“We have just transitioned to YM Careers and are very pleased with the service we’ve used, the reporting and the engagement from our members using the job board.” – Tadu Yimam, Vice President of Digital Engagement
To get the most out of your association’s career center, you must increase member engagement. Here are five helpful tips and strategies.
Your association’s online career center holds great potential for your organization. Aside from being a source of revenue for your association, it also offers a great benefit for your members: help with career development. And because it offers a desirable member benefit, it can help you to grow association membership through increased acquisition and retention.
But to get all of the benefits your online career center can offer, you need to increase member engagement with it.
Why is member engagement important?
Driving member engagement with your online career center is critical to getting the most value from the career center for your association. Consider these key points:
- More member engagement with your career center means more members are accessing a member benefit that helps them draw more value from their membership and therefore encourages them to continue renewing.
- By driving more member traffic to your online career center, the career center becomes more attractive to employers because they see a large and growing pool of qualified candidates for their job openings.
- As more employers and members engage with your career center, the career center becomes known as THE online career development destination for your industry, which in turn helps you to attract more members and employers.
Member engagement strategies for your online career center
You typically use more than one method to get the word out about things like upcoming association events, industry news, and member perks. So, doesn’t it make sense to take a multi-channel approach to driving member engagement with your career center?
Here are five effective ways to engage members with your career center:
1. Put your association’s blog to work.
Refer to career related articles in your career center from your association’s blog posts. Promoting articles that cover everything members need to make their résumés stand out, ace interviews, advance their careers, and navigate the digital world will drive more interest in your career center.
2. Use a jobs widget.
Placing a jobs widget on your association’s home page is an eye-catching way to advertise your career center while providing dynamic content for members and increasing job views and exposure for employers. If you’re interested in creating a jobs widget that fits your website design, YM Careers can help. YM Careers designers can ensure your job widget matches the format and spacing available on your homepage for a seamless look.
3. Incorporate career center ads in your email newsletters.
Include active jobs, or career center ads, in your member newsletters. Dynamic, personalized content, such as an updated list of active jobs, provides an easy source of relevant information for readers.
Another way to promote your career center through your newsletters is to feature the career center in newsletter articles. For example, you might feature a job seeker who found a great career opportunity through the career center.
4. Be social.
Millions of people use social media channels, including Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, making social media a great avenue for engaging members with your career center. Use social media scheduling software to set up career center ads to appear on your social media channels and increase awareness.
5. Use traditional media.
There are multiple non-digital ways to drive members to engage with your career center, too. For example, include printed career center flyers in member welcome packets and at in-person events. Display signs promoting your career center at in-person meetings and events, and include career center ads in your print publications.
As you can see, there are multiple ways to raise awareness and increase member engagement with your career center. A clear career center presence on your association’s website, in newsletters, on social channels, in blog articles, and in printed flyers will reach members in every method they turn to for association information.
