The Quad Area Chamber of Commerce–representing Centerville, Circle Pines, Lexington, and Lino Lakes–hopes to be able to support its member businesses with digital tools to market their services, products, and expertise.

“We have many, many businesses that are at $500,000 or less in annual income,” said Chamber Executive Director Dorothy Radermacher. “I can’t imagine that (those business owners) have the expertise to understand (digital) platforms like this.”

The chamber relies on support for digital marketing from the larger organization Chamber Nation. One tool that’s available is a text messaging option: by texting the abbreviation for the business name (like “QACC” for the chamber itself) to 72727. The response will include a link to the business website and more information about what it offers.

“We’re used to picking up our phone and saying, ‘Google, find me somebody near me that’s a plumber,'” said Radermacher. “How do we move our chambers into the world of internet and electronics and help them bring their customers back?”

Another tool available through the chamber’s website is the Community Welcome Center, a digital platform that allows for simple subject-by-subject and specialty-by-specialty search options.

“Since the pandemic, I think more and more residents of our communities want to support their friends and their neighbors,” said Radermacher. “So this is a way for the chamber to give back to them by putting all of that information into one location.”