Chamber Pulse Economic Insider Survey Panel

Ozean Media recently published a study through it’s sister entity, Chamber Pulse, which surveys Chamber of Commerce executives across the Southeast United States. A copy of the study is posted below. You can view the the original study and all future studies by visiting chamberpulse.com.

2023 Quarter 3 Economic Outlook

Welcome to the first edition of Ozean Media’s Chamber Pulse Economic Insider survey panel; a quarterly survey of Chamber of Commerce executives across the Southeast.

The survey reveals that Chamber of Commerce executives rank their local and statewide economies much higher than the national economy, both generally and in terms of growth.

“The data shows that Chamber executives are slightly optimistic locally, while remaining uneasy about uncontrollable national economic factors,” says Ben Torpey of Ozean Media.

Over 75% respondents rated the current condition of their statewide and local economies as “good”, compared to just over 25% for the national economy. The same held true when respondents were asked to compare economic conditions to 3 months prior and over the next 3 months; respondents held overall positive attitudes toward statewide and local economies, while having a poor outlook for the national economy.

The survey also asked about specific local economic conditions, such as cost of living, overall local business climate, inflation, and the housing market.

“What really stands out is the concern over inflation and the cost of living. Not only did a plurality indicate that inflation (57%) and the cost of living (50%) have gotten worse over the past 3 months, but the same share of respondents expect it to get worse over the next 3 months,” concludes Ben Torpey of Ozean Media.

Despite these concerns, not a single respondent indicated that their local business climate has gotten worse over the past 3 months, while a plurality (50%) of the respondents expected their local business climate to improve over the next 3 months.

Looking forward, and in light of perceived improvements compared to the previous 3 months, we hope to see the continuation of respondent’s future economic expectations.

Methodology

Chamber of Commerce Presidents, Executive Directors, and CEOs from the Southeastern United States are surveyed quarterly online for the Ozean Media Chamber Pulse survey panel. Eligibility is determined by asking the person to complete an online demographic form where answers are checked for authenticity. Once authorized, panelists are assigned unique tokens to maintain anonymity and sent an invitation to take the survey. A maximum of five attempts per record is made. The average time to take the survey is under 5 minutes.

Respondents are asked 1 question about current economic conditions, 3 questions about economic conditions over the past 3 months, and 3 questions forecasting economic conditions over the next 3 months at the national, statewide, and local levels. These questions will remain consistent throughout future surveys.

Chamber of Commerce Panel Partners

• Pell City Chamber of Commerce – Pell City, Alabama
• Hawkinsville Chamber of Commerce – Hawkinsville, Georgia
• Stuart/Martin County Chamber of Commerce – Stuart, Florida
• Tavares Chamber of Commerce – Tavares, Florida
• Greater Ardmore Chamber of Commerce – Ardmore, Alabama/Tennessee
• Demopolis Area Chamber of Commerce – Demopolis, Alabama
• Greater Pasco Chamber of Commerce – New Port Richey, Florida
• Athens Area Chamber of Commerce– Athens, Georgia
• Asheboro/Randolph Chamber – Asheboro, North Carolina
• Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce – Duluth, Georgia
• Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce – Orangeburg, South Carolina
• Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership – Ocala, Florida
• Millbrook Area Chamber of Commerce – Millbrook, Alabama
• South Lake Chamber of Commerce – Clermont, Florida

2023 Q3 Chamber Pulse Report

Ozean’s Guide to Associations, Communications, and Advocacy: First Party Data

This is part one of a multi-part series about what to do and what NOT to do when it comes to advocacy projects for your association. Whether you are a trade association, chamber of commerce, or your local YMCA – this applies.

This post will focus on the importance of first party data. First party data is information YOU and your organization have collected, such as member information and sign-ups; NOT information you purchase from a data broker.

Why is first party data important? Because you OWN it and are not at the mercy of others. This means you can email your lists while lessening the possibility of being reported as spam or banned from email platforms.

Additionally, first party data allows you to use your list as audiences in digital advertising campaigns, giving you the confidence that you are targeting exactly who you intend to and minimizing waste.

Let’s look at a scenario where first party data gives you an advantage.

Let’s say your association held an event with prospective members and collected their contact information (this includes first name, email, and phone number). With this information, you are able to target the prospective members with email marketing campaigns as well as digital advertising campaigns (whether it is Facebook or traditional display advertising).

If you did not collect this information, your association would miss out on efficient, precise communication operations and a digital strategy to recruit new members.

Strategies to collect first party data include physical data collection, website sign up forms, or collecting information from phone calls. Keeping track and documenting who communicates with your association is key to building your first party data.

Establishing an organized first party data operation is just the beginning to Associations, communications, and advocacy.

If you are in the market for a strategic, long-term political affairs partner for your organization, trade association, or corporation / company, Ozean is eager to speak with you. Our easy-to-use appointment scheduling tool makes it simple to find a time that works for you.