Chamber Software

Increase Your Chamber of Commerce Membership and Revenues with a Great Website.

The best Chamber of Commerce websites grab the attention of visitors and increase community revenues, too. Your site is the first glimpse many people will have of your community; so make the introduction grand. Tourists want to have fun, new residents want to set up housekeeping, and businesses want to make money. Show them all how those things are possible! Be the information solution for everyone who surfs into your virtual Chamber. Read on to learn the common elements found on successful Chamber of Commerce websites.

Visitor and Tourism Info
Folks vacationing in your area will go to your site to find out what to do during their visit. Let them know what fun they�ll have! Give them hotel and motel options. Will it be the Civil War era bed and breakfast or the Motel 6? Explain what your area has to offer the single adventurer, the more staid older couple, or the family with four energetic children who need to bounce off the walls for most of their waking hours. Recommend nearby theme or water parks and historic landmarks; or captivate them with a little local lore. �This monument was built in remembrance of those who served on the crew during the construction of our first paved road in 1932.� �This spectacular boulder resembling our 16th president was sculpted by small trickles of water over thousands of years.� �Bob Barker slept here.� Great architecture, astounding natural formations, death-defying roller coasters and even impressive cemeteries should be touted on your site. Reveal that which makes your community special and interesting. Attractive pictures of those unique offerings will close the deal. After a few minutes on your site, visitors should be running to pack their bags.

Relocation Info
People moving to your area want to know how the schools measure up, what their job prospects are, where to find a suitable place to live and worship, and what to do in their off time. Make them excited to become part of your community! Focus on all that the community has to offer the new resident. Give some background on their new home. Describe who founded the area, when and why. Tell them how to keep up-to-date on the local happenings. Local newspaper information should be available as well as any other sources of pertinent breaking news. Festivals and cultural offerings are always of interest to newcomers. Describe the theme or content of any nearby museums. Provide information on the libraries and parks. If your community hosts a regular gala such as an annual oyster festival, hot-dog-eating contest, or blue-ribbon-worthy jam-and-jelly-making extravaganza, give the dates and highlights so the new resident will be sure to attend. Call the movers, they�re on their way!

Calendar of Events
What's going on! People look to the Chamber of Commerce for information on area activities. Encourage community participation and demonstrate you have an active Chamber by listing upcoming events. Provide information, dates, and specifics regarding attendance on banquets, economic development meetings, business related presentations or fund-raisers. Advertise festivals and shindigs so your website visitors will know you are on top of happenings in the area. Sponsor fun "themed" luncheons � anything from mystery theater to a horse care presentation � designed to bring community and business owners together. The more thorough your event calendar, the better impression you will make on website visitors. Certainly, an active Chamber of Commerce will draw enthusiastic new members.

Membership Info
Convince small business owners that they absolutely must join by describing all the wonderful extras they�ll miss if they don�t. Do not ask them what they can do for your Chamber (that will take care of itself with their membership dues and participation), tell them what your Chamber can do for them. Include them in an online database of member businesses. They�ll love that visitors to your site seeking information on area business will be able to find them. It buys them credibility and helps drum up more business for them! Offer them free advertising in the Chamber�s monthly newsletter. Supply �members only� access to bids on government projects, special pricing on bulk mail for their company, leadership-training programs � online or real time, or discounts on products and services from other Chamber members. Make these items accessible via a �members only� section on your website. This is a huge selling point for successful Chamber sites. The best Chamber of Commerce websites today offer instant application and immediate access to �members only� goodies � all right on the site! Don�t lose potential new members by making them join the old-fashioned way via snail mail. Progressive business owners want to work with a progressive Chamber.

About The Chamber
Site visitors want to know if your goals are in sync with what they seek in a community. Tell them when your Chamber of Commerce was founded and why. A mission statement is a must! Let them know what your Chamber does to make your area a great place to live, work, and play. For example, �Our mission is to unite small businesses in the community for the purpose of working together to create an economic environment where business can prosper.� Or, �Our mission is to develop a community which promotes economic growth via small business teamwork, tourism, and pancake breakfasts.� Decide what your Chamber goal truly is, then create a mission statement that clearly spells it out.

Contact Info
Make it easy for people to contact the Chamber by providing the address, phone number and email address. List board members by name and department with their email addresses and phone numbers, as well, so visitors can determine easily who to contact with their specific inquiries.

A successful Chamber of Commerce website is information-rich and modern; with all the functionality 21st century web surfers have come to expect. Make your site an indispensable resource for tourists and business owners alike; and watch your revenues explode.

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