I was in a meeting with chair-elect, Darrin Black (Black Plumbing), last week discussing his upcoming term as Chamber Chair when he stated, “I want our focus to be on our membership. Getting back to the basics by telling our story and communicating to our members what exactly their return on investment (ROI) is with their Chamber membership.”
I know with great confidence that each of our members is aware of our well-publicized programs and events. Those are the functions and places where you meet, interact and establish relationships with fellow business owners and their associates - also bringing you an ROI.
But what if you find yourself completely unable to participate in any of the events, networking, programs and functions of the Chamber? Are you still getting value out of your membership with us?
The short answer? Yes; We’re constantly working on behalf of our members through business advocacy and economic development. But what about beyond those two things? What ways can you interact with the Chamber on a digital level?
I’m glad you asked!
Let’s talk about a few programs like Tools for Business. Do you find yourself searching the internet looking for resources to help grow your business? Tools for Business is a one-stop shop for information on business plans, resources for growing your business, employee training and much more. Think YouTube but business focused. And, let’s not forget about AbileneWorks.com where the Chamber will help spread the word about an open position within your company.
Do you have big news about your business? Did you just launch a new menu or win an award? Share it with us on the Member News portion of our website. We want to celebrate and share your accomplishments with the entire business community.
And, if you listen to 96Q or 95.1 The Wolf, chances are you’ve heard my voice talking about our Chamber members. As a champion for developing and promoting the economy and quality of life in the Abilene area, it’s important that we help share your business story. We do this through the partnership with Community Broadcast Partners and the 60 Seconds Strictly Business program. If you’re interested in getting involved in this, click here.
And finally, let’s talk Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Did you know that your SEO score automatically increases just for being a Chamber member?
It’s true! Joining the Abilene Chamber gives you a ‘dofollow’ backlink from our website. What does this mean to you? It means that Google and the other search engines look to you as more favorable from an SEO standpoint. If you have a link from us, and your competitors don’t, you’re more likely to show up in Google searches.
Folks, I mentioned above that we’re constantly working on behalf of our members. Whether it’s through business advocacy, economic development, leadership development, networking or events. Your ROI is important us and we hope that you see that.