As the old saying goes “if you have seen one chamber, you have seen one chamber.” I understand that every community has different needs. They are different sizes and have different problems. They also have different things that make them uniquely great. I often wonder about the confusion of business owners who belong to multiple chambers.
Hypothetically, a business could be a member of a larger, more robust chamber that has multiple events each week and several ways to educate and market their business members. This same business (maybe a secondary location) could also be a member of a more rural chamber who has a totally different vibe. Both chambers are doing what they feel is best for their community. However, this hypothetical chamber member is having a very different experience with each of these organizations.
Common Member Experience
One way that every chamber could offer a similar experience for each of their members is through advocacy. Many chambers claim to be the voice of business for their community but what does that mean? Do their members know what that means for their business?
Some chambers tend to shy away from jumping into the advocacy arena for fear of offending people. They may worry about losing funding from a city contract or a large sponsor. Some worry about losing members because of the chambers stance on a topic.
Advocacy Creates the Voice of Business
If chambers could agree to represent the voice of business in their communities by promoting pro-business candidates and policies, then their members would better understand the value that they get from their chamber. They would understand why the chamber is branded as the voice of business.
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During election season, I have seen chambers invite local candidates to be interviewed on the chamber’s podcast. This provides a platform for residents to hear the ideas each candidate offers up, especially as it relates to business in their community. (If you are interested in starting a podcast for your chamber, see my free resources at chamberchatpodcast.com/pivot.)
I really like the idea of chambers in the same region banding together to support certain causes. This way as you advocate at your county or state levels, you can leverage the numbers of businesses who feel a certain way about proposed legislation that would impact their business. You can do this type of advocacy on your own, but a regional effort carries a much larger impact. This could even be taken to a national level as you bring chambers together across your state, province, or territory.
Advocacy Examples
I recently did a podcast interview with Marc Cohen, Chief of Staff at the Greater Rochester Chamber in New York. Marc offered up a great tip that may serve you well with your advocacy efforts. He suggested rather than trying to meet with the elected official, it is very effective to connect with a member of their staff instead. It is often easier to get a meeting with one of the staff members than it is to sit down with the elected official. If you can successfully create a relationship with the staff member, then you can create a great advocate on the inside.
When I visited with Roy William, and Brad Hicks on Chamber Chat Podcast, they both mentioned the great value of their chambers having political action committees. Setting up a P.A.C. requires more commitment and legal help but it can also become another source of revenue for your organization.
Here is a list of some ideas of ways to incorporate advocacy at your chamber. You may be doing some of these things already, and this list is not exhaustive by any means.
Learn about proposed legislation, taxes, regulations, or expiring regulations.
Talk to your business community/take polls about the expected impact of these proposals.
Look up who all of your local, county, and state elected officials are and start introducing yourself and your chamber to these leaders and explain who you represent. Write them each an email of encouragement and optimism of working together with them to represent their constituents in your community.
Coordinate letter writing and phone campaigns to show support or displeasure for certain proposals.
Organize or join a group on a regional or state level with other chambers to leverage your numbers.
Interview candidates in a forum to share their views to inform voters.
Endorse pro-business candidates and policies.
Consider creating or supporting a political action committee.
Summary
Your chamber does not need to set up a P.A.C. to make an impact advocating for the businesses in your community. But you should be doing something to make the voice of business heard in your area. I would encourage you to not let fear deter you from standing up for what is right for your business owners, their employees, and their families. Hold public forums, conduct interviews on your chamber’s podcast, YouTube, or Facebook page. Conduct polls to get real feedback from your business community. All of this will allow you to collect the information you need to help pro-business policies and candidates thrive in your community.
Directories, magazines, maps, and digital… Consider Community Matters, Inc. for your next chamber publication.
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Chambers of Commerce have promoted networking opportunities as a key selling proposition to prospective members for decades. Many businesses are sold on the idea of networking events creating leads which will sustain their business.
What typically happens, and you can ask your members, is everyone comes for the happy hour drinks, and they bring their business cards, and they are super uncomfortable. They might stay for a little while with the hopes that the evening will take a turn for the better but ultimately end up leaving early. Oftentimes, they feel as if they were a target for other networkers to try to sell them the whole time. I know this is the case because I hear it from Chamber members everywhere I go. These members are so uncomfortable and disappointed with their lack of real connections made from these networking events that they stop attending all together. Once this happens, then one of the big outward facing benefits that your Chamber provides is no longer of value to these types of members.
As I meet with member businesses as I sell advertising for Chamber publications, I often joke that I feel like a bartender…everyone is very open to share their experiences with me (good or bad) about their Chamber. These discussions are very insightful and they have no idea that I host an industry wide podcast or that I write this blog, but their honesty is very revealing.
Directories, magazines, maps, and digital… Consider Community Matters, Inc. for your next chamber publication.
Your Impact is Much Greater than Networking
Before I go any deeper into increasing the quality of your networking events, I want to make mention that I am a big believer in the positive work that Chambers do to strengthen and develop their communities. I believe that networking is often done because this offering is the easiest to explain to a business owner the value that the Chamber can provide for their business. It is a starting point!
If you can create a high quality first experience for your members, then it will be much easier for them to understand your greater mission. You will be much more successful at having your members catch your Chamber’s vision and join in with your cause.
Has your Chamber participated in leadership trips? Think of the connectivity that is created with group travel. You want to try to stimulate these connections among your members too.
So, how do you create a great first experience with networking for your members?
It Starts with an Invitation
I recently read a book by Jon Levy called “You’re Invited: The Art and Science of Creating Influence”. In the book, Jon explains that for years he has hosted very exclusive dinner events. He invites people from all walks of life, who have never met each other to his home. His guests only use their first names as they converse with each other. They also prepare the meal, eat, and wash the dishes together. At the end of the evening as these groups of individuals have created and shared a meal with each other, and shared laughs and stories, they then go around the room and share their last name and who they are.
Jon has had olympic athletes, scientists, authors, garbage collectors, doctors, celebrities, coaches, influencers, and some of the biggest names in society as guests of his dinner parties. Once the true identities are shared, shock fills the room as the other guests learn who they have been sharing their evening and experiences with.
Jon has created an alumni group of all of his past dinner guests and he still brings them together and has built a rather large following with one invitation and one dinner party at a time.
Marjorie Hinkley shared a great thought “There isn’t a person you wouldn’t love if you could read their whole story.” I think this quote resonates well with the idea of truely getting to know a person before casting judgments or trying to sell them your products or services.
Imagine Your Networking Event
I believe that Chamber networking events could be done much better with more intentionality. I will share a thought of how this might look…
You could start by identifying a segment of your membership to focus on for a specific event. This could be those who are connected to the real estate industry, or hospitality, or tourism, or retail.
You look through your membership list and find some options for activities that this segment of members could participate in together. For example, painting at a board and brush member business or being taught by a chef at a local restaurant how to cook the perfect steak. You can and should get very creative with the event ideas.
Set some rules for the event to make it more into a game. It may seem counterintuitive, but one rule might be that you are not allowed to talk about your business for the first 30 minutes or hour. This will create some tension but it will also allow for the attendees to fully engage without the fear of becoming a target.
Create and send out physical invitations that create a little bit of mystery which will insight curiosity.
Assuming that the event goes well, you could solicit feedback and suggestions from your guests for future events for guests from other segments of your membership.
You could take this to another level by capturing some of these positive outcomes and testimonials that come as a result of your event to show how creative your Chamber is. This will show how much you really do care about being a convener of leaders and influencers in your community.
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Consider Diversity in your Segmentations
As you look forward to future events, I would encourage you to think out of the box when it comes to the segments of your membership. With diversity, equity, and inclusion being top of mind for so many, it would do your Chamber well to purposely think about who is not being represented. Most Chambers do well with segmenting and focusing on women owned businesses and young entrepreneurs. You could host an event for veteran owned businesses or black owned businesses. The key is to get the right people into the right room, while creating an experience that builds relationships beyond the superficial business card exchange.
Nobody likes to be sold to, but everyone appreciates being noticed.
Stronger Relationships Create Greater Purpose
I have a theory that has me believe that if you can create a high-quality early impression for new Chamber members, they will be more willing to hear what else you have to offer to support their business. This in turn will lead to higher membership retention and overall growth and these business owners tell others how great your Chamber is and why they need to join.
Just today, I had a Chamber member who is also an ambassador tell me that she invited one of her business neighbors to the Chamber’s annual banquet. The neighbor told her that they were not Chamber members so she replied by saying “Well, then you need to join. It is the right thing to do.” This Chamber ambassador then confided in me that she was so disappointed that she didn’t have any better reason to give this other business to join the Chamber other than it is the right thing to do.
Flex Your Influencer Muscle
Many of your members may not be completely convinced about why they are a member of your organization or how long they will continue to be a member. Once you can give them a solid, compelling, great experience, they will never have to question what they get from your Chamber ever again. They will also become an advocate for your organization if you create a believer out of these members early on.
We all understand the great power that comes with a group of like minded individuals who get behind a cause. Before a person can fully support a cause and join a group, they need to have a strong enough why. Chamber networking events are the visible, outward facing membership offering that most people can relate with. Now we just need to use a powerful enough hook to help them catch the Chamber fever.
What creative networking events have you tried? I would love to hear what you are doing and what works. You can email me at brandon@chamberchatpodcast.com to tell me your stories.
Please join our email list to receive new blog posts are they are released. You will stay in the loop with any announcements related to the podcast or the Chamber world in general.
Also, be sure you are subscribed to Chamber Chat Podcast in your favorite podcast app. Subscribers are the first to get episodes as new ones come out each week.
As we are starting a new year, we are still in the midst of this worldwide COVID pandemic. I thought it would be helpful to share some tips in the written form to help you shortcut the work at your Chamber by sharing some lessons learned over the past 3 years of producing the Chamber Chat Podcast.
What Have We Learned?
Many Chambers are operating with fewer staff at the moment. Many have shifted what their working environment looks like by allowing for more work from home opportunities. Depending on where you are located, there may still be restrictions on the number of people who can gather at events. Each of these challenges present unique obstacles but I believe they also provide opportunities for growth.
Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, states that “Inside every problem lies an opportunity”.
Chambers have had to take a strong look at their value propositions and mission statements. As Chambers have done this, they have found ways to prove and show their relevance more than ever.
I have now been working in the Chamber world for over 15 years in the Chamber publishing space and 3 years with Chamber Chat Podcast. Over this time, I have learned a lot about what Chambers do, how they operate, the impact Chambers have in their communities, and I have also learned that many people in any given community don’t even know that their local Chamber exists or have any clue as to what a Chamber of Commerce does. I am working on a new project that will address this, so stay tuned for more details to come on this front soon.
2019 Lesson Highlights
At the end of each year while producing Chamber Chat Podcast, I have recorded a summary episode that highlights some of the key lessons that I learned that year that relates to the Chamber industry.
In 2019, some of the key lessons were:
A Chamber can and should be much more than a networking business community.
The importance of great community partnerships.
The need for talent & workforce development.
The importance of staying true to your strategic plan.
The future is bright for Chambers that stay relevant.
In 2020, as the pandemic hit and Chambers were stressed in new and complicated ways. As a result, several new lessons rose up to the top. In fact, I covered 20 lessons learned in 2020 for that year’s summary episode. Some of those key lessons were:
Trim the fat by burning sacred cows.
Chambers need to be agile to make quick pivots.
Set aside reserves in your budget.
We learned how to go virtual and how to use new digital tools.
Many Chambers saw podcasting as a way to stay connected with their members and community.
Probably the number 1 lesson from 2020 was the need to be flexible!
Lessons from 2021
As the “new normal” sets in, additional lessons need to be applied, which should help to sustain Chambers moving forward. Because of the timely relevance to these lessons, I will expand more than just a few highlighted bullet points. You can also access my lessons from 2021 at chamberchatpodcast.com/episode153.
Finance & Membership Models
Many membership organizations have had to really evaluate their overall structure. Everything from finances to membership models to strategic partnerships were on the table for discussion to keep their organizations in operation and to provide the needed service and value to their members. Some organizations saw the value in merging with another similarly aligned organization, possibly a tourism or economic development organization. Some Chambers even came together to create more of a county-wide or regional organization. There is value and strength in coming together. However, going back to one of the lessons from 2019, a Chamber must stay true to their strategic plan.
Some Chambers did not see the need to merge with another organization but they saw the need to create a triage for their business community whether or not a business was currently a dues paying member of their Chamber. As recovery from the pandemic started to pick up steam, some Chambers saw value in creating a free membership offering. I like the idea of how these Chambers are setting up these freemium models, but I would personally like to see the data from this model being implemented at other Chambers before applying it to my own.
In my opinion, Chambers are all about advancing their communities. This is accomplished through advocacy, networking, and connecting the right individuals for a stronger business environment. Doing these things will help to strengthen all areas of their community.
Online Communities
So, when more people are less involved in their communities, how does a Chamber go about doing this great work?
Well, one answer might be through creating strong online communities as a starting point. Online communities might serve as an on ramp to get others involved which can then transition into more in-person relationships. In today’s world, a Chamber would be doing a disservice to themselves if they are not utilizing the power and leverage of an online community.
Keep in mind that with many generations living and working in your community, they each prefer different methods of communication. Some really like in person events. Some will never attend an event but they will engage and support the Chamber in big ways through their screens.
Online communities can be set up on platforms such as Facebook. My word of caution is that you create a strategic plan for your online community BEFORE you launch it. This will help you in creating community guidelines and will guide you in the creation and frequency of content. This strategic plan should also create a road map for the member experience.
Preparing for the Future
Futureproofing is the next lesson that I will address. When COVID first reared its head, almost everyone caught off guard. Consumers made panic purchases of obscene amounts of toilet paper, business owners who were solely brick and mortar didn’t know if or when they would be allowed to open their doors again. Chambers adapted quickly to keep their business community apprised of government mandates and regulations, but at the same time were needing to cancel most of their non-dues revenue generators. Chambers were not prepared for this major disruption.
Moving forward, I would encourage Chambers to think and to prepare for worst case scenarios. How will you continue to serve your members if you had to shut down again? How will you bring in revenue if you are unable to gather and if businesses don’t know where their next dollar will come from? This idea of futureproofing can be wrapped in with the previous point of creating a strong plan for an online community. This can allow for you to pivot quickly and to deliver content and information to the people who need it the most.
Your Role as an Influencer
Casey Steinbacher’s e-book “From Relevant to Essential” laid out a great argument that shows why Chambers need to understand their role as influencers in their communities. I would encourage everyone to read this book for the full effect, but in a nutshell, we live in a world that is very different than it was 20 or 30 years ago. The newer generations engage in different ways and they tune into different voices. One of the main points of her book is to urge Chambers to embrace their role as influencers.
We don’t normally think of Chambers as influencers, but why are Chambers so great at conveening people and organizations for a greater cause…because they are influencers. Why do businesses join their local Chamber and ask for input on staffing, marketing, accounting, etc…because they are influencers.
Most Chambers turn to social media to flex their influence muscle. I find that many people turn to social media to tune out and they are not usually in the mindset to engage with Chamber content as it comes across their feed. Podcasts however, offer a much more intimate way to share information, and establish or reinforce your influence in the community.
Strategic Partnerships
This year as I did the Chamber of the Year Finalist interviews, each Chamber talked about their response to the COVID pandemic. Almost every Chamber shared how they created a strategic partnership with either their local Small Business Association, local banks, or other similar organizations to help distribute financial resources and relief to the businesses in their communities.
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These types of partnerships can open doors to new services and opportunities. These opportunities will help Chambers better serve their business community going forward.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
We have seen people and organizations of all types recognize the need for more focus and attention on diversity, equity and inclusion. Unfortunately it took the murder of George Floyd for the many of the racial injustices to rise to a higher level of importance. On the positive side, this extra focus on racial equity also allowed for a greater focus on other areas of diversity. It opened our minds to new ideas on how to be more inclusive to people who have traditionally been left out of our organizations for a variety of reasons. We also realized the need to provide more equitable opportunities for everyone in our communities. I believe we still have a long way to go with diversity, equity and inclusion, but we are going in the right direction.
Horseshoes vs. Chess
Anyone who listens to the Chamber Chat Podcast on a regular basis will know how much I love Dave Adkisson’s book “Horseshoes vs. Chess”. This book is what I describe as the best portrayal of what a Chamber of Commerce is and should be as well as what a Chamber Exec is and should be.
We are often asked what Chambers of Commerce do. Horseshoes vs. Chess helps to answer that question in a way that ordinary (non-Chamber) people can understand.
In the book, Dave shares an analogy about Chamber work compared to the games of horseshoes and chess. Some people look at Chamber work the same way they look at a game of horseshoes at a picnic. You don’t have to know much about the game, you can just toss your horseshoes towards your stake and if you get close you get a point.
Dave shares how Chamber work is really much more like a game of chess. You have different pieces that can do different things and you need to understand the role of each piece. One piece may be education. Another piece might be workforce development, and another tourism, and another economic development, etc. The idea is that you must know what each piece is capable of doing while also understanding that you can’t move all of the pieces at the same time. I think this analogy is perfect and it should resonate with most Chamber professionals.
Make Pivots
The final lesson that I will share from 2021 is that I need to make some pivots. I am coming up on the third anniversary of Chamber Chat Podcast. While I still plan to continue with the podcast, I do have some other new and exciting opportunities and projects that I am working on that I hope to reveal very soon. Hopefully you and your Chamber have noticed areas where you can grow and improve as well. In the end, it is about providing the best value and the highest level of service possible.
I wish you all a very successful 2022. I am sure it will be full of new lessons that will help us move closer to our potential. Keep up the great work!
Please join our email list to receive new blog posts are they are released. You will stay in the loop with any announcements related to the podcast or the Chamber world in general.
Also, be sure you are subscribed to Chamber Chat Podcast in your favorite podcast app. Subscribers are the first to get episodes as new ones come out each week.
Many people are listening to podcasts now. A recent survey revealed that 50% of U.S. homes are podcast fans. Podcasting is quickly becoming a more mainstream medium or entertainment, news, and education for millions of people.
Part of the millions of podcast fans include people like myself and many Chamber Champions like yourself. Some Chamber Champions fell in love with podcasts and thought, why don’t I do a podcast for my Chamber? Some others had member businesses approach the Chamber about doing a podcast and even offered to do it for them! Um, YES! What a great offer.
As Chamber Champions, we know that it is not always best to follow our own instincts. In most cases, we need to do a little research and collect data before pulling the trigger on an idea.
Chamber Podcast Benchmark Survey
I recently conducted a Chamber Podcast Benchmark Survey to provide the data you need before you start your own Chamber podcast. You can download the results of this survey here.
New Communication Channel
By looking at the results of the Chamber Podcast Benchmark Survey, you will notice that most Chambers who are podcasting have been doing so for less than 2 years. What we saw was a big pivot during the onset of the COVID pandemic as Chambers were looking for other forms of communications. Many saw podcasting as one of the answers to open a new communication channel to push out information to their community about COVID protocols and information for local businesses to stay alive. Others noticed the opportunity to share with their community the breadth of work that the Chamber does as most people have no idea.
Authority Influence
Some Chambers see the podcasting space as a way to create more of an authority influence in their community. They are able to go into in-depth topics with community leaders and experts. These Chambers are able to position themselves as relevant by showing their knowledge base and well of information to truly be the go-to resource for their community.
Engagement for Advocacy
We can all empathize with lower than desired social media engagement and email openings. Chambers have noticed that since most podcast listeners actually listen to 86% or more of each episode, that it is a great way to share the advocacy efforts that you are making on behalf of your members and community.
Promote Member Businesses
Almost every Chamber that I have received feedback from is using the platform of their podcast to promote their member businesses and non-profits. They do this through interviews and sponsorships. You can get creative with an “announcement” portion to highlight new members or members with exciting news to share.
Storytelling
Of course the best way to do all of these things is through storytelling. We have heard for years that Chambers need to be storytellers. Well, I can’t think of a better platform to tell stories than a podcast. You can tell the stories of your members. Your great members can tell stories about how the Chamber has served them over the years. People relate to and remember stories! When it comes to marketing your organization or your members, a story can stir emotions and resonate with the listener in ways that other mediums fall flat.
Start Your Own Podcast
If you want to learn more about starting your own Chamber podcast, I would invite you to visit chamberchatpodcast.com/pivot. I have provided some free resources to help you get started.
You may find this quick video from Izzy West helpful too. Izzy shares 5 ways that a podcast can benefit your Chamber.
As a Chamber professional, you may be exploring the idea of starting a podcast for your Chamber. Over the last two years, several Chambers have made the podcast pivot. They saw podcasting as a way to stay connected to their members and continue their programming through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Why are Chambers Podcasting?
Most Chambers have had to make some adjustments over the past two years. Some Chambers have noticed the opportunity to burn some sacred cows along the way. Others are noticing some great long-term value in the pivots that they have made. Podcasting is one of those pivots that is here to stay.
As I host the Chamber Chat Podcast, I learn a lot from each of the Chamber Champions that I interview. I have been impressed at how innovative and adaptive Chambers have been throughout the pandemic. In the early stages of the shut-downs many switched to virtual platforms and became experts on new health and safety guidelines.
In her new book From Relevant to Essential, Casey Steinbacher says “Chambers have been slow to understand both the value of influencers and the role of content…A Chamber need a much larger platform and audience than it currently has. It needs to talk more frequently to the larger community and not just limit its conversation to the business community, and for that matter primarily just its members.”
Casey’s book and quotes completely support the idea of Chamber podcasting and realizing their roles as an influencers in their communities. A podcast is a great way to monetize that influence too!
Connect with Your Community
We are seeing more and more Chambers get into the podcasting space. They are reaching the larger audience consisting of their greater community and realizing this as a great value.
It is hard to explain to the average person in your community exactly what the Chamber does, but your podcast can be your story telling mechanism. Your guests can share how your Chamber helped their business in a time of need. You can also share your advocacy efforts to let your community know how you are working on their behalf. Many would also enjoy hearing interviews with entrepreneurs and business owners telling their story of how they got started.
Resources to Get Started
I recently wrote a guest post for Izzy West’s blog about 10 reasons why your Chamber should podcast. I would recommend checking out this post as you study out this podcasting idea.
An additional resources to help as you get started in podcasting would be my FREE Chamber Podcasting Guide. In it you will learn what equipment and software that I use. I also provide an outline to help plan your first 10 episodes.
You may want to check out the results from my Chamber Podcasting Survey with Chambers who already have a podcast. You may be surprised to find out how these Chambers are doing it and what is involved.
I also enjoy hearing about your success stories. If you are ready to make the jump into podcasting, I would love for you to send me a note (brandon@chamberchatpodcast.com) with the name of your podcast, a little bit about your show, and what you have learned so far. I like to keep a “library” of that I can refer to other Chambers who are looking to get started.
