If you create a chamber directory or map, you might want to read this local market success story using mobile technology.
 

The Bowling Green Kentucky Chamber of Commerce partnered with the local newspaper, The BG Daily News and helped develop and promote a community wide mobile app and website called 270BG.  The objective of the app was to have a mobile resource that covered the main categories of life: things to see, where to eat, places to go, people to see and stuff to get. “Isn’t this the way we really live our lives,” said Larry Jobe the project manager behind this effort. Mr. Jobe is the director of sales at the Bowling Green Daily News.
 

Our vendor is Bar-Z Mobile Development, a mobile software development firm based in Austin, Texas: their experience and technical development knowledge has made building 270bg easy for us. The support provided by Bar-Z Mobile Development has permitted us to populate 270bg with efficiency, accuracy and timeliness. “I was impressed with how BarZ was able to integrate with the chamber's CRM to easily manage content”, said Jobe.
 

Bar-Z has helped many organizations to develop and implement a community app but none quite like 270bg. Bar-Z Mobile Development has more than 12 years of experience offering customized digital solutions for a variety of clients.
 

 Mr. Jobe worked directly with the Chamber CEO, Ron Bunch and offered to highlight all of his chamber members with a basic listing with the prospect of the chamber member upgrading to an enhanced or a premium listing.
 

The mobile app, 270bg delivers everything Bowling Green has to offer and it strengthens our sense of community and helps continue to do what Bowling Green does best, bring people together and make everyone feel like they’re at home.
 

 A study by global tech protection and support company, Asurion, found the average person struggles to go more than 10 minutes without checking his or her phone and uses at least nine apps a day. This data proves that small and local businesses have much to gain from potential customers, and their smart-phone habits.
 

The 270bg app provides quick and easy access at your fingertips, and at no cost to download for both Apple and Android users. Users may easily navigate city services, access information about city council members and meetings, scroll through a directory of city parks and facilities, find upcoming events, read the latest news, receive timely push notification announcements, access interactive maps and more.
 

The Bowling Green Chamber is benefiting because all of their members are listed at no cost and recognized in the app. Mobile offers additional benefits; it can be updated at any time, it can be distributed on a world-wide basis at no cost to download, it's green, and it can integrate with your current website/CRM. Perhaps best of all it appeals to the next generation of chamber members and leaders. The analytics that come with the app are a big feature. We know where and when someone downloads or uses the app, we know their approximate age or gender and we know how they are using the app. This insight is something you just can get with a printed piece. 
 

So as you move into 2021, do you really want to work on another printed directory or map? Why not go mobile?
 

Check out the app on the website version at www.270bg.com

Download the 270 BG "Everything Bowling Green" app:
 

For questions regarding development of your own app, please contact:

Larry Jobe at the Bowling Green Daily News (270) 783-3230, or ljobe@bgdailynews.com

Lee Little at Bar-Z Mobile Development (512) 970-9566 or lee.little@bar-z.com

Wm. Lee Little

Founder of Bar-Z Mobile Development

Austin, TX

www.bar-z.com