How to Promote the Value of Credentials to Individuals & Employers
As the cost of a college degree rises and the perception of its value falls, credentialing programs are receiving a lot of positive press. Because they are only awarded upon proof of mastering competencies, credentials are valuable for those individuals who want to flaunt their skills as well as for those companies looking to hire them.
Many of MemberSuite’s customers, which I’ve been fortunate to work with to implement their credentialing needs in the last six years, knew the importance and value of these types of programs early on—that’s why we created a highly configurable certification management solution as part of our baseline offering. However, creating credentialing programs is the easy part. Selling them to individuals and employers in your market is sometimes the real challenge.
Understand the Real Value of Your Association’s Credentialing Program
Before you plan a marketing campaign for one of your credentialing programs, you must validate any assumptions about its value. Survey and arrange focus groups with current and past certificants as well as those who are not credentialed. Also consider surveying employers around their needs and requirements for employees that are certified. You want to determine what value each group sees in the credential.
Discuss these value propositions.
For Credential holders:
- Gain of new knowledge/skills or validation of existing knowledge/skills
- Learning experience/journey
- Boost in confidence or a sense of accomplishment
- Credibility, prestige, respect, or reputation in the professional community
- Competitive edge in hiring or contract process, earnings potential, or qualification for promotions or projects
- Proof of commitment to the industry/profession
- Increase confidence and trust among employers and consumers
For Employers:
- Identification of individuals qualified for employment, leadership development, or promotion
- Increased employee competence, productivity, knowledge of best practices, broader understanding and strategic perspective
- Reputation for highly qualified and talented staff
- Proof of commitment to growth and performance
- Compliance with industry standards
- Compliance with industry safety & protection standards
- Increase in employee satisfaction and retention by employer financed credentialing programs
Aside from value perception, ask appropriate groups questions around brand awareness, areas for improvement, and marketing ideas. This is the optimal time to collect testimonials from credential holders and employers who support your credentialing program.
If your messaging isn’t perceived as you intended, then you have some work to do. I’ve seen first hand our customers’ willingness to listen and change their credential messaging based on feedback from their targeted audiences. Only make claims you can prove and back up. For example, if you’re unable to correlate the credentialing with salary increases, highlight other key features on the list.
Your positive research findings are marketable. When you can elevate the perception of value and/or the prestige of your certification, you’ll increase individual and employer demand for it.
Ensure Your Association’s Credentialing Program Holds Its Value
Your credentialing program must require a demonstration of the competencies employers need in today’s market and not skills of the past. Program content (i.e. books, classes, etc…), recommended reading and exam preparation, and the exam itself must reflect current needs and practices. For guidance on credential governance, check out the resources offered by the Institute for Credentialing Excellence.
An employer advisory board can provide valuable guidance on the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in various positions. Your credentialing committee and subcommittees must ensure that credential holders possess the skills, knowledge and standards associated with the credentialing program.
Educate Employers on the Value of Your Credentialing Program
Your marketing campaign must position your credentialing program as an advantage in the industry for those professionals who have earned it. You want employers and their HR teams to give preference to credentialed professionals, and to encourage their staff to pursue the credentialing by providing financial support for courses, study groups, textbooks, and exams.
Sales and marketing messages must make it obvious to employers what credential holders bring to the workplace that others do not. This is where market research and employer testimonials come in handy. Share stories describing why and how employers are supporting their staff’s credentialing journey.
Look for ways to raise your credentialing program’s visibility and effectiveness. Greg Melia, CAE, chief executive officer at CXPA, said,
“Be sure to support [your certification’s] value to both credential holders and employers by making it a choice within your job board. We added a question in our MemberSuite Career Center job posting asking how our CCXP credential is considered in the job selection. As a result, three out of four job posts now express that the certification is a factor in hiring consideration.”
Increase the Appeal and Prestige of the Credential
Use the value propositions uncovered during your market research, along with individual and employer testimonials in your marketing campaigns. It’s also important to think about the obstacles you want to help people overcome during the credentialing decisions.
You want to be careful not to exclude those individuals who have the competencies and experience but might lack the financial stability to pay for the exam, courses, books, and study group. Scholarships funded by the association or by sponsors can help subsidize these expenses and make your programs more inclusive.
A repeating obstacle to credentialing that I often heard about in my previous role as an Implementation Consultant is course or exam anxiety. For many, it’s been a long time since they’ve had to study or take an exam. They may have bad memories about school, or believe they’re not a test-taker. Assure these fence-sitters they will have all the support they need. Provide free resources on studying and test taking, as well as sessions with volunteer coaches who can help them develop good study habits. Include study groups, practice tests, and exam review courses in your catalog.
A membership culture that values and brags about credentialing will do more to elevate the prestige and appeal of your credentialing program than anything else. Every time a credential holder’s name is put in print or said out loud, their credentials must be mentioned too. That’s a practice Greg Melia was known for when he worked at ASAE and it’s lived on in the CAE community ever since.
A credentialing culture must be promoted from the top. Volunteer leaders earn and proudly display their credentials. Ideally, they demonstrate their commitment to the association and to professional growth by supporting the credentialing journeys of their employees.
With the constant demand for new skills and knowledge, the market for high-quality credentialing is expanding. Associations have a terrific opportunity to offer and promote credentialing programs that meet the needs of employers, deepen engagement with members and customers, and create more sustainable revenue streams.
To learn how MemberSuite’s built-in Certification Management solution can help you capitalize on this opportunity, streamline your certification programs, save staff time, and increase non-dues revenue, download our certification infosheet now.