Itasca area bbc wrapup presentation v13

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Itasca Area Blandin Broadband Community (IABBC)

Project Summary

Agenda

• Welcome and Introductions• Meeting purpose – Bernadine Joseyln• Community Presentation – everyone• Blandin response• The future

Introductions

In 30 seconds or less,

Please introduce yourself andyour connection to the BBC Program

Is my organization in the 21st century?

Phone book

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7aIf1YnbbU

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Brief history of IABBC events

20112010 201420132012

MIRC Project Itasca Area BBC

• Senior e-literacy training

• Grand Rapids library computer equipment

• YMCA Wi-fi project• PCs for People with

broadband access• Streaming of local

government meetings

Storming Forming Norming Performing

Steering Committee formed

MIRC close-out

Final project report

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Itasca Area BBC Steering Committee

Business, tech based

Business, lower tech

Business, globalK-12

Education

Higher Education

Economic Development

Chamber of Commerce

Tourism

Healthcare

Government

Technology service providers

Under-represented populations

Trent Janezich

Matt Grose

Shawn GillenNeed to replace

Rusty Eichorn Bud Stone

Steve WilsonGarage Doors and

Awnings

Jim Woehrle

Megan Christianson

Jean MacDonell (Grand Itasca)

Lorrie Yeschick

Todd Jaronson(Lonza)

Cory Jackson(Rennix, ITE)

Kathy Kooda

IEDC leads the effort

Curt Walczak (SBDC)

Sustainable Community Initiatives

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20112010 201420132012




Accepted into BBC program

Brainstorming ideas

Community meeting

MIRC close-out






government meetings

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Community MeetingMarch, 2013

Purpose

Leverage key partners and resources within our community: plan, organize and execute multiple sustainable projects focused on the “use” of technology that result in business growth, economic vitality, and improved quality of life.

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Goals for our Community

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Make technol

ogy more

mainstream for BUSINESSES in Itasca

County

Support sustainab

le & measure

able projects

Improve web

presence and

online marketin

g

Leverage or create partnerships to

maximize results

Increase social media

knowledge and

use

And Have Fun!

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20112010 201420132012





Brainstorming ideas

Community meeting

Finalized project ideas

3 grants approved (IEDC-2, CMT-1)

MIRC close-out


Knowledge Worker Grant

(IEDC)

• Social Media Breakfasts• I.T. Professionals

network• Social media training• Enhance Itasca

Technology Exchange

Innovation Grant(IEDC)

• Technology Assessments

• Loan• Claim Google

Places

Community Portal Grant

(CMT)• Community Portal





government meetings

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Initiatives build upon each other to maximize value for businesses

Expanding the USE of broadband technology for Itasca County business

Social Media Breakfasts(Discover Social Media)

I.T. Professionals Network (connecting I.T. resources)

Community Portal (Community engagement)

Business Technology Assessments & Loan Program (transform your web presence)

Social Media training (improve knowledge and use)

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20112010 201420132012





Brainstorming ideas

Community meeting



First Social Media breakfast

First training offered

MIRC close-out


First I.T. Professionals meeting

First business technology assessment

Community Portal launched

Itasca Technology Exchange enhancements

Google places - interns Today


(IEDC)



Technology Exchange




Places







government meetings

Areas our team impacted

Remer

Hill City

Deer River

Cohasset

Grand RapidsLaPrairie

Coleraine

Marcell

Bigfork

BoveyPengilly

Nashwauk

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New IEDC Organizational Dashboard

Item Goal Actual % of Goal

Outcome - Overall BBC program success rate Yes Yes YesOutcome - Social media breakfasts completed 15 13 87%Outcome - Business technology assessments completed 36 30 83%

a.) Businesses receiving $600 grant N/A 9 N/A

Outcome - Business representatives trained 120 120 100%Outcome - Business claiming or enhancing their Google Places 100 15 15%Outcome - I.T. Professional Network meetings 6 5 83%Outcome - Programs being managed by community stakeholders Yes Yes Yes

Outcome - 2015 / 2016 grant applied for and accepted Yes Yes YesImpact - Increase the culture of use and business knowledge for web marketing and social media technologies Yes Yes Yes

Business technology initiatives - includes Blandin Broadband Community (BBC)

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It takes a village – thank

you!

Technology Assessments

Goal: Improve the use of broadband technology in the business

community

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By the Numbers• 30 businesses • 8 received matching grants• 1 received a loan• 12 attended social media

training or Social Media Breakfasts

Initial Impact• 50% of respondents made

recommended website changes to better meet their business goals.

• 50% grew their online audience

• Most said it was too early to tell, but…

• 80% of survey respondents said they developed a better marketing strategy

• 100% would recommend the program to another local business

Technology Assessments

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What businesses are saying…“We have a more organized approach to improve our online and social media marketing.”

“Fabulous input – very helpful. They understand the small business challenges of implementing effective Social Media advertising.”

Nice to have hands-on help for social media “crisis management.” If we have a glitch, it’s nice to know you’re there.

“Through this process, I was encouraged to think about my logo and how it might be limiting my growth.”

“Nice to have an objective look at our strategies and tools. It’s hard to evaluate something effectively when you look at it every day.”

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Lessons Learned

• To move forward, strategy is key• In-person is always best• One-on-one time is greatly needed• Stress the importance of ongoing

communication to see & spur success• Program alignment is vital• Always meet people where they’re at

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Social Media Breakfasts

Lead organizationsComputer Enterprises

Art UnlimitedArrowhead Promotion & Fulfillment

White IvyTorrent Technologies

Supported by IEDC

Social Media Breakfasts(SMB: Last Tuesday of every month)

• Experienced speakers

• Interactive and engaging

• Attendance ranging from 20-45 per meeting, even when it’s 30 below!

Outcomes

Local businesses have increased their understanding of

• Facebook• Twitter• Youtube & online videos• Pinterest• Social Media strategies

• Mashup• Blogging• Email marketing• SEO strategies

Social Media BreakfastsLooking forward …

• Keep engaging local businesses

• Good sharing & always very educational

• Continue bringing in experienced social media speakers

• Starting to see more local business using social media as a form of advertising and having them share

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Social Media/Online Marketing Training for Itasca Area Businesses

Lead organizationsIASC Community Education

Art UnlimitedSupported by IEDC

• 100+ Total

Attendees

• Attendees ranged

from small

businesses to

bigger companies

across a variety of

industries

Social Media/Online Marketing TrainingGoal: To bring a deeper level of Social Media

education and hands on training to Itasca Area businesses.

The ClassesWe offered 12 classes

including:

• Facebook Basics for

Business

• Marketing with Twitter

• Understanding Google

Analytics

• Advanced Facebook

• Social Media Strategy

• Blogging for Business

• Making Money Online

Provided eBook, video and worksheet resources

• Marketing the Program

• Initial Surveys for Needs

• Qualified Instructors needed

• Registration through www.getlearning.org with fee

• Social Media is changing rapidly

• Surveys – Pre-Class and Post Class 1. Online vs. Hard Copy 2. Requests for longer classes – 1.5 hr. – Requested by 75% 3. Requests for other topics–YouTube, Adv. Photo, Word Press 4. Provide handouts in class with follow-up eBooks & emails 5. Small class size w/ knowledgeable instructors & time to share is key 6. Increased participants’ knowledge & use of topics in their

business

Lessons Learned…“Great hands-on training & discussion; local GR; learning from each other; good instructor; discovering Hootsuite!”

http://www.getlearning.org/

• Continue to offer more classes – repeat most of them and develop more from survey feedback & requests

• Find additional qualified instructors

• Be more flexible and nimble in scheduling classes and topics

• Greater participation wanted

Social Media/Online Marketing Training Looking forward …

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I.T. Professionals NetworkLead organization

Grand Itasca Clinic & Hospital

Supported by IEDC

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I.T. Professionals Network

PURPOSE:To provide an organized resource and structure for IT professionals in Itasca County for • Networking• Education• Training• Knowledge Sharing• Community Benefit

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• Leadership team created – To plan and organize meetings – To ensure purpose of group is followed

• Invitations out to I.T. Community– Membership is open to IT professionals in Itasca

County• Goals– Meet quarterly – Provide meaningful networking and speakers

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• Overview of meetings held– December 2013: Virtualization

– March 2014: Back-up Strategies

– July 2014: Internet Security Risk Management

– October 2014: On-line Tools for Connecting with Customers

– December 2014: CISCO Collaboration Technology

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I.T. Professionals Network• Representatives from businesses and organizations

– Itasca County– City of Grand Rapids– Magnetation– ICC– Grand Itasca Clinic & Hospital– MNSTAR– Blandin Foundation– Essar Steel– Lake Country Power– Bigfork Valley Hospital– MCIS– And more …

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I.T. Professionals NetworkLooking forward …

• Meet at least quarterly• Increase the number of participating organizations• Future topics / ideas– Security– Treating I.T. as an investment versus an expense– VDI– Virtual Switching– Future of Storage– Mobile trends – how does I.T. support it– Collaboration opportunities– Disaster Recovery Systems

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Google Places – Student Interns Lead organizations

Itasca Economic Development CorporationMelissa Flatley – Intern, ICC

Max Chamberlain – Intern, UMD

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• Traveled to 122 small businesses in the surrounding towns

• Visited businesses in Bovey (3), Bigfork (8), Cohasset (4), Coleraine (9), Deer River (11), Grand Rapids (67), Hill City (3), Marcell (3), Nashwauk (5), Pengilly (1), and Remer (8) across Itasca County

• Helped 15 of these businesses set up their Google Place, and 8 businesses completed the Technology Assessment

Google Places – Outcomes

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• Face to Face contact proved to be the best

• Positive feedback from businesses

• Prompted numerous businesses to apply for the technology assessment

• Great experience for the interns

Google Places – Lessons Learned

Community Portal

• Hosted by Itasca Community Marketing Taskforce

• Launched February 2014

Supported by IEDC

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36 Blogs

89 Local Businesses

Shared Calendar of Events

15 Itasca Communities

13,720 have visited the site

www.minnesotasnature.com

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Future for Community Portal

• Stronger Marketing Collaborative for Itasca Communities• Create NEW Digital Marketing Strategies• Continued Engagement to Itasca Communities • Continued Brand Marketing…”It’s in Minnesota’s nature”• Securing Sustainability

www.minnesotasnature.com

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Itasca Technology Exchange

Lead organizationRennix

Supported by IEDC

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Itasca Technology Exchange

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Business Success Stories

• Link to video

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The Future

Evaluate and continue sustainable initiatives2015 & 2016 grant cycle with Blandin Foundation

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Reflection

If we knew what we know now?

How could the Blandin team have been more helpful?

What community-wide impacts are you observing or expecting?

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Blandin Foundation

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Thank you everyone for helping make these initiatives successful

for our business community!

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Appendix

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20112010 201420132012





Brainstorming ideas

Community meeting



First Social Media breakfast

First training offered

MIRC close-out


First I.T. Professionals meeting

First business technology assessment

Community Portal launched

Itasca Technology Exchange enhancements

Google places - interns Today


(IEDC)



Technology Exchange




Places







government meetings

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Common messages across all 3 grants

Expanding culture of use with

technology

Improve the use of

broadband technology in the business community

Improve knowledge, skills, and

connections for use of

broadband technology

Engage, collaborate, and share pertinent

resident and tourist info

Technology assessment and

plan

Increase # of businesses that can be found on

the web

Low interest loan program

Provide central forum in ITE

for technology sharing

Social Media

Breakfasts Quarterly I.T.

meetings

Partner with IASC

Publicize benefits and results to

generate a buzz

Use what we learn

Create training (IASC)

to meet business

technology challenges

Use what we learn

Build relationships

Create content

Create portal

Increase awareness

Use what we learn

Innovation Grant



Build a culture of technology

awareness and use

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Expanding the use of broadband

technology for your business

Discover Social Media Transform

Your Web Presence

Stay Informed

Social Media Breakfast Quarterly IT Meetings

Business Technology AssessmentsLow Interest Loan Program

One stop shop for all your community

information

Customized training to meet all of your business technology needs (IASC Community Education)

Scholarships available

Maximize Knowledge

Goals for our Community• Make technology more mainstream in the Itasca Area• Support sustainable and measurable projects that use and apply

technology, rather than the extension of infrastructure• Make Itasca Area businesses and resources more visible and

connected• Provide technology education opportunities for our community• Leverage or create partnerships through collaboration to

maximize results • Build upon other existing community technology projects, where

it makes sense• Have fun

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It takes a village – thank you to allBlandin Foundation

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Rennix

Alie McInerney

Center for Economic Development – Duluth SBDC

Chamber of Commerce

Art Unlimited

White Ivy

Visit Grand Rapids

Grand Itasca Hospital & Clinic

Itasca County

Computer Enterprises

Kootasca

ICTV

Community Technology Advisors

Community Marketing Task Force

IASC Community EducationItasca Community College

Arrowhead Promotion & Fulfillment

Torrent Technologies

Rapid Garage Door & Awning

Lonza

IASC

Northeast Higher Education District

Layman Consulting

Itasca Economic Development Corporation

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Discover Social Media

(WHAT)

Transform Your Web Presence

Community Engagement

Social Media Breakfasts

Business Technology AssessmentsLow Interest Loan Program

Community Portal

Social Media training

Expanding the USE of broadband technology

for Itasca County business

Understand how to use

Social Media (HOW)

Information Technology networking

I.T. Professionals network

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Reflection

If we knew what we know now?How could the Blandin team have been more helpful?

What community-wide impacts are you observing or expecting?

Cover in each initiative under lessons learnedOverall iedc / cmt comments – lessons learned(grant process, 15 months versus 2 years; etc.)