Turning social media into a member benefit

Ted Wind: Hey everyone, before we jump in, a quick note. We're going to be at ACCE in New Orleans, and if you're a listener of the show, we would love to say hi in person. Come find us at booth 115. We're also hosting a private afterparty for chamber leaders after day one of the conference. Food, drinks, and a chance to hang out with other folks who are building great chambers. Stop by booth 115 or flag down anyone wearing a diagonal shirt, and we'll get you the invite. All right, on to the episode.

Breanna Dye: Being consistent, like don't only post it once, post it multiple times and post it different ways. That's been a big key. So whether it's you're posting, you decide to make a real, make content with it, or you change up the colors of the graphic so it's eye-catching and people are seeing it in a different form. That's the biggest thing is figuring out what marketing works best for you.

Ted Wind: Hello and welcome back to Beyond the Ribbon Cut, the podcast for chamber leaders. I'm your host, Ted Wind from Diagonal for Chambers, and I'm super excited to be joined by Breanna Dye, community engagement coordinator at the Olive Branch Chamber of Commerce in Mississippi. Breanna, thanks so much for joining us on the pod today.

Breanna Dye: Hey Ted, thank you so much for having me. I'm super excited.

Ted Wind: Thanks for coming on. We're super excited to chat with you today. So to get things started, I'd love if you could share a little bit more about the Olive Branch Chamber and kind of the area you guys serve.

Breanna Dye: Yeah, Ted. So our chamber, we have about a little over 600 members. We are located right outside of Memphis. We have a lot of small businesses. That's the majority of our membership base. We're very close to like the warehouses, so we have a lot of warehouses and larger companies as well, but we serve a lot of smaller businesses in our area.

Ted Wind: Love that. And when when you say small businesses, what's the typical kind of like employee count size that those businesses kind of fall into?

Breanna Dye: Two to five employees. Um I mean like your local mom and pop type, you know, boutiques or local restaurants. We have a ton of great local restaurants in the area. So we try to gear more a lot towards, you know, local and being local in Olive Ranch.

Ted Wind: I love that. And as far as kind of the team and the makeup, is it a it's a pretty small team over there, right?

Breanna Dye: Yes. So, we have our executive director. She just started back in February. And then we have Mary Margaret and she is over membership and so she's been here a little over a year. And then I've been here I've actually my one year anniversary was back in June. So I have been here for a year doing community engagement.

Ted Wind: Congratulations. That's awesome. And before we get into that kind of community engagement work that you're doing, I'd love if you could share a little bit more background about how you yourself kind of got involved with the chamber.

Breanna Dye: So it's funny story. Before the chamber, I was a food service director for a local hospital and then I had a little girl and it took us a while to have her. So I wanted to do something that was more family friendly. And so whenever I started this role, whenever this position was open, it was kind of like an accounts receivable job. And so I took the job. I currently don't live in Olive Branch anymore. Um, but I'm from Olive Branch, so I love the community. I lived here for 16 years. I grew up here. And I have a background in event planning. So like I love the concept of events and meeting new people and networking.

And then once I got in to the community engagement side of it, before I started, we were not doing social media. Like social media was not a thing. So that's kind of how I have grown into this social media and more community engagement type role.

Ted Wind: I love that. as part of your work with the chamber now that you've been involved for just a little bit over a year, was there kind of a moment that you had where you realized like, wow, like this is really the kind of work I want to be doing or or something specific about the work that really energized you and excited you. I

Breanna Dye: I think it's the people like I'm such a people person. I love meeting new people and I love being able to connect people and that is so huge in this industry is finding the people that need different services and how we can help them. We do tons of, you know, community stuffs like being able to give back like we do a whole event that's just giving back to our first responders in the area and doing that kind of work. I absolutely love it.

Ted Wind: That's incredible. And I think that ties really well into kind of some of the things we wanted to talk about today, especially around marketing. A big piece with a lot of the chambers that we speak with is, you know, they understand the importance of a full marketing system, especially when it comes to what you just said around, you know, connecting members with each other, connecting with members, but a lot of smaller chambers especially struggle to get started. When did it become clear to you that as a small chamber you you really needed a marketing system, not just the occasional, you know, Instagram post or LinkedIn post here or there?

Breanna Dye: When I first started, we would post a ribbon cutting here and there and we would post a networking event here and there. and realizing that being able to use social media as not only a marketing platform but a platform as an additional membership benefit is huge. You know, people use social media as a one-stop shop now. You know, they're going to Facebook for everything. And when you're going to Facebook and you're the chamber that you're a member of doesn't have anything on it, people aren't going to use it as a reliable source. So that's when I kind of started gearing down and thinking like how can we grow this? Being within the chamber world, a lot of your content is given to you.

You're doing events all the time. You're meeting new people all the time and it's figuring out how to use the content in your everyday work where it's not an extra task.

Ted Wind: 100%. As far as the everyday kind of work you're doing, how do you turn that into content that's actually worth sharing? Do you have any kind of favorite examples that you've done with that?

Breanna Dye: So, typically everywhere we go, you know, we're taking pictures, but we live in a world where Reels, videos, TikToks, they're huge. Everybody, that's what people do. That's what they're doing in their spare time. Um, so it's taking that content, you know, whether it's just a simple you're just showing what you're doing type of content. My favorite that we have done is our mayor is actually really involved. And so he a lot of times he comes to ribbon cuttings. And so we had a ribbon cutting at Slim Chickens. They had just opened in the area and they had a bounce house out front. And so I was like, "Mayor, are we going to go get in the bounce house?"

And so I have a video of me and the mayor jumping in the bounce house promoting our new member that they're open. So just doing fun stuff like that. You're already there. Like grab the content and just do it.

Ted Wind: Is there a way you can do that without it feeling like extra work? Like to make it more natural or or easier or is it kind of just a habit of once you get started it gets easier and easier as you do it more and more?

Breanna Dye: I think it's it gets easier the more you do it. I think a lot of people are intimidated by it because it's it can seem like a lot. Um especially when you don't know how to do what you're doing. My biggest thing is like making a plan. like we I have a calendar like we have all of our events on there and it's you know what needs to be posted with each event. Getting a system down has been really beneficial for me by figuring out what needs to be posted and how to market different things.

Ted Wind: And could we dive a little bit more into like what that actually means when you say like a system in place?

Breanna Dye: Yeah. So the way I do it I do it really simple. I have like my own Outlook calendar that is strictly for content, strictly social media. So, what I do is I put all of our events on that calendar and then I know that we have like we have I know we have a ribbon cutting on this day. So, I know the next day we need to be posting ribbon cutting pictures or we have a luncheon. I know that we need to be marketing this luncheon two weeks prior and we need to be putting our graphics out. Then afterwards, we need to be putting our content out. Typically what I do with ribbon cuttings and our other events, I'll take videos.

So I'll do a recap video and I'll do I try to do that instantly and then the next day I put out all the photos just so you're constantly putting out content because you can't put out too much.

Ted Wind: Yes. Yeah, that's a that's a great point. And I think a lot of chambers, going back to what you said earlier, it's a little bit intimidating to, you know, make those first couple posts, but there's really no such thing as too much content, especially as a chamber.

Breanna Dye: No. And and that's another thing I also try when our new members join, we do new member spotlights. So, we're highlighting, we do a lot on the front end for our new members. For our members that have been here 10 plus 20 plus years, we're doing a member Monday spotlight. So, I go out and I ask them a series of questions that me and my friend ChatGPT have come up with. Not hard. Use it. It's it's a great thing to use. Ask them how long they've been a chamber member. Why do they love the chamber? What do they get out of their membership? You know, just a series of questions just so I'm these members that have been here for so long, they're relevant again.

And it's it's additional content for people to watch and it's promoting their business as well. We've done like conversations with connectors. So I asked them a series of questions and then at the end of it I asked them what their favorite gem is like their hidden gem in Olive Branch just so I can promote more businesses by doing that. Just finding other ways to make content that isn't an extra hassle. We we also love a good TikTok trend. We do a lot of TikTok trends around here. So it's just, you know, finding what works for you.

But our biggest thing is we want to allow social media to be a benefit for our members where they can see hey we can use our social media platform because they have a following you know we also share members post so it's beneficial that we have a good following for our members so that what we share for them is getting seen

Ted Wind: I think that's so crucial especially when it comes to offering more value adds to members we're always thinking about that as chamber leaders, how can we constantly provide more value to our members, better value to our members? And I think exactly to your point there, having a real social presence that you can point to on any given post and be like, "Hey, you know, this post got a thousand views. It featured your business." And guess what? That's not just a thousand random people. The best thing about the Chamber of Commerce social media platform is it's thousands of people in the community that you guys are actually serving. So actually relevant views for those business owners.

I think that's so so crucial.

Breanna Dye: We've gotten a lot of feedback like I said like these members have been members for 10 plus years and we've posted this and people like we didn't even know they were there. Like we had no idea they were even here and it's you know just being able to use that and saying hey we're doing this it's working and this is part of something we can offer.

Ted Wind: 100% 100%. I absolutely love that. And another piece around this, and we kind of touched around this, but the repeatability of content and the consistency of uploads is so so important. How do you keep that content so consistent and repetitive week to week, especially when it's basically just you, right, that's running the social media accounts.

Breanna Dye: A lot of it is based off scheduling, which that becomes easier as it goes. You can use Meta, which is great. that can take care of your Instagram and your Facebook platforms. There are other scheduling platforms that go wider to your LinkedIn and your TikTok. Well, I've been working with the social media coach as well on the side to help with other things, but I have found that being able to schedule like whether it's on meta or in real time, you get a lot better feedback from that type of content. it gets pushed out a lot better. Um, so I typically try to say to Meta, but everything that I can schedule, I schedule ahead of time.

So when you know that you're having a ribbon cutting and you need to post that graphic, that invite, you go ahead and post it. The things that you can go ahead and do. And then the things that are after the fact, then those are the kinds of the ones that I push out myself.

Ted Wind: Mhm. And as far as like the things that you can put out beforehand, could you give an example of like kind of what some of those things are for a ribbon cutting, for instance?

Breanna Dye: Yeah. So, with our ribbon cuttings, we send out like a ribbon cutting invite to everybody. Um, I try to do those about two weeks, typically two to one week in advance. Some weeks we're super busy. So, on those weeks, I know that let's do a weekly overview of what we're doing. So I kind of look at the calendar and say, "Hey, I know I need to post, you know, this week we have three events. So let's post a weekly overview of all the things that we have to do that week." So I can go ahead and schedule those kind of posts. It's really about what works for you in your chamber.

What works best for you marketing wise, and that's the biggest thing is knowing that you have this event and how are you going to market it? Typically what we do is we try to put it out three weeks roughly in advance if it's a bigger networking event. And being consistent like don't only post it once, post it multiple times and post it different ways. That's been a big key. So whether it's you're posting, you decide to make a real, make content with it, or you change up the colors of the graphic so it's eye-catching and people are seeing it in a different form. That's the biggest thing is figuring out what marketing works best for you.

Ted Wind: And as far as kind of what channels actually matter, you talked about meta a little bit. Are there certain ones that you'd recommend for a chamber? Like these are the ones you absolutely must be doing and maybe some others that maybe you can skip or should you just be trying to do as much as possible?

Breanna Dye: The only thing that we use is Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. I have not dove head first into LinkedIn. That that is my next task. But I have I have gotten such a great response on TikTok. Everybody's watching TikTok. That's what they're doing in their spare time. They're scrolling. They're watching Reels. So, I have gotten a huge feedback on TikTok. And the content that we post on TikTok, we do, you know, some of the basic trends, the dancing, the fun stuff, but our content that gets great feedback is our local content. The stuff that we're posting, like our local businesses, like we did a post of where to shop for Mother's Day in Olive Branch.

Um, and we featured all of our local businesses, where to get mom's gifts. That stuff right now is huge. And I think a lot of it is big because TikTok now has a feature that is on your tabs. You have your for you page, you have your shop, but there's a new tab called local and it is all your local stuff. So if you're in the area, that's just going to get kicked out to you and yet that's the stuff that you're going to see. So that right now is what's really big.

Ted Wind: That's huge. And I think yeah, for chamber leaders listening, you should definitely check out that tab in TikTok. That's incredibly incredibly useful.

Breanna Dye: And making sure too that you're tagging your location. Like everywhere that you post, it allows you to tag your location. So tagging your location so that when people are in this area, they're seeing your content.

Ted Wind: Mhm.

Breanna Dye: You know, it's all about the algorithm.

Ted Wind: Yes. 100%. 100%. Now, jumping maybe a little bit away from the algorithm, another thing that your chamber does, the Olive Branch chamber does so well is you guys actually put out a magazine every single year.

Breanna Dye: Yes.

Ted Wind: And I know that goes out to around there's like 10,000 copies that go out to hotels, restaurants, realtors, new residents. How does a small chamber like you guys pull off such an incredible big publication like that?

Breanna Dye: So, we actually we had somebody in house that was doing it that kind of did all you know the content stuff for it. But we are actually we were so excited. We had a new member join. She does like the media and helps with the publications and she partners with who used to produce the magazine for us. And so we are actually getting ready. We are redoing our magazine right now. So we are coming up doing like editorials in it. We are coming up with new ways to advertise. So it's going to have a new look and it has new advertisement opportunities in it. So actually in August we're doing a launch party for it. So we are we are super excited about that. They are going to do most of it inhouse.

They're actually a local business. So they're going to take care of you know the design type stuff. We'll provide all the pictures and stuff but we're super excited about that. So it is it's huge. We have our connectors. They come and they get a map of all a branch and they map out where they're going to take them. The library comes and gets them. I mean, they go they go all over the place. We mail them out every single month. So, it's a huge thing that we send out. Um, we have realtors come and they put them in their welcome baskets and their, you know, home owners gifts.

So, it's it's a huge thing that gets sent out and it's a very well-received piece of advertisement that we offer to our members.

Ted Wind: I love that. And I think that's another thing to a lot of chamber leaders. Don't be afraid to talk to your members, rely on your members, ask your members for help when it comes to some of this marketing content, whether it's a physical magazine, whether it's social media posts, because a lot of them have expertise in these kind of things and, you know, could potentially be a great great resource for you guys. you have this incredible juxtaposition between the much more traditional printed media publication and then the great work you're doing on TikTok, on Instagram, right? What does a kind of physical printed magazine do for members that a Facebook post or an Instagram post maybe can't?

Breanna Dye: You're hitting the people that are maybe in the area that are at a hotel and they just happen to pick it up. We send it out. We get a newcomers list from the city. The city is great. They work with us and every single month they send us a newcomers list and it's all the new residents that have come to Olive Branch. So, we mail it out to all the new residents. So, that's going straight to their home and they're able to see the chambers here. We have an active presence. You know, we have this whole group of members. I think that's the biggest thing when you're doing marketing.

You're you try to figure out how you can hit all your ranges of people, how you can get your members information out there to everybody.

Ted Wind: And that piece, right, getting that info out to as many people as possible is so core to the value that marketing can provide for the members of your chamber. How does the marketing work you do, whether it's the social post, whether it's the magazine, whether it's the, you know, video of the mayor jumping around in the bouncy castle, how does that help members see the value they're getting and reinforce why they belong in the chamber?

Breanna Dye: That's a really good question. I think a lot of that has to do with them seeing that we are we have a presence that we want to be involved that we are taking these extra initiatives to make the content for not only our members but for the community to see that we want to help their business thrive. And I think that's a big thing is that knowing that your chamber is trying to help and trying to build a social media presence and try to help you market your business. Whether it's just sharing your post or coming out and helping with content or making a video for you, it's that we are we want to see you succeed

Ted Wind: 100%. Is there an example of content that made a member really feel seen something you've done like that?

Breanna Dye: I think what that goes kind of goes back to our member Monday post that we have been posting. Like I said, you know, in particular, we had one and we did it for a local nursery. They've been a member for 10 plus years. And the feedback we got on that of we didn't know they were there. I went and saw them on Saturday because I you posted this. You have these businesses that want to be in Olive Branch that choose to be here, but it struggle because they don't people don't know they're here. And I think that's the biggest thing is helping these businesses grow, getting the word out, letting people know that they're there so that they can stay here.

They chose to be here for a reason and we want them to stay here.

Ted Wind: I love that. And I think again that's part of the reason why you guys have been so successful with members with engaging the community, right? And like so clearly demonstrating that value through the marketing campaigns, through the social posts, through the magazines that you guys put out. Last part of the pod, we love to always try to give chamber listeners at home something tactical that they can take home. Especially for a small chamber, maybe with no marketing staff, one to three staff members. They don't have a full marketing system in place. Kind of like how when you got started, you guys also didn't have that in place. What's the first thing a chamber listening at home should do?

Breanna Dye: I'm going to say just put yourself out there. I think we live in a world where you try to compare to everybody else. Whether it's your neighboring chamber or it's somebody else who's posting, nobody's content's going to be the same. Um what you do and how you want your members and you want the community to see you. It's all everybody's different. Everybody has different values when it comes to that kind of stuff. You don't have to have a lot of the nice equipment. When I first started, they gave me a cell phone and they said, "Here off of that." It's working with what you have. And you don't have to have a lot, but it's just putting yourself out there cuz it can be intimidating.

I hate when I post something and it doesn't do well. I'm like, I thought that was going to do great. But sometimes it doesn't. And that's okay. it's try again because at some point eventually your posts are going to grow and people are going to want to see your content. I have people come up to us all the time like I saw your video the other day. I love I love watching your stuff. And that helps too because if people want to see your content, they're going to your page. They're going to want to see what you posted. So, it's just putting yourself out there and doing it because like I've said a few times, it's intimidating to do, but just do it.

Ted Wind: That's incredible. And I think so so true. Take that leap of faith. Post that first piece of content and then keep posting. Keep posting and keep posting and keep posting. It'll get easier and again can really become such a valuable valuable resource for your members and for your chamber. So, last thing before we wrap up today, I'd love to bring up your ACCE session that you are going to be speaking at in New Orleans next week because it's basically a lot to do with the kind of conversation we've been having today. The session name is called building a smarter small chamber marketing strategy.

Could you give the chamber listeners at home who might be attending the conference a quick preview and kind of who should be in that room?

Breanna Dye: Yes. So, I'm really excited about that. And I'll also be speaking with Rachel Porter and Julia Roach where we're going to be talking about how to do this with a small staff, how to start it, what to post, kind of the marketing behind it. So, I'm really excited to talk with them and share a little insight on how to do this with a not full staff.

Ted Wind: Yes. Yes. I love it. It's going to be a fantastic session. We'll definitely hope to see some of our fans at that talk. So again, thank you so much for coming on the show today, Breanna. Marketing systems and tactics like we talked about today are just so important for a modern chamber who needs to evolve beyond just the events and mixers into that kind of real ongoing value for your members. And I love just how much we talked about strategies that small chambers and teams can actually implement today. I think that was by far the most helpful part of today's conversation.

If you want to learn more about the Olive Branch Chamber of Commerce, check out some of their work that's on their social media. I'm sure Breanna would be fine with you you know taking some potential content ideas.

Breanna Dye: Yeah. Like don't be afraid to copy something like copy it and make it yours. like that is that is a-okay to do. That is what a trend is.

Ted Wind: 100% that is what a trend is. And to see some of the top chamber trends, the links for the Olive Branch Chamber of Commerce will be in the description below. So you can go right now after this episode ends and check those out. So that's everything for today. Thanks so much for joining us, Breanna, and we'll catch you on the next episode.