--- title: "Daily Buzz: Optimize Your Online Member Application" id: "47918" type: "post" slug: "daily-buzz-optimize-your-online-member-application" published_at: "2019-09-10T21:07:55+00:00" modified_at: "2019-09-10T21:07:55+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/09/10/daily-buzz-optimize-your-online-member-application/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/09/10/daily-buzz-optimize-your-online-member-application.md" excerpt: "Membership applications hold a lot of valuable data on prospects—but don’t use that as an excuse for a lengthy submission process. Also: Which posts drive more engagement on Instagram?" taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "applications" - "AssociationsNow" - "Member Engagement" - "Membership" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Director" - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Daily Buzz: Optimize Your Online Member Application Your online membership application can be the ultimate tool in turning prospects into full-fledged newbies. Well, as long as it’s built accordingly. On one hand, it’s important to acknowledge that people don’t have time to fill out a lengthy application. But, on the other hand, because of the valuable information an application holds, it can be OK to make it longer than usual in the name of improving the member experience, [says Colleen Bottorff on the MemberClicks blog (opens in a new tab)](https://blog.memberclicks.com/6-things-to-think-about-for-your-online-membership-application) . “What do you need in order to give them the member experience *they* want?” she asks. “The more that you can learn about your members as individuals, the better you can provide the benefits and services that they joined for. (And probably some they didn’t even know they wanted!)” But don’t let data be an excuse to go crazy mining for information. “Be selective with what information you require your (almost) new member to submit,” Bottorff says. “The typical stuff—name, email, address, etc.—should definitely be required. And you may require two to three secondarily important items in the name of giving them that tailored experience. But everything else? Keep it optional.” ### Instagram’s Engagement Drivers > Some good insights to help improve your [@instagram (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/instagram?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > strategy (via [@quintly (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/quintly?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > ) [#smm (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/smm?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [https://t.co/ZPjqGKyFgM (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/ZPjqGKyFgM) > > — Social Media Today (@socialmedia2day) [September 10, 2019 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/socialmedia2day/status/1171411826678075394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Images might be the most popular post type** for brands on Instagram, but carousels get 24.9 percent more engagement—and videos another 19.4 percent more than that, [according to a new report (opens in a new tab)](https://info.quintly.com/instagram-study-2019/view) by social media analytics company Quintly. “Clearly, brands should be looking beyond image posts if they want to maximize their Instagram performance,” [writes Andrew Hutchinson on Social Media Today (opens in a new tab)](https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/new-study-looks-at-how-emojis-videos-and-caption-lengths-impact-instagram/562567/) . Another area of expansion: emojis. Quintly’s study found that more than half of brands (52.3 percent) don’t use them, but “the higher the number of emojis used, the higher the amount of interactions.” ### Other Links of Note **It goes to 11.** The new iPhone is here, and like last year, it comes in three different versions, each with snazzy new cameras. [The Verge has the scoop (opens in a new tab)](https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/10/20857971/apple-iphone-11-pro-max-hands-on-features-photos-video-camera-price) . **Sending a callout for** volunteers shouldn’t be your entire recruitment strategy. The Wild Apricot blog explains [how to build out a formal recruitment process (opens in a new tab)](https://www.wildapricot.com/blogs/newsblog/2019/09/09/how-to-recruit-volunteers) . **Learning is a process,** and if you don’t “show your work”—that is, how you got from point A to realization B—you miss part of the education process, [says Jeff Cobb on Mission to Learn (opens in a new tab)](https://www.missiontolearn.com/show-your-work/) . (ArtemSam/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Jeff Hsin](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) Tags: [#applications](https://associationsnow.com/tag/applications/) [#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 - [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/) - [Video2021 IGP Live Chat Information SessionAugust 31, 2020](https://associationsnow.com/2020/08/31/2021-igp-live-chat-information-session/) - [TemplateMembers onlyMember Onboarding ToolkitNovember 5, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/05/member-onboarding-toolkit/) - [VideoThe Career Moves Every Association Leader Needs Right NowSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/the-career-moves-every-association-leader-needs-right-now/) ## 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%2F2019%2F09%2F10%2Fdaily-buzz-optimize-your-online-member-application%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !