If your members are hanging out on LinkedIn but you’re still investing all your energy in Facebook, you’re missing opportunities. The same goes for relying only on email when many of your younger professionals may prefer a quick DM.

This pitfall usually happens because we get comfortable. We stick with the platforms we know instead of the platforms our members prefer or have migrated to (social media habits change. Just ask MySpace.). But members don’t care about what’s easiest for the chamber. They’re not going to log into Facebook just to see chamber posts if they’re not usually on there.

Meet members where they are, not where it’s convenient for you. That doesn’t mean chasing every new platform, but it does mean paying attention to where your audience already spends their time. A quick member survey or even a few conversations can give you clarity about where to focus.

Have you ever been to an event you feel good about, you’re excited about the takeaways, and then the post-event energy drops off a cliff. No thank-you message, no photos, no recap. Just silence until the next thing comes along.

Engagement thrives on momentum. If the event was the spark, the follow-up is the oxygen. A simple thank-you email, a quick survey, or a highlight reel on social media extends the life of your event and reminds members that their participation mattered.

Want to make a valuable impression? Send a “Top 5 Takeaways” email after every major event, recapping the best insights and info on speakers. Those emails get high open rates, create a fear of missing out from people who didn’t attend, and they are shareable content for members who wanted to highlight their involvement. That kind of follow-up turns one-time events into ongoing engagement.

It’s easy to slip into “we did this” mode—“we hosted, we achieved, we’re excited about...” But the chamber is at its best when the spotlight is on the members themselves.

When your communications lean too heavily on “we,” members start to tune out. They don’t join to hear how great the chamber is; they join to feel like part of something bigger than themselves.

Instead, flip the script. Tell their stories, celebrate their wins, and let your platforms amplify their voices. Highlight the restaurant owner who pivoted successfully, the new business that just opened, or the long-time member celebrating a milestone. When members see themselves reflected in chamber communications, engagement naturally follows.

Social media makes this temptation very real. We see others doing things that are successful for them, and we throw all our energy into it only to realize it doesn’t align with our strategy, ad it fails. For example, you jump into TikTok because you feel like you’re missing out if the chamber doesn’t participate. But trend-chasing without strategy often backfires. You burn time, energy, and credibility when you launch initiatives that don’t align with your members’ needs. If your core audience isn’t there, you just have a lot of people swiping through your content, which ruins your algorithm standing for when you do want to get serious about it. Shiny object is great but only when it’s also strategic.

When considering a new platform or initiative, ask yourself: does this align with our mission? Does it serve our members where they are right now? If the answer is no, skip it. If the answer is yes, take some time to create a strategy around it.
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True engagement doesn’t come from doing more. It comes from avoiding the habits that push people away and focusing on the connections that pull them in.

So, take a look at your chamber’s communications and events this week. Are you inviting conversation or delivering monologues? Are you spotlighting members or yourself? Are you building momentum or dropping the ball at the finish line?

The good news is that most of these pitfalls aren’t hard to fix. They just require attention.
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