Nobody likes losing employees. But turnover happens. How to find the silver lining, and more, in today’s Lunchtime Links.

Turnover cost: Association executives pride themselves on hiring and keeping good employees—and they should. Nobody likes employee turnover. Finding new employees means interviewing and second-interviewing. It means crossing your fingers and hoping that the new talent has the skills and the attitude to fit in at your organization. And it costs money. But it can do some good things for your organization, says author and consultant Jamie Notter. Writing for his blog, Notter explains the silver linings hidden in employee turnover. Sure, your employees might have to chip in and fill the void while you search for new candidates, he says, but that gives them a chance to understand and appreciate the different facets of your business. “That system knowledge is valuable over the long term,” writes Notter. And exit interviews? They’re an opportunity to learn and improve your organization, he says. And don’t forget about the value of fresh perspectives. New employees might face a learning curve, but they can look at problems from new and different angles. “This new person has been somewhere else, learning new and different things,” writes Notter, “and now they can share that wisdom in your organization. How great is that?!”

Fresh read: Publishing a newsletter twice a year serves your association well—if the information you’re publishing is void of all things news. “Who would consider anything you only get twice a year to be news?” asks author and communications professional Kivi Leroux Miller. It’s not that you need to scrap the twice-a-year plan, but rather align purpose with product, she says. Make your newsletter a fundraising vehicle and highlight donor profiles, as well as the results of contributions. “Simply scaling down the publication schedule of your newsletter is probably not the answer,” Leroux Miller writes. “[R]evisit your goals and then decide how to best use print and your other communications channels to achieve those goals.” How do you use newsletters and other publications to reach your audience—and how often do you go to press?

Tools of the trade: A few days ago, we wrote about Google’s new secure search function, which could affect how your association tracks its website traffic. The move will force many organizations to rethink their marketing strategies. Some might even turn to paid programs, such as Google AdWords, as a workaround to the keyword functionality lost via secure search. Does your association have a Google AdWords campaign? Writing for Inc.com, Jeff Haden offers “6 Habits of Highly Effective AdWords Advertisers.” Among them: Be active, using the utility on a regular basis until you’re comfortable with the product; be specific, considering using long-tail descriptions of your products to ensure they reach the right audience; and be relevant, using Google’s Quality Score tool to gauge the effectiveness of your campaigns.

Does your association have a Google AdWords campaign? Tell us about it in the comments.

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