William Wells III
President & CEO

Saturday, April 18, 2009
We’ve recently had an influx of calls and emails from Chamber members who have been approached by sales people using the Chamber of Commerce as a “selling point”, being told that “the Monroe County Chamber will be distributing these…” be it magnets, maps, glossy magazines, etc... We simply don’t do that! Truth is, the majority of these sales calls and visits are from people representing companies located outside of Monroe County, and most are located outside the state of Tennessee! This means that the advertising money you’re spending doesn’t help your community or your county in any way!

Because we are a member based, non-profit organization, our responsibility is to support our members and help our members with their advertising and promotional needs. As a result, we must be extremely cautious in regards to what and how we distribute items which include advertising.
  

The Chamber has five advertising and promotional outlets for its members:

• The Monroe County Guidebook

• The Monroe County Map

• The Monroe County Relocation & Visitor Information Folders

• The “Chamber Chat” – our monthly Monroe County Chamber Newsletter

• The walls and tables located in the Chamber office… for business cards, brochures, flyers, etc...

The Chamber does NOT currently sell advertising for, nor do we distribute, items such as magnates, key chains, pens, tee-shirts, placemats, menus, cartoon type maps, local glossy publications, etc... We DO support area newspapers and make issues available to visitors who come to our office. We DO make our own brochures to hand out to visitors which include member contact information for real estate agents, restaurants, etc…

We DO make our office space available for members to distribute business cards, brochures, fliers for events, etc…

We go to great lengths to get our member information out to everyone who asks. We field calls daily asking for information on every type of business in Monroe County. We respond to emails received daily asking for relocation information, visitor information, etc…

This is why it’s advantageous to become a Chamber member. The cost is insignificant when compared to the advertising and promotional opportunities we make available on a daily basis.

We don’t hire anyone to do our selling for us. We let you know well in advance when our guidebooks, maps, and folders will be going out and provide you with plenty of time to decide which of these opportunities you wish to take advantage of.

Advertising budgets are small in these tough economic times. Before you commit to an advertising opportunity, give us a quick call. Make sure you’re getting the most for your advertising dollar. By doing that, you’re also helping your Chamber of Commerce continue to be of service to you.

If you have any questions, or would like more information about your Chamber of Commerce, please call 423-442-4588 or visit the Chamber online at www.MonroeCountyChamber.org.

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