When people hop onto your association’s website, what’s the first thing they see?

Is it a bunch of clutter or information about some obscure initiatives? Or are they actually getting information they need to make a decision about your organization?

And when they click a link to join, is it easy or painful?

On the MemberClicks blog, Callie Walker notes that it’s essential to consider these points—otherwise a failure to design with potential new members in mind could cost you.

“If it can’t be done in a few simple steps, people might toss the idea altogether,” Walker notes.

Check her blog post to get tips on placement, as well as advice on the importance of accepting applications online. (Which is a biggie.)

Counterprogramming of the Day

The possibility of a #DebateHeadache is high. Be prepared with Excedrin®. pic.twitter.com/J1c1Mg6Wsk

— Excedrin® (@Excedrin) October 19, 2016

Tweets like this one from Excedrin last month highlight the way that many advertisers have been trying to move past the loaded emotions of the election. The strategy: Play up the fact that people are really sick of politics at the moment.

The New York Times reports that advertisers like Hefty and Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey have used the idea of people being sick of the election as a way to stand out in the market. It’s a great marketing idea to keep in your pocket if you don’t have a message that’s compatible with electoral politics.

Other Links of Note

“In many ways, associations are the original crowdfunded organizations,” writes National Fluid Power Association CEO Eric Lanke. But don’t mistake that astute observation for full support of crowdfunding. Lanke writes on his blog that there are limits to the strategy.

Could removing laptops and liquid materials from your bag in the airport security line become a thing of the past someday? The Next Web has the latest on a technology being tried at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.

The sound of silence: During a recent trip to New Mexico, author and consultant Adrian Segar didn’t talk for five days. He says the experience was profound.

(iStock/Thinkstock)