EEK! The news headlines read that we have a strong economy, consumer confidence is up, but businesses are cancelling membership because they’re cutting all non-essential costs.
How can you build membership at a time like this? It’s an uphill battle for sure.
When you sell by cost of membership, you’ll likely be one of the first expenses they cut. The trick is to convert their thinking from seeing chamber membership as an expense to seeing it as a way to make money and being a part of something of tremendous value to the community. You do this by constructing an effective narrative.
Storytelling is a powerful, cost-effective tool that can drive engagement, strengthen your chamber’s brand, and ultimately attract new members. When you communicate the chamber’s mission and successes in a relatable, story-driven way, you can deepen your community impact and increase memberships.
You just need to get strategic about it and start seeing the chamber story as an integral part of who you are, not a blog post you put up every once in a while, or some fancy words you slap on your About Us page.
The Key to Good Storytelling for Business
Marketing gurus estimate it takes seven touches for a message to resonate. You can do it in less by adopting a holistic, multi-faceted storytelling approach. But the key here is holistic, meaning you’re using a narrative approach in every aspect of your marketing.
For further understanding of why a holistic approach is important, let’s look at it from a different perspective. If you want to lose weight, it’s likely you do more than just give up sugary beverages. Yes, that’s a good start. But if you give them up, but don’t change your eating habits, where will you be? The same is true of your marketing. If you create a beautiful narrative and tuck it away on your About Us page, never to be referenced again, you’re not doing all you can do. And you likely won’t see the results you want. Just as the desire to lose weight and maintain it requires a commitment to increasing your overall health, embracing the power of the narrative also requires a commitment to it influencing every aspect of your communications.
Are you ready?
Developing a Narrative-driven Chamber Marketing Strategy
Here’s how to effectively tell your story to unite your programs, amplify your chamber’s value, and grow your member base.
Define Your Chamber’s Core Identity and Purpose
Every strong story begins with clarity on “who we are” and “why we exist.” For a chamber, this means pinpointing the specific needs and characteristics of your business community. Is your chamber primarily focused on small, locally owned businesses? Or do you work to support specific industries, such as technology or hospitality?
While you can support multiple types of businesses, you cannot be “all the things.” To create a compelling narrative, you must choose who your ideal audience is. Authors, even famous ones cannot publish one book across all the genres. It’s confusing.
Get clear about who you’re speaking to and how you help. Then stay consistent with it long enough that you begin to build an audience.
Don’t change your mission and vision every time someone on city council coughs.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t evolve over time but do so through your existing narrative and build on.
Example: Imagine a small, chamber with a history rooted in supporting local retail businesses now aiming to include tech startups. This chamber’s story could center on how it’s bridging old and new business models in the local community. Highlight stories of local shops partnering with tech businesses, creating a shared narrative of resilience and innovation.
Best Practice Tip
Create a mission statement that emphasizes what makes your chamber unique. This foundational story is your “guiding light” for all communications. Make it visible on your website, in emails, and even within your office space. By embedding this purpose into every piece of content you share, you’ll build recognition and support for the chamber’s brand and core mission.
Highlight Success Stories with Measurable Impact
People connect with stories. By sharing the successes of your chamber members and the chamber’s own achievements, you highlight how you contribute to members’ growth.
Example: Start by showcasing a member success story, such as a local restaurant that joined your chamber to connect with suppliers and saw a revenue boost after participating in chamber-organized promotions. Walk through the business’s journey, how the chamber helped, and the outcome. These stories won’t fall in your lap. You’ll need to pursue them and work with the business to tell them.
Best Practice Tip
Use a “problem-solution-outcome” format. Begin with the member’s problem (like low customer foot traffic), describe the solution the chamber provided (such as networking events or marketing support), and end with the positive outcome.
Share these stories on your website, in your newsletter, and on social media, spotlighting members and how the chamber’s benefits created positive outcomes for them. This reinforces the chamber’s value and provides social proof that the chamber can make a tangible difference.
Unify Programs and Committees under Key Themes
Do you have several committees or programs with no unifying strategy to tie them together? For a smaller chamber with limited visibility, organizing programs around a few powerful themes will simplify messaging, align efforts, and make it easier for members to understand the chamber’s role.
Example: A chamber might organize its activities around three pillars: “Business Growth,” “Community Support,” and “Future Planning.” Each committee, event, or program then falls under one of these themes, creating an easy-to-understand structure. For instance, the Business Growth theme might cover networking events, the Community Support theme could focus on volunteer initiatives, and Future Planning might involve educational workshops on industry trends.
Best Practice Tip
Choose 2-3 broad themes (or words) that reflect your chamber’s goals and structure all events, committees, and communications around these themes. You likely already have these as part of your strategic plan anyway.
Ensure every newsletter, social media post, and event promotion references the relevant theme. This repetition creates continuity and helps potential members quickly see the chamber’s structure and value.
Show the Chamber in Action through Visual Content
Visual storytelling is powerful for illustrating the chamber’s work in action. By sharing images and videos of chamber events, committee meetings, and community service projects, you humanize the chamber and show prospective members the benefits of joining.
Example: If you host a “Business After Hours” networking event, instead of just posting a text summary, share a photo album on Facebook or Instagram with highlights, tag participating businesses, and add member testimonials describing how the event benefited them.
The key here is to do it with the speed of a photojournalist. No one wants to wait for anything these days. This is something you should be putting together right away/immediately after the event has ended (or while it’s going on). If you must wait for professional shots of the event, take your own and post a few first with a teaser of the others to come.
Best Practice Tip
Regularly post photos or short videos of events on social media and create short highlight reels of monthly activities. For a cohesive look, keep your visuals on-brand by using consistent colors, fonts, and logos. This visual narrative makes your chamber’s activities evident, which shows that you’re active, engaged, and making an impact.
Smiling faces are some of the best ways to create the fear of missing out.
Integrate the Community’s Voice into the Chamber’s Story
Let members and community stakeholders tell your chamber’s story for you. These testimonials and endorsements provide powerful validation for prospective members who want to hear from people they know and trust.
Example: Conduct short interviews with current members about how the chamber has helped their business. Feature these stories on your website, in email campaigns, in your newsletter, and/or on social media.
Vary who you use for a more diverse storyline. One post might feature a quote from a longtime member discussing how the chamber provided key connections during difficult times, while another post could highlight a newer member explaining the ease of joining and the immediate benefits they’ve experienced.
Best Practice Tip
Post member testimonials regularly and include a “Member Spotlight” section on your website. Tag members in social posts to encourage engagement and share testimonials that reflect the diversity of your membership base. This validates the chamber’s impact in a genuine, relatable way.
Create a Consistent, Value-Driven Content Calendar
A content calendar will help you deliver a steady stream of narrative-driven posts that consistently showcase the chamber’s impact. Aim for a mix of content that educates, engages, and motivates current and prospective members.
Example of Strong Content Mix:
- Monday Motivation. Start each week by sharing a quick success story or testimonial from a member.
- Tuesday Tips. Post a helpful business tip, such as marketing advice, or share a resource that’s relevant to your members.
- Wednesday Wisdom. Share favorite business quotes from famous entrepreneurs as well as leaders in your community.
- Throwback Thursday. Post a nostalgic picture or story about your chamber’s history to show its longstanding presence and commitment to the community.
- Feature Friday. Highlight a member business or a program’s accomplishments, reinforcing the chamber’s role in members’ growth.
Best Practice Tip
Organize a simple weekly content structure so members know when to expect new information. Over time, this consistency will strengthen the chamber’s brand, make content creation easier, and build a loyal audience. Link your blog on your social media profiles and post content from it on social to drive traffic to your site.
Regularly Engage with Members and Seek Feedback
A great story evolves with feedback. Ensure that your chamber’s story reflects the current needs and aspirations of your membership base by regularly engaging with members and analyzing your communication’s performance.
Often people aren’t how to articulate their needs in how the chamber can help so make sure you’re on social media listening, as well as listening at chamber mixers. Members may not think to ask you to advocate for them, for instance. But you might overhear them complaining to a peer about their quandary. Knowing what your members need and offering them the services before they think (or know) to ask can amplify the chamber’s story.
Example: After each event, ask for feedback through a quick survey and use positive comments as testimonials.
Best Practice Tip
Create a quarterly “State of the Chamber” email that highlights feedback-driven changes, recent successes, and upcoming initiatives. This transparency builds trust and shows you listen to and value member input.
Storytelling is a dynamic and resource-efficient approach for chambers looking to increase membership and foster a sense of community. But it must be done strategically and holistically. Your story should shape all chamber communications and marketing decisions because with each piece of content, you have the ability to reinforce the chamber’s relevance, attract new members, and build a loyal, engaged community.
