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