Innovate or Die

There has been much said about this subject.  I've been in the room when chamber executives talk about how the sky is falling.

Let me be the first to tell you a little secret, the sky is not falling!

We have more opportunities today then we've ever had with the advances of technology and how that has only made our jobs easier, not harder.  We can communicate faster and cheaper with our members than ever before.

At the end of the day, we're in the relationship business.

Innovate really means deliver what your members want and that can and will change from time to time.  Are you doing an annual needs assessment survey?  If not you should.

More on that can be found HERE.

If you're like me, I've been around long enough to know that some new shiny item is really nothing more than what we did in the past under a different name.

Yes, technology has changed the way we do business.  But having said that, don't we all want to have personal relationships with the people we do business with?

I know I do!

Think about your day-to-day life.  We all like to do business with people we know/trust and that’s always been the Chamber industry's strong suit.  We are in the business of connecting people.

Again, don't buy into the "sky is falling" commentary from some in our industry.

Get out there and make a difference for your members!

Research: Know Your Member

I recently was reading a "100 Super Hints Revealed" document produced by Marketing General Incorporated.

Go HERE to get the original document.

I've talked about the importance of needs assessment survey's and the tools available to conduct them.

For that blog post go HERE.

Having said that, I wanted to focus on two points in the last section under research of the Marketing General report:

1. It's what you know, not what you suspect; and
2. Beware of the board's perspective.

This is so true!

Don't get in the habit of guessing what your members want from past history or current staff thoughts. Survey your members and know for sure what they want.

The second point is sensitive. Ideally, your board members are the leaders of the community, but remember, they are a select group of your entire membership.

Conduct the survey and then use your board to prioritize the results. Don't let them add additional items your members don't want or feel is a priority.

It’s been said here time and time again. You can't be all things to all people.

When it comes to your members:

• Ask
• Prioritize
• Deliver

That's an equation for success!

Social Media: Is It Just White Noise?

I ask this question every chance I can with chamber execs across the country.

And, I get the same three answers:

1. I don’t know;
2. The puzzled look on the face; and
3. Everybody is doing it, we need to be doing it.

Our members only have so much time in the day. They are trying to run a business.

Have you asked your membership if they want you to communicate with them via social media? Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogs, Ning and Twitter? Just to name a few.

For information on tools to conduct a needs assessment surveys go HERE.

Setting up and managing these social media sites can be a full-time job. In today’s economy, small staffs and possibly no expertise on the technology, what’s a chamber to do?

Solution/s?

Conduct a needs assessment of your membership and ask them what they want. If you’ve got a small staff with no expertise, get a college intern to set it up and teach you how to do it.

Social media is very user friendly and can be fun. The key is turning it into a moneymaking entity for your chamber.

There’s no question social media is making noise, I just don’t know if it’s white noise or noise that we all need to be aware of and pay special attention to by listening.

Get the facts, engage and embrace this technology accordingly!

Latest info on social media go HERE and HERE for two great websites I visit on a regular basis.