PGI Friday: Certification Marketing
Welcome to the first PGI Friday post! Every Friday we'll be posting potentially great ideas (PGIs) for you to consider. (Note that if you read this blog by RSS or on the Website, you'll get the ideas a day early!) Our first set includes ideas for marketing certification.
Here's a unique idea I love. The Institute of Internal Auditors reviews job classified ads and sends letters to
companies not requiring / desiring the credential in their job listings. They use their local affiliates to carry this out for them - which is a great way to involve affiliates. http://www.theiia.org/iia/certification/aftercert/AdsWithoutCIA-affiliate.doc
Don't assume certificants know how to promote themselves and their credentials. The Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation has a brochure for
certificants enttitle "Making Your Credential
Work for You" http://www.oncc.org/publications/credential.shtml
Also don't assume chapters know how to or have the time to promote certification. The Human Resource Certification Institute provides a guide to help chapters promote
certification. http://www.hrci.org/Volunteers/PROMOCERT/
For start-up programs, it's important to get leadership and high-profile members to become certified. As an innovative strategy, the HRCI has a "Pay-if-you-pass policy" for association leaders. htttp://www.hrci.org/HRCI_Files/HRCISite/assess/snapshots/HRCI-PayIfYouPass.pdf
Key to a successful certification program is showing the value to stakeholder groups. The AALNC targets one of their stakeholder groups with a brochure promoting the value of its certification. http://www.aalnc.org/lncc/services/promotion.cfm
If your organization has deployed innovative and successful certification marketing strategies, share your ideas with colleagues by commenting on this post..or e-mail me your ideas at [email protected] and I'll post for you.
The Competency & Credentialing Institute has developed several communication vehicles designed to help certificants market their certification. Some pieces, such as "Why Hire a CNOR" are targeted to nursing administrators. They list research based value statements that support the value of certification. Other pieces, such as a "How to Market Your Credential," card deck, give certificants easy to implement ideas for marketing their certified status. We have also developed a letter that newly certified nurses can personalize and give to their administrators announcing their certified status. All of these pieces will be made available electronically from our website (www.cc-institute.org) and are being shared in hard copy via direct mail with certificants and other select demographic groups. The response has been very positive and supports our strategic outcome to promote the value of certification.
Posted by: Shannon Carter | May 12, 2006 at 10:40 AM