Non-Dues Revenue

I was recently made fun of for saying "Google Analytics is cool!" I guess I could see someone saying that, but I could easily say the same thing about people who think hockey is cool. People tend be scared, and ridicule, what they don't understand and I don't know a thing about hockey - with the exception that David Beckham is the best player in the league, right?

Understanding your website is not only cool, it’s really smart.

If you're looking for way to uncover value from your association...

By Tao Stadler, Senior Membership Management Executive

In a meeting a few months ago, my CEO, Terry Dwyer, made a point about progress that strongly resonated with me and has been in my mind ever since.

In discussing a feature that we all agreed would be a dramatic improvement for our association clients, a litany of reasons why it would be hard or even impossible to accomplish came rushing forward, as though months of research had already been done and the answer was set in stone.

After a few...

By Lauren Bashaw, Senior Manager of Customer Adoption

A common question we hear from our association management software clients is with such a robust AMS system, how can we be sure we are getting full value for ourselves and our members?  The simplest answer is to make sure your staff are well-trained on the features, functions, and best practices that will ensure your AMS success!

And your next thought – I can almost guarantee it – is “we don’t have time for training.”  In the association world,...

By Bryan Long, Relationship Manager

Is your chamber of commerce or business association website doing all it can to promote your members? Could you be improving member retention, generating more leads for members, producing more revenue, or even increasing event attendance with a more powerful website and online membership directory?

The single biggest reason businesses join your organization is to gain more business.  Through networking, professional learning opportunities and the exposure gained...

WebLink recently launched a brand new iPad app designed for associations and chambers of commerce using the WebLink Connect membership management system to conduct mobile commerce by accepting credit card payments for new memberships, current member invoices and event registrations when away from your office. The WebLink iPad app has only been out a few days, but the feedback has been amazing!

By streamlining the interface and workflow, we've created a intuitive tool for sales teams, events staff...

Recently, my son was helping me with his homework (yes, you read that correctly!) and it made me think about ways that business associations and chambers of commerce can solve problems with their data.

His 5th grade class is learning pre-algebra using tokens and dice to represent the Xs and the Ys to help them "break down" the equations into manageable chunks and ultimately lead to the solution.  Being in my mid 40s, it took me a while to grasp the concepts, but once I did, it made understanding...

By Travis Tetrault, Membership Management Executive

Like most people, I will play the victim and blame software for performance issues and causing unwanted frustration. Time and time again when I reflect on the issue, it is proven to be a manual error and not the software causing the compounding frustration. I get it, taking responsibility for user error is difficult and almost inhuman (especially for the male species), but when you take the responsibility, a world of software opportunities...

By Matthew Bugnacki, Membership Management Specialist

Recently, while I was walking with my ten year old son around our neighborhood, we discovered a tree house that seemed to be falling out of its respective tree. The tree house was not uncared for. In fact, some of the boards seemed new while some seemed a bit worn with age. My son easily identified that there was a substantial problem with the tree house as it looked warped and about ready to collapse. This led to some very...

By Terry Dwyer, CEO

As 2013 begins, it is the perfect time to assess your association, set new goals and plans to lead your team, as well as your members, to success in the new year.  I use this time of year to quietly think through where I, as CEO, can have the greatest impact. This effort can take real discipline since, if you are like me, you might want to make sure “all the important items are included.”  Most of us will lean toward making this list too long and, as a result, find ourselves...

It's that time again where we all reflect on our successes and failures of the previous year and create a list of things we promise we're going to do differently in the next year.

I'm feeling great about 2013 and excited about what the new year will bring at WebLink. My optimism remains despite the fact that I just Googled 'New Years Resolutions Success Rate' and found that according to a 2007 study by Richard Wisemen from the University of Bristol, 88% of resolutions fail.

On the brighter side,...

By Joseph Loria, Vice President, Advisory Services

In the financial world, investments are expected to return profit and pay dividends. Do you feel the same about your member management software?  Likely not.  More disturbing, research from Forrester Group  shows that only about 33% of customer relationship management (CRM) system implementations are deemed a success. So, why do so many fail? Surprisingly, only a third of the failures are due to the technology itself. The majority is related to...

Increasing website traffic to your association’s website can mean more member sales, improved member retention, and increased non-dues revenue for your association. With the right visitors to your website, you'll achieve your goals and have happier members. Though there are dozens of methods that promise to help you to increase website traffic, we recently did an analysis of our client websites and found the following 8 best practices.

In fact, we found that on average, our clients experienced a 6...

What do Velveeta, the movie 'Clueless' and a margarita maker all have in common? They all made an appearance at the WebLink Summit last week.

This year was my first Summit and while I may be a little biased because I helped plan the event, I thought it was truly amazing. There was such a great mix of fun, membership database training, innovation, and best practices.

It may sound a little cheesey but my favorite part of the Summit was meeting clients. Previously, I had the opportunity to talk to...

It's week 4, discussing Analytics and Goals in the book, Search Engine Optimization: An Hour a Day.

As a marketer, I know measurement is key and I couldn't even begin to count the number of associations I've talked to about the importance. But, it can be daunting if you don't have much experience. If you're new to analytics, don't worry, this post is perfect for the Google Analytics beginner.

Here are my top tips for getting started:

Step 1: Make sure Google Analytics is set up on your...

Well, it's week 3, discussing Competition in the book, Search Engine Optimization: An Hour a Day.

There is only one website that can rank #1 for each keyword search, making SEO a constant tug of war. So, what can associations be doing about their competitors?

Find out who is competing with your association website and what you can do to rank higher. As I recently heard in a meeting about SEO - You don't have to be able to run as fast as the bear chasing you, just faster than your friend. Beat out...

I recently picked up the book, Search Engine Optimization An Hour a Day, by Jennifer Grappone and Gradiva Couzin. You know how you feel when you pick up a book that you just know you're going to like? That's how this book made me feel.

I like things that feel manageable. I really dislike breaking promises or missing deadlines, and an hour a day seemed like something I could commit to. Also, I love the way the book is set up with real examples, special tips, and even extra credit items.

Week 1 is...

Technology surrounds us everyday.  Most of it is even beneficial. :-)

It seems like just about everything is now being hosted in "the cloud" or turned into "as a service."  

There is even a company called Dollar Shave Club that recently began delivering razors to your door each month - for a low monthly fee, of course.  Razors As A Service - what's next?

Over the last 10 years or so, association management software and membership database software have followed this trend so association executives...

With all the buzz in associations about social media and digital communications, now is a great time to swim upstream a bit.  Seriously, when is the last time you received a great print marketing piece?  One that not only stays on your desk, but as a membership or marketing professional, you show off to other association professionals. 

In a world of 140 character messages that are likely viewed while you are in line at the grocery store or waiting for an elavator don't you occassionally want to...

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about vendor vs. partner relationships in regard to associations and their members. Today I want to expand on that and talk about how a redesign for your association’s website can help support your efforts.

Of course, having a website is important. But having an effective website can mean more members, more engaged members, higher retention, and more non-dues revenue.

Are you considering a new association website? Here are six tips for establishing a website that...

Vendor- one that sells

Partner- a person who shares in a mutually beneficial relationship

So, do your members consider you a partner? Would it have a positive impact on your chamber of commerce or association if more of your members thought of you as a partner? If you invested more in your members’ success, would your association become more successful?  

If your goal is just to increase membership or bring in more revenue for your association, you might find some...