Content Marketing Today

How a Great Chamber Magazine Delivers Tangible Results

Greater Naples Chamber Embraces Print Content Marketing to Serve Business Community

All associations and chambers of commerce succeed based on their ability to deliver measurable value to their membership. Because many of their efforts are intangible and therefore hard to measure, there is always a significant percentage of the member population that wonders whether they’re getting their money’s worth.

One of the best ways to transform the intangible benefits that a membership organization provides is to create information products that communicate effectively with members—and with targeted members of the business community in which the organization operates.

Although it’s relatively easy to generate a print publication, it’s much more difficult to make it relevant and compelling. That was a challenge that the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce faced in the spring of 2006. In addition, as with most membership organizations, generating non-dues related income is essential to the viability of the organization. That means that sponsorships and advertising can make a significant difference—and with high-quality events and publications generating this non-dues related revenue is much easier.

Read on to learn how a Chamber with a lean staff and a lean budget can produce an outstanding–and profitable–monthly magazine.

Taking a Chamber Publication from Good to Great

The Naples Chamber has always been deeply committed to providing essential information to its members, but, like most smaller chambers, it had never had staff members with extensive publishing experience that would enable them to create truly great publications.

Their monthly newsprint style publication always had a number of good articles, but there was no consistent editorial structure to the publication. Nor was there an annual editorial calendar to give it focus and consistency. Moreover, the Chamber was outsourcing much of the work of producing its print newsletter, which was fine, but the integration of customer needs and vendor support was disjointed.

First, understand the business information that is most important to your members.

As of the spring of 2006, the Chamber had not done a recent study among its members to determine what topics and issues were most important to them. This made it quite difficult to provide relevant content on any kind of consistent basis.

Therefore, the first step in the transformation of the Chamber publications was to figure out what members really wanted to know. This was part of a broader effort to make the Chamber more customer-centric; to be carefully attuned to what was most important to its members.

They undertook an online survey of their members to determine:

• How did they feel about the content they were then providing?
• How relevant did they find it in terms of their information needs?
• What types of articles did they prefer?
• What business-related issues did they most want to receive information on?
• How do they rate the design of the current publication?

They learned that the newsletter, Currents, was well read. That was the good news. The bad news was that it was not highly rated in terms of relevance to the members’ information needs. The study also uncovered exactly what kinds of information members would find truly relevant. This provided the data needed to reinvent the monthly so that it would become a ‘must read’ publication.

The Chamber took the production of its monthly publication in house because they finally had the staff resources and expertise to create a great monthly magazine. Catherine Dentino, the new communications manager was a talented writer and editor as well as an outstanding graphic designer.

Translate research into a publication that is genuinely relevant to business owners and executives

The Chamber team was able to translate the research findings into the beginnings of a high quality monthly magazine. Here are the key elements in the transformation process:

• Research indicated that a glossy 8.5” x 11” magazine with full-color throughout would significantly increase the perception of quality.
• Chamber members had given extensive rankings to the topics and issues most important to them. This enabled the creation of an editorial calendar that was a real road map to significantly enhanced editorial content.
• A design prototype was created so that key decision-makers including the chamber CEO, Mike Reagan, and members of the Board of Directors could give constructive feedback.
• The publication was renamed “Business Currents” to more accurately reflect its core business focus.
• A media kit was created which focused on the “research driven” nature of the improved publication.
• A low cost, high quality offset printing company was selected to produce the magazine each month.
• It was determined that chamber staff would be able to edit and design the publication each month.
• Respected business leaders and subject matter experts would also contribute content regularly on a voluntary basis.
• A detailed production schedule was created so that the magazine would come out on time each and every month.
• The chamber sales staff was trained in how to sell advertising in the new publication effectively.

Successful Launch of High Quality Monthly Magazine Sees Immediate Benefits for Members and Chamber

Launched in October 2006, the new and improved magazine was less expensive to produce—and generated significantly more advertising revenue in support of Chamber activities.

More than a year later, Business Currents continues to thrive, tackling the tough business and community issues that significantly impact chamber members. Current staffers have maintained quality of both design and content after Dentino’s 2007 departure.

Business Currents’ quality content is significantly enhanced by its excellent design—which is led off by memorable covers which motivate business executives to pick up the magazine the moment it lands on their desks.

Unlike many chamber and association publications, Business Currents doesn’t gloss over significant challenges that face the business community.

In the November 2007 issue, for example, it includes a stark, but objective assessment of the local economy which is suffering from the burst of the housing bubble in Southwest Florida. Another hard-hitting article explores the implications of a reopening of Cuba which poses a serious threat to the vital tourism segment of Southwest Florida.

Although Business Currents also does a great job of covering chamber events, the real heart of the publication is its solid coverage of business, public policy, and community issues. In addition, it’s loaded with practical advice on how to run your business better.

This critical mass of compelling content generates excellent readership. Readership, in turn, makes advertising effective. Because advertisers know that they’re getting to the right business buyers in a publication that is valued by those buyers, they know they’re in the right place.

Business Currents benefits chamber members,the business community, and the Chamber itself

The Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce has proven that limited resources and a lean staff need not stand in the way of creating a great business publication. As with so many content marketing efforts, the Chamber’s ability to produce a quality magazine month after month has much more to do with developing a content marketing mindset than with a big budget.  The Chamber used a structured approach to understand what was most important to its members and to the business community. They designed a magazine which addresses those high priority information needs. They then developed a process that enabled them to produce a well-designed monthly publication that is always chock-full of valuable and compelling content.

Tangible results for all concerned: Every chamber member is reminded month in and month out of the value of their membership. Business Currents also provides a well targeted and affordable place to advertise their products and services. Of course, prospective members cannot help but be impressed by a chamber of commerce that is capable of consistently producing such a readable and relevant magazine.