--- title: "Tuesday Buzz: Make Member Sign-Ups Easier" id: "37477" type: "post" slug: "tuesday-buzz-make-member-sign-ups-easier" published_at: "2017-03-28T20:07:52+00:00" modified_at: "2017-03-28T20:07:52+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/03/28/tuesday-buzz-make-member-sign-ups-easier/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/03/28/tuesday-buzz-make-member-sign-ups-easier.md" excerpt: "Don’t lose potential members because of a cumbersome application form. Simplify your membership process with a few key tweaks to your site. Also: Avoid magical thinking while planning projects." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "application process" - "AssociationsNow" - "Member Engagement" - "Membership" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Tuesday Buzz: Make Member Sign-Ups Easier The last thing any association wants is to lose potential members because of an overly complicated application form. The MemberClicks blog shares a few ways to make your [application forms as user friendly as possible (opens in a new tab)](http://blog.memberclicks.com/making-online-member-application-forms-easy-5-tips-for-association-pros) . The company’s Callie Walker suggests starting with making the application page incredibly easy to find. There should be links on your home page, as well as on most other pages throughout your site. Be sure to ask simple questions. Don’t exhaust applicants with a ton of open-ended questions. Instead, use multiple-choice questions when possible to make applying easy. And break up the form into sections so applicants aren’t initially turned off by a wall of text. “It’s important to note that what may seem easy or intuitive to you may not be easy or intuitive to your potential members—and the latter is what matters most,” Walker writes. [Check out her post for more. (opens in a new tab)](http://blog.memberclicks.com/making-online-member-application-forms-easy-5-tips-for-association-pros) ### Time Management > A better way to schedule projects at your [#association (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/association?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [https://t.co/xYP3L3AtYc (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/xYP3L3AtYc) > [#AssnChat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/AssnChat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — Amanda Lea Kaiser (@AmandaLeaKaiser) [March 28, 2017 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/AmandaLeaKaiser/status/846711691740098562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Are you planning your project timelines correctly?** Amanda Kaiser from *Smooth the Path* says there are two mindsets when it comes to association time management: [magical thinking time and buffered time (opens in a new tab)](http://www.smooththepath.net/2017/03/27/always-rushed-try-buffered-time-method-association-scheduling/) . Magical thinkers plan projects as if nothing will go wrong—no mistakes, no curveballs. “This kind of scheduling is bound to force the project team to work during their discretionary hours and overrun the budget,” writes Kaiser. She suggests you adopt a buffered time mindset. Factor in additional time for things like learning, preparation, and mistakes. “With a buffered time planning approach the project team has the time to be more thoughtful and organized,” she says. ### Other Links of Note **How will business travel change in the future?** *Hospitality Net* shares a few ways [technology may change the way you travel (opens in a new tab)](http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4081843.html) . **Power of social media.** According to eMarketer, nearly 80 percent of U.S. internet users think [social media has an effect on public policy (opens in a new tab)](https://www.emarketer.com/Article/Social-Media-Affect-Public-Policy-Outcomes/1015522) . **Play one role.** *Forbes* reveals why you [can’t be both an effective leader and an expert (opens in a new tab)](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2017/03/28/why-you-cant-be-both-a-leader-and-an-expert/#24f1b7fd6fc2) . (iStock/Thinkstock) [Raegan Johnson](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Raegan Johnson is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Tags: [#application process](https://associationsnow.com/tag/application-process/) [#Member Engagement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/member-engagement/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [TemplateMembers onlyASAE Membership ApplicationSeptember 1, 2008](https://associationsnow.com/2008/09/01/asae-membership-application/) - [TemplateMembers onlyIEC Recruitment and Retention Toolkit: #19. New Member ChecklistJanuary 25, 2007](https://associationsnow.com/2007/01/25/iec-recruitment-and-retention-toolkit-19-new-member-checklist/) - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) - [TemplateMembers onlyQuest Membership ApplicationJune 2, 2008](https://associationsnow.com/2008/06/02/quest-membership-application/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2017%2F03%2F28%2Ftuesday-buzz-make-member-sign-ups-easier%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !