The More You Know: How to Make the Most of Your Membership

So, you signed up to be a member of the Eastern Shore of Virginia Chamber of Commerce, now what?

Your Chamber membership is a networking tool, a marketing solution and a business development guide all rolled into one. Make sure you’re making the most of it with these easy steps.

Check Out Your Member Portal

When you sign up as a Chamber member, you’ll get a login and password. These are for our member portal where you’ll be able to share news, posts job openings, pay invoices and update your online listing.

It’s important to keep your online profile up to date because this is the information we’ll use to build your listing in our publications, the Business Directory and Essentials Magazine.

When you post job openings or news in your member portal it won’t just go onto the Chamber website, we’ll also be able to share them in our weekly email newsletter. Speaking of email marketing…

Participate in Email Marketing

Currently the Chamber has two weekly newsletters. Our Wednesday newsletter, The Corner of Business Recovery and Resiliency, focuses on sharing information and resources related to COVID-19. Our Friday Newsletter shares member news, job postings, events and the monthly Business Spotlight blog. To submit information for the Wednesday or Friday newsletter, email marketing@esvachamber.org.

These newsletters are delivered to over 600 contacts each week and have an average open rate of 29%, compared to an industry average of 13%.

Members have an opportunity to reach those same highly engaged contacts by sending an e-blast to the Chamber’s database. For $75 the Chamber will design and send an email for your business to their contacts.

We’re constantly working to grow our database with quality contacts so that our members can reach new audiences, whether it’s through a newsletter or a paid e-blast.

Mail a Message

Buying a mass mailing list can be expensive with very little return. When you join the Chamber you can get one set of free mailing labels that will allow you to send a print piece to all of our members. Additional sets of mailing labels are just $25. You could never buy a high-quality list of 400 contacts for that little.

Tag us on Social Media

If you’re a Chamber member, we’ll share your content on our Facebook and Instagram. If you want to make sure we see your post, give us a tag and we’ll make sure it gets shared. This is a great way for new businesses to get the word out their establishment!

Advertise with us

Each of our over 400 members gets a listing in our Business Directory and Essentials Magazine, but if you want to make sure your business stands out you can buy an ad in either publication. An ad in Essentials will help you market to visitors and locals across the region, while an ad in the Business Directory will help your business stand out to your fellow Chamber members.

Let us Advertise for You

Digital marketing can give you a lot of bang for your buck, but it is also complicated and can flop if your ads aren’t set up correctly. That’s where our Digital Marketing Program comes in. For $75 we’ll set up a Google Ad for your business that’s tailored to your goals. Once your ad runs, we’ll send you a detailed report so you can see the performance.

Reach Visitors

Throughout the year visitors stop by the Chamber for visitor information. You can reach travelers by placing your rack card or brochure in the Chamber lobby or by reserving our business spotlight, which gives you a display in our lobby where you can highlight your business.

Attend Events

You know that gym membership you signed up for in January and never used? Don’t let your Chamber membership be like that. One major advantage to being a Chamber member is networking opportunities. In an increasingly digital world, it can be hard to meet fellow professionals and build business relationships. Chamber events are a perfect way to do so. Whether you’re mingling at a Business After Hours or sipping a craft beer and chatting at our Annual Dinner, being a Chamber Member opens all kinds of doors to networking opportunities.

We do more than just networking though, attend one of our Lunch & Learns and gain knowledge on everything from business insurance to COVID-19 relief funding. The Chamber isn’t just a place to make connections, it’s also a place to learn.

Sponsor an Event

The Chamber hosts 3 major events each year: Le Tour de Shore bike race, Shore Fest golf tournament and Shore Surf & Turf, a tailgating event. Sponsoring an even is a great way to get your brand out there and to show the Eastern Shore that you care about your community.

Become a Champion

Does everything above sound good to you? Well, you’re in luck because there’s an easy way to get it all.

There are four different levels bronze, silver, gold and platinum, each with their own set price and features.

At every level, our Chamber Champions program is intended to be a turnkey marketing solution. Each one includes advertising in the Chamber’s publications, sponsorship at events, eblasts, advertising on the Chamber’s website and tickets to the Annual Dinner. Added benefits of the higher levels include the opportunity to have a booth at all Chamber events (platinum level), the opportunity to be on Chamber Chat on WESR with our Executive Director (platinum, silver and gold) and a reserved table at the Annual Dinner (platinum).

Becoming a Chamber Champion is an easy way to plug into all the great things the Chamber is doing and it gives you a lot of bang for your buck.

Use our Space

If you work out of your home office, but you’d rather not meet with clients at your kitchen table or if your office isn’t big enough for your board of directors you can meet at the Chamber! Chamber members can use our Conference Room or our Board Room once a month free of charge. If you need to meet more often, there’s just a small fee. Plus, we have high speed internet and AV equipment. It’s like having your own co-working space.

Save on Expenses

Joining the Chamber can actually save you money! With your membership you can save on the cost of health and wellness benefits like medical coverage, life insurance, travel assistance and accident insurance.

You can also save on day to day expenses like shipping, conference calling and the Klosebuy program which can provide digital advertising, loyalty programs, email marketing and more.

To learn more about any of our member benefits click here.