Marissa Chastain is the vice president of operations at the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, which provides local businesses opportunities to expand their audience outreach in the Athens area. 

Q: What relationship do marketing and business have?

A: The creative economy here is huge. I think a great example is Flicker, which is a bar but also an incredible venue. It’s a place that constantly has local artists displayed in the space, and often that work is for sale. So it’s supporting that artist as a business as well. I think that the Chamber plays a role within that type of business that I think people don’t necessarily think about. So one of my goals has been to widely communicate our belief that there’s a misconception that the Chamber is for bankers and lawyers and traditional businesses. But we have members across any type of industry that you can think of, including artists.

Q: Are you noticing any marketing trends that have been the most beneficial? 

A: Marketing is cyclical, and post COVID. So I think we’re seeing that part of the cycle where it comes back around to craving in person, human connection. I tell members all the time that Athens is a relationship based place. I mean traditional, standard marketing, print, media, online presence, all of that is going to be super important. There is so much power in meeting people and connections. You’re branding yourself, and it’s got to be genuine. If you’re genuine and just want to meet people and create relationships, you will see the fruits of that effort in your sales. That’s my belief.

Q: Is there a best way to market a business?

A: There’s not a one size fits all answer, because it does depend on the business type. In general, one thing that the Chamber offers is ribbon cuttings, and that’s a great way to get some press as far as what we can offer our members in terms of visibility. Any of our members can post events on the calendar. They can share news releases and press releases. They can do member to member discounts to encourage other members to shop with them. So I always tell people that whatever you have going on, make it into a press release and let's get it online. The more you can link to your website from other reputable websites, the more that’s going to help your organic SEO. We have great social media here too, Athens Banner-Herald and Flagpole. There’s all kinds of opportunities. Find out what they offer and what their demographic is. I think the main thing is, whatever is happening, make a big deal out of it. People want to celebrate with you. 

Q: Do you have an idea of what local Athens bringing in business looks like, are you seeing more growth?

A: Yes, Meissner has committed to opening a location here and that will bring in about 1800 jobs. It’s the largest development in Athens-Clarke County as far as businesses expanded into our county. So that is a big one. After the red carpet tour, we may see some more interest, that’s the hope. Athens is definitely on the map. The place that people want to be. 

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I chose to reach out to Marissa because the connection of marketing and business is very important to the beat. Instead of reaching out to business owners, speaking to someone that handles how businesses can best help their growth is something I found important. During this interview, I learned that a great portion is listening to responses and thinking of follow-ups. Though I had written down around 10 questions to ask, I found that the follow-up questions helped me form more of a human reaction, as well as getting a deeper answer. I learned the importance of memorizing your questions beforehand so you are able to listen to the answers and not need to focus on what you are going to be asking next.

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