By Joel Phelps
The Arkadelphian

The Arkadelphia Area Chamber of Commerce and Alliance hit the digital airwaves this week in an attempt to spotlight local businesses and offer public details of economic development projects.

Hosted by Saybra Scott and Nikki Chandler, the Arkadelphia Alliance and Chamber on Monday released its first of many podcasts to come. Scott and Chandler welcomed listeners to take a “deep dive into our community” by tuning in to the podcast, which is expected to go into detail about the Alliance, Chamber of Commerce and the roles each entity plays, as well as focus on local businesses and economic development projects by featuring business owners and Chamber members.

Scott, director of communications for the Alliance, said in the podcast that the main reason behind broadcasting a podcast was simple: getting local information out. “We’ve been hitting different channels on how to reach people, so we [decided to] do everything we can” to inform the public on the organization’s affairs. “If you’re driving and have a 20-minute commute … you can listen to the podcast to see what’s going on in Arkadelphia. So that’s kind of why we wanted to jump it, so it helps get that word out.”

Chandler, executive vice president of the Arkadelphia Area Chamber of Commerce, echoed that. Using every media platform possible to reach a broader audience, she said, “was kind of a big thing with the Chamber: what are different avenues of information that we can share and how we can share it.” In addition to the podcast, the Chamber uses social media, including the latest craze TikTok, to spread its message. Chandler admitted that TikTok is “not for everybody, but it’s hitting our target market.” She said the Chamber’s TikTok views are receiving high numbers of viewers, especially among local boutiques that use that platform. A podcast, Chandler added, hits a different targeted audience. 

Chandler said the podcasts will be “fairly brief — 30 minutes or less” and that the goal is to “really highlight our Chamber members.” Over time, Chandler and Scott aim to upload the podcast weekly, and plan to soon highlight Chamber members. “We can bring a Chamber member, interview them and they can tell you what their business does,” Chandler said. “So it’ll hopefully be another way to showcase out Chamber members in town, along with events” planned in Arkadelphia.

Scott said a podcast adds to the Alliance and Chamber’s social media efforts in that it can be difficult to get all the information you want out in a single post on social media. With a podcast, Scott said, “we can sit down and talk with J.L. [Griffin, interim president and CEO of the Alliance] or the new company coming in, or the company that’s already here wanting to expand.”

Scott added: “If we can sit down and talk with them and what the process [of starting, owning or expanding a business] is like, that really helps the public understand what we’re doing here a little better.”

For more information about the podcast or to sponsor one, call the alliance or email Chandler at nikki@arkadelphiaalliance.com or Scott at saybra@arkadelphiaalliance.com.

The podcast is available on Soundcloud, Spotify and Amazon Music, and will soon be available on Apple Podcasts.