Styrelseakademien, established in 1991, is an independent non-profit association that has become Sweden’s leading organisation for professional development of Company Owners, Board Members, and Corporate Executives.
Here’s how they created brandawareness worth well over 25,000 EUR in 2 years, and are still growing.
With over 8,000 members, Styrelseakademien is the second-largest board institute in Europe, fostering a nationwide network through its 16 local branches across 30 locations, from Luleå in the north to Malmö in the south.
Styrelseakademien’s education programs are designed to meet the highest standards, with accredited instructors and quality-assured educational materials. Their services aim to professionalize board work, and include training programs, Boardmember and CEO evaluations, as well as various other quality-assured offerings.
To step up their Certification, they connected with TRUE to offer participants secure and verifiable certificates in English and Swedish. Initially the goal was to enhance security and trust of their trainings, while minimising manual workload, but within a few months of issuing these new digital certificates, Styrelseakademin discovered that participants who normally wouldn’t share certificates on social media, started doing so, and created a ton of positive awareness in the process.
The new digital certificates are shareable with a click of a button, and many individuals are more comfortable showcasing their achievement with a simple click, than uploading a photo or a pdf.
By talking to participants about the positive attention and opportunities they can get from sharing certificates on LinkedIn, Styrelseakademien got even more participants to share their experience. Now, over 50% of the program participants do so.
Many individuals who completed the program has already been approached by companies to sit on a Board, or take a Non Executive role as a result from showcasing and sharing the certificates on LinkedIn. This is of course the best possible outcome and the whole point with taking the course in the first place.
Besides the personal gain for those who showcase their achievement, Styrelseakademien has seen an increased in web-traffic, better SEO and brand awareness. When alumni post their certificates and share stories about their experience, friends of those who shared reached out to attend courses.
Since launching the new digital certificates with TRUE in 2021, they have created new organic traffic worth well over 25,000 USD (as of early 2023). And traffic continue to increase:
On an international level, Styrelseakademien has been instrumental in shaping Swedish board practices and corporate governance.
Since 2012, they have represented Sweden in ecoDa – the European Confederation of Directors’ Associations. ecoDa, an umbrella organisation for 21 European board institutes, advocates for European board members through opinion formation and lobbying efforts.
Styrelseakademien’s diverse range of activities includes certification programs, board education, seminars, social media engagement, board events such as “Guldklubban” and “Stora Styrelsedagen,” as well as playing an active role in opinion formation and setting norms for good board practices.
With a vision to secure Sweden’s future as an exceptional entrepreneurial nation, board by board, and member by member, Styrelseakademien strives to elevate the competence level within Swedish boards. Through education, certification, networking, activities, services, and products, they aim to enhance the skills and knowledge of board members across the country.
“StyrelseAkademien is a ‘best-in-class’ typ of client. We have a great dialog and learn from them, says Patrik Slettman, CEO of TRUE. -As soon as they realised the value of sharing Certificates online, they talked with participant’s about the positives, and quickly multiplied the numbers. This simple act have been beneficial for their entire organisation, as well as those who attend the courses. Their brand is more known and talked about on the Swedish market today. And, they deserve it. They run quality programs.”
Below are some ways companies increase SEO and Brand Awareness, using TRUE diplomas, certificates and badges:
TRUE Original’s document technology offers significant SEO benefits to its clients, leveraging the power of secure, blockchain-backed documents hosted on client-specific subdomains. Here’s how it works and how it boosts web traffic.
1. Subdomains Dedicated to Clients
Each client of TRUE Original has a unique subdomain (e.g., true.clientname.com
). This subdomain becomes part of the client’s online ecosystem, providing a platform that integrates seamlessly into their existing website infrastructure. This custom hosting:
- Strengthens branding by linking secure documents directly to the client’s domain.
- Increases the relevance of the client’s web presence in search engine rankings.
2. Linking Back to Client Pages
Clients can include links back to relevant webpages, such as service offerings, educational programs, or event pages. These links are embedded naturally on document-pages, which are then indexed and shared by recipients across social media, email, and professional networks.
- Improves link profiles: Search engines see these backlinks as endorsements, enhancing the authority of the client’s main website.
- Generates organic traffic: Every document acts as a gateway for users to discover more about the client’s offerings.
3. Searchable and Indexable Documents
TRUE Original’s documents are designed to be fully indexable by search engines. When recipients share their certifications or achievements, the documents contribute to the client’s search engine visibility.
- Keyword optimization: Clients can ensure that relevant keywords are embedded in document metadata, boosting searchability.
- Brand exposure: Each document listing can rank on search engines, increasing visibility for both the client and their services.
4. Recipient Sharing and Viral Potential*
When recipients proudly share their certificates or badges, they inadvertently drive traffic to the client’s subdomain. Each share amplifies the client’s online presence, creating:
- Social proof: A network effect where potential users see others benefiting from the client’s services.
- Broader reach: Increased exposure to audiences beyond the client’s immediate network.
5. Enhanced User Engagement
Documents hosted on subdomains are engaging and interactive, featuring animations, detailed designs, and call-to-action links. These features:
- Encourage longer session times: Users exploring their documents often visit related pages on the client’s website.
- Boost conversion opportunities: Links to additional services or contact forms can guide users deeper into the client’s sales funnel.
5. Badges – small representations of the Certificates
TRUE-badges can be automatically generated with the Recipients name on them, making them unique; and a powerful tool to increase the relationship between theIssuer and Recipient.
Badges are very useful for Memberships, Licenses, Awards and Certificates. By linking Badges to the certificate page which is hosted on your company’s domain, you also strengthen your SEO profile. We have an article dedicated to the use of Badges, read it here.
6. Google Analytics
By adding your GA4 tag to our platform, you gain detailed insights into how visitors interact with your documents and certificates on your domain. This helps you better understand customer behavior, so that you can optimize your marketing efforts and make data-driven decisions to grow your business. Combined with the insights already available in TRUE Dashboard, this becomes a powerful tool to enhance your digital presence.
If you’d like to explore how this works for your organization, let’s connect and talk via link!