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.
Some Chambers found a new communications platform in Facebook groups like the Robins Regional Chamber. The North Phoenix Chamber opted for more virtual events and expos. Others, like the Shakopee Chamber jumped in and adopted podcasting!
Your Chamber is an Influencer
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.
