the tips above, it may just be that your members don’t see value in the opportunity. That’s a reality for most associations and one that some struggle to come to terms with. In this situation, it may be time to pivot. Before taking the next step and abandoning that benefit, however, try promoting it a few more times. If nothing changes, you know what to do.

The logical next step is to replace the underutilized benefit with something more useful. Perhaps ask your members other benefits they would like to see, or do some research and see what organizations your members are drawn toward. This will help you nail down a truly effective replacement benefit. You may also consider adding onto an existing benefit that members already use, taking the resources from the underutilized area and contributing them into a more valuable initiative.

The post How Can Associations Ensure That Members Know Their Benefits appeared first on Online Learning Solutions | Association Management System | Vocalmeet.

As more associations move their events online, and members become more comfortable with attending online sessions, the next step is for associations to focus on streamlining their online content. With only a handful of online sessions, associations could perhaps get away with posting one-off events on their website, while managing registrations and payments manually. However, with more events being offered online, associations should consider having an integrated learning management platform where members can register and access both on-demand recorded sessions and live online or in-person events.

The benefits of streamlining learning content are endless for associations. In fact, having an integrated learning management platform allows associations to better engage members and increase non-dues revenue, further setting associations up for success in the long-run as demand for online events continues to increase.

1. Ensuring a seamless user experience with one platform for on-demand and live events

Choosing the right online platform that is easy to navigate is as crucial as choosing the right venue for in-person events. Streamlining content with an integrated learning management platform means having a “one-stop-shop” for all learning sessions for members. Learning sessions can be delivered via on-demand recorded content, live webinar or webcast, and in-person events.

Additionally, having one platform to host on-demand and live events eliminates any confusion for members as they do not have to navigate through various event sites and platforms. Members can self-register, purchase, and view any of the sessions offered regardless of the delivery method. By making it easy for members to keep track of all their learning records under one system, they are more likely to keep coming back for more.

2. Monetizing content over the long-term

It is no surprise that the financial benefits of in-person events are singular and often marginal, as in-person events cannot be recreated once completed. However, with online content, associations can get a longer-lived value from the investment of time and money. For example, associations can continue to promote on-demand recorded sessions for as long as the content remains relevant, and members can access these sessions at any time. That said, be cautious of not falling into the trap of undervaluing online content, as members do see the value in convenience and not having additional expenses around travel, accommodation, and taking time off work.

Think of setting up an integrated learning management system as an investment, rather than as an expense. With the right list of programs and a solid marketing strategy in place, associations can continue to increase revenue as members are provided with incentives to keep coming back to purchase and view online sessions.

3. Gaining insight through automated reporting for associations

At the end of in-person events, associations typically evaluate the performance of the event and feedback from members. The approach for online sessions should not be any different. In fact, with one platform for both on-demand and live events, associations have access to automated reporting that shows all user activities completed on the system. This includes enrollment reports, transaction reports, attendance reports for live online sessions, and user progress reports for on-demand content. As all these reports are generated under one platform, associations can conduct an easy comparison and further gain insight into which delivery method (i.e. on-demand versus live) members prefer for the different types of learning sessions.

In conclusion, as associations start to establish a long-term online learning strategy for members, the importance of having streamlined content must not be overlooked. With an integrated learning management platform that hosts both on-demand and live events, associations and their members can easily keep track of all their learning sessions under one platform regardless of the delivery method. Such a robust platform allows associations to not only improve the online user experience, but also increase non-dues revenue as members value the ease of accessing learning sessions.

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It is no surprise that in-person events and conferences require a lot of time due to the meticulous planning and execution needed for a successful event. In addition, extensive advertising and promotions are a must in order for associations to maximize their return on investment. Hosting virtual events is no different, with one additional caveat. For associations whose attendees may not be as familiar with attending virtual events, keeping the user experience in mind is even more critical.

With virtual events, the typical presentation-in-a-room style disappears and the attendee is interacting with the speaker and other attendees in different ways. Although virtual events give attendees the opportunity to attend from anywhere, they come with their own challenges and obstacles if presenters and event organizers are not prepared. Acknowledging and preparing well for an online event will allow associations to avoid any unpleasant surprises.

By following these ten tips, associations will be able to overcome common online obstacles and host virtual events that are engaging and valuable for members.

1. Ensure you have a full plan in place just as you would for in-person events

Virtual events can require even more planning and coordination prior to the event, as face-to-face communication is limited or even non-existent on the day of the event. This includes setting expectations for your presenters (i.e. when it’s time for them to speak and for how long, if there are other presenters within the same session, etc.), as well as for your team. Each team member must be aware of their responsibilities for the virtual event, such as who is doing the introduction, managing online attendance, moderating questions, and handling technical support to name a few.

2. Conduct platform training for presenters and team members, including technology checks for audio, webcam and screen share functionalities

To ensure a seamless virtual experience for attendees, presenters and team members must be comfortable with how the platform works. Train your presenters well in-advance of the event so team members can focus on helping attendees on the day of the event. Conduct several technology tests prior to and have a plan in place for when technical glitches do occur, such as setting up a support line or an FAQ section with potential common issues.

3. Have clear and structured PowerPoint slides (if you are using PowerPoint slides)

With virtual events, attendees may be required to focus on their screens for a potentially long period of time. It is important to ensure presenter’s slides are clear and easy to follow. One key suggestion is to use limited texts and instead use suitable graphics. Other things to consider are using large enough fonts and high contrast colors. All these factors will help attendees be more attentive to the presenters while having effective visuals that reinforce the speech.

4. On the day of the virtual event, start by setting clear objectives and expectations for attendees

In a virtual setting, the initial instructions will set the standard for the entire event. Be mindful that many of your attendees may have never attended virtual events previously, and are unaware of online protocols. For example, provide clear directions on when attendees should unmute audio, use public chat and private chat, ask questions, etc. The recommendation is for attendees to unmute audio only when they need to speak, use the public chat for question & answer and private chat to speak directly to moderators or other attendees. Also, be clear on when presenters will address questions, when breaks are happening, etc. Of course, you can modify these instructions throughout the event as you see fit, but it is important to establish accurate expectations from the very beginning.

5. Foster an active virtual environment

Fostering an active virtual environment begins with the presenter. Presenters should enter the virtual room a minimum of 15 minutes in advance, always have their webcam on, welcome each attendee as they join as much as possible, and start by giving attendees a little background on themselves. This will help reduce the feeling of anonymity during virtual events. Encourage presenters to take the time to get to know their participants better in the beginning. In larger sessions, this can be done by doing a quick poll. This will help presenters deliver content that is more tailored to their virtual audience. Presenters can also take advantage of other features like shared notes and whiteboard collaboration to foster engagement.

6. Offer a combination of live and on-demand virtual sessions to better accommodate the schedule of attendees

With virtual events, it is important to recognize that your attendees may not be able to attend a virtual event for 2-3 days at a time. Participation in virtual events may be pushed down the priority list as attendees juggle other competing tasks at home or at work. Consider pre-recording certain sessions to be offered on-demand on the scheduled day, as well as offering a few live virtual sessions. This will not only give your attendees some flexibility and improve their virtual experience, while also giving you more control over the quality of the virtual sessions.

7. Provide opportunities to network virtually

With in-person events, attendees find a lot of value in being able to engage and network with speakers, sponsors, and other attendees. With virtual events, networking opportunities are also important. This can be done by setting up smaller breakout rooms to allow attendees to better engage with one another, or by having sponsored breaks and allowing sponsors to interact with the group. Read our article for more information on how to engage sponsors online.

Additionally, ensure that you have open lines of communication throughout the virtual event via social media or discussion forums on your conference site. All these channels will help attendees feel a sense of community regardless of where they are joining in from.

8. Choose a user-friendly and easy-to-navigate platform

Just like how choosing the right venue is key for in-person events, choosing a virtual platform that is user-friendly that meets your needs is also crucial. The end-to-end virtual experience includes the registration and e-commerce processes, as well as event log-in. The most seamless experience occurs when attendees do not need to download software in order to join your online event. They must also be able to access the virtual event via any device (i.e. computer, phone, tablet, etc.). When it comes to event completion, consider if attendees receive certificates for continuing education sessions and if they need to complete an evaluation form. These processes must also be straightforward.

Additionally, on top of having an intuitive platform, it is important to provide an appropriate level of technical support and resources throughout the end-to-end virtual experience as some attendees may not be tech-savvy.

9. Add feedback and evaluate mechanisms

The best way to improve is to build feedback into your event. With virtual events, feedback can be taken during the sessions via polls, or at the end of the event with a full evaluation survey. In-session feedback is valuable as responses can be gathered with advance reporting in real-time to show how attendees are feeling throughout the event and gauge their engagement level, which can all be used immediately to improve subsequent sessions.

Furthermore, if you have a dedicated digital marketing team, leverage any real-time feedback gathered to create more personalized and directed messages to individual attendees throughout the event in order to increase their engagement and participation levels.

10. Have a post-event marketing strategy in place

Continue to engage attendees and other target audiences after the virtual event is over. Let attendees know where and how they can access recorded sessions. The best way to do this is to host the recorded sessions on your conference site that attendees are already familiar with. Additionally, promote the recorded sessions to other members of your association and non-members who could not attend the live virtual event.

Ongoing marketing and promotions will ensure that future virtual events are well-attended. Promote what was great about the event by sharing images on your website and social media channels, as your association would after an in-person event. Use email marketing to reach your members who did not participate in the live virtual event, and let them know how they can access top relevant content from the event. Having a post-event marketing strategy in place allows associations to get a longer-lived value from the investment of time and money.

The post 10 Tips for Hosting Engaging Virtual Events for Associations appeared first on Online Learning Solutions | Association Management System | Vocalmeet.

In-person events such as seminars, conferences and conventions, have long been the staple of associations’ non-dues revenue streams. In fact, as much as 41% consider it their most valuable source of ancillary earnings, according to Association Adviser. Organized properly, they can certainly help diversify revenue, create necessary brand recognition and member loyalty. However, in-person events can also require massive time and resource investments, meticulous planning and execution, as well as relentless advertising in order to be successful and profitable. A clever way to increase the return on investment is to boost revenue from in-person events by selling merchandise, offering sponsorship packages, and so on. Nevertheless, the financial benefits of these add-ons are singular and often marginal, as in-person events cannot be recreated once completed. If ticket sales are less than expected, the association may even end up in a deficit situation.

There is, however, a more effective and simple way to tackle the issue: offering blended events, where in-person sessions are complemented with online offerings. This is exactly what the organization we discuss below did; they were able to increase conference revenue from $250,000 in 2017 to $300,000 in 2018. How did they get an additional $50,000? Keep reading to find out!

NOTE: It is important to point out that there are times when in-person events may not at all be possible. Having full on-demand events or blended on-demand events (live online and on-demand) can have similar results.

The WHY of Online Events

Offering online events that can be viewed on-demand allows for a level of versatility and increases in revenue that cannot be achieved with onsite-only events. It gives members unabridged access to content, and provides more opportunities to monetize in-person events. Once digitized, event sessions have many uses. For example, conference sessions can be sold as individual online presentations, grouped into thematic sections or sold as a package. Whatever you decide to do with the content, the key is to figure out what works best for your association.

A CASE IN POINT: How an association added 20% to their revenue by recording a single conference session and offering it online

Let’s consider the following scenario. Imagine an organization, let’s call it Association of Professionals or AP for short. AP is an association with a voluntary membership of roughly 10,000 members, offering professional services and events, along with an annual conference. The conference is used as a revenue stream, as well as an effort to engage members through networking and the sharing of ideas and industry insights. Like many associations, to entice members and increase attendance, AP offers professional development (PD) or continuing education (CE) credits as part of their conference. This type of incentive is especially pertinent to industries with mandatory continuing education or training requirements.

Every year the AP board sits down to discuss the upcoming event and review the previous ones for reference and improvement. This time around the procedure was no different, two of the past conferences—2017 and 2018—were compared and analyzed. There was just one caveat: one of the 2018 conference sessions had been recorded and available on-demand, so the revenues were no longer similar to revenues in the past. In fact, there was a significant difference in revenue between the two events.

Consider this: only 1,000 people or 10% of AP’s membership participated in both conferences. It was a two-day event with 20 sessions per day. The total revenue earned in the 2017 conference came up to $250,000 from all tickets sold, and the total for the 2018 conference rose to $300,000 with the additional revenue from the one recorded session.

The HOW of Online Events

AP was able to generate additional revenue in a one-year period after the conference. They achieved this by recording one session from the 2018 conference, and making it available on-demand for $50 using an online learning platform accessible through their website. In this case, only 1,000 of AP’s 10,000 members bought the video. Imagine what could be achieved with more than one session recorded and a good marketing strategy!

Now that you’re sold on offering a combination of in-person and online sessions for your conference, let’s discuss the different things that an association can do to take their in-person events online and broaden their member reach to increase conference revenue.

Some speakers are comfortable being recorded live, while others are not. Regardless, always consider pre-recording their presentations. Speakers can record their own presentations using the camera on a mobile device or a webinar platform. Ensure that the association conference team checks the recordings for best quality.

• Develop a conference site for online conference registrations: keep it simple, and offer all-access passes that allow attendees to access all on-demand sessions.
• On the day of the conference, launch the on-demand pre-recorded sessions on your conference site.
• For live webinars or live-streamed sessions on the day of the conference, plan well with the speakers and have an online moderator. Remember to record these sessions and add to your on-demand conference platform.
• Limit the number of live-streamed events on the day of the conference, especially if you have limited staff.
• You may consider offering online access for an extended period of time to encourage exposure to your entire membership (for more on this, see our article on offering benefits to sponsors online).
• Offer cost-efficient pricing online for broad attendance and consider matching with discount codes for membership renewal. For example, if a member purchases on-demand conference access, then they get a certain percentage off of their membership.
• If you have a community platform, include this channel as a form of communication for the day of the conference and post-conference questions.

CONCLUSION: The sky’s the limit for revenue increase from on-demand events and conferences

Remember that only 10% of AP’s members took part in the conference. This means a huge chunk of 9,000 people or 90% of AP’s audience and its potential revenue remained untapped. Some of those members might have not been interested in traveling and paying for food and accommodation, others might have not wanted to take valuable time off work. Regardless of the reason, the costs of such inaction could be far too high, especially for associations with small non-dues revenue streams.

Moreover, let’s not forget about the non-members. Having a quality mandatory lecture or highly sought-after speaker at your conference could surely drive up traffic from outside of the member perimeter. In turn, this would create additional revenue as non-member fees are often higher. Having an online conference site also serves as a means to promote your events to both members and non-members.

Since scalability is truly limitless, such an investment can yield solid returns rain or shine. In fact, it’s a gift that keeps on giving as your conference, speakers and sponsors are constantly being promoted through the online sessions. With potential returns like what we described with AP, the benefits of offering event and conference content online are boundless, and the sky’s truly the limit.

In today’s dynamic environment, doing what was done yesterday is no longer a formula for success. The sooner associations adapt new technologies, the better off they are to respond to any external challenges and thrive in this new environment.

The post The Why and The How of Online Events and Conferences appeared first on Online Learning Solutions | Association Management System | Vocalmeet.