Question

Topic: Strategy

Marketing A Chamber Of Commerce

Posted by Anonymous on 7/19/2008 at 8:50 PM ET 125 Points
A local Chamber of Commerce is always mentioned as a way for small business owners to network and receive other useful resources to assist them in their businesses.
Question: How does a chamber market itself?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by wnelson on 7/19/2008 at 9:24 PM Accepted
    Michael,

    Many chambers have this question. In particular, the chambers would like to attract the "manufacturing" companies in the area and they have great difficulty doing that.

    The solution to marketing a chamber to prospective members is the same as marketing anything to any customer. It's all about understanding their needs and providing them with a product/service that meets those needs better than competitors can do.

    If the chamber wants to market its organization to small businesses, first find out what their needs are. Networking events - golf outings, lunches, etc - are not enough any more. There are more organizations offering "networking" than a small business owner has time to take advantage of. Small business needs are not universal either. Each region has its own needs. Seek input from small business owners to find out what they need and then organize to meet those needs.

    That's the way you will be able to market your chamber.

    I hope this helps.

    Wayde
  • Posted by CarolBlaha on 7/19/2008 at 10:13 PM Accepted
    They market themselves the same way any business does-- through building relationships and value. No one will join a chamber if there isn't some "what's in it for me". They compete for your marketing dollars like anyone else. So, if you see advice that chambers are good networking venues-- in reality, the prospective member looks for an active group with many opportunities to network. I always advise clients to visit as a guest first.

    Chambers are like any nonprofit- just being an org doesn't guarantee success. (I have a ton of nonprofit experience) Its in your programs and your active solicitation in getting members and getting them involved.

    Sell Well and Prosper tm

  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 7/20/2008 at 9:04 AM Accepted
    In my region, Chambers act as basically political organizations and not networking/support organizations. If you have a brick-and-mortar business and you're having problems with "City Hall", a Chamber can be your best friend. The "networking" that occurs is generally a sales-fest, where everyone is looking to sell their product/services and few are genuinely trying to help one another. A great Chamber, in my opinion, would ask each (prospective) member what business problems they are having, and act as the conduit to helping solve the problem (whether that be creating a support group, finding mentors, bringing in experts, making introductions, etc.) and ensuring on an on-going basis that all members are still getting their needs met.
  • Posted by Frank Hurtte on 7/20/2008 at 11:49 AM Accepted
    Let me weigh in on this from mid-west main street USA - the Heartland of America. There are four basic things a Chamber does: 1) Market the community to recruit new business, 2) Lobbies government on behalf of business, 3) Provides bench strength for business leaders and 4) Serves as a networking tool.

    Most people play up the networking end - but in my 30 year experience working with the Chambers of 5 different cities - the real networking only takes place when you get involved. Committee service, community service, grunts who work side by side on projects establish relationships that rock.
  • Posted by CarolBlaha on 7/20/2008 at 12:28 PM Member
    interesting comments, but the poster is asking how do chambers market themselves. Also, as a nonprofit, chambers or any other nonprofit are not allowed to lobby. Lobbying is different than collaboration.

    Summing up the good comments above, a chamber can market themselves by collaborating with lawmakers on the issues important to them. They are all benefits the chamber has in their tool box to attract members.

    If the poster is with a chamber-- why don't you get your steering committee together and ask them "why did you join"? In the last nonprofit I was cofounder, we did this with our organizing committee. It was interesting that we all had the same thought, but with or own twists.

    As your marketing person goes out and meets with targeted prospective members, ask them, especially if they get a 'no', what would make the chamber valuable to you. A chamber, so best serve its members should be a resource and that means different things to different people.
  • Posted on 7/21/2008 at 10:05 AM Accepted
    Over the 15 years I spent in the Chamber business this was a never ending process. Everything the Chamber does is in some way an effort to market yourself as the most important business organization in the community. Working on retail promotions, promoting tourism, working on community betterment, working with city hall or legislators, working on attracting businesses and all of the other directives supported by the mission statement all involve marketing the organization to others. There are always going to be the "what's in it for me" types, but the bottom line is that the Chamber is an organization that can only succeed when it has a membership that understands that they'll only realize benefit if they are involved. It has to be member driven and cannot rely only on the staff. The intangibles of Chamber participation (and it differs from community to community) are such things as stronger economy, safer streets, better schools, better quality health care, etc. If your Chamber is meeting its mission it actively seeks opportunities to make the community a better place - not only for business, but for the residents and visitors to the community as well. It can not be everything to everyone, but it has to have a program of work based on a solid foundation of improving the quality of life.

    My three cents worth and good luck!
    CVN
  • Posted on 7/21/2008 at 11:13 AM Accepted
    In addition to the good advice you've already received, I'd offer a few other insights:

    1) Try to attract at least a few big name companies in your area. Approach them directly and either seek their involvement or their sponsorship. They can act similarly to "anchor stores" at a mall, where they draw people in and create exposure for small/mid-sized businesses.

    2) Sponsor networking events with speakers (people often feel more comfortable attending when there will be a speaker and a topic about which to discuss). Advertise through local papers and local businesses.

    3) Include a calendar of events on your website, where other organizations can also post their events (you may want to charge a small fee for this opportunity). When people are searching for events in your area, they'll not only find yours, but you'll act as a portal to these other organizations.

    Good luck!
  • Posted by michael on 7/21/2008 at 12:31 PM Accepted
    Is a COC really worth the time/money/effort?

    Many areas have several chambers. Which should a company belong to? They SEEM to exist merely to generate new members...rather than to provide true benefits to the members.

    So, the message of your campaign should focus on benefits. And "networking" is not a benefit. You can do that in 100 other places that don't charge money.

    Michael
  • Posted on 7/21/2008 at 12:39 PM Member
    Again, putting on the former Chamber exec hat, I'd say that a Chamber that isn't providing benefits isn't doing its job. But, the benefits are not necessarily tangible. Chambers do so much (or should be doing things) for the community that (IMHO) businesses should feel obligated to do something to support the efforts of the organization. I have not been able to find the quote, but I remember a quote that was attributed to Teddy Roosevelt that said, something like, "every business owes something to the community in which it is located." (This is a paraphrase of a faint recollection - however, the gist of the message is there.) It is a bit altruistic, but we should all ask ourselves what is my business doing to make my community a better place? At the very least it should be a Chamber member.

    Gook Luck!
    CVN
  • Posted by CarolBlaha on 7/21/2008 at 12:45 PM Member
    Well cvn, everyone, not just businesses should give back to the community. Its a core belief of mine, and why I have always been involved in some nonprofit most my adult life. And, everyone in business should believe their product or service provides benefit to the community--or they shouldn't be in business. Its the triple bottom line, product, people and profit.
  • Posted by wnelson on 7/21/2008 at 1:50 PM Member
    Back to Michael's question - how do you market a chamber - the answer is by understanding the needs of the "consumers" - small business owners and to offer products/services that satisfy those small businesses. In the case of the chamber, products/services might be government relations, networking opportunities, an avenue for community service, etc. There are many organizations that a chamber competes with on many of those fronts. For instance, for giving back to the community, Rotary, Kiwanas, religious organizations, United Way, volunteer fire companies, and multiple chamber organizations in a geographical region - all are vying for the time and monetary generousity of the business community. All of these groups will tell the business owner that it feels good to give back to the community and community involvement is a good thing for any business. For networking, there's BNI, TSBN, Linked In, plus chambers, Rotary, etc. Given this, the chambers have to satisfy the business owners' needs better than the competitors in some way to earn their membership. Then, the chamber has to find the ways to let the business owners know that they can meet their needs better than the other organizations and the benefits that the business owner derives through membership in a language that invokes the right emotions to prompt the business owners to join.

    And this is the same path to market anything: Collect information about the needs of the customers (small business owners), define how you can meet those needs uniquely and better than the competition, and then get the work out in media and language fitted to the prospective customers. In the case of the chambre, unless you provide benefit of importance with the small business owners, you can't expect to attract anyone else but those who inherently "get it" and will belong because they realize it's the right thing to do. These are your present die-hard members.

    Beyond that, you can collect "program" ideas from the many, many chambers across the land and try the ones you think might work - but this is the "shot-gun in the dark" method of marketing. Some might work, many won't - try a bunch of things and hope some of them work, and if they do, hope you can figure out which did and which didn't and why so you can repeat them. Their working in other areas of the country might have been specific to that area and the time they were implemented. For instance, a program that worked in Phoenix in 2005 probaby wouldn't work in Chicago in 2008. Different times, different areas, different needs. It is, however, a good idea to gather thoughts from chambers in other areas - they all have the same issue. Some have done things to remedy the situation and these might be good for you - if your circumstances are similar.

    One other point: As many of us have said, the price of chamber membership alone probably won't guarentee a business owner much benefit. Membership and involvement is required to see payback. And everyone benefits from having more people involved. So part of the marketing effort has to be with "retention" activities - keeping the present members involved and keeping participation levels up.

    In summary, start with understanding your small business owners' needs, meeting those needs better than the competition, and getting the word out that you are meeting the needs better than competitors. This goes for recruitment of new members and retention/increased involvement of existing members.

    Wayde
  • Posted on 7/21/2008 at 6:00 PM Member
    Carol - you're 100% right on all accounts. Winston Churchill said, "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give." I dont' think it makes any difference if it is time, treasure or talents.

    Along those lines, a good friend said, "Leave it better than you found it."

    Good words of wisdom in my opinion.

    And Wayde, (and all others) you make excellent points for the question poser. You'd all be great Chamber members - keeping the staff on their toes and providing the services you deserve!

    Thanks to all for doing your part!

    CVN
  • Posted by malkosbm on 7/22/2008 at 3:21 AM Accepted
    generally, chambers activities to merket themselvs are :

    * promote local companies
    * search of business opportunity
    * training program
    * e-mailing
    * participate in fairs
    * help young businesman
  • Posted on 7/22/2008 at 6:17 PM Accepted
    At the end of the day, it's going to about the experience the members have with your organization. It is critical that the experience your members have when they join matches the expectation you set. Therefore, you need to determine how you want to be seen in the marketplace, what you’re the best at or what is the number one benefit to being a member, what emotions you want your customers to feel when they hear your organizations name, etc. Most importantly, your employees will need to know what customer experience you are promoting and have the training to deliver it. You won't be able to be all things to all people, particularly with a C of C. However, you can be passionately what you say you are and if you can do that, I promise you will get many referrals.
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