For most people, an alumni network only includes people who attended the same educational institutions. Even so, this term has now been expanded to the business world to include former employees of an organization. Corporate alumni associations can benefit companies in sales, client referrals, attracting top talent, brand ambassadorship, and business relationships. The members of corporate alumni associations also have the upper hand when a company wants to hire people with the same skill sets as they do.

One of the primary challenges for corporate alumni associations is getting an ideal communication channel to maximize engagement and the benefits both parties can gain. The following are the most effective modern communication channels for corporate alumni associations.

Internal blogs

With 80% of internet users interacting with blogs and social media sites, you appreciate the impact that an internal blog will have for your alumni association. Internal blogs are places where your alumni can share information on the goings-on in your company and their experiences or ideas in an informal manner. They are sure to maximize engagement among members since most employees are more open to sharing ideas in online posts than in face-to-face meetings.

Chats and private messaging

Group messaging and chat rooms might seem similar to some people, but their interfaces are different. For example, your alumni association might benefit more from instant messaging than chat rooms if you have a few projects and only occasionally communicate with members. Your team can easily share files and converse with chat rooms and private messaging apps across different geographical locations.

Discussion forums

Most people think that discussion forums are outdated though they remain among the leading business communication tools. The forums allow alumni members to openly discuss relevant topics under a moderator who ensures that they do not stray from the discussion. Discussion forums are primarily meant for knowledge sharing in alumni associations though they will also work exceptionally well when you share information that you want to be archived.

Emails

For a long time, these have been the primary modes of communication for official information. Emails are still cheaper alternatives to employee alumni software for communication among alumni members. Even so, many emails might go unopened without the right strategies in place to increase the open rates of emails from your organization. One of the proven solutions for improving email open rates is to treat subject lines like headlines so that people do not feel tricked into opening messages that have nothing to do with a subject title.

Virtual meetings

You no longer need physical meetings with your alumni members for you to make decisions. Webinars and video meetings have become the norm in most organizations, with the many platforms now available for them. With virtual meetings, you are sure of a high attendance rate, and you can reach people from different locations worldwide.

Sixty percent of large and small organizations have no long-term internal communication strategy in place as they focus on communication with clients and investors. Without this strategy, engagement among your alumni members is bound to fail, and you will join the ranks of the many dormant corporate alumni networks. The above channels are among the best modern ones you should include in your association’s long-term communication strategy. Optimal communication translates to a high engagement rate incorporate alumni networks in addition to maximum benefits for companies and alumni members.

Conclusion: Use guidance like the whitepaper above to ensure that you are using the best channels to communicate with your different alumni, and tailor your communications accordingly.