15 Ways to Improve Your Reputation as a Local Business Thought Leader

As a chamber pro, it is essential that your community see you as a local business thought leader. If they do, they will be more apt to seek your counsel and refer others to the chamber. Or maybe your reputation as a business leader is extraordinary but your staff’s is lacking. Whichever the case, building up the reputations of the team at your chamber is essential to your chamber’s brand. It’s impossible to be seen as a resource for business if you and your staff don’t instill confidence in that area.

15 Tips to Build a Reputation as a Local Business Thought Leader

1. Blog and add a bio on each of your posts. This is done easily through WordPress. Create a bio (or bios for each member of your team) and it will add the appropriate bio to the end of each post based on who wrote it.
2. Share thoughts about business on social media.
3. Support candidates that share your views on business and explain why you do.
4. Fill out all bio areas on social media profiles. Include information about your business expertise and something fun about yourself. Becoming a thought leader is about what you know as well but it’s also about making connections and that fun tidbit will help.
5. Write reviews and recommendations. Be complimentary or don’t write one.
6. Post to LinkedIn’s Pulse.
7. Share your views via video.
8. Give presentations and create videos from them.
9. Participate in local Facebook groups.
10. Attend non-chamber functions and share your knowledge. Don’t sell memberships. Give what you have.
11. Answer questions on Quora or small business question sites.
12. Comment on member’s and community member’s blog posts. Ask them for more information or ask their opinions on things. Don’t post looking for a soapbox. Instead, look for ways to make them shine brighter.
13. Comment or create a post on a relevant issue affecting your town.
14. Be consistent in your posting. You want people to begin to notice you and you can only do that through regular posting.
15. Write quality posts but give credit where credit is due. If someone says it better than you do, share their post as part of yours. Add links where helpful. The point is to become a resource and a connector, not a know-it-all.