Once upon a time, taking a membership in your local chamber of commerce was a marketing tactic. Traditional business owners didn’t typically admit that, however. It was a ‘secret’ that their membership was not much more than an inexpensive and quick attempt to boost awareness about their business.
The people who were running local chambers of commerce were also in on that ‘secret.’ That’s why they would typically point out other ways in which they provided value. For example, they’d say that they were ‘battling’ daily on behalf of businesses.
Or, they would say that chambers of commerce were places for business owners to access ideas and insight. (In reality, have you ever heard someone say, “I lean on my chamber of commerce for ideas and insight?”)
Maybe it’s just us, but local chambers of commerce have become virtually obsolete. What’s more, in some ways, being a member of one could even hurt your brand image among some demographic groups.
Let’s wrap this up.
Folks, in life and in business, most ideas have a shelf life. When it comes to local chambers of commerce, is it just us, or are they well past their ‘best before’ date?
Just for taxpayers: Should your tax dollars still be supporting the institution of local chambers of commerce? Just listen to your gut — it will tell you the answer to that question.
Just for business owners: Can you name a marketing tactic that seems sillier than hoping to somehow leverage your chamber of commerce membership into a good marketing channel? (Buying ads in the phonebook comes close. Maybe?)
Over to you:
If you or someone you know has a great success story about how a chamber of commerce membership helped a business, we’d love to hear it. Simply send us an email to hi@krisp.ca, or send us a FB message.
p.s. If you’re wondering how it is that chambers of commerce are still around, the answer seems to be this: because most of them get the bulk of their funding from the city and state/provincial governments.
That connection alone makes it even more puzzling as to why the people who tend to manage local chambers of commerce insist on calling themselves CEOs, no?