Social Media & Digital Marketing with Frank Kenny

Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify

Frank Kenny was kind enough to come on the Chamber Chat Podcast to share some of his wisdom with the Chamber world about social media and digital marketing. Frank really proved his knowledge of digital marketing during the recession in 2008 as he served as a Chamber president when he saw the Chamber membership double as a result of very effective social media marketing. Frank has since become a speaker and a consultant to help teach what he knows to Chambers around the world! Frank Kenny now manages the 7,500+ member (and growing) Chamber of Commerce Professionals Facebook Page.

One of the key take aways from this interview is that most people on social media are trying to push their products or events, and Frank shares from his experience that people go online and to social media to get value, not to be sold to. We discussed the tactics of Gary Vaynerchuk and Bob Burg where they both talk about giving first before asking for anything in their books below.

For Chambers of Commerce, Frank is a big fan of Facebook since that is where most of your potential audience hangs out. He also encourages other social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. However, you should only be on the platforms that you like and that you are willing to manage and to keep up with. One think Frank made very clear is that social media and digital marketing needs to be a priority for your Chamber!

To start your Chamber’s social media presence, Frank suggests these 3 steps:

1. Create awareness about the Chamber (give, give, give). Let your community know what the Chamber does and how they serve the community.
2. Build relationships with those who engage with your posts beyond just liking their comments on your posts. Reach out and engage with them!
3. Once you have created awareness and built relationships, then the opportunity for digital marketing begins.

Some Chambers may be confused about their messaging. Frank suggests a hierarchy of who your messages should be targeting:

1. Your current membership base.
2. Prospective members (follow & engaged online)
3. The general community for messaging about community events as much of your non-dues revenue should come from this source.

When it comes to digital marketing, as a Chamber, you should have a marketing budget so you can re-target visitors to certain pages on your website through re-targeting pixels. Most important though is to be collecting contact information all along the way because sales happen through email campaigns, not necessarily through social media.

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