The best badge programs begin strong marketing before the first earner receives a badge. Marketing your digital badge is a helpful tool to increase attendance, enrollment, and engagement. Once you submit a proposal and it is approved, you will receive a PNG image of your digital badge. This image should be used in your outreach and recruitment efforts. Ensure you inform your participants on exactly what they need to do to earn their badge (for example, complete 3 out of 6 workshops). In addition to your badge PNG, please also take advantage of the marketing materials and draft email notifications. The goal here is to make sure your earners are expecting their badge and know what actions they should be taking with it. Below are some tried-and-true tricks for making the launch of your digital badge a success:
Consider the Message you Want to Impart:
- What’s a digital badge?
- When might I expect my badge?
- How would I earn this badge?
- What can I do with a badge?
- Who cares?
Pre-Notification Email Sample 2
Think of Fast Ways to Reach your Earners
Think about where your earners engage with you the most and go there with your messaging. If they are paying attention to you on LinkedIn, make frequent posts about your badge initiative, what’s available, and how earners can get involved. If they aren’t on LinkedIn, but are on Blackboard, go there! Don’t market to an empty room, so ask your earners how and where they find you.
Connect in the Digital Age: Social Media
Social media is likely the strongest and quickest tool for letting recipients know you have launched a badge campaign and may have issued them a badge. It piques curiosity and drives your audience to your organizational profile. Here are a few samples.
Have you seen your badge from us? Be on the lookout and contact us at ________ with questions.
Have you seen your badge from us? Share it here and tag us with #YOURhashtag
Post Launch
In addition to the automated reminder email sent by Acclaim, you might want to send an email from your own system. This is an opportunity to remind recipients that you’ve issued badges and what they should do to act on that issuance. In some cases, your data might reveal that you should remind people the badge is waiting for their action to accept it.
You could also consider highlighting the ways one might share a badge to LinkedIn or on social media. Showcasing someone who has already done so is a powerful motivator for others.
Be sure to remind your audience of our support links at http://support.youracclaim.com/
