Finding New Customers The chamber is an excellent source for finding new customers. Through networking, hosting an event, sponsorship, cash mobs, thought leadership seminars or a host of other ways, the chamber can help you connect more deeply with your community. Many people think of the chamber as a group similar to the better business bureau and they put a great amount of trust in a business that is a member of the chamber. Chamber membership can also provide greater visibility for your business with opportunities to serve the greater community. While you may not feel like you have time for that as a small business owner, the chamber has opportunities for all levels of engagement. From serving on the board to volunteering at check-in for an event. Membership is a great way to meet people and people buy from those they know, like, and trust. Marketing to Future and Current Customers Many small business owners lack marketing skills. If you can’t hire it out, you may be happy to know the chamber likely has creative marketing opportunities that can help you get your name out into the community. The chamber also talks about its members on social media, which helps you leverage their large audience. They can host a ribbon-cutting for you if you’re a new business or help you celebrate a key milestone. They also likely have people on staff who can help you brainstorm ways to reach your ideal audience and make suggestions such as mailers, learning sessions, and social media assistance.
Managing Time It comes as no surprise that with all these other stresses, small business owners are concerned about not having enough time. The chamber can help here too. Not only can they help introduce you to the “hidden” job market of people who aren’t actively looking for positions but have strong interests in the community, they also have lunch and learn sessions on a variety of topics that could help you streamline your operations. Learning is one way the chamber can help but it also helps as a partial partner in your marketing. The chamber supports getting the word out about your business and their efforts can save you time in your own marketing. A chamber membership provides a large amount of value for the small business owner if they know how to use it. Paying dues won’t help allay your fears about your business but getting involved in the chamber and the community can help you reach more people, elevate your business reputation, and improve your marketing. These ideas will help you grow and improve your revenue stream.
Christina R. Green teaches small businesses, chambers, and associations how to connect through content. Her articles have appeared in the Midwest Society of Association Executives’ Magazine, NTEN.org, AssociationTech, Event Managers Blog, and WritersWeekly. She is a regular blogger at Frankjkenny.com. As an introverted writer, she’s on a quest to bring great storytelling to organizations everywhere while single- handedly combatting the overuse of exclamation points. n
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February 2023 | The Business Review
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