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WSAE members are welcome to post blog articles, pending approval of staff admin. Articles posted here will also be considered for inclusion in WSAE's bi-weekly series of e-blasts. Alternatively, please feel free to submit an article for posting through this form. We will review and, if approved, will post here for you. 

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  • The article content should cover an issue relevant to the association industry and of interest to association professionals.
  • Avoid overt, self-serving commercialism.
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  • In general, WSAE style conforms to the Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary and The Associated Press Stylebook.
  • We can be flexible with regards to article length, but roughly 500-1,000 words is appropriate.
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  • Authors should feel free, even encouraged, to share an article after it's been posted with their online networks and connections, linking to the article here.

This opportunity is exclusive for WSAE members. CAE credit is available toward certification renewal.


5 Essential Google Analytics Reports to Uncover What’s Happening on Your Website

By Aaron Manogue posted 05-25-2016
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Understanding the value that your website brings to your association is nothing new or groundbreaking. Your website can truly make or break the success of your organization and the growth of your membership. One of the most commonly used (and free, might I add) website analytics is Google Analytics. It tracks just about every action on your website to help provide your association with valuable insight. But, what do all the numbers and percentages mean? Unfortunately, most associations do not have data or analytical experts on staff to be able to analyze your data to unlock key strengths and weaknesses to improve your site. So having all of this data doesn’t ...
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The Content Marketing Gold Mine That's Right Under Your Nose

By Aaron Manogue posted 04-20-2016
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Content marketing was one of the topics that people brought up during our in-person meetings that they would love to learn more about. And on that same note, the lack of resources to produce continuous content needed to be effective in content marketing was the biggest setback of nearly all the participants. Whether you're part of a small association that has one or two marketing and communications people (like me), or your part of a large corporation that has hundred of great minds at work, we've all run into the dreaded doldrums of creativity when it comes to creating new, fresh content. It's one of the scariest, most-stressful parts of the great job we have. ...
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Brand First, Logo Second

By Sherry Budziak posted 01-21-2016
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Several years ago I wrote an article for FORUM about designing a brand identity—not just a logo (October 2011). That article came to mind today when I read that Microsoft Bing has new logo. The new version is green (or perhaps teal). It also uses an upper case “B.” The new color is intended to be easier to read than the previous yellow and display better across Microsoft products and services. Perhaps the timing also relates to Bing, the search engine that powers Siri and Amazon’s Alexa, becoming profitable. But Bing still significantly trails Google. In my original article, I quoted Douglas Edwards, Google's first brand manager. In "I'm Feeling Lucky: ...
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Defining a Purpose for Your Conferences & Events

By Aaron Manogue posted 01-26-2015
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Scheduling, educational materials, registration, speaker management, catering, exhibitors, etc. The list of things that you are responsible for if you are planning a conference or event is exhausting. Which is exactly why, once in a while, we all lose sight of the main purpose for having your conference in the first place. Don't feel ashamed if this has happened to you, because you're definitely not alone. Defining Your Purpose The most important part of not losing sight of the purpose or mission of your conference, is to clearly define it in writing. This may sound like a fairly simple and basic thing to do, but to write out exactly what you want your conference ...
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