Reach new heights and beat your competition in the continuing education space. With expanding learning opportunities, generate revenue for your bar association, while proving to your members that they are top priority.
In a previous interview with Mahmood Sheikh, Deputy Executive Director for the Idaho State Bar, stated, “We face a lot of competition from nonprofits, for-profits, national and state bar associations, and law schools. So, we have to think and act like them to gain market share.” Staying on top with your bar association and their education is key to staying a head of the competitive curve.
How do you constantly fight to stay ahead? By differentiating yourself in the vast opportunities of professional development offerings. Let’s break down some of the best techniques and tips we learned in our conversation with Idaho State Bar.
Strengthen client satisfaction with exceptional online content
As a continuing education professional, allow yourself the time to focus on developing compelling content. ISB used to use one system for their live webcasts, another for on-demand programs and yet another for in-person courses, which required jumping from system to system all day.
Instead of having your staff waste their time dealing with multiple systems and cumbersome processes, find a single system for everything. Handle all your educational needs, while increasing your client satisfaction with an easier learning process for your staff and your members.
Reinforce your scalable content
Previously, ISB allowed members to rent DVDs and CDs to consume self-study content. This permitted a limited inventory and check-in/check-out mailing system making it difficult to scale this option and really meet the needs of their members.
With the transition to online on-demand courses, they were able to better serve their learners as their inventory became essentially limitless. By bringing content online, ISB’swere able to generate revenue through their on-demand sales, which grew to 3,400 from 2,800 orders over the previous year.
Enhance your CLE course model
ISB has utilized the bundling functionality of its learning management system (LMS) to give members a batch of content with just one order. “Attending a series of seminars in bundled packages is a convenient and cost-effective way for our practitioners to earn their credits,” say Sheikh. Your members are influenced by outside technology, like Amazon and Netflix, that have gotten them accustomed to subscription-based models, so enhance your learning by offering creative pricing options like bundles.
Improve your program accessibility
The digital revolution may have begun decades ago, but it has accelerated over the past two years. Traveling is still not convenient for everyone so thinking of ways you can innovate your content delivery is key.
By offering a variety of methods, easily accessible for your learners meeting their education requirements just got easier. Take a page from ISB’s book. All the way back in 2011 they started a “Mobile Monday Tele-seminar Series” with audio seminars every Monday in November leading up to their end-of-year deadline. In the years they have been running the series, they have seen the number of registrants quadruple.
Differentiating your learning offerings, by scaling your content, enhancing your course model and improving your program accessibility will strengthen client satisfaction and generate more revenue for your bar association.
To learn more about how you can stay competitive in today’s continuing education landscape, review findings in our Member Engagement Report.