BizWord June 2010
Message from the Chairman of
the Board
Hello Fellow Chamber Members,
This monthly letter often starts with a reminder of the personal goals I have
while serving as your Chamber Chairman. This helps me focus my efforts. As a
reminder, they are as follows:
-
Increase the value of the Chamber membership
-
Increase membership in the Chamber
-
Improve the financial position of the Chamber
BUY CHAMBER
As a reminder, the Chamber established the
“BUY CHAMBER”
program to promote all three of these goals. It is designed to drive community
business to you. For those who have not registered for
“BUY CHAMBER,"
go to the website, login, and add your name. Community members are using this
site to find local businesses to work with and your
“BUY CHAMBER”
promotion may be the value that causes them to buy from you.
Nominations Encouraged
All members should be aware that at is the time of year we are looking for
nominations to serve on the Chamber Board. We have established a Nominating
Committee and we encourage you to put your name in the hat if you are interested
in directing the Chamber efforts. Please remember that along with the Board
membership comes a responsibility to support and promote the Chamber.
Click here to learn more about the Board of Director Expectations.
The term is for three years and commences October 1.
I have
personally found it a privilege and an honor to serve on the Chamber Board. I
have had the opportunity to support the local community, network with a great
group of business people and promote the awareness of my business. To the
extent you want to get involved, take an active role in community service and
help yourself in the process, I encourage you to contact Laura Crawford or the
Nomination Committee.
Applications are available on the Chamber website.
Board Nomination Form
Board of Directors Expectations
Last but not least, I hope everyone took some time to remember the people who
have served to keep our country free and had a wonderful Memorial Day!
Your Chamber Chairman,
Donald
D. Duncan
back to top
Ask the Expert Creating Successes
Have you heard about Ask
the Expert? It is one of the newest Chamber programs and a free and easy
way to promote your business! Here is what Chamber Member, Karen Skala of KAREN
SKALA WEALTH MANAGEMENT had to say about her experience:
"Shortly after I joined “Ask the Expert," a local
reporter submitted a request to interview a financial planner about tax
planning. I submitted a response, we did a phone interview and a photographer
took photos of me meeting with a client. The photos were on the paper’s website
along with my name business information and the paper featured a story with a
quote from me which also included my business info. The few minutes it took me
to respond to the reporter was well worth it!"
Ask the Expert is a
collection of Chamber Members who will provide their expertise on questions
pertaining to their professional industry. It is free to “Ask the Expert” and
the program was
created to benefit the entire Downers Grove area community!
Are you an
"Expert" yet?
Click here and get started!
back to top
Just in from US
Chamber: New Media Is Here To Stay
Start Customer Relationships Online
By Kelly McGary, US Chamber
Over the last year, new media—social networking sites, aggregate news services,
blogs, e-mail, and other online messaging tools—has taken a foothold, earning a
permanent seat in the marketing mix. In the wake of eroded marketing budgets,
new media is flourishing, consistently delivering greater ROI than any other
medium. From Fortune 500 corporations to your local hardware store, everyone is
drinking the digital Kool-Aid.
Once considered the domain of teens, the new media ecosystem is increasingly
populated by adults and companies or, in other words, potential customers. As of
September 2009, 47% of online adults used a social networking website, according
to Pew Research. As you throw new media into your marketing mix, here are some
strategies to consider:
Build trust through your website.
Customers have more access to information and more options than ever. If you
can’t sell trust, your customers will go elsewhere. Therefore, your company
website, often the first impression you give to potential customers, should
establish trust. You can do this by providing links to news, research, or
product reviews.
Get to know your customers through blogging.
A blog puts a face on your business and reinforces your brand personality. It
allows you to foster conversation and debate in a public forum with like-minded
people.
To friend
… Facebook is a prime place to gain exposure when starting a new business or
launching a new product. Everyone and everything have a place on Facebook. More
than 700,000 businesses use Facebook, and one in three U.S. residents has an
account on the social network website, according to Nology Media. One fan page
dedicated to Flo—the character in the Progressive Insurance commercials—has more
than 490,000 fans.
… Or follow? Twitter is tops when it comes to building brand equity with
little investment. Like Facebook, Twitter reinforces relationships but has the
upper hand when you want to retain top-of-mind awareness with customers and
industry insiders. Increasingly, service providers such as cable companies are
providing 24/7 technical support via Twitter.
Get personal with e-mail.
Consider dedicating e-mail marketing solely to one-on-one communication.
Messages should be personal, relevant, and reinforce what customers perceive to
be the unique value of your brand. Leave prospecting to your social channels.
It’s difficult to track potential customers through e-mail marketing anyway, as
most people forward e-mails directly from their inboxes, instead of using the
“forward to a friend” link provided in their e-mail.
back to top
Attract More Traffic to your
Website
Web Site Banner Advertising (B2C and B2B)
Are you getting
the most out of your listing?
The Internet is ever evolving and you can't afford to fall behind.
Get MORE EXPOSURE through Banner Ads!
Ad size is 468 x 60 pixels at 72 dpi in .jpg or .gif format.
Rotation is 5 seconds in length.
Over 17,000 visits per month!
Top Category Listing is….”Restaurants-All”!
Top 21% of all websites, ranked by Alexa-an
online traffic service.
Click here to reserve your banner ad space.
Got questions,
email Lauren for more information!
back to top
Members in the
News!
Congratulations to the following Members:
Barry Aluminum and Windows Wins
CertainTeed Corporation’s National Award for Craftsmanship.
Ray Graham
Association named Marty Schiller "Man of the Year".
District 99
North High ranked in the top six percent of public schools by Newsweek
Magazine!
Corporate
Strategies won the top sales award at the Sandler global conference last week.
This award has only been given out to four franchises in the history of Sandler
Training.
Des
Plaines Office Equipment is being honored by Congressman Roskam for 55 years in
business.
Dream Interiors celebrates 14 years! They
welcome you to special treats and sales on June 3rd from 4:00 to 8:00pm.
Diveheart will be featured in the upcoming
Rotarian magazine which goes out to almost 3 million Rotarians around the world!
Diveheart will also have a booth at the International Rotary Conference in
Montreal in June.
back to top
Thank You Members!
The Downers Grove Area Chamber of Commerce &
Industry would like to Thank the following members for their generosity and
support:
Thank you to
Skuddlebutts' Pizza & Catering for
sponsoring the YPN White Sox Outing & Tailgate Party.
Thank you to
ScotPress Printing for donating beer to
the YPN White Sox Outing & Tailgate Party.
Thank you
to following Chamber Members who lead fantastic presentations/discussions at our
recent Business Roundtable Networks:
Christopher Bennett - WINFREE
BUSINESS GROWTH ADVISORS – CHICAGO, for leading the May Business
Roundtable Network topic “Closing the Sales”
John
Page – VISTAGE INTERNATIONAL / CEO
IntroNet, for leading the June Business Roundtable Network topic
“Medical Coverage & Benefits – What Does It Mean Today?”
Thank you to
Sarpino’s Pizzeria for providing
delicious pizza for the Ambassadors Meeting.
Thank you to
Ballydoyle Restaurant and Pub for
hosting the YPN Professional Development event.
Thank you to Steve Fretzin of
Sales Results Inc for speaking at
the YPN event on May 26th.
Thank you to
Hyatt Lodge at McDonald's Campus for
hosting the May Business After Hours.
back to top
| 
