Is There Value in Being a Chamber Member?
November 25, 2013
Is There Value In Being A Chamber Member?
I will admit I am not a big Facebook-er, but I do have a page and view occasionally. Just recently I noticed people receiving numbers from their “friends.” The object of the task is to name facts about yourself in the amount of the number you received. I have read some of these responses about some of my Facebook friends and learned more about them than I already knew, or in some instances, care to know.
Occasionally I will encounter someone who just doesn't know what the Chamber of Commerce's role plays in its community and the businesses its serves, or what value there is to being a member. So I thought what if the Cartersville-Bartow County Chamber of Commerce Inc. was given a number, what we would learn?
A recent research report reported that advocates of chambers of commerce have long believed that when a company is active in its local chamber, it is doing the right thing not only for the community but for its own success as well. While there is plenty of evidence to show the impact of chambers of commerce on their communities, it is much harder to find data that quantify the impact of belonging to a chamber. The Study was designed to do just that: determine the real value to companies in terms of consumer outcomes of joining and being active in their local chamber of commerce. Do consumers really support businesses because they are chamber members? They were asked and here are the results...
1.) Most consumers think that being active in the local chamber of commerce is an effective business strategy overall. It is more effective, however, for communicating to consumers that a company uses good business practices and more effective for communicating that a business is reputable.
2.) If a company shows that it is highly involved in its local chamber, consumers are more likely to think that its products stack up better against its competition.
3.) When a consumer thinks that a company’s products stack up better against the competition because the company is highly involved in its local chamber of commerce, it is because he or she infers that the company is trustworthy, involved in the community, and is an industry leader.
4.) When consumers know that a restaurant franchise is a member of the chamber of commerce, they are more likely to eat at the franchise in the next few months.
5.) When consumers know that an insurance company is a member of the chamber of commerce, they are more likely to consider buying insurance from it.
6.) When consumers know that a small business is a member of the chamber of commerce, they are more likely to think favorably of it and more likely to purchase goods or services from the company in the future.
How does a consumer know a business is a Chamber member? We have over 5,000 visits to the “Business Directory” at www.cartersvillechamber.com per month. There people can search for business members by name, category, or by a product or service they are wishing to purchase. Also Chamber members proudly display their Chamber Member decal on their business door or window.
So to conclude on what we learned about membership to a local Chamber is that, whether a business is large or small, a franchise or locally owned, is well-established or just-opened, membership in a local chamber of commerce provides value to any business. Chamber membership truly does make a positive impact!
If you want to learn more about membership in the Cartersville-Bartow County Chamber of Commerce, Inc. I would be happy to meet with you. I can be reached at 770-382-1466 or by email, chris@cartersvillechamber.com
Article by Chris Thomas, Membership and Marketing Director for the Cartersville-Bartow County Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
Thank you to The Daily Tribune for publishing!
I will admit I am not a big Facebook-er, but I do have a page and view occasionally. Just recently I noticed people receiving numbers from their “friends.” The object of the task is to name facts about yourself in the amount of the number you received. I have read some of these responses about some of my Facebook friends and learned more about them than I already knew, or in some instances, care to know.
Occasionally I will encounter someone who just doesn't know what the Chamber of Commerce's role plays in its community and the businesses its serves, or what value there is to being a member. So I thought what if the Cartersville-Bartow County Chamber of Commerce Inc. was given a number, what we would learn?
A recent research report reported that advocates of chambers of commerce have long believed that when a company is active in its local chamber, it is doing the right thing not only for the community but for its own success as well. While there is plenty of evidence to show the impact of chambers of commerce on their communities, it is much harder to find data that quantify the impact of belonging to a chamber. The Study was designed to do just that: determine the real value to companies in terms of consumer outcomes of joining and being active in their local chamber of commerce. Do consumers really support businesses because they are chamber members? They were asked and here are the results...
1.) Most consumers think that being active in the local chamber of commerce is an effective business strategy overall. It is more effective, however, for communicating to consumers that a company uses good business practices and more effective for communicating that a business is reputable.
2.) If a company shows that it is highly involved in its local chamber, consumers are more likely to think that its products stack up better against its competition.
3.) When a consumer thinks that a company’s products stack up better against the competition because the company is highly involved in its local chamber of commerce, it is because he or she infers that the company is trustworthy, involved in the community, and is an industry leader.
4.) When consumers know that a restaurant franchise is a member of the chamber of commerce, they are more likely to eat at the franchise in the next few months.
5.) When consumers know that an insurance company is a member of the chamber of commerce, they are more likely to consider buying insurance from it.
6.) When consumers know that a small business is a member of the chamber of commerce, they are more likely to think favorably of it and more likely to purchase goods or services from the company in the future.
How does a consumer know a business is a Chamber member? We have over 5,000 visits to the “Business Directory” at www.cartersvillechamber.com per month. There people can search for business members by name, category, or by a product or service they are wishing to purchase. Also Chamber members proudly display their Chamber Member decal on their business door or window.
So to conclude on what we learned about membership to a local Chamber is that, whether a business is large or small, a franchise or locally owned, is well-established or just-opened, membership in a local chamber of commerce provides value to any business. Chamber membership truly does make a positive impact!
If you want to learn more about membership in the Cartersville-Bartow County Chamber of Commerce, Inc. I would be happy to meet with you. I can be reached at 770-382-1466 or by email, chris@cartersvillechamber.com
Article by Chris Thomas, Membership and Marketing Director for the Cartersville-Bartow County Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
Thank you to The Daily Tribune for publishing!
Contact:
Chris Thomas, Membership & Marketing Director
chris@cartersvillechamber.com, 770-382-1466
