DO The Idea
- Tara Lehman
- Apr 29
- 2 min read
Recently a chamber asked me to audit their marketing plan.
Before I say more, let me applaud them, and any Chamber that has a plan of any kind, because many don’t have a strategy aside from what’s buried in board meeting minutes.
Reviewing their plan reminded me of how great ideas look on paper and how easily they can gather dust instead of being accomplished.
On paper, their marketing looked strong:
New membership campaign ideas
An event strategy
Social media plans and content themes
A list of “things to try”
It looked spiffy.
It looked like motion.
In reality?
No new member conversations started.
No event dates agreed upon.
No funding sourced.No social media calendar.
Just meetings.
My conclusion?
That for many people, thinking about ideas feels safer than doing them.
It’s not that they don’t intend to execute their greatest ideas.
It’s that thinking about them creates the illusion of progress.
People convince themselves it’s ok not to act because they’re “working on strategy.”
But at what point do you stop working on strategy and actually DO the idea?
This is where some Chambers get stuck:
They’re “planning” events but not promoting outcomes
They’re “thinking about recruitment” but not booking conversations
They’re “working on messaging” but not sending emails
That’s not progress.
That’s avoidance disguised as productivity.
Remember:
Activity without outcomes is just noise .
Your members can’t see you thinking.
While you sit there ideating, nothing has changed for them, bringing them another day closer to wondering what the chamber actually does for them.
Also remember:
The Chambers that grow aren’t the most creative.
They’re the most consistent at executing and adjusting.
That’s it.
And creativity isn’t something you either have or don’t.
It’s not a personality trait reserved for “idea people.”
It’s a decision.
And in a chamber, it doesn’t have to look like big breakthrough campaigns.
It can look like:
Testing a new way to invite people to an event
Turning one member story into three different posts
Rewriting the same message with a stronger outcome
Asking a better question in your next email
Try this instead:
Turn one existing idea into a fully executed 30-day campaign.
Until that's done, ignore:
New strategies
New platforms
New ideas
Because you don’t need better ideas.
You need to test the ones you already have.
Need help brainstorming and/or executing an idea?
That’s exactly what I help Chambers do, so please reach out for a free call to chat about what's on your mind!
Thank you for taking the time to read this far!
~ Tara Lehman
Chamber Executive Consultant
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