Just for Chamber Executives.
This book is for chamber executives. That means you wonít have to adapt some business book to your purpose. And you wonít spend hours hunting around the Web, talking to other chamber executives and trying to put everything you hear together. The book starts out with basics you need to know.
The Fundamental Things Still Apply
No matter what youíve read or heard, the basics of business and chamber business still apply in the Digital Age. You still look for ways to increase revenue. You still have two basic ways to do that. You can increase dues revenue by increasing membership while you seek ways to increase non-dues revenue. And, of course, you look for ways to decrease expenses. But some things have changed.
The Net has Changed the World
The Net has changed the world and the business world and the chamber world in three key ways. The Net has increased reach and transparency. Youíve got more options than you used to, but so does your competition in the contest for your members attention, time and money.
Not only that, the Net makes the world go faster. Quick response and instant information are the hallmarks of the Digital Age.
Digital Age Tools Let You Do Great Things
The good news is that youíve now got some tools that let you do great things. The Chamber Executive's Quick Guide to the Web shows you how to use these basic tools to add value for your members and increase your membership and your non-dues revenue.
Tool: Your Chamber Web Site
Your chamber Web site is a key tool for chamber business. In the Chamber Executive's Quick Guide to the Web youíll find out exactly what makes a great chamber site and why a site that wins awards may not be the kind of site that helps you achieve your goals. What kind of site should you have?
Your chamber site must be a good business site. Usability studies, focus groups, polls and surveys of business users of the Web give us a clear idea of what business users want from a Web site, what your members want. Here are a few of the things youíll know when you finish The Chamber Executive's Quick Guide to the Web.
- The one thing that business users want most in a site - give them this and theyíll come back.
- The 3 C's of Stickiness - three proven tools to get visitors to spend more time on your site.
- How fast your site should load - so that people donít leave before they even see what you have to offer.
- The one special feature that two thirds of your visitors will use - because it makes your site dramatically easier to use
- What special features members value on your site - to build value for them
- Why you should have a members only area - and how it can help you build membership
- Key design elements that make your site search engine friendly - so more folks will find you
- Proven techniques for promoting your site - so you stand out from the clutter
- Why not all links to your site are created equal - and how to get the most powerful kind
That's great stuff, but it won't be enough unless you also know how to go about getting a site with the right features and design. The Chamber Executive's Quick Guide to the Web will help you get that job done, too. Here are a few of the things youíll know when you finish The Chamber Executive's Quick Guide to the Web.
- What to ask a designer - to find out the information that really matters to you
- Why you really want a designer's references - hint: it's not to check out designs
- The one check that your designer should pass before you spend a dime. This one will save you hours of aggravation.
There's one more important thing youíll find in the Chamber Executive's Quick Guide to the Web. It's the system Iíve used with clients to keep the budget from spiraling out of control. It's described beginning on page 38. This alone can save you a ton of money.
Tool: Email
Email is the most popular tool on the Net. Everybody uses it and most of us use it more than any other tool. Maybe because it's so easy to use, most organizations donít ever look for the ways that you can use email to achieve objectives. The best way to use email is to use it in tandem with your Web site.
Better Together
Two tools are better than one. The Web is great for posting lots of information and making it easy to find and use. Email is great for staying in touch, for delivering information, and for alerting folks to special offers or a need to take action. Here are a few of the things youíll know when you finish The Chamber Executive's Quick Guide to the Web.
- The two things people want to know before they give you their email address
- How to use email and the Web in your representation/advocacy efforts
- What you really need to know about permission marketing
- The problems with a ìmailtoî link and what you should use instead
- How to answer information requests instantaneously
The Chamber Executive's Quick Guide to the Web is filled with information that will help you and your chamber harness the potential of the Web to accomplish your goals. Don't wait, click here to order your own copy of the Chamber Executive's Quick Guide to the Web. It's in electronic form so we'll have it on the way to you via email just as soon as your order is processed.
