Cohort-based course creators use multiple tools to manage their online learning programs. Since many use Circle to host their communities and Virtually for the backend event management, we wanted to share how these two tools can work together. Popular cohort-based courses like Part-time YouTuber Academy (by Ali Abdaal) and Write of Passage (by David Perell) leverage both tools. They have had incredible success managing their communities and the logistics of running live online events.
Circle is a popular community platform that allows creators to host open and private communities. A great option for hosting learner-facing content and community discussions, members can view other members in the built-in directory and connect via direct message.
Circle also auto sends weekly digests so members can get the most important updates from the community right in their inboxes. While Circle is great for member-facing content, there's no event scheduling or tracking functionality. That said, if live online events are a major part of your member community or cohort-based course, you'll have to send invites, reminders and track attendance manually. This is manageable with small groups with infrequent events. However, as you scale, those logistical backend activities can start to take up a lot of time and cause human errors. We’ve all been there!
Furthermore, programs already make their learners log into various platforms, for example, Circle, Teachable, Slack — you name it. So finding a solution to manage your events that don't require an additional log-in for learners (but can still track engagement) is a big draw.
Enter: The Virtually Event Manager, an admin-only tool that helps course creators automate event invites, reminders, follow-ups, and attendance tracking all from one place. Here are four benefits of using Virtually Event Manager and how leveraging Circle + Virtually can be beneficial.
With Virtually Event Manager, segment your learners so you can invite specific groups for upcoming events or host open events for your entire membership community (and guests).
Also, easily manage your ever-changing roster of learners, making sure new members only have access to specific events, and members that have dropped off get events auto-removed from their calendars (and lose access to future events).
Virtually Event Manager is fully integrated with Zoom, Google Calendar, Slack, and Circle. With our Zapier integration, you'll be able to send announcements and reminders directly to Circle. Cross post messages to Circle, send an email, and post a Slack message simultaneously.
We also suggest creating an #events space in Circle. With Virtually Event Manager you can share details about the event in a post and field questions directly. That means you no longer have to log into each platform separately to schedule an event and communicate with learners.
Keep your finger on the pulse of your course and make strategic decisions with automated attendance tracking. Improve your event by determining which events are the best attended and what days and times work best for your learners.
Identify your star students and reward community ambassadors with reporting that showcases which individuals actively attend events. Additionally, it can help you check in with the ones who have gone M.I.A. With these automated reports, you can check to see if everything is okay and keep learners engaged.
Overall by using Circle + Virtually, your members will never know you’re using a tool to automate all your event management. Learners can happily access content and the community right on Circle and access events straight from their calendars. By minimizing the backend logistics, you can focus on maximizing teaching and learner outcomes. That's the power of Circle and Virtually.
Trusted by educators, cohort-based courses, memberships, and communities, streamline and plan your live events by requesting early access to Virtually Event Manager here.
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Danielle Desir is an author, freelance writer and the host of The Thought Card, an affordable-travel and personal finance podcast. (danielledesir.com) Follow on Twitter: @thethoughtcard