Accredible’s most-requested feature is here. Issuers now have the ability to leverage the Accredible Learner Network to cross-promote their courses and accelerate their program growth. Our Recommendations engine intelligently serves credentials to new, relevant audiences to amplify program visibility, drive revenue, and increase brand awareness. In this article we explore what Recommendations is, how it works, and how issuers benefit.
Accredible’s new Recommendations product gives issuers more exposure by placing their credentials in front of targeted audiences to increase awareness and encourage enrollment. For recipients, Recommendations creates ongoing value by intelligently connecting them to credentials that are highly relevant to their current learning journey or career development path.
What is Recommendations?
Accredible Recommendations is powered by a Recommendations engine that provides smart course suggestions in specific placements on the credential view and within CourseFinder search results. The Recommendations engine serves relevant credentials to prospects based on their current credential or credentials held, motivating continuous learning and driving enrollments. Recommendations works similarly to targeted affiliate marketing in that issuers pay per click generated on their credentials and can track where their recommended credentials are shown and engaged with. There are two core types of Recommendations visibility:
- General - The default placement that carries the lowest fee.
- Featured - Higher visibility placements that issuers can choose at a higher fee.
What control do issuers have over Recommendations?
Issuers have two main new settings in their ACMS account that are reached via the ‘Market My Courses’ page:
Include My Courses in Recommendations Pool
This setting turns on the inclusion of their courses in the Recommendations pool. This will show their courses to other issuers’ recipients to drive traffic to their credentials. The issuers receive this traffic and pay a fee based on the number of clicks gained. Issuers have the option to pay a higher fee per click for Featured placements, and choose which of their credential groups will appear.
Show Recommendations to My Users
Issuers can control whether or not Accredible Recommendations from other issuers are displayed to their recipients as part of their experience of receiving and using a digital credential. Issuers send traffic to other relevant credentials and have the ability to set where these placements will appear and which issuers will appear as recommended.
Where do Recommendations placements appear?
There are three placements currently used to present credentials via Recommendations.
Credential View
Logged-in credential owners will see a set of three recommended courses in a widget below their credential. Issuers have complete control over this placement and can turn it on or off via the ‘Market My Courses’ page.
Suggested Credentials Page
A new Suggested Credentials page has been added to our recipient experience from the credential view. Both logged-in and logged-out users can see the Suggested Credentials tab. On the new Suggested Credentials page, all users can see recommendations depending on the context of where they are coming from. For example, if they are coming from a user’s wallet, they will see recommendations and related credentials based on the credentials in that wallet. If they are coming from the credential view, they will see a longer list of recommendations based on that credential.
CourseFinder
On CourseFinder.io, all visitors to the site (whether they have signed in or not) will see three Featured Recommendations above the CourseFinder search results. Issuers pay a higher pay fee per click for credentials appearing in Featured placements. Issuers have the option to include their courses in the standard search results on CourseFinder from the ‘Market My Courses’ page. Check the box for ‘Include my courses on CourseFinder’ under ‘CourseFinder Visibility’.
How do issuers benefit through Recommendations?
Accredible’s Recommendations is designed to position issuer courses to accelerate their program growth by redefining how prospective audiences find their programs. Customers who are eager to continue their professional development are delivered highly relevant recommended courses that relate to their previously earned credentials.
Generate High-Quality Leads
Accredible credentials generate over 2.4 million impressions each month from recipient viewed credentials. Issuers have the ability to increase their visibility by presenting their courses to this verified pool of customers who are actively searching for credentials and have a strong intent to convert.
Increase Program Visibility
Participating in Recommendations delivers increased program visibility for issuers by exposing their credentials to a wider audience. Issuers have the option to increase their visibility further by choosing to pay a higher fee per click for prioritized placements of their groups and have them tagged as ‘Featured’. These Featured groups will be given top ranking, appearing prominently at the top of customer searches, and positioning them as the preferred and most trusted.
Influence Course Enrollment
Our intelligent Recommendations engine integrates your programs and courses into the recipient engagement process, making it easy for customers to find the right courses and programs to take which will further their career or learning goals. Prospective customers can click to explore recommended credentials and register instantly to continue their education journey.
Control Advertising Placements
Issuers retain full control over their data. They can choose to make their course information public by participating in Recommendations to increase their traffic and enrollment rates, and choose to exclude groups they don’t want to promote. Issuers also retain control over most of their users’ experience. They can control which placements in the credential experience their recipients should see recommendations from Accredible issuers.
Recommendations FAQs
Q: Is Recommendations restricted to issuers who offer courses?
A: No, any issuer is welcome to utilize our Recommendations feature whether they offer courses, certifications, memberships, or individual modules.
Q: Can issuers opt-out from Recommendations at any time?
A: Yes, settings are available on the ACMS dashboard that enables issuers to opt-in or opt-out of Recommendations at any time.
Q: Is it possible for one department of an issuer to opt-out but another department opt-in?
A: Yes, Recommendations is designed to be department specific.
Q: Can issuers exclude certain competitors from appearing in their Recommendations widget on credential views?
A: Yes, issuers who would like to ensure their direct competitors don’t appear in their Recommendations widget can set them to be excluded.
Q: Can an issuer choose which issuer credentials their own groups will appear on?
A: No, issuers can choose to pay a higher pay per click fee for Featured placements but cannot choose on which issuer or credentials their own recommended credentials appear. Issuer credentials will be shown on credentials which have the highest relevance to that specific course.
