November 16, 2016   |   Vol. 15   |   Issue 11
By Jason Gudenius, MGI Senior Account Director

Marketing Your Certifications

For organizations that offer them, professional certifications can be an important element of the value proposition they offer to the professionals within their industry. Here are 5 tips to think about when marketing your certification program.

1. Generate Leads Specifically Interested in Getting Certified
   Lead generation for your certification program is critical. Create guides highlighting the value the certification provides. Key messaging should highlight the professional advantages obtained for the time and financial investment needed to achieve the certification. Use a multi-channel mix of communication to promote the certification-specific content to both members and non-members and fulfill the information only after a prospect completes a form of simple information. Using this approach you’ll develop a list of prospects directly raising their hands and telling you they are interested.
2. Capture Essential Information
   Certifications require an assessment element often based on a combination of industry knowledge and some level of experience in the profession. When building your prospect list, it’s incredibly important to capture essential information that ties to the certification process. For example, if you require two years of experience in a position before you can take an exam or be certified, you should be capturing this information on each prospect. These critical pieces of data can then help you segment your messages, directing prospects to the most relevant information to help them take the next step in the process.
3. Make the Process Easy to Understand
   Prospects should always be communicated with about what they need to do next on the path to certification. Frequency and simplicity are your friends. Remember that while you may live and breathe your processes, each prospect only goes through each stage of the certification process once, and concise communication on how to move forward and stay motivated based on the value of the certification will be key.
4. Know Your Lifetime Value
   Smart programs are sustainable programs. Always keep in mind the lifetime value of a certificant, using renewal rates to project the average number of years a certificant maintains their accreditation and the revenue delivered per person who completes the process. Once you understand your lifetime value, you can set smart limits on marketing costs invested in growing overall certifications.
5. Test, Optimize, Test, Optimize…
   Like all marketing, you should be seeking to build a learning system throughout your certification program. Regularly execute tests, evaluate channels, and track results to determine the optimal approaches for generating leads, moving people to completion of key process steps, and getting prospects to register for any related exams.

While thinking about how to approach or refine your certification marketing efforts in the coming year, keep in mind these five tips. For more information about how MGI can help you market your certification programs, contact John Sample, Senior Relationship Director, email at JSample@marketinggeneral.com, or call 703-706-0346