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How to Create and Maintain Dynamic Economic Development Websites
May 2008
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About ccintellect
ccintellect is a marketing agency that helps economic developers reach national prospect and site selection audiences. Services include branding, website development, research, and creative services.
Led by a former economic development practitioner, and with 39 clients in 22 states.
Featured Clients:– City of San Francisco– Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce– Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities– Team New England
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About ED Solutions
ED Solutions, Inc. focuses our consulting services around a few key areas, namely, technology applications, state economic development association strategies and utility economic development strategies. We also offer training services to the economic development profession. ED Solutions, Inc. is among the most respected firms providing web site strategies to the economic development profession. ED Solutions, Inc. has worked on over 150 web projects in 20 US states, Canada and the UK.
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Session Objectives
•Describe in plain english what you can do to build and manage a winning website•Give you information about things that get used that you can’t get anywhere else•Give you the basics you can use to hire and train your staff and partners/vendors •Open dialogue with your peers
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Session Overview
•Four most common challenges practitioners face with their websites today•Role of the internet in Economic Development today•What your website has to have if it is to be in the game today•How to manage a successful website with the staff you have•What you can do to differentiate your website•How to engage your board and stakeholders in your website investment: Metrics
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Four most common challenges
•Not seeing the community and their organization in a comparative context•Believing that a website visitor is as important as a phone call •Working with web vendors that don’t know their business•Staff time and availability for content creation
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Role of the internet in Economic development today
•Location assistance•Existing business services•Community development•Tourism•Member development and member services
– Chamber– Not for profit
•Convention/visitor activities
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How site selectors rate the importance of various media
Communications Vehicle Top 2 Box
(Very and Somewhat Important)
Existing relationships with economic development officials 85.92%
Internet 85.92%
Site visits (familiarization tours) 85.92%
Past experience with other deals 81.69%
Existing relationships with the real estate community59.15%
Word of mouth from your peers 54.93%
Calls from local officials 46.48%
National conferences 39.44%
Source: ccintellect 2004 and 2006 Surveys of 100 Site Selectors
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The Role a website plays in helping a region communicate nationally and globally:
90 %**Source: Ron Starner, Site Selection Magazine
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•Depth and quality of content
•Make solid use of geogrpahy to describe attributes
•Serve as an toolset for staff
•Authentic place branding and messaging
•Clear navigation, with all pertinent information in three clicks or less
•Use of email marketing and news sections
What your website has to have if you are to be in the game today
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Include all of the top ten most requested pages
1. About Us (about the organization)
2. Programs (that the organization offers)
3. Data Center or Facts and Figures (lots of info and data on the region) – IEDC Standards (25 spreadsheets)
– Local inside information
4. News
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Include all of the top ten most requested pages
5. Relocate and Expand (a pitch to move people and companies to the region)
6. Find Property
7. Site Selection Services
8. Workforce data and Information
9. Database of Companies or Largest Employers
10. Maps of the Area
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Develop an authentic brand for your community
•Communicate a true positioning of the region•Utilize recognizable national element •Capture users’ attention to inspire them to use the site•Keep the site fresh with variable images
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Make sure your navigation is clear and delivers info in three clicks or less•Use a Site selector and/or prospect specific section•Limited or no scrolling•Utilizing IEDC data standards•Keep all valuable content three clicks or less from the home page
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Develop monthly prospect and stakeholder email
•Send investor and prospect newsletter on a monthly schedule•Support with industry focused newsletters•Track performance on every newsletter
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•Periodic reviews•Content management systems and consistent revisions•Training and skills building•Metrics
How to manage a successful website with the staff you have
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•Conduct periodic reviews/assessments on your site to:– Ensure what you are communicating with various
audiences is still valid– Determine if the site is performing as intended– Assess the ‘next level’ for the organization– Ensure the latest trends/technologies are being employed– Evaluate the competitive level of the site vis-à-vis th
competition – Serve as a template for redesign efforts- does it need a
tune up or overhaul?
Periodic reviews
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Content management system
•Add/edit/delete pages•Broad control over content•Manage digital media•Updates weekly
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•Mark add content
Training and skills building
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•Not sure what to add here Ben- thoughts?
Training and skills building
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•IEDC Standard plus specialized (differentiating) data•Use of search marketing approaches•Use of Maps and GIS technology•Custom reporting and PDF on the fly•User contributed content, blogs, and wiki
What you can do to differentiate your website
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•Add the Why to the Where•Compelling, differentiating content•Provides additional content to downloadable tables
IEDC Standard Data plus specialized information
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Search marketing approaches
•Search engine optimization•Pay Per Click
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Highest yielding search phrases
1. Your organizational name
2. Your city/region name “economic development”
3. Incentive type offered in your region (depends on community)
4. Resident company name (i.e. Boeing)
5. Region name (if different from city)
6. Organizational url (without .com/.net.org)
7. Campaign name (initiative or fundraising)
8. City/region name “maps”
9. City/region name “counties”
10. City/region name “industries”
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Use of Maps and GIS technology is…
•Using static maps placing your geography inside nation or state
•Using static maps with various layers (transportation, education, etc.)
•Using dynamic GIS mapping software
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GIS technology
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•Turn the site into a virtual file cabinet•How a visitor can interact with the site matters•Saved profiles can build relationship
Custom Reporting and PDF on the fly
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•Insider’s blogs•Wiki of your business community•Ratings of your real estate or data
User Contributed Content
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•Goal Setting/Purpose•Monthly metrics•Benchmarking against comparison communities
How to engage your board and stakeholders in your website investment
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Contact information:
2601 Blake Street, Suite 301
Denver, CO 80205
Contact: Ben Wright
t: 303.292.3300 x 210
www.ccintellect.com
