podcasts
Membership

Membership Hack: Bite-Sized Learning

The Direct Selling Association creates podcasts to not only help its members learn from their colleagues but also to meet them “where they are.”

How to hack it? One way the Direct Selling Association offers members bite-sized, on-the-go learning is with a relatively new medium that’s quickly gaining popularity—podcasting. DSA’s President Joseph Mariano plays the role of host, asking member CEOs questions in recorded Q&As that are about 20 minutes in length.

“The conversations are basically case study examples,” says Vice President of Membership Nancy Burke, CAE. “You learn by how others have gone before, and you can glean information and apply it to your own company.”

Why does it work? Each podcast is a conversation that’s recorded and edited, then pushed out to members who can stream it from a mobile device or computer. Every recording is also stored permanently in DSA’s online audio library, which accessible only to members.

What’s the bonus? DSA recognizes that members can’t be at every meeting or conference either, which is why those events are recorded and repurposed into podcast segments as well. “We’re all busy, and our members have limited time. This really is about meeting the member where they are,” Burke says.

(Nortonrsx/Getty Images)

Tim Ebner

By Tim Ebner

Tim Ebner is a senior editor for Associations Now. He covers membership, leadership, and governance issues. Email him with story ideas or news tips. MORE

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