Hello Chamber

06/22/2026

🖊 Monday Memory Lane = Chamber Lessons I've Learned

SHORT VERSION: Which Friends character best describes your social media style?

💻 Before I worked for a Chamber, I'd never had a job where there were so many types of things to post on social media.

So, rather than stress about WHAT order to post everything in, I focused on HOW.

My trick?
I imagined I was learning from the cast of Friends.

💬 Joey would tell you to post more.
💬 Monica would spend three hours perfecting every graphic.
💬 Ross would write captions longer than most newsletters.
💬 Chandler would focus on starting conversations.
💬 Phoebe would simply be herself.
💬 Rachel would think about the audience before creating the content.

TO BE SUCCESSFUL AT SOCIAL MEDIA, we need to be a bit like all 6 of them.

Sometimes I'm a little too much like Ross, and that's where AI gets useful. I'll use prompts like:

🖊 "Check my newsletter for grammar and flow."

And within moments, I'm reminded that, quite often, we can say more with less.

There's also a lot of Phoebe in me since I refuse to let everything sound like a press release. Phoebe's touch is what you need to make long posts (like this one) a bit more interesting to read because sometimes, like it or lump it, posts need to be long.

What about you?

Which Friends character best describes your social media style?

*** Lastly, for anyone wondering who these characters are, congratulations on your youth - you've aged me more than this Monday Memory Lane post ever could!

Cheers,

~ Tara

06/18/2026

💻 Your Weekly Booster Shot

In short: Last week I began this social media series as a way to highlight conversations I have with the custom Chamber-trained AI Agent I built called 'Tara the Chamber Brand Booster', and is available for any chamber to use - just scroll down for the link!

💬 Today's conversation:

"Our board doesn't have time to create a one year strategic plan. What shorter term planning can we do instead?"
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💬 My answer is always: A short plan is better than no plan!

And the conversation I had beyond this screenshot followed exactly what I trained the AI Agent to do. It spoke of how many Chambers get stuck trying to:

- predict 3 years or more into the future
- create dozens of goals
- build large planning documents that sit on a shelf

📈 When what most chambers actually need is:

- fewer priorities
- clearer ownership
- quarterly review rhythms

So, if a 25 page strategic plan seems overwhelming, look at what you can do per quarter instead. A one-page strategic plan that gets used is far more valuable than a 30-page plan that gets forgotten.

💬 Ask your board one simple question:

"If we could only accomplish three things in the next 90 days, what would they be?"

Then set a 12-month direction:

✔Identify your top 3 priorities
✔Build a focused 90-day action plan
✔Review progress quarterly
✔Adjust based on results
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If you're AI-curious, I'd love to tell you more about how this Brand Booster can help your Chamber. Visit the link below and reach out if you have questions!

🔗 https://www.hellochamber.ca/brand-booster

~ Tara

06/17/2026

📱 Are you on our text message subscription list?

They're sent every Wednesday as little blasts of energy and tips to help your Chamber thrive, so if you didn't receive one today, follow the link below. I'll be sure to send you what went out today as you wait for the one next week.

https://www.hellochamber.ca/text-subscription

📸 Picture attached is a peek into what was texted today.

Cheers,

~ Tara

06/16/2026

I'm jealous.

Jealous that I didn't have access to AI tools when I was sitting in the Chamber Executive Director chair. The ways it could have enhanced my work are endless.

Instead, now that I'm a Chamber Consultant, I've learned how to help others with AI, and that's why I'm so excited to bring one of my turnkey events, Prompt to Profit, to the St. Andrews Chamber of Commerce & St. Stephen Area Chamber of Commerce's!

🔗 https://www.hellochamber.ca/prompt-to-profit-member-event

💻 I spend a lot of my time helping Chambers and their members find ways to save time and money, and this event is one of my favourite ways to do exactly that!

If you're a chamber leader that would like to help their members learn more about AI, please take a look at the event link, and if it piques your curiosity, let's talk about how we can customize it for your chamber as well.

Cheers,
~ Tara

Note: To attend this event, you must be a member of either the St. Andrews Chamber of Commerce or St. Stephen Area Chamber of Commerce. If you work for a chamber and would like to see this event first-hand before booking one for your members, please reach out to me at: [email protected]

06/15/2026

🖊 Monday Memory Lane = Chamber Lessons I've Learned

SHORT VERSION: 83% of consumers cite texting as their top mobile activity, outpacing social media.

💬 Before joining the Chamber world, I spent years in event management. Different audiences. Different venues. Same challenge:

"Can somebody PLEASE tell me if they're coming?"

☕ Most times I just wanted to know how much coffee to put on tap. ☕

Many members wouldn't respond to an RSVP form, so I started experimenting.

📱I started TEXTING them.

Sometimes I'd get a little silly and write:

👍 = Yes

👎 = No

That's it.

No forms.
No logins.
No extra clicks.

✔️ And suddenly I'd have answers within minutes.

💡 Lesson learned:

Everyone has the bandwidth to reply to a text.

Not everyone can be bothered to open an e-mail.

By sending a text message, I was demanding less of their time instead of asking them to read an email, click on an RSVP form and fill it out.

MANY members verbally expressed their appreciation for that.

And so began using text messaging for MUCH MORE than event promos.

I'd use it for new member announcements.
Business tips of the week.
Sending membership renewal links.

And it always drew better responses than e-mails.

✔️ And I became such a believer in the power of text messaging that I began showing other chambers how to effectively text their members, because another lesson learned is how much time it takes to learn the red tape it's worth pushing through if you're going to legally text people.

And of course I recommend the legal route 😄

📱 GET A FEEL for what I mean by subscribing to the texts I send via the link below:

🔗 https://www.hellochamber.ca/text-subscription

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📈 And remember this stat:

- 83% of consumers cite texting as their top mobile activity, outpacing social media.

So, if your member engagement isn't where you'd like it to be, ADD TEXTING to your communications toolbox.

I hope you found my lesson learned helpful.
Have a great week & I hope to text you soon!

~ Tara

06/11/2026

THURSDAY'S AI TIP OF THE WEEK format is switching up!

Rather than always doing a video, I'll post screen shots of conversations I'm having with the custom AI Agent I built called:

💻 Tara the Chamber Brand Booster.

An on-demand thinking partner trained in all things related to chamber marketing, I first designed it for myself and now it's ready for any chamber to use as well!

📸 Image #1: Created by the Brand Booster vs. generic AI. You know it's me since I didn't ask it to edit my grey hair out!

Image #2: Brand Booster descriptor

Image #3: A glimpse at the C.H.A.M.B.E.R. Marketing framework that guides every piece of marketing advice the Brand Booster gives you.

Image #4: A peek into a conversation I'm having with it to help me map an event to help two chambers of commerce train their members in AI basics.

💻 Screenshots can only scratch the surface, so for a deeper dive, everything about this AI machine is here:
👇
https://www.hellochamber.ca/brand-booster

See you with another Booster Shot next Thursday!

~ Tara

06/10/2026

TL;DR: The image is a tiny preview of what I sent my text message subscribers today, and I want to share how I know texting is a communication tool that serves chambers well.

📱Subscribe to see what I mean: https://www.hellochamber.ca/text-subscription

I send a text every Wednesday that's akin to a business tip of the week - quick messages that give subscribers ideas on how to help their chamber thrive.

📱 I've tested this tool out as a business owner as well as when I worked for a chamber and needed to reach my members, and it ALWAYS works better than emails.

And it ONLY WORKS IF you follow the professional ins & outs of it.

If you're going to text members, there's a proper, legal system to follow, as the big mistake is thinking it's as simple as shooting a text message off to a friend.

That's why I help chambers set text messaging up, because the system is a bit time consuming to learn.
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🤳 Here's why I keep texting...

- It feels like I'm talking WITH people instead of AT them.
- We're all buried in emails these days.
- The unsubscribe rate is significantly lower than email unsubscribes.

📱People stay subscribed when messages are short and don't ask much of them.

😊 In fact, nobody has unsubscribed from my Wednesday texts.

I believe it's because I treat it as a trust builder vs. sending sales-y things.

And I've seen the same success happen with Chamber clients who start using text messaging.

e.g., Ask members to send a 👍 emoji to confirm if they're attending an event and you'll get that reply far faster than the RSVP form they need to dig through emails to find.

If you'd like to get my Wednesday text messages, click that link below and I'll send you the latest one. I sent while you await next Wednesday's message! 😊

📱Subscribe: https://www.hellochamber.ca/text-subscription

Cheers,

~ Tara

06/08/2026

Is your chamber regularly promoting members?

Here’s an example of one thing we’re helping the Smoky Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce Association with, as it’s essential to keep highlighting members at the top of your priority list.

This type of post wins extra bonus points for easy content creation. 👌🏻

📱 Next on the menu: Text messaging support for their members & website design. Two things I will, dare I say it, find absolutely enjoyable!

Thanks Smoky Lake!

~ Tara

✨ Something new is coming to the Smoky Lake Chamber of Commerce!

And we need your help before we can begin.

👉In Short: There's a Google Form below we're hopeful you can take a few moments to complete.

Starting next week, we'll be launching our Monday Member Minute, a regular spotlight series designed to showcase the amazing people and businesses that make up our Chamber community.

This graphic is a sneak peek of what you can expect to see each Monday, and as we prepare, we'd like to make sure we have the most accurate and up-to-date information for your business.

Please take a few minutes to complete the Google Form below and provide details.

📋 https://forms.gle/ChhFQX4sWsqA1CPq6

Taking a few minutes now will help ensure your business is represented accurately.

Thank you - together we can showcase why our communities are such a vibrant place to live, work, and do business! 👏

~ Your Chamber Team

06/08/2026

📓 Monday Memory Lane

TL;DR: Growth doesn't come from filling a room with the same 40 people every month.

📈 Growth happens when the 41st person feels like they belong.

💡I've been thinking about what Monday social media theme I could jump into - like how many chambers do 'Member Mondays' or similar.

I settled on 'Monday Memory Lane' because I don't want to post for the sake of posting. I want it to feel genuine. So, from hereon out, every Monday I'll post a reflection of experiences and stories that shaped my Chamber journey. It's a nostalgic way to remember why I chose to remain in the industry beyond my time as a Chamber E.D., helping me feel confident what I write resonates with multiple people.

And it's hard to know where to start.

✏️ SO HERE GOES - something that feels timely as many chambers prep for summer networking events.

When I was a Chamber E.D. planning member events, I remember that I could predict attendance before registration closed. If it had been appropriate, I would have bet money on who would show up.

The same familiar faces. The same loyal supporters. The same businesses that never seemed to miss an event.

At first, I saw that as a good thing. It meant people found value in what we were doing.

But eventually I started asking a different question:

💡 Where was everyone else? Why weren't more new members attending?

One thing I learned (aside from which people never bothered to read my e-mail event reminders) is that attending a Chamber event can feel intimidating, especially for someone new. Walking into a room where it seems like everyone already knows each other isn't always easy.

So, my biggest event challenge wasn't getting people to attend. It was getting NEW people to attend.

💡 To help your new members with this struggle, here are some ideas:

• Phone with a personal invite so they feel welcomed
• Ask board members to help you welcome them
• Create small, intimate networking opportunities rather than BIG events only

🍩 Serving food never hurts either 🙂

And when they do show up, take them under your wing. Take them around the room, introducing them to fellow members one at a time instead of leaving their networking to chance.

❓What's something you've seen work well for attracting new faces to events?

~ Tara

06/05/2026

AI Prompt Analogy: 🍔 When you go through a fast food drive-thru, you don’t just say ‘I want a burger’. You tell them exactly what burger you want. If you don’t tell them you want bacon, cheese and extra pickles, they’re going to give you a plain burger. Think of treating AI the same way. It’s the enthusiastic volunteer ready to do what you want, but if you don’t guide them properly, they’ll only do a mediocre job.

💻 AI will not save you time if you don’t prompt it properly, and as someone who loves creating writing, it’s easy for me to help you learn if you’d like!