As the DAA (Digital Analytics Association), we field a lot of inquiries about how we deliver value to our members. While many of these inquires are genuine, others are thinly veiled jabs from skeptics who would rather complain about what’s wrong than do something to make it right. However, we take each one very seriously. As such, the DAA volunteers who serve as the Board of Directors along with countless other member volunteers who dedicate their time and energy to our Digital Analytics Industry have worked very hard to sharpen the focus of our efforts in 2013. We’ve prioritized our strategic imperatives around delivering professional development resources to anyone entering or working in the field of digital analytics. Our goal is to replace the ambiguity of member value and deliver tangible value that can be measured in the quality of our deliverables, programs, events, and benefits.
Here are just a few ways the DAA is providing member value:
Research
The DAA consistently generates some of the best research available in the field of digital analytics. Case in point: the 2012 Industry Compensation Scan was compiled by the DAA Research Committee with data provided by IQ Workforce to offer both employees and employers an understanding of current wages in the industry. This infographic has helped numerous individuals negotiate jobs and understand the potential value of pursing a career in digital analytics.
Additionally, in 2012 the DAA generated a Web Analyst Job Task Analysis Report to accompany our previous research to not only indicate how much Analysts get paid, but to specifically outline what they do. This document provides tremendous value to our individual and corporate members by describing specific responsibilities and job tasks that help to set expectations for Analysts working today.
Professional Development
The DAA has been on the forefront of education in analytics since its inception in 2004. Starting with the educational content developed and delivered through the University of British Columbia, the DAA has matriculated more students into its coursework than any other organization. These students have gone on the graduate with the skills necessary to propel their careers in Digital Analytics.
More recently the DAA, with the help of its local Chapters, has developed and delivered professional events in the form of half-day Symposiums that offer some of the best analytics content in the industry. Each DAA Symposium is an opportunity to learn from practitioners working in the field of analytics and network with peers and colleagues in a forum that is designed to facilitate professional growth.
Finally, the DAA has produced the industry’s most recognized professional certification program that designates individuals who have achieved a level of experience and competency that is worthy of the Certified Web Analyst™ (CWA™) credential. These CWA™s have demonstrated a commitment to the profession and a desire to reach the highest standards. Employers also frequently use the Certification credential to identify potential new hires and to ensure ongoing professional development and proficiency of employees, with the assurance that every CWA™ is required to maintain Professional Development Units to continue their personal growth and professional development.
Corporate Benefits
Corporate members of the DAA receive the benefit of free access to educational content, DAA Base Camps, and up to twelve Certification Exams each year. Additionally, corporate members are allotted unlimited free postings on the DAA Job Board and have access to numerous marketing opportunities. Our growing list of corporate members includes the worlds most innovative companies as practitioners, consultants, and vendors in the field today.
As the President of the DAA, I, for one, take accountability for the value we provide to our members, and I hold each Board Member and paid employee responsible as well. The buck truly does stop here.
Whereas once it was enough to say; As a member, you get out of the DAA what you put into it… We’ve changed our mindset. Today, you get from the DAA what the representative industry body determines is valuable. No single individual does this alone, and it’s only through the help of our volunteer members that we can execute on our priorities. But if you’re interested in recouping member value, you must become a member.
Please write to us to let us know where you find member value, or perhaps more importantly, where you want to see member value so that we can evolve the DAA to meet the needs of our most valuable asset: You.
Sincerely,
John Lovett
President@digitalanalyticsassociation.org