Helping members tell their own stories

This past July, our Chamber staff and Chairman Justin Wingenroth went to the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives Annual Convention in New Orleans prepared to discuss how a small chamber can make a larger impression online.

We returned thinking less about what the Chamber itself posts and more about what doors open when members feel comfortable posting for themselves.

Our marketing and communications assistant, Julia Miranda-Roach, participated in a panel on how small chambers dealing with limited capacity can better use social media to uplift their members. We shared how the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber introduces audiences to the people behind its member businesses: why they began, what they contribute, and what keeps them invested in this region.

But the panel also revealed an opportunity to expand what member promotion can mean.

Our members know their stories and understand them best. What we can offer is an extra set of hands that helps them illuminate questions that draw out interesting answers, shows them how to film themselves, and shares practical guidance on how to capture a short video, while amplifying what members create through our own channels.

The research suggests that this kind of support addresses a real gap. In a 2025 Verizon Business survey, approximately three-quarters of small and midsize business decision-makers said social media had positively affected their businesses. Yet more than half struggled to produce enough content and keep it fresh.

A separate Constant Contact study found that 73% of small businesses lacked confidence in the effectiveness of their marketing strategies, while 56% had no more than an hour each day to devote to marketing.

The reality for many entrepreneurs is that they’re running their businesses and unsure how to turn what happens every day into content.

Greater confidence starts with showing members that they can create useful content themselves. During a visit, we can help them identify the stories already present in their workday and demonstrate how to turn those moments into simple formats: answer a common customer question in a 20-second “Did You Know?” video, film a few clips of a new product arriving, or use an event photo to explain whom they met and why the connection mattered. We’re not just creating the content for them; we’re showing them how to repeat the process.

That thinking will inform how we approach two of our largest upcoming events.

At the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber Foundation’s annual golf outing on Sept. 21, at Hollow Brook Golf Club, sponsor recognition goes beyond displaying a logo. We can share why participating businesses support scholarships for local students, capture their perspectives, and provide material they can use to communicate that involvement to their own audiences. For high-level sponsors, we’re filming and editing reels showcasing all they accomplish.

The same opportunity exists at the Fall Festival & Car Show, taking place Oct. 11, at Jefferson Valley Mall. The festival gives vendors direct access to the public for one day, but thoughtful content can extend that exposure. Introducing vendors beforehand helps attendees know whom to look for, while photos, interviews, and tags give businesses something useful to share after the festival ends.

It makes that interaction with customers travel that much farther. Someone may first encounter a vendor through a Chamber video, meet them at the festival, and continue following their business afterward.

We came home from New Orleans with a clearer idea of how we can support our members’ marketing without trying to do it for them. That means creating opportunities for them to share their stories, passing along what we have learned, and continuing to promote their work as they become more confident creating content themselves.

We will keep telling member stories. We also want members to know that when they are ready to tell those stories themselves, the Chamber is in their corner every step of the way.

Carole Voisey is the executive director of the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce.