Using Online Tools to Educate and Build Communities
New York | Chicago | Raleigh | Zurich
Beijing | Shanghai | Tokyo | Latin America
MDRT Challenges
• Slowing growth in the U.S., declining prestige and value associated with membership
• Historically, the biggest benefit to membership was the annual meeting
• Needed to spark ongoing professional and personal development and provide tools to engage the next generation of members
MDRT Goals• Build an online community that can bridge
geographic distances and generation gaps
• Provide new communications tools in a simple, easy-to-use format for members young and mature
• Extend value and networking opportunities beyond the annual meeting
Solution: Utilize Digital Tactics to Bring
Members Together
• Multi-media Microsite with Podcasts
• Webinars
• Blogs
Multi-media Microsite
Online “tool kit” for key MDRT initiative –providing retirement solutions to Baby Boomers
Multi-media Microsite• Developed as a follow up to highly
successful industry summit with world renowned financial experts
• Microsite contents:– Video and audio podcasts of summit
presentations– Post-summit audio podcasts on hot topics– Opportunity to sign up for e-newsletter with
contents housed on site
http://www.boomertirementnews.com/media/podcasts/Greg_Podcast_3.mp3
Microsite Podcasts
Webinars
Webinars
• Provides a venue for new and younger members who desire additional interaction with their peers and 3rd party experts beyond annual meeting
• Topics range from self-marketing advice to education on specific product offerings
Member Blog
Member Blog
• Another resource for professional and personal development
• Two posts per month, more as needed
• Topics focus on news trends in the industry as well as topics similar to the webinars
Results
• 175,860 page hits to microsite and 8,700 audio and video downloads in 2008– Spikes in traffic to web site and number of downloads
correlated directly to e-newsletter timing
• On average, more than 200 members participate in each live webinar held to date and hundreds more have viewed the archives– More than 50% of attendees have been members for
less than 5 years– Nearly 60 percent of participants are younger than 50
years old (the average age for a MDRT member)
Results
• The MDRT Blog is the most frequently visited page on association web site– Within each visit, members read an average of six
posts and comments– In 2008, the MDRT Blog averaged more than 17,000
total page hits and 3,000 unique visits per month
Member Feedback
“This is what makes MDRT special! This is going to be a big place for the exchange of valuable and quality information among us on trends and perceptions …”
“What a fantastic way of sharing thoughts and ideas. MDRT has truly shrunk the world.”
Why is it working?
• All of these tools provide avenues for members to share information with peers that is:– Easy to use– Current– Dynamic– Integrated– Relevant– Accessible anytime
What is next for MDRT?
• Use polling more frequently
• Host webinars for non-members
• Increase number of podcasts
• Engage members via Facebook
• Exploring official LinkedIn group for members
Want to see more?
www.boomertirement.com
www.mdrt.org