Operators Find Chamber Membership to Be Worthwhile Investment
Starting or expanding a business requires considerable effort, but numerous resources are available to help. One of these is the local chamber of commerce.
Comprised of local businesses, these organizations support the interests of their members. For small businesses, meeting with and joining the chamber can help to establish a presence within a community, whether it is a city or group of small towns.
The community's commerce center offers resources, collective discounts, networking opportunities, marketing support, and synergy with other businesses and a customer base.
Membership Has Benefits
The local chamber of commerce is a resource for any business, says Jenny Boettcher, president of Grosse Pointe Chamber of Commerce and Grosse Pointe Chamber Foundation in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.
“Joining your local chamber of commerce can offer several benefits to local businesses,” Boettcher says.
Boettcher outlines several benefits to businesses that join their local chamber, including:
Networking opportunities. Meetings where business owners can showcase their business and connect with peers, potential clients, and local leaders. Networking also offers opportunities to collaborate on programs, projects, and events.
Credibility and trust. Chamber membership can signal legitimacy and trustworthiness to customers, who often view members as more reputable.
Marketing and visibility: Members get listed in the chamber’s printed directory and get a profile on the chamber’s website with links to their website and social media platforms. They can also be featured in the chamber’s newsletter and social media outlets and included in community events and promotions.
Business referrals: Chambers often refer members only to other businesses, residents, and visitors.
Education and resources: Chambers can provide access to workshops, seminars, marketing, grant opportunities, loan options, and more.
Community involvement: Chamber members have the opportunity to sponsor events, support local causes, and improve public perception through civic engagement.
Practical Use
Listings online and in print serve as a great starting point for customers seeking a solution. A customer will have confidence in a quick lube business listed with the local chamber of commerce. It is a respectable endorsement that may be particularly useful in developing areas where customers are seeking an established business.
“We see it as very important,” says Joe Coyle, manager at The Lube Center in Springtown, Texas. “We’re a growing city. We’re a tiny town, but we’re massively growing. That’s where people go to look for it.”
Collaborate With Complementary Businesses
Businesses can connect through the local chamber of commerce and collaborate on how they can drive customers from one storefront to the next. A quick lube shop might offer coupons for a nearby carwash. Customers can bring their cars in for a wash after a service visit.
“We’ve received some good benefits. The chamber in this area is super active,” finds Sean Jost, regional manager at Jiffy Lube in Southern Utah. Jost says he sees that several people at the local chamber are “very awesome. They help local businesses.”
Jost appreciates the networking opportunities offered by the local chapters. “It’s been good getting to meet other businesses and know about other businesses in the area,” he said.
Those relationships can lead to business, including fleet accounts.
Commerce Events
Hosting an event through the chamber of commerce can help grow those business-to-business relationships or promote a business to new and existing customers.
“We had an event here two months ago,” Jost tells NOLN. “We gave them lunch and toured them around the shop. It was a good opportunity to develop relationships with people you otherwise might not meet.”
Chamber-related events can even bring businesses together to create a greater impact.
“You can team up with a business that doesn’t have a location,” adds Brian Walker, owner of Shop Marketing Pros. “The catering company has the food, quick lube has a location, hosting an event for the chamber of commerce.”
Attendees can easily become converts at a successful event. “People who attend chamber of commerce events are natural with spreading the word,” Walker tells NOLN.
Unlimited Involvement
Most chambers of commerce offer tiers based on business size or sector, as well as membership with varying levels of involvement. The basics, such as online and print listings, might be enough for a new business to get started. Over time, a company may want to host an event, sponsor a local gathering, or collaborate with other businesses.
“I feel like we could probably get more of a benefit out of (membership) if I had time to be more active and attend more events,” says Jost. “Maybe we could get more out of it.”
