Chamber Member

Well, it's week 3, discussing Competition in the book, Search Engine Optimization: An Hour a Day.

There is only one website that can rank #1 for each keyword search, making SEO a constant tug of war. So, what can associations be doing about their competitors?

Find out who is competing with your association website and what you can do to rank higher. As I recently heard in a meeting about SEO - You don't have to be able to run as fast as the bear chasing you, just faster than your friend. Beat out...

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In May, WebLink will host the WebLink Summit, our annual marketing, technology and social media conference for member-based organizations.

For more than 10 years, this conference has attracted forward-thinking executives from some of the best business associations and chambers of commerce in North America.

What makes this conference so special?  Simple:  Our focus and our attendees.

There is no other conference dedicated to providing the technology information shared at the WebLink Summit -...

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Technology surrounds us everyday.  Most of it is even beneficial. :-)

It seems like just about everything is now being hosted in "the cloud" or turned into "as a service."  

There is even a company called Dollar Shave Club that recently began delivering razors to your door each month - for a low monthly fee, of course.  Razors As A Service - what's next?

Over the last 10 years or so, association management software and membership database software have followed this trend so association executives...

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I was looking at the list of top 100 brands the other day and how they do what they do. Sure, we all know that companies like Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Nike, Disney, and Apple have great brands. When we think of them, we’re instantly flooded with the feelings that their marketers have taught us to feel. But these are large companies. And associations and chambers don’t have nearly the budget or resources to put into branding.

So, what can associations learn from these megabrands?

1. Live and breathe...

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You've heard of the book "Sacred Cows Make the Best Burgers," right?  What things are you doing today that seem a "must do" that you can stop doing to help you serve your members more effectively?   Or, what changes can you make that will help your organization adapt and thrive? 

Social media – and technology in general - has made it easier than ever for business associations, chambers of commerce and membership organizations to reach more of your audience more often AND when and where they...

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Consider these two definitions:

Vendor- one that sells

Partner- a person who shares in a mutually beneficial relationship

So, do your members consider you a partner? Would it have a positive impact on your chamber of commerce or association if more of your members thought of you as a partner? If you invested more in your members’ success, would your association become more successful?  

If your goal is just to increase membership or bring in more revenue for your association, you might find some...

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By Pam Sefrino, National Sales Manager

Do you really know what’s happening in your membership? What are your members truly interested in? What events or workshops have the attended in the past year? How long have they been a member for that matter, and why do they stay?   And, how can you use this information to help improve retention and even generate new members sales?

Many business associations and chambers of commerce abandon what I like to call “member discovery” because it’s just too much...Read More » »

By Pam Sefrino, National Sales Manager

We all know that one of the primary reasons that companies join business associations and chambers of commerce is to network, have access to resources and grow their own business.

One very simple (but often overlooked) thing that business associations do unknowingly to hamper members’ opportunities for business growth is unintentionally hide their member directory – which is essentially a business directory – on their web site. More on this in a minute.

Some...Read More » »

I read an article today on Business Insider that QR Codes are dead.  Many chambers of commerce and business associations haven't even started using them yet. 

The article does have some good points about QR codes sometimes being awkward to use.  And as a call to action in an advertisement, they may not be as effective as hoped.

However, there are many more uses for QR codes than in advertising.   Ticket confirmations, contact information on business cards, product information, mobile optimized...Read More » »

by Aaron Cox, Membership Management Specialist

I have seen the puzzled look on the faces of board members, volunteers and sadly even staff at chambers of commerce and business associations when asked the question, “Do you know anyone else that would benefit from membership in your organization?”

While referrals are one of the best ways to generate new membership sales, existing members often understand the value they receive from the organization but can’t always readily see the same benefits for...Read More » »

In a blog post last week, I shared part of my presentation from the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals 90th Annual Meeting, titled "Social Media Strategy for Impacting Member Sales & Retention."

In that post I discussed how tools like the Facebook Like button and others can help make your chamber's website content more "sharable" to encourage your members, fans and followers to post your content on other networks.

How can you get them to share your content, though?  Well...let's give... Read More » »

Last week, I presented a session at the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals (FACP) 90th Annual Meeting called, "Social Media Strategy for Impacting Member Sales & Retention."   It was great to see how many chambers of commerce have implemented social media into their communications efforts!

I follow around 700-800 chambers of commerce and their staff on Twitter and Facebook and I see several chambers doing a great job of engaging their members and finding ways to demonstrate the...Read More » »

If your chamber of commerce or business association moved to a new location, you'd probably let your members know, right?   You'd send them some emails - maybe even send some "snail mail."  You might even hang a sign on your old office letting visitors know that you've moved to a new location.

So, when you change your website, do you let your members know about all the changes? 

Most chambers of commerce and business assocations launch new websites by telling members in their print newsletters...Read More » »

We know that one of the main reasons companies join chambers of commerce is to increase their business.  And the exposure your members gain via your website is the single largest way you can promote them and drive traffic to their business.

The value that members receive from exposure on - and traffic from - your chamber’s website often justifies their membership renewal each year.  And, that value can be used to acquire new members, plus generate non-dues revenue through website advertising.

With...Read More » »

I saw a post on Twitter today about how someone thought that texting was a useless form of communications.  It made me think about a story that a chamber of commerce president told me recently.

The chamber was having their regular board meeting and one board member was offering his opinion on a certain position he thought the organization should take.

He was getting some initial pushback from other board members and retreating slightly in his position. While other board members were discussing...Read More » »

Recently, the Thousand Oaks-Westlake Village Regional Chamber of Commerce changed is name to the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce to create broader appeal for the region it serves.  Read a brief article about this change here.

While the new name is certainly a bit easier to type and say, I was curious as to how those various place names could potentially drive traffic to the chamber's website.

Using Google's Keyword Tool, I looked for the monthly search volume for each of the areas...Read More » »

In the past year, I've seen dozens of chambers of commerce dramatically increase their use of social media, especially Twitter and Facebook.   I've noticed a few chambers of commerce that have truly created their own community of followers on Twitter, too. 

These chambers not only promote their own events and news, but they highlight their members (using their Twitter IDs) and they engage them with conversations.   And, their members even end up promoting each other in addition to recommending...Read More » »

There's a story making its way around the internet right now about a woman in Minnesota who tried to pay for tickets at a local movie theatre with a credit card.  After learning that the theatre only accepted cash, she left the theatre to get some cash and returned, only to continue the unpleasant experience.

Upon returning home, she sent an email to the company that runs the theatre.  While her email could be considered mildly inflamatory, the resulting reply is profanity-laden and offensive.

Rea...Read More » »

The Zionsville IN Chamber of Commerce (just northwest of Indianapolis) recently announced a new marketing initiative using technology to promote their community.   However, several of the community's business owners are not exactly enamored with the plan.   Read the full article here.

The Chamber has purchased advertising on electronic billboards at the baggage claim area of Indianapolis International Airport.  While this is a technology used by many companies to reach their target audience, I...Read More » »

The Maryland Chamber of Commerce is kicking off their 2010 Membership Drive with a special incentive for current members.   Recruit three new members and the Chamber's Chairman will wash your car.   Read more about the offer on the Maryland Chamber Blog.

I like this particular offer because unlike prizes or other incentives, it personalizes the organization.   And, unlike special offers where the new member gets a reward, in this case the exisiting member gets the prize.

However, this does...Read More » »