Maximizing Your Chamber Membership for Business Growth

Your chamber membership is one of the best benefits your small business has at its disposal. These benefits are designed to help small businesses cut costs, acquire new leads, and enhance their capabilities with improved benefits packages.

Chambers of commerce provide numerous benefits for small business owners, so you need to carefully consider which chambers you want to join to maximize your benefits. Business owners must carefully choose the chambers they join, as different chambers offer different benefits. In addition to advocating for small businesses, chambers can help with multiple benefits. Ideally, the benefits offered by the chamber are worth the price of membership for a quality return on investment for the joining business.

However, many chamber members do not use their chamber membership to its full potential. This can prove costly in the long run, as they let free boosts for their businesses go by the wayside. Meanwhile, the competition is using their chamber benefits to get ahead.

If you are looking to expand your business, then using your Chamber of Commerce membership is one of the most straightforward actions you can take.

Business owners must choose the chambers they join carefully to make the most of the benefits offered. With a little research, they can find the perfect balance between membership fees and chamber benefits and use those benefits to help their business thrive.

In this post, we will discuss the strategies small businesses can use to maximize their chamber benefits for business growth.

We will discuss:

What benefits chamber membership can offer you
How you can leverage chamber resources for business growth
Five ways you can make the most of your chamber benefits
SOCA benefits that your small business can use to prosper

Keep reading to become a Chamber of Commerce benefits master!

Understanding the Benefits of Chamber Membership

Chamber membership offers numerous benefits that can greatly contribute to the growth and success of businesses. By understanding and leveraging these benefits, business owners can maximize their membership to achieve their business goals.

One of the key advantages of chamber membership is access to a vast network of business owners and professionals. Chambers of Commerce provide various networking opportunities such as business after-hours events, breakfast networking events, and speed networking events. These events allow members to connect with like-minded individuals, establish meaningful relationships, and expand their professional reach. Through these connections, businesses can gain valuable referrals and access to new markets.

Chamber membership also provides businesses with a range of resources and support. Business leaders can access educational programs, workshops, and seminars that offer insights into business strategies, marketing tactics, and industry trends. Additionally, chambers often offer discounted programs and services, such as promotional materials and advertising opportunities, which can significantly boost a company's credibility and visibility within the business community.

Advocacy is another important aspect of chamber membership. Chambers of Commerce represent the collective voice of businesses, advocating for their interests at the local, state, and federal levels. By being part of the chamber, businesses have the opportunity to participate in advocacy efforts, ensuring their concerns and needs are heard by policymakers. This advocacy can lead to favorable policies and regulations that benefit the entire business community.

Leveraging Chamber Resources for Business Growth

One of the keys to maximizing your chamber membership for business growth is to effectively leverage the resources and opportunities provided by the chamber. Here are some practical tips and strategies to help you make the most of your membership:

1. Attend Chamber Events: Take advantage of the networking opportunities offered by the chamber. Attend business after-hours events, breakfast networking events, and speed networking events to connect with other professionals in your industry. By establishing meaningful relationships and expanding your professional reach, you can gain valuable referrals and access new business opportunities.

2. Utilize Member-to-Member Programs: Many chambers offer member-to-member programs, which allow you to promote your products or services to fellow chamber members. Take advantage of these programs to increase your visibility within the business community and attract potential customers or clients.

3. Engage with Educational Resources: Chambers often provide educational programs, workshops, and seminars that can enhance your business knowledge and skills. Attend these sessions to gain insights into the latest business strategies, marketing tactics, and industry trends. The knowledge gained from these resources can help you make informed decisions and stay ahead of the competition.

4. Take Advantage of Discounted Programs: Chambers often negotiate discounts on various services and supplies for their members. Make sure to explore these discount programs to save money on promotional materials, advertising opportunities, and other business-related expenses. By reducing overhead costs, you can allocate more resources toward growth initiatives.

5. Get Involved in Advocacy Efforts: Chambers of Commerce serve as the voice of businesses and advocate for their interests at various levels of government. Get involved in advocacy efforts by participating in chamber committees, attending legislative events, and voicing your concerns and needs. By actively engaging in advocacy, you can influence policy and regulations that benefit the entire business community.

Maximizing your chamber membership for business growth requires proactive engagement with the resources and opportunities provided by the chamber. By attending events, utilizing member-to-member programs, taking advantage of educational and discount programs, and getting involved in advocacy efforts, you can leverage the chamber's resources to drive your business forward.

Discover the newest SOCA benefits in 2023. Check them out here!

What are the Benefits of Joining SOCA?

Joining local chambers is a fine start for accelerating your business's growth. However, you don't have to stop at the local level. Joining with a chamber alliance, like SOCA, is one of the best things you can do to get premium benefits and access to a wider range of businesses.

SOCA, the Southern Ohio Chamber Alliance, boasts many unique and growth-oriented benefits that have helped businesses all over Ohio thrive.

Here are some of the best benefits SOCA can offer your Ohio business.

SOCA Benefit Plan

Medical monthly spending can prove costly for small businesses. Limited budgets and expertise can lead to employers accepting lesser-quality health plans. The SOCA Benefit Plan gives employers access to competitive rates, regular fixed payments, access to a variety of plans, and more!

Anthem Chamber Saver Plan

Businesses with 2-99 employees can save up to 1.4% on any Anthem group health insurance plan through premium tax credit savings. You have your choice of plans and nationwide expertise from a team of experts to back these savings up.

Hunter Consulting Workers Compensation Group Rating

Workers' Compensation costs can leave businesses with a tight budget. No one wants their employees to get hurt, but in the unfortunate event that they are injured on the job, employers need a trusted partner to advise them through the process with risk management strategies, and workers' compensation coverage. Hunter Consulting helps SOCA members protect themselves from expensive workers' compensation claims and provides the expertise necessary to guide businesses through these difficult decisions.

Why does experience matter for workers compensation claims? Learn more here!

Chamber Energy Program

The Chamber Energy Program administered by Community Energy Advisors supplies solutions for homes, small businesses, and large commercial operations. They provide low fixed prices for electricity and natural gas, contract renewal management, utility lighting rebates, and natural gas sales tax exemptions for restaurants and non-profits.

What are renewable energy certificates? Learn more here!

Pooled Employer 401k Plans with Ascensus

Through SOCA, Ascensus offers pooled employer 401k plans to help businesses provide the same benefits as large corporations with less cost and risk. Many employers pay into the PEP account, resulting in a reduced cost for employers. In addition, Ascensus provides account expertise to help employers navigate even the most difficult of situations.

Strategic HR

Human resources is one of the most intricate operations at any company. However, many small businesses cannot spare the budget room for in-house HR representation. Strategic HR Business Advisors through SOCA offer businesses top-quality HR expertise at a fraction of the cost.

Elavon Payment Processing

Versatile and flexible payment solutions can help small businesses thrive. The more options you give your customers and clients to pay for your goods and service, the more likely you are to make a sale. Elavon payment processing offers the most advanced and innovative ways to pay including tap and pay methods.

LegalShield/ID Shield

Legal fees are one of the most expensive costs small businesses have to face. One of SOCA's prime benefits is LegalShield and ID Shield. LegalShield gives you access to some of the sharpest legal minds working today without paying an hourly rate. Likewise, ID Shield offers identity theft protection that will keep both your small business and your employees secure.

Teamworx

Many businesses need a professional employer organization to process the many professional duties of running a business. Teamworx, one of the premier benefits offered through SOCA, handles many of the smaller duties involved with running a business including payroll processing, taxes, workers' compensation, and unemployment. Teamworx has industry-leading knowledge and expertise and can help ensure that SOCA small businesses run efficiently and well within budget.

PartnerShip

Shipping is a major source of revenue for many small businesses. However, shipping expenses can weigh heavily on small businesses' budgets. PartnerShip, through SOCA, gives small businesses large discounts on their shipping fees.

Here are a few shipping benefits you for your business through SOCA and FedEx:

Express:

45% off FedEx Priority Overnight
45% off FedEx Standard Overnight
45% off FedEx 2Day A.M.
45% off FedEx 2Day
45% off FedEx Express Saver
45% off FedEx International Priority Express
45% off FedEx International Priority
45% off FedEx International Economy

Ground:

25% off FedEx Ground
Tier 6 for FedEx Ground Multiweight 200 - 499 lbs.
Tier 506 for FedEx Ground Multiweight 500 lbs. or more

Home:

25% off FedEx Home Delivery

AWTCC

International shipping plays a large role in the world of modern commerce. For those businesses looking to ship internationally, certificates of origin are key for ensuring the process is easy with verified certificates of origin. AWTCC, a benefit through SOCA, makes acquiring certificates of origin fast and efficient.

Payroll Partners

Payroll can be a significant challenge for small businesses. Payroll duties can consume a great deal of time and come with costs of their own. Payroll Partners provides payroll processing that saves your business time and money, and the expertise to help you avoid common errors.

Magnify Education

Continued professional education is one of the most important assets for continued education and training for employees. Magnify Education offers engaging and exciting empathy training as a SOCA benefit. This benefit is an attractive opportunity for employees and can make your workplace more cooperative and engaged for whatever comes your way.

Dolr

Student debt payments can be a heavy financial burden on employees and small businesses alike. Dolr gives resources and education on how borrowers can best pay back their student loans for a steady financial future. This benefit can also help your small business attract higher-quality employees who can help your business thrive.

What is Dolr and how can it help your business? Learn more here!

Your Small Business Goes Further with SOCA

Chambers of commerce are your small business's best resource for maximizing your chances of success. These networks of local small businesses are designed to give you the connections and resources your business needs to thrive.

Benefits from your chamber help your small business save money and advance its professional agenda. However, choosing the right chamber of commerce can be a difficult decision. Your small business must weigh the benefits of joining a given chamber versus the cost of membership.

If your business is looking to join a chamber with the widest range of benefits and the most networking opportunities, then a chamber in the Southern Ohio Chamber Alliance is the choice for you. SOCA is a chamber alliance, composed of many different local chambers throughout Ohio. Because of that, we can offer a wide range of benefits and options to help your business thrive without breaking the bank.

Click here for more information on how your small business can join SOCA today!

For more tips and information on chamber of commerce benefits, follow SOCA on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Happy with the difference SOCA has made for your small business? Leave us a five-star review here!