You already know that starting a business can be taxing. But as an entrepreneur, you don’t have to go it alone.
Membership in the Aransas Pass Chamber of Commerce offers numerous benefits and keeps business owners on top of important, ever-changing issues and trends within their community and local marketplace.
Here are 12 reasons joining the Chamber could be a smart business decision
1. Credibility
Research shows that consumers are more likely to do business with a company if it’s a member of their local chamber of commerce. According to a study by The Shapiro Group, Inc. and Market Street Services, when consumers know that a small business is a member of their local Chamber of Commerce, they are 44 percent more likely to think favorably of it and 63 percent more likely to purchase goods or services from the company in the future.
2. Community Involvement
The Chamber provides you with opportunities to get involved in the community and to improve your business. How? Companies with strong corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs reap a slew of benefits. Here’s just one: in a PricewaterhouseCoopers study 86 percent of employees said they would leave a company if the CSR program started to slip.
3. Marketing
The Chamber can help promote your business through the website, social media, print advertising and community events. Many people use the Chamber as an authority to find products and services.
4. Advocacy
The Aransas Pass Chamber of Commerce supports member businesses, acting as a voice for the common interests of members both in the public sphere and in local lawmaking bodies. It also provides ongoing communication to member organizations about legislation that could affect businesses.
5. Networking
As a new business owner, it is important that you network. The Chamber provides numerous opportunities, like monthly mixers, to meet with other local business owners and get to know others in the community.
6. Professional Development
The organization frequently hosts professional development events, including training or meeting opportunities to help you learn or improve upon skills that are essential to running your business.
7. Customer Referrals
Every day, your local chamber receives calls from individuals and businesses looking for potential vendors. The Aransas Pass Chamber recommends members organizations first.
8. Mailing List Access
The Chamber’s mailing list of local businesses can be one of the most lucrative tools in a business owner’s kit, particularly those operating in the B-to-B playing field. It gives your company direct access to dozens of important businesses in the Coastal Bend.
9. Fostering Relationships
Forming relationships with the other movers and shakers in town can generate everything from clients to new business ventures to advertising to stellar employees. Other local businesses are more likely to do business with fellow Chamber members.
10. Invitations to Events, Galas and Trade Shows
Chamber events and programs are fun ways to help members meet potential customers, clients and vendors and generate new business leads. Members are invited to the annual Chamber Open House, the annual Chamber Banquet, and other events. Chamber members also have the opportunity to send key employees to the Leadership Aransas Pass program, where they learn leadership skills and become more informed about the community.
11. Low-Cost Promotional Opportunities
Your presence at local events and your name on Chamber-related materials can add credibility to your company and keep your name top-of-mind. The Chamber offers a plethora of advertising opportunities, including those that put your name and materials on video screens, at the Visitors Center and event sponsorships.
12. It’s Tax Deductible
Membership in the Aransas Pass Chamber of Commerce is inexpensive to begin with, but it may very well be tax deductible as a business expense.
The Aransas Pass Chamber of Commerce has been serving the business community since 1937, when it was chartered to promote business, tourism, recreation, and economic development, and improve the quality and standard of living in Aransas Pass.
For more information about joining the chamber, call 361-758-2750 or visit AransasPass.org/about/join-the-chamber/.