Mike Schlossberg discusses how chambers of commerce can effectively utilize social media. Originally, chambers facilitated networking, but now social media brings people together and helps make connections. Schlossberg provides statistics on major social media platforms and advises chambers to have a social media plan and manager. He offers best practices for chambers to engage prospective members on social media, including learning about them, welcoming new members, and advertising member benefits. Chambers should track social interactions and use social media to strengthen relationships and potentially make sales.

1. Mike Schlossberg
Pennsylvania State Representative
Former Vice President, Greater
Lehigh Valley Chamber of
Commerce
@MikeSchlossberg – #ACCE2014

2. Chambers of Commerce facilitated
networking before any other opportunity
existed.
That was the original selling point for
Chambers of Commerce: it brought people
together.
That’s what social media does now. It
brings people together and helps make
connections when none existed.
@MikeSchlossberg

3. The fundamental truth on social media for
a Chamber of Commerce, or any business,
is this:
@MikeSchlossberg

4. @MikeSchlossberg

5. Facebook
• 1.28 billion members, 1.23 billion who use
monthly, 757 who use daily.
• However, younger users (<24 year olds) is
dropping.
Twitter
• About 1 billion accounts, 255 million
monthly users.
• Majority of use comes from a mobile
device.
@MikeSchlossberg

6. LinkedIn
• 300 million users, 100 million of which
are in the United States.
• 120 million daily users.
Instagram
• 200 million monthly active users.
• 60 million photos uploaded daily.
Vine
• 40 million total users, and rising.
• Five vines are tweeted every second.
@MikeSchlossberg

7. Social Media Manager: One person is in
charge of all social media, including all
aspects of content creation, all pages,
member sales, retention, etc.
Hub & Coordinator: One person
coordinates but each staffer manages their
own pages, does their own
sales/communications, etc.
Best fit? Likely in the middle of these.
Above all else: HAVE A PLAN.
@MikeSchlossberg

8. Regardless of your model, track social
media interactions and contact information
in your CRM.
Set up custom fields for this and display
social media in your member directory.
Great argument here for the “social media
manager” model.
• Manager can track all interactions.
@MikeSchlossberg

9. Social media presents a wealth of
information about potential new members.
From a sales perspective, how are you
using this information?
@MikeSchlossberg

10. @MikeSchlossberg

11. Compile the key information on a business or
prospect before you meet them. Examples of
such info include:
• Recent events, as told by recent posts.
• Information on key decision makers (educational
background, interests, etc).
• Business size, other groups they belong to, etc.
All of this will enable you to hold a more
productive meeting.
The information will help you better determine
how you can serve that potential member’s
needs.
@MikeSchlossberg

12. As a potential new member is considering
joining the Chamber, what do you think
they are doing? Looking you up on the
internet – and social media!
Always make sure you put your best foot
forward:
• Keep your social media platforms updated with
fresh, interesting and relevant content.
• Above all else, keep the content member-centric.
@MikeSchlossberg

13. Member of the Day: Start every day by posting
about today’s “Member of the Day” – allow each
member an opportunity to plug a sale, promotion
or announcement.
Retweet/sharing: Retweet or share interesting
content from your Members, or allow your
members to Email you/text you pics or Vines that
you can upload directly to your profile.
Guest blog entry:
Allow a member to
make a blog entry on
a subject of their
expertise on your blog.
@MikeSchlossberg

14. Welcome new members: As you get new
members, welcome them on Twitter, or
take a picture of their shop/staff and
upload it.
Job Openings: Post when your
members are hiring.
Members in the news: Post
news stories that feature Chamber
members – even if the story has nothing to
do with your Chamber.
@MikeSchlossberg

15. Post value-added content: You can’t just post
about yourself. Post interesting articles that
relate to subjects that businesses will find
useful.
• Business news.
• Policy news.
• Local news.
• Social media information (instructional, how-to, etc).
Multi-media content: Make sure to post
images, videos, links & questions.
• Helps you break through Facebook’s algorithm.
@MikeSchlossberg

16. It should be sparse; one out of every ten
pieces of content, if that.
However, it’s foolish to avoid.
Testimonials:
• Facebook/Google+/Blogging: Picture of member with
text.
• Twitter: Mention the business/person, a brief quote
and link to a longer quote.
• YouTube/Vine: Brief video with the member testifying
about the benefits of Chamber membership.
@MikeSchlossberg

17. Member benefits: This is great for existing
& future members.
• Stress the specific benefit: how much money the
member can save/new business it can gain, etc.
• Make sure to have a specific call to action: “Click
here to learn more”
@MikeSchlossberg

18. Screencast: www.screenr.com
• Using just what is on your computer and a
microphone, you can create a screencast – a
Powerpoint, for example – on the benefits of
membership.
• You can also use this tool to show people how to
use various member benefits, etc.
• You can then record the screencast and put it on
YouTube – and then to all of your social media.
• Yes, this is free!
@MikeSchlossberg

19. 1. Formalize: Like, follow, connect, etc.
2. Track: Add relevant information to your CRM.
3. Engage: Comment on information they post, like their
status, etc.
4. Turn: At appropriate time, turn the conversation to a
subtle sales pitch. Don’t be overt.
5. Pitch: Have a real world conversation about the
benefits of Chamber membership.
Sometimes, this can occur exclusively online – other
times, any of these steps will stop and become
integrated into the real world.
Do this for as many businesses as you have the
capacity for!
@MikeSchlossberg

20. Have ambassadors? Train them for social media
use – or, even better, have an exclusive set of
social media ambassadors!
Assign your ambassadors a group of members,
give them their social media contact information,
and have them connect and comment.
This can be for existing or future members.
Training is necessary: Offer your ambassadors
free training in how to use social media, including
technical and “cultural” aspects.
• This is an added benefit to being an Ambassador and will
surely be useful to them in the real world.
@MikeSchlossberg

21. Facebook and Twitter are both testing “Buy
Now” buttons.
In the future – sell memberships,
sponsorships, event tickets & more.
@MikeSchlossberg

22. Like EVERY business: Even those that
are future members.
• Gives you insight into what these
businesses do and what they are
looking for.
• Creates opportunity for interaction.
Events: Advertise your free/low cost events.
• Use the invite function from your personal profile.
• Fill out all relevant information and add pictures from
previous events, if possible.
@MikeSchlossberg

23. Facebook advertisements
• Can offer on a Pay Per Click basis.
• Can target based on demographics
(age, gender, sexual orientation and
keywords like “business owner” and
“entrepreneur”)
• NO extra cost associated with creating
different ads based on targets
(women/minorities, LGBT, young
professionals).
Cost per click may differ.
• Can create extremely targeted, hyper-
relevant ad campaigns.
@MikeSchlossberg

24. Retweet relevant local content: Your goal
is to appear useful and valuable; not just to
make a sale.
Follow and engage: Find every business
owner possible and follow them. Engage
as appropriate.
Not just to make a sale – have a
conversation. Think Dale Carnegie!
@MikeSchlossberg

25. Appropriate hashtag use: Multiple
studies show that tweets that use
hashtags get more retweets and
click-throughs. Use (appropriate)
local hashtags.
Lists: Can create Twitter lists based on any
subject that you want.
• Lists can be public or private; as such, you can
create a private, “future member” list.
• Use these functions to organize
prospects/members, and view these lists
periodically.
@MikeSchlossberg

26. Connect with anyone who wants, but
actively seek connections with prospects.
• Do not automatically move into a sale pitch!
• Use the information in the contact’s profile to see if
you can’t build a relationship later down the line.
Before actively using LinkedIn for sales,
determine activity levels.
• Many people have a profile because they’ve been
told they have to have an activity level…and then
never use it again.
@MikeSchlossberg

27. Create a Chamber group and invite all Chamber
members to join.
• Keep an eye out for excessive self-promotional material
and set guidelines – some people will spam your group all
day!
Use “looked at your profile” to build connections.
Join local groups and make positive contributions.
• Helps can your name – and the name of your Chamber –
out there.
@MikeSchlossberg

28. ROI is notoriously difficult to measure in
social media and sales.
Tracking sales made by social media alone
isn’t enough.
• Like any other marketing: People have seen your
social media updates and been influenced to join
your Chamber without even realizing it.
@MikeSchlossberg

29. Size of groups is important, but…
…interactions is much more important.
Track likes, mentions and conversations.
Track conversations, in particularly, in your
CRM.
Staff perspective: Track time spent
managing social media.
@MikeSchlossberg

30. @MikeSchlossberg

31. Mike Schlossberg
michaelschlossberg@gmail.com
@mikeschlossberg
Facebook.com/mikeschlossberg
Visit http://politicalfails.wordpress.com for more information,
or if you want to talk further.
BLATANT SELF-PROMO: Keep an eye out for my book,
Tweets and Consequences: 60 Social Media Disasters in
Politics and How You Can Avoid a Career-Ending Mistake,
coming out in late August/early September. And please
reach out if I can be helpful to you or your Chamber when it
comes to social media!
@MikeSchlossberg