Increasing the Value of Membership in Your Chamber of Commerce

Increasing the Value of Membership in Your Chamber of Commerce

Boost chamber revenue and member satisfaction with these tips.

The goal of a chamber of commerce is typically to improve its community's economy and quality of life and help local businesses grow and prosper. As the local and global economy continues to flounder, however, it has become increasingly difficult for chambers of commerce to recruit new members. As a result, many chambers of commerce have experienced declining membership rates. One of the solutions to this problem is increasing the perceived value of membership, so people feel that their chamber dues are justified.

If the only "value" you offer members is networking events, member discounts, and the usual, you must consider that times are changing and these offerings are no longer valued like they used to be. Businesspeople want to know what the ROI of their membership will be when you ask them to join or renew. Are you prepared to provide them with a satisfactory answer? Because of the rise of social media and the proliferation of other kinds of networking groups, your chamber of commerce is far from being the only business group around. So, what can you offer that will make membership in your chamber of commerce worthwhile?

People often join chambers of commerce because they think it will lead to increased business and that it will boost the visibility of their company in the community. Many business owners that join chambers of commerce are also eager to use their services. Almost always, the perceived value of a chamber membership correlates with the participation level and involvement of the member. Essentially, the more involved that a chamber member is, the greater the perceived value of membership will be. So, the goal of your chamber of commerce should be to encourage active, ongoing relationships with chamber members.

Become a "Go To" Resource in Your Community

Create a blog and constantly update it with information about what's happening in the chamber and in your community. In addition, post informative content about conducting business in the local area. Provide links to all of the resources that businesspeople will need. By positioning your website as a "go to" resource in your community, you can ensure that members will visit it on a regular basis.

Help Members Drum up New Business

One of the primary reasons why businesspeople join chambers of commerce is because they want to get more business. Why not help to promote them, so they can generate more leads and sales through their chamber membership? You could create a free mobile app for your community that showcases member businesses, or you could offer your members enhanced profiles on your chamber website that increase their search engine visibility.

Offer Educational Programs Related to Sales & Marketing

Chambers of commerce commonly host seminars, workshops, and educational programs. To increase the value of these educational offerings, focus on educating members about sales, marketing, and business growth, which are areas that many of them might struggle with. Furthermore, since business owners often join chambers of commerce in order to get more business, offering such educational programs may increase the perceived value of membership.

Improve Communication

Keep your members up-to-date regarding everything that's going on in your chamber via your blog, press releases, a calendar, and an email newsletter. Some things you'll want to update your members about include chamber events, member events, seminars, workshops, members' business news and publicity, members' special offers, and your chamber's accomplishments.

Represent Members in the Local Community

Your chamber's directors and staff should be visible at important community functions, such as public forums. After all, your chamber is supposed to advocate for members as well as the overall economic well-being of the community. Show your members that you're out there, fighting for the cause!

Increase the Value of Your Chamber's Membership with a Feature-Rich Website

efelle offers chamber of commerce websites with a variety of features that are designed to maximize membership value, including enhanced member profiles, paid advertising options, and the ability to sell tickets and coupon books. For more information about our chamber of commerce website solution, give us a call at 206.384.4909 or fill out our online contact form to set up a free consultation.

See also:

How to Increase Engagement within your Membership Organization

How to Boost your Chamber of Commerce's Retention Rates