Make Your Newsletter Matter

If no one knows what you are doing, then why do it at all?

I ask chamber leaders this question every day, and I ask it to remind them that communication is one of the most important things a chamber must do to meet their member's expectations.

Keep your newsletter stories concise and your headlines bold and large. I recommend that articles not exceed 150 words and your headlines should be no less than 20-point font.  Remember, the number one goal of a newsletter is for your members to read it. Sometimes we get caught up in the trials of producing the newsletter and we forget to focus on whether or not our members will actually read it.

In this day and age, you and your members are bombarded with thousands of communications per day via the internet, television, newspapers, etc. So take a risk and be bold with your communication and get members to read your messages.

The best way to be bold with your communication is to highlight chamber efforts that matter to every member on the front page of your newsletter. This often means that advocacy should be the front page of practically every newsletter.

Hundreds of members do not really care how much fun a handful of members had at the last golf tournament.  Golf tournaments and pictures of your board of directors are important, but not important enough to be on the front page of your newsletter. Those types of things belong beyond page two.

The only message that should be on the front page of your newsletter are the things that matter to every member. Economic development, advocacy, how you are solving local problems and impacting the your economy; are things that every member cares about.  Fluffy golf tournament pictures and stories only matter to the few when the purpose of your communication effort is to convince the many that your chamber really matters.

- Shaun Lumachi, President, Chamber Advocacy

For more information about Chamber Advocacy, click HERE.