A group of Ball State students is implementing a strategic communications plan designed to raise the profile of the Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce.

Chamber President Dan Allen believes the strategic plan could help improve his organization's visibility within the community.

"The chamber is a business, and any business that doesn't advertise will have trouble reaching their target audience," Allen said. "I think this comprehensive marketing plan will address our communications and marketing needs. We need to get our name out in the community to showcase what services we can offer local businesses in an effort to attract new ones and retain existing members.

"Before becoming chamber president, I was a director with General Motors, and I saw similar plans that were extremely costly," he said. "The plan created by the Ball State students is the same quality marketing plan that would cost thousands of dollars. It is very detailed and filled with research to back up the action plan. I am pleased with the results."

Through Ball State's Business Fellows program, the nine-student group has been working since last September to develop a comprehensive communications plan that dealt with membership, retention, marketing, branding and improving services.

"Our goal was to research the current communication strategies for the chamber and to see what we could do to improve their performance in certain key areas," said Robert Pritchard, a public relations professor and faculty adviser for the campus chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), who is overseeing the group.

"I wanted the students to understand the connection between research and planning," he said. "In communications, you start with research to identify problems and to see what you can do to eliminate those problems."

The group began its work with a comprehensive study of the 800 members, collecting data from 145 surveys. From the data, the students were able to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the chamber's internal and external communications.

Pritchard said in addition to focusing on advertising efforts, the study found the chamber needed a better visual identity to improve its branding efforts.

"The visual identity will enhance the chamber's status among its members and in the community," he said. "We think we can develop their visual identity and present it to them by April."

By participating in the Business Fellows program, Pritchard believes his students will gain an appreciation for communications, management and leadership.

"Through a real-life project, this program has allowed the students to improve their understanding of the theories and concepts they've been taught in class," he said. "This is a very hands-on process. They've been able to sink their teeth into a complex set of issues and come up with a plan that will benefit the client."

Business Fellows, coordinated by Ball State's Career Center and funded by a $1.5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., gives Ball State students the opportunity to turn academic knowledge into business solutions through intense, semester-long applied work experiences that will benefit an Indiana business, industry or organization. The program works in concert with Ball State's Building Better Communities initiative.

Building Better Communities is an initiative designed to spur economic development and quality of life advancement in Indiana by applying Ball State's strengths in applied research and hands-on learning to projects across the state. Building Better Communities works to match the university's expertise and resources to the varied needs of Indiana communities.

(Note to editors: For more information, contact Pritchard at rpritchard@bsu.edu or (765) 285-9104. Allen may be reached at dallen@muncie.com or (765) 751-9101.)