Regular readers of this column often repeat some of my common phrases back to me.  One of those is “we do a great job of converting the converted, but we need to work on converting the unconverted.”  The idea is simple but often overlooked- our businesses and organizations do a tremendous job of securing relationships with customers and partners who are already aware of them- but how do they connect with those who don’t know them or what they do? 

There are some ways that we think we connect with the unconverted, but on further examination, are just securing and strengthening those relationships we already have.  Now don’t get me wrong, there is a tangible need to remind people of what you do and secure existing relationships.  As I have preached to many chamber colleagues around the state, it’s much easier to make a current member business happy than to recruit a new business member.  The reason for that is because you already have a connection.  

Let’s use a company’s newsletter as a great example.  How do you get someone to sign up for your newsletter?  Typically, an organization sends it to those that are current customers via mail or through e-mail.  Even if the newsletter has new information, it typically only goes to the same audience.  How do others receive your information?  Unless you had a booth at an event that asked for people’s addresses, or if someone shares it with a friend, then typically the only people who see it are already the converted.  Again, there certainly is value in a newsletter promoting your work, but as a recruitment tool to expand your base, you need to come up with new ways to distribute the information to new audiences. 

So how do we reach others?  How do we connect?  It’s a tricky thing to do, but let me show you a few examples of what we do at the Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber to outreach to new audiences and perhaps some of these answers could help you.  

The first requirement is a willingness to try things you may not have done before.  That is a difficult adjustment for some organizations to make.  It’s vital though. In looking at company success and community growth over the next decade, I believe a willingness to try things you may not have done before will be one of the 2-3 key attributes of successful companies.  That’s a topic for another column, but for now, let’s just recognize that it’s an essential component.  

How do we put that into practice at the chamber?  Well all chambers of commerce run differently from one another, as they should based on the wishes of their members.  Some are heavily into policy and advocacy, some are tourism-driven, some are information centers, some work on workforce issues, some work with the schools, some are the key community event organization,  and the best ones do a little bit of all of it.  However, there are some core beliefs that exist for chambers, and our SMMC goes against some of these traditional viewpoints.  

The biggest difference for our chamber is that we don’t have the same rigidity around membership to the organization being a pre-requisite for your attendance at chamber events.  This means, if you’re a new business and you want to have a ribbon cutting ceremony, just call us and we will set one up with you.  I’ll tell you, I’m on a nationwide Facebook group and that is overwhelmingly not the way many chambers do it.  They view ribbon cuttings as a member benefit.  We view it as an opportunity to set the expectations for our relationship.  If I’ll only support you once you give me money, am I really interested in helping you because I want to help you?  Reserving ribbon cuttings for members only seems a bit too transactional for our taste. 

Again, other chambers do it differently. But it’s more important for me that the member knows we’re here to support them and welcome them to the community- no strings attached- than it is to get a check before they even open and have the income to support it.  They can’t make money until people know about them- I’d rather help them make some before I ask for some.  

We do the same thing for our Chamber After Hours which is our monthly open house held at a member business.  All business people are invited- whether you are a member or not.  What better way for me to show you the value of membership than by introducing you to 60-100 business leaders?  Also at our 12 @ 12 events, I always invite one or two perspective members to our monthly twelve-person lunches.  In fact, when I meet with new members, I encourage them to try out our events before sending in their application and membership dues check.  And many do.  I’ve had people who signed up months after, or even up to a year after, they began coming to chamber events.  Not everyone is going to launch quickly, and that’s the support they needed to get started, and now they will be loyal members for years.  

How can you use this in your business?  What advantages can you give to potential customers?  How do you reach them?  

You can try what we do.  Regular Facebook posts.  Encourage your customers to invite others to events- (this is an encouraged word-of-mouth campaign and it works like an endorsement).  Record a video about your business on your phone and upload it to Facebook or YouTube.   Make a creative new sign or use your current sign creatively so people get used to reading it.  

Or, if you are fortunate enough to have the opportunity, get involved with local media.  Right now, you’re reading a subtle pitch for chamber membership- and maybe you’re already a member- or maybe this peeked your interest just enough.  Either way, I hope it got you thinking.     

Cory R. King is the execuctive director of the Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber.