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1. 76% of marketing and PR professionals agree that social media is changing the way their company communicates.  So, if your members feel that social media is changing how they communicate, they also feel that YOU should change the way you...

WebLink will be exhibiting at the Western Association of Chamber Executives (W.A.C.E.) Conference in Las Vegas, February 4-6.  If you’re attending this conference, please stop by the booth to say hello.   We’ll have at least 4 staff members there:  me, Tao Stadler, Mike Bryan and Jeff Cashman.

We’d like to hear about the challenges your chamber of commerce is facing during these uncertain economic times and how you are working to strengthen your local business community.   WebLink works with more...

See part one of this post here.

Why would you pay another company for email services? 

One of the biggest reasons I already mentioned above – relationships with the ISPs.   It would be very difficult for most chambers to dedicate a staff person to constantly monitor their outgoing email to see if it looks like spam and build relationships with the various ISPs to make sure their email is getting delivered.  In fact, many of the ISPs don’t have the staff to work with every small and mid-sized...

Note: this is part one of a two- part post.

Why track email?  You’ve already got enough to do running your chamber.  Why would you want to spend additional time and resources worrying about who’s reading your email? 

Let’s first consider some other methods of one-way communication.  When using direct mail, print advertising, television or radio to promote your programs and events, you have no real way of knowing how many of your target audience actually received the message.  You may get a...

Several months ago, I was asked if I knew of any chambers of commerce or membership organizations that were using technology to create value.  Short of a few conveniences like members being able to update their own information, view referrals or pay their bills online, I couldn’t come up with too many ways to create value.

I do think technology can be used to better manage and communicate value, especially when it's specific to each member. You can effectively track which/how many members...

Today, Mick Fleming, President of ACCE asked a question to chambers of commerce on LinkedIn about how they are selling membership during the recession:  “In 2008, are you using hope or fear?”

Then, a friend of mine (and former VP of marketing at the Lynchburg, VA Chamber) Cheryl Smith, of CultureSmith Consulting, answered Mick’s question with a blog post of her own.  Cheryl has some great perspective on the topic.  Some other chamber execs answered the question, too. 

I’m interested in your answers...

A few days ago, I posted about sending your members out-of-the-blue communications.

Today, Chris Brogan posted “Why Jason Falls Rules” about something that happened after he mentioned to another friend that he hadn’t heard from his friend Jason Falls in a while.  (If you haven’t heard of these two and you are at all interested in social media, follow them on Twitter and read their blogs!)

Turns out that word got back to Jason and within two hours, flowers showed up at Chris’ office -...

You see these all the time on commercials or in print ads.  They are the www.dell.com/tv or www.sony.com/superbowl URLs that "big" companies use.  But they are very seldom used by chambers of commerce and business associations.

(note:  the links in this post are for examples only; they don’t really go anywhere)  J

These “shortcut" addresses can make it easy for your members to find information quickly.  Instead of directing a member to www.yourdomain.com/chamber/benefits/officedepot/signupform.htm...

Recently, I placed an order on Sierra Trading Post's website.  I've ordered from them several times over the past few years, but I noticed something for the first time today.  When I got my order confirmation email, there were these two lines just after the total of my order:

You have saved $35.05 over regular retail prices on this order. 
You have saved $459.76 over regular retail prices on all prior purchases. 

WOW!  I had no idea I had "saved" so much money over the years.  I guess I...

By Pam Sefrino, WebLink Director of Sales, Northeast Region (formerly with Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce)

In this tough economic climate, member retention rates are falling and even long-time chamber members are scrutinizing every dollar they spend and looking at the return on their annual membership investment. What are you doing to ensure that renewing membership in your chamber is an easy decision, even when belts are being tightened?

No longer are chamber professionals able to get...

I recently got my new ATM card in the mail from my bank (Citibank) because the old one will be expiring soon.  No big deal...this happens all the time, right?

The card was attached to the letter/insert as normal. But the insert said "WELCOME" in huge letters, as if I were new to Citibank and this was my first card ever.  But, they KNOW that I've had this account for more than 10 years and they KNOW this was just a renewal card.  So, why did they treat me as though I were new?   Is it that hard...

How are your members helping you retain them?    Are you collecting member intelligence from them when they join that will help you improve your member retention?

First, remember that gathering data to keep in your member management software is the key to getting good member intelligence.  And where is the first place you usually start collecting data from your members?  Your membership application.

Alter your membership application to include the information you always wished you could get from...

Our clients and prospects continue to ask about blogging.  Should we blog? How do we blog? What would we blog about?  How will it benefit us and our members?    I’ll get into more detail below, but first let me say “YES,” chambers should blog. 

1.    Communication that engages your members.   Just a few years ago, we were saying “every chamber needs a website.”  Now it’s “every chamber needs blog.”   Your current members are becoming more tech savvy every day.  And, the young professionals you hope...