WEDA: Comprehensive Economic Development Marketing & Attraction

Transcription

1 WEDA: Comprehensive Economic Development Marketing & Attraction

2 Agenda About Atlas A few formative ideas about ED marketing How research can inform your marketing decisions What the customers (Site Selectors) say How marketing should differ by organizational size and type Ohio BDC Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities Webster City, IA What should your community be doing in 2011? Interesting findings on social media, online marketing and new media View and share the slides Q+A

3 About Atlas Atlas Advertising helps economic developers reach national and international prospect and site selection audiences. We deliver branding, website development, GIS mapping, research, social media, and creative services professionally and with a staff experienced in economic development. Unlike firms with little or no economic development experience, Atlas Advertising uses a proven mix of economic development marketing tactics that generate interest from site selection audiences. Atlas Advertising is led by a former economic development practitioner and has worked with 70+ different economic development clients in nearly 40+ US states. Our approach and experience means that our campaigns generate an average of three to ten times the response of other campaigns. Featured clients: State of Ohio Indy Partnership City of San Francisco Greater Phoenix Economic Council Greater Omaha Economic Development Partnership Webster City, Iowa

4 Download the slides, join the community, continue the dialogue Continue the Conversation: Follow us on Twitter: Tweet questions using hashtag #AskAtlas Join the community of innovative economic development marketers Join our Next Gen Economic Development Marketers LinkedIn Group View and share the slides with your colleagues (available now):

5 Are you a State, Region, or Individual City/County?

6 Is Your Marketing Budget Growing, Staying the Same, or Shrinking?

7 A Few Formative Ideas About ED Marketing

8 Whether or not you market, your community and its brand already exists. It is up to you to shape, not create, the brand and story of your community. If you don t, you will leave that up to others who may have different interests.

9 When considering your marketing efforts, set quantitative goals. If you can t measure it, you shouldn t buy it.

10 States are different from regions and different from individual cities and counties. The area you represent and how you are funded means you should market differently.

11 Economic developers should respond to those who are already looking before speaking to those who aren t.

12 Businesses may do one major relocation in their management s entire time there. Our job as economic developers is to educate, coach, and be relevant to them. If we don t, we will be cut out.

13 How research can inform your marketing decisions

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15 Some examples of standard benchmarks for quantitative goals Goal City or County Benchmark Region Benchmark State Benchmark Deals/Jobs in the pipeline Varies Varies Varies RFI requests per month Varies Varies Varies Incoming and phone inquiries per month Property searches on my website per month 500 2,500 5,000 Website visits per month 1,500 5,000 20,000 Social media followers/ connections ,000

16 How to focus your marketing at the correct moment for the prospect

17 [Atlas Site Selector Survey Results] Please rate the following in terms of their importance as a source of information: Information Source % Important, 2011 % Important, 2006 Site visits (familiarization tours) 100% 100% Existing relationships with ED officials 95% 88% Community websites 90% 63% Third party national data sources 90% n/a Past experience with other deals 81% 71% Word of mouth from peers 57% 43% Calls from local officials 48% 29% Existing relationships with local real estate community 38% 29% National conferences 29% 0% Trade magazines 29% 14% Social Media/Social Networks 24% n/a

18 2011 Results: Access to Customers, Incentives, Proximity to Univ., Access to Workforce Lead the Fastest Growing Factors List % difference Access to customers (large markets) 95% 69% 26% Financial incentives from communities 95% 69% 26% Proximity to a research university 67% 43% 24% Access to technical/scientific workers 90% 70% 20% Quality or fit of specific real estate 90% 75% 15% Access to transportation infrastructure 90% 76% 14% Pro-business tax-regulatory climate 95% 83% 12% Access to senior management talent 76% 64% 12% Quality of life for employees 62% 60% 2% Ability to recruit workforce 95% 96% -1% A rapidly growing region 57% 60% -3% Access to cultural amenities 43% 49% -6% Access to outdoor recreation 10% 38% -28% Climate (weather) 29% 58% -29%

19 What the Customers (Site Selectors) Say

20 Tracey Hyatt Bosman 1. Based in Chicago, IL 2. Former economic developer 3. Specializes in renewable energy and data centers Director of Grubb & Ellis Strategic Consulting Group

21 What Tracey needs and doesn t need What We Need Contact information Incentive programs Tax rates Recent announcements Industry-targeted info Map of your territory Largest employers Area colleges and universities What We Don t General labor statistics Secondary source wage information Real estate listings Rankings Distance to other major cities

22 How marketing should differ by organizational size and funding type

23 Types of ED Organizations Geographic coverage States Regions Individual Cities/Counties Funding Predominantly publicly funded Public/Private funding

24 Case Study 1: State of Ohio Size: State Funding: Public

25 Ohio s Goals Mission Develop a brand and messages to aggressively sell Ohio as a profitable location for business investment Develop the sales tools and collateral information Market the state in coordination with other state agencies and local/regional development organizations Conduct business recruitment and attraction activities Generate and coordinate lead generation and intake process for the State of Ohio; coordinate the response to these leads with appropriate state, regional and local organizations and officials Objectives Retain and expand companies already doing business in Ohio Attract new companies to Ohio Funding Predominantly publicly funded

26 Ohio s Target Audience Targeted industries Advanced Energy & Environmental Technologies Aerospace and Aviation Agriculture and Food Processing Bioscience and Bioproducts Corporate and Professional Services Distribution and Logistics Instruments, Controls and Electronics Manufacturing Motor Vehicle and Parts Manufacturing Polymers and Advanced Materials Targeted geographies US Western Europe

27 Ohio s Challenges Marketing multiple, diverse large regions plus rural areas Combating a rust belt, pro-union image Coordinating hundreds of state stakeholders in the lead generation, management, and submission process

28 Ohio s Tactics Partnership with the State initiative Jobs Ohio Large scale media in the US to change hearts and minds Direct lead generation using multiple lead gen vendors, in various geographies A leading website that gets 30,000 visits per month A world class GIS system, integrated into their website, that manages all properties, all leads, all prospect companies and prospect submissions Distributed business development professionals throughout the state Trade shows Website:

29 Ohio s Results Awarded 4 straight Governor s Cups from for most deals In 2009 alone, Ohio announced 381 expansion or relocation projects Ranked in the top 10 Pro-business states

30 Case Study 2: Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities Size: Region Funding: Public (35%)/Private (65%)

31 Tucson s Goals TREO's Values Nurture Competitive Economic Growth Build Strategic Partnerships Promote Regionalism Be an Economic "One Stop" Maintain a Customer Focus TREO JobOne Acceleration of regional and national marketing Local company assistance Enhanced tools to spur job creation Creating a strong and unified voice Leveraging the federal stimulus

32 Tucson s Challenges In the shadow of Phoenix Seen as more of a tourism destination In an economically troubled state, and public funding cut dramatically as a result In the storm of political infighting around immigration, incentives, etc.

33 Tucson s Target Audience Targeted industries Aerospace and Defense Bioscience Solar Transportation & Logistics Targeted geographies Southwestern US California Western Europe

34 Tucson s Tactics Partnership with Phoenix and Nogales, Mexico to form a super-region Industry targeted media trips with local CEOs A leading website that gets 5,000 + visits per month Industry content, online and in proposals Strong legislative presence in favor of incentives Large scale local event (800 + attendees) Website:

35 Tucson s Results From 2005 to 2010: 37 relocations 9,200 jobs $1.4 billion in new investment

36 Case Study 3: City of Webster City, IA Size: Individual City/County Funding: Public

37 Webster City s Goals Increase awareness of the City as a destination for business To recruit/add 500 jobs from Maximize the reuse of the Electrolux facilities A clearly articulated image for the City and its economic future Build a brand Establish an internal marketing program toward residents Launch communications to site selectors, allies, and targeted industries Launch targeted industry marketing Inspire a generation of local entrepreneurs to forge ahead

38 Webster City s Target Audience External Audiences: Midwest based site selection consultants Companies in targeted industries Commercial real estate brokers in large Iowa cities Buyers and/or suppliers to companies in and around the Webster City area. Internal Audiences: Residents of Webster City Existing employers Economic development allies at the local, regional, and state levels

39 Webster City s Challenges Small market in a rural part of a rural state Not a well known, household name No established, centralized economic development entity

40 Webster City s Tactics Build a clear product brand that differentiates Webster City as a business location Feature rich website, with a virtual familiarization tour Prospect communications standard PPT presentation Limited advertising campaign, focused on Midwest site selectors Direct communications with site selectors and targeted industry list Limited Trade show participation, focused on targeted industry shows LinkedIn for prospecting Website:

41 Webster City s Results, 2011 Since launch of new website 3 new prospects have visited Webster City. Two have yet to make decisions (Campaign launched January 2011) The City receives increased calls direct from prospects. Site selectors or realtors mention they have already looked at Webster City s website for preliminary information. Other contacts have come from recent press, the ED blog, social media, print advertisements and the city's direct mail program all which direct traffic to the website. Website traffic has grown fourfold and is receiving more traffic from ED specific keywords, as well as certain key phrases that relate to economic development interests. The City is now receiving s from other entities ranging from prospects to ED groups asking How they are doing this? Our marketing efforts have resulted in leads from our own community and inquiries from existing business looking to expand in the future.

42 What should your community be doing in 2011?

43 The Corporate Location Process

44 Atlas Top Tactics for States 1. States can and should play at the top of the funnel, gaining visibility using the following tactics: Familiarization tours/virtual familiarization tours Prospect trips/trade shows Outbound direct communications International outreach 2. States should also work hard to develop a brand that is business friendly: See Ohio, Tennessee, North Carolina. 3. States should have comprehensive websites, including detailed incentives information as well as information on key industries. States should also be delivering a robust GIS system to enable the evaluation of properties and the identification of clusters. 4. States should actively drive traffic to their websites, using search engine marketing, , and more. 5. States and their Business Development teams should develop a dedicated approach to using LinkedIn for prospecting.

45 Atlas Top Tactics for Regions 1. Depending on budget, regions can also play at the top of the funnel, though less so than States. Virtual familiarization tours Outbound direct lead generation, working with States International outreach, working with states 2. Regional brand should differentiate within the state 3. Regions should have comprehensive websites, including detailed incentives information as well as information on key industries. Sites should also be delivering a robust GIS system to enable the evaluation of properties and the identification of clusters. 4. Regions should actively drive traffic to their websites, using search engine marketing, , and more. 5. Though regions may have smaller BD teams, they should engage in Linkedin prospecting.

46 Atlas Top Tactics for Cities and Counties 1. Small Cities and counties must rely on regions and States to generate awareness for them. 2. Where budget allows, a City/County brand can differentiate within the region 3. Cities and Counties can also should have comprehensive websites, including local incentives information. Sites should also be delivering a robust GIS system, often provided by the State or region, to enable the evaluation of properties 4. Cities can use search engine optimization to drive traffic 5. Cities should maintain a Linkedin presence so that their contact information is available.

47 Interesting Findings on Online, Social Media, and New Media

48 Top 10 pages used nationally on ED websites 1. About Us (about the organization) 2. Programs (that the organization offers) 3. Data Center 4. News 5. Relocate and Expand 6. Find Property 7. Site Selection Services 8. Workforce data and Information 9. Database of Companies or Largest Employers 10.Maps of the Area

49 What new media advancements have you seen that you think are valuable to the site selection profession?

50 What percentage of site selectors use social media at least weekly?

51 The Frequency Site Selectors are using Social Media is rising 86% use weekly or more, compared to 71% in late 2009 Early % 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 25% 31% 31% 5% 0% Daily Two or three times a week Weekly Late 2009

52 What Social Media/Networks Site Selectors are Using LinkedIn 61% Facebook 21% RSS Feeds 21% Twitter 18% Blogs 14% Foursquare or other location based 0% social media

53 For more information on specific marketing topics

54 Download the slides, join the community, continue the dialogue Continue the Conversation: Follow us on Twitter: Tweet questions using hashtag #AskAtlas Join the community of innovative economic development marketers Join our Next Gen Economic Development Marketers LinkedIn Group View and share the slides with your colleagues (available now):

55 Contact Atlas Contact information: 2601 Blake Street, Suite 301 Denver, CO Contact: Guillermo Mazier t: x 232 guillermom@atlas-advertising.com LinkedIn Profile LinkedIn Group Twitter Blog Slidespace