The North Valley Chamber of Commerce has a lot of things going for it. In the past 3 years they have gone from less than 200 members to over 600. And while they perform many of the same functions that most Chambers do (mixers, business expos & breakfasts,) they also hold a series of special meetings called clusters.
The clusters are essentially a group of non-competing business men and women who meet once a week to discuss issues affecting them, share and pass leads, and most importantly...build trust. This format is similar in nature to BNI (Business Network International) and LeTip, but wrapped under the umbrella of the Chamber of Commerce.
Some of the clusters have grown to well over 30 members and have progressed to the point of developing their own websites and eNewsletters. These are hardcore Chamber members. They don't use the Yellow Pages. They call their fellow cluster members and get personal recommendations for the products and services they need.
Now, what would an online Chamber of Commerce directory look like if you were able to take the "trust factor" from the clusters (real-world experiences, recommendations, stories) and combine it with a simple, easy-to-use web front end?
Of course you would have a very specialized, local social search engine. And depending on how a Chamber of Commerce is viewed by the community it serves, this could be a very powerful tool to promote local businesses and encourage new membership.
How is your local Chamber of Commerce positioning themselves with regards to local search? Post your comments below!
A great article on businesses coming together to position themselves as "Experts" in their local communities. I would have to add that you don't necessary need to wait for your local Chamber of Commerce to take the lead. Check out http://MadisonRealEstateShow.com for more ideas.
Posted by: jvhomes | July 21, 2006 at 01:42 PM