SMALL BUSINESSES ARE GETTING MORE OUT OF THE CHAMBER THAN EVER BEFORE

With the economy being the lowest seen in decades, Chambers now more than ever are seen by small businesses as being an affordable and necessary asset in their marketing plan. The reason for that is simple, when money is tight businesses have to budget and use the most affordable marketing opportunities that can supply ‘The best bang for their buck’. As seen in our steady retention rates, the Wilsonville Chamber of Commerce without a doubt provides this for our members. We are a Chamber that prides ourselves on offering more complimentary benefits, which are included in your membership, than many other Chambers.

Let’s take for example a typically small business of 4 employees. Their membership investment would be $270 per year with the Wilsonville Chamber – equaling only about $22.50 per month. That member is able to be listed in our online and printed Business Directory (over 19,000 copies were distributed last year in our region); utilize our Hot Deals feature, Job Openings feature, and online Event Calendar. They can also list for free advertisements and announcements in our weekly email updates and monthly newsletters that reach over 700 local business people (not to mention the hundreds of co-workers that this is forwarded to).

In addition to that, they have the opportunity to attend over 70 events through the year that focus on networking, gaining referrals, business education, personal growth, and community involvement. All of these are also included in that annual fee. If someone was to pay for these events at a typical organization it could equal over $400 in registration fees alone! So clearly the benefit of Chamber membership is multiple times the cost that you pay. We also have a special arrangement through our membership software that allows you to upload the most current information about your business to be used by GPS units and a partnership through Office Depot that offers discounts on the basic office essentials that you need everyday – all as complimentary aspects of you membership.

If you are a small business, or even a medium or large business, don’t forget to use the most cost effective marketing in Wilsonville – your Chamber membership! There are many ways to take advantage of promoting your business – one way to learn about them all is to attend our Chamber 101 Membership Orientation session on Thursday, November 3rd. This quarterly free event provides a full overview of Chamber programming and walks you through how to utilize the many benefits that your membership includes. Contact Brandi Hereford, Membership Director, to learn more or register for Chamber 101 at Brandi@WilsonvilleChamber.com or 503-682-0411.