leveraging the internet for economic development
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www.gisplanning.com
ED Marketing & Attraction
Madison, WisconsinSeptember 25, 2012
DAY 1
Leveraging the Internet for Economic Development I
Anatalio Ubalde, CEO & Co-Founder GIS Planning Inc., ZoomProspector.com & SizeUp
October 25 & 26, 2012
2
Leveraging the Internet for Economic Development I
Janet Ady, President Ady Voltedge
jady@adyvoltedge.com608.663.9218
October 25 & 26, 2012
3
© GIS Planning Inc.
“In the 1980s the barrier to economic development was access to capital.
Today, it’s access to information.”
Denise FairchildPresident/CEO
Community Development Technologies Center & Special Advisor for South LA Investments to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s Office
© GIS Planning Inc.
What happened?• Disruptive tech changes how
info is accessed• Change to all industries• Business-as-usual = ruin• Adopt tech early = advantage• ED that doesn’t provide info
gets bypassed
© GIS Planning Inc.
Do you get value for what you pay these people? Are they worth it? (page
74)
• Car salesmen• Insurance brokers• Head hunters
• Advertising agencies• Travel agents • Real estate agents
© GIS Planning Inc.
According to Jeff Jarvis:
• Real estate agents are more distrusted than tabloid writers
• “Eliminate advertising. Or at least fire your ad agency.”
• “…travel agents (oh, sorry, they’re already nearly extinct.”
© GIS Planning Inc.
Disintermediation• Old = information middleman• Present = disintermediation + transparency• New = add value + prosper
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The way of the dinosaur• “I don’t publicly give out
information about my community because businesses need to call me so I can explain it to them.”
© GIS Planning Inc.
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Reality
Because they don’t give the information out, they aren’t going to get called at all.
© GIS Planning Inc.
Hi. I’m an economic developer.
I’m here to help.
© GIS Planning Inc.
Choices
• Stay the course = irrelevance
• Reinvent = give it away so they come to you
© GIS Planning Inc.
A New Model for Economic
Development
© GIS Planning Inc.
Role Old New
Information Gatekeeper Distributor
Relationship Broker Connector
Technical Assistance Bureaucrat Enabler
Process Convoluted Transparent Efficiency
Marketing Say it Be it
Economic Developer Middleman Leader
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This is also the context for the state
ofInternet & Marketing
for economic development
© GIS Planning Inc.
What do you want to know?• What to do? • Why do it? Why you should care.
• The best thing we can do for this training is get ourselves to think about this.
© GIS Planning Inc.
What do you want to know?• Technology is changing so fast (with
marketing implications) that telling you what to do only lasts so long.
• I use data to support the concepts. This is another key trend.
© GIS Planning Inc.
Managing Expectations
• No - drinking beer does not make you good looking and create lots of friends. (It gave me a beer belly).
• Economic developers have tried this approach too. And it leads to a lot worse than a hangover for the business.
© GIS Planning Inc.
Revealing your real advantages
• Don’t try to trick people with promises you can’t consistently deliver. They will discover your lies.
• Do reveal the opportunities of your community that help the business succeed in the long-term. Allow your marketing to be communication that educates.
• The Internet makes it difficult to trick people because they all have access to so much information. Instead, the Internet is great for teaching and learning.
© GIS Planning Inc.
Future organization
• High Touch and High Tech (I can give copy)
• Will research DRIVE our organizations?• Is it the end of intuition?
© GIS Planning Inc.
"The great part about the Internet of all the existing
mediums from before is that it's
the first one that is truly global, and its impact is massive."
- Terry Semel Yahoo's former
CEO
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"With the growth of the Internet as a site selection tool, today’s prospects often conduct the early stages of a search without contacting
the communities they are considering. While that makes the process more efficient for both site
seekers and economic development organizations, it also means that communities with lower-
quality web offerings may be missing opportunities without even realizing it."
Steve StackhouseArea Development
© GIS Planning Inc.
Who: Julie Roehm, Director of Marketing Communications, ChryslerAdvertising Budget in 2005: $2 billionAdvertising Age ranking: #6 in the United States
“Roehm rarely misses a chance to talk about how delighted she is with online advertising.”
How delighted is she? - In 2004 she spent 10% of the advertising budget online; - In 2005 she is allotting closer to 18%; - In 2006 she plans to allocate more than 20%.
In 2006 roughly $400 million of Chrysler's money that used to go into TV, newspaper, and magazine ads will be spent on the Internet.
"I hate to sound like such a marketing geek, but we like to fish where the fish are."
- Julie Roehm, Director of Marketing Communications, Chrysler
© GIS Planning Inc.
The online advertising advantage & challenge
• Advantage: Google, Yahoo! & MSN can provide an ad the moment they are looking to buy or research that item.
• Disadvantage with large corporations: Creating and fostering an emotional attachment to the brand.
Source: Forbes Magazine, August 8, 2005
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The online advertising disadvantage & advantage
• Why the disadvantage has changed and big companies are embracing it: Broadband.
• Now they can create messages more like TV commercials
• Broadband has caused the avg. time spent online to grow 50% since 2001
• 15 – 30% of all media time is spent on the Internet
Source: Knowledge Networks (Aug. 2005) & Forrester Research
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Consumer Technology Adoption
Source: Nielsen/NetRatings http://www.websiteoptimization.com/bw/0712/
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Web Connection Speed Trends Work Users (US)
Source: Nielsen/NetRatings http://www.websiteoptimization.com/bw/0906/
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The Internet is not TV
At least not yet.But maybe soon.
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What could happen to economic developers that don’t leverage the Internet
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Topics
• Statistics• Exercise Survey• Marketing Tools &
Comparative Advantage• Marketing Concepts & the
Internet• 5 Basic Website
recommendations• Targeting means knowing
the audience
• Domain Names• Website Design
– Design– Basic Content– Dynamic Websites
• Getting people to your website
• Measuring Results• Budgets• E-mail Marketing• Search Engines
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StatisticsHow do the numbers add up?
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The Internet is truly global.
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It’s big (487 billion gigabytes), and it’s still growing rapidly.
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• 52% of the 12–32 year-old cohort watch videos online, 35% use social networking sites, and 32% read blogs.
• 59% of 33–44 year-olds use the Internet to visit government websites.
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Historical Words from the Skeptics "This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be
seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us."
- Western Union internal memo, 1876.
"The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in
particular?" -David Sarnoff’s associates in response to his urgings for investment in the
radio in the 1920s.
"There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in his home. "
- Ken Olsen, President, Digital Equipment, 1977US computer engineer & industrialist (1926 - )
© GIS Planning Inc.
Historical Words from the Skeptics “I think there is a world market for
maybe five computers." - IBM Chairman, Thomas Watson, 1943.
“It would appear that we have reached the limits of what is possible to achieve with computer technology,
although one should be careful with such statements, as they tend to sound pretty silly in five years"
- John Von Neuman, 1949
“The Internet will catastrophically collapse in 1996. "
- Robert Metcalfe, co-creator of Ethernet, founder of 3Com and inventor of Metcalfe’s law (value of networks), 1995
© GIS Planning Inc.
The Past
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Past Econ. Dev. Online Characteristics
Static
Slow
Peripheral strategy
My first website
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www.wpnet.org
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www.cityofracine.org
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www.phila.gov
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Vallejo
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Past > Present > Future
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We don’t all live in the present
Past FuturePresent
We don’t all live in the present
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Marketing & Communications (Old Way)
Meeting Businesses
Familiarization Tours
NewslettersE-mail
Press Releases
Advertising
Videos (VHS or DVD)
Brochures
Website
Site selection information
Media & Public Relations
Trade Shows
Direct Mail
Telemarketing
Special Events
© GIS Planning Inc.
Econ. Dev. Moves from Offline to Online Offline Online
Meeting Businesses
Familiarization Tours
Newsletters
News Releases
Advertising
Videos
Brochures
Website
Site selection GIS assistance
Media & Public Relations
Trade Shows
BlogSocial Media
Telemarketing
Direct Mail
Special Events
© GIS Planning Inc.
Pass out Exercise Envelopes
Located on Table
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Exercise Questions
1. How has the use of Internet technology affected your life and the way you do business?
2. How has the Internet affected the field and practice of Economic Development?
3. How will it?
© GIS Planning Inc.
Workshop Survey
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Ask yourself:
• “How is the Internet (and IT) changing our work, the work of our competition, and the expectations of our customers?”
• “How can the Internet and information technology help us?”
© GIS Planning Inc.
Building on Earlier• Marketing is positioning & differentiation• Develop effective message to communicate
attributes/advantages• Persuade the customer to “buy”
© GIS Planning Inc.
A Few Marketing Basics
Concepts, Explanations & the Internet
© GIS Planning Inc.
ED Marketing
• Marketing must have objectives and results that can be quantified. Why invest if you can’t measure value?
• Touchy-Feely marketing is best for people who have huge budgets and want feel-good results that can’t be quantified
• Changing people’s minds about your community isn’t enough if it doesn’t get them to invest
• Awareness is not the point. Investment is. • Am I marketing in ways that facilitate investment in my
community? • Am I providing the information and analysis tools businesses
need to consider my location?
© GIS Planning Inc.
Warm & Fuzzy vs. Business Case
Qualitative• “Will I feel good about
having my business here?”• It won’t feel good if I can’t
make money.
• Not everything is about money. So I’m willing to trade quality of life for $
Quantifiable• “Can I make money there?”
• “Does it have the right combination of qualities such as location, workforce and cost?”
• This is how successful businesses are making decisions today
© GIS Planning Inc.
Reaching your Audience
• Mass Marketing vs. Direct Marketing
• Mass marketing is dying because it doesn’t work well and EDs don’t have the money to make it work
• Direct Marketing is about communicating with the right people using the right message
© GIS Planning Inc.
Getting Noticed: Reach & Frequency • Reach – Number of people exposed to
your ad• Frequency – How often you send the
message• > 90% of TV ads the morning after are
not remembered ($9 out of every $10 wasted). So many of these sell the brand and not the product
• Muhammad Ali used frequency because it works
• With TV or Print, Reach & Frequency cost. Boy does it cost.
© GIS Planning Inc.
Getting them to your website• Target those that have an interest• Reach & Frequency still matter• “Interruption” marketing is the start, not the
end• You’re used to using incentives, use them here
– give me a selfish reason to go to your website• Move them from high cost marketing that is
forced on them to low cost marketing they request
© GIS Planning Inc.
6 reasons the Internet is great for targeted marketing
1. Stamps are free2. Printing is free3. Frequency is free4. Testing is 100 times faster5. Response Rates are 15 X higher6. You can teach over the web
Source: Seth Godin – Permission Marketing
© GIS Planning Inc.
Why the Internet is great for word-of-mouth
1. Easy to spread ideas because of the Network
2. When someone likes or doesn’t like something it is easy for them to tell the people they know.
3. Forward. Like. Retweet. Share.
© GIS Planning Inc.
Online Communication
Trends
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The Marketing Director Becomes a Marketing Coach
• Your Marketing Director isn’t the only voice for online communication
• They are a Marketing Coach who helps direct the various channels of information flows about your organization.
The Moment of Relevance
• The unique point when a customer/business has a problem and is looking for a solution.
• Today, the Internet is often the first resource people choose when at the moment of relevance.
© GIS Planning Inc.
Permission Marketing
• The old way to market involved interruption marketing (15 second television ads)
• The new way to market to your customers is Permission Marketing. You give your customers control, respect, and the choice to listen to you. You ask them for Permission.
• Using Permission Marking helps build relationships with those who do decide to listen to your message, creating more loyal customers.
Source: Permission marketing: turning strangers into friends, and friends into customers. New York: Simon & Schuster. 1999
© GIS Planning Inc.
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Economic Development
Marketing That Works Today
© GIS Planning Inc.
The Now of E.D. Marketing
Some marketing strategies simply aren’t as effective as they used to be or are not effective at all
© GIS Planning Inc.
Now: Most Effective Marketing
Source: National Survey of Economic Developers, GIS Planning Inc. 2012
Telemarketing
Videos (VHS, DVD, etc)
TV/Radio Advertising
Print Advertising
Direct Mail
Brochures
Company Blog
Online Advertising
Online Videos (YouTube, etc.)
Slogans, Logo and Graphic Identity
Trade Shows and Conferences
Targeted Lead Development Databases
Social Media
Special Events
Public Relations
Site Selection Consultants and Familiarization Tours
Out-of-Town Meetings with Businesses
Website
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
Most Effective Economic Development Marketing
© GIS Planning Inc.
Economic Development Online
Telemarketing
Videos (VHS, DVD, etc)
TV/Radio Advertising
Print Advertising
Direct Mail
Brochures
Company Blog
Online Advertising
Online Videos (YouTube, etc.)
Slogans, Logo and Graphic Identity
Trade Shows and Conferences
Targeted Lead Development Databases
Social Media
Special Events
Public Relations
Site Selection Consultants and Familiarization Tours
Out-of-Town Meetings with Businesses
Website
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
Most Effective Economic Development Marketing
Source: National Survey of Economic Developers, GIS Planning Inc. 2012
© GIS Planning Inc.
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Why? Comparative Advantage
The Internet compares favorably as a strategy for results
© GIS Planning Inc.
Any questions?• If you wanted to know or research anything, where
would you go to find the answer? • What do you do when you go to a website and don’t
find the information you want?
© GIS Planning Inc.
The Internet is a very different type of marketing tool
• Marketing strategies try to get people to you so you can sell
• The Internet is both. It can get people to you and it sells. That makes it different.
• Convergence.
© GIS Planning Inc.
Multipurpose Internet• When used properly the Internet is a good
tool for– Marketing AND ALSO– Communication– Education– Sales
• The Internet is an exceptional tool for targeted, one-to-one, marketing.
© GIS Planning Inc.
Designed for the Right Target Audience
© GIS Planning Inc.
If you website could do anything, what would it do?
• Why do you want people to go to your website?
• What do you want them to do when they get there?
• Is it easy (obvious) for them to get to their goal and yours?
© GIS Planning Inc.
Encouraging the Audience
• Who are you targeting? • What is your message? • Why would they want to talk
to you?
© GIS Planning Inc.
Domain Names
• Government Standard– City – www.ci.indianapolis.in.us– County – www.co.solano.ca.us– State – www.state.md.us
• Non-standard– www.newlondonwi.org– www.burlesontx.com– www.peachtreecitygeorgia.com
• Marketing-driven– www.chooseEasterCentralIowa.org– www.BusinessReadyWI.com
© GIS Planning Inc.
More on Domains
"Web addresses that are descriptive (northbrook.il.com) are much more valuable than acronyms of organizations (LEDC.com) or solely names of cities, e.g. Springfield. (Which Springfield? Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, or Oregon?) Think geography, not organization. Site selectors have a geographic focus. You run the risk of getting lost in the generic lists."
© GIS Planning Inc.
Domain Names & Branding• When you launch a new branding campaign,
be sure you secure the Internet domains before you make a public announcement. Edinburgh, Scotland, launched a new advertising slogan, "Inspiring Capital".
• A disgruntled citizen acted fast and got the domain, www.inspiringcapital.com.
© GIS Planning Inc.
www.inspiringcapital.com
© GIS Planning Inc.
When to Choose a Sub-Domain or Microsite1.) Do you have information you want to update frequently and are
dependent on someone outside of economic development to update for you?
2.) Can you achieve your specific communication, traffic, transactional, and strategic goals within the website of the larger parent entity such as the city/county or Chamber website?
3.) How easily can a visitor get from the home page of the parent website to your economic development pages?
4.) If the “parent” website is uncommitted to improving, does being associated with the parent website reflect negatively on your economic development organization’s image?
5.) How large is the area you serve?
6.) Does your potential website have a highly targeted audience, even more so than a general economic development website audience?
7.) What would you as a customer want?
© GIS Planning Inc.
Microsites
© GIS Planning Inc.
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What to put on your website
© GIS Planning Inc.
Today’s GoalsShare with you what we’ve learned in evaluating over 100 economic development websites• The “Economic Development” angle • Cut through the clutter
Ady Voltedgec
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The E.D. Marketing Spectrum
Ady Voltedgec
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Your Brand
“If you don’t have a brand, you don’t know who you are. And if you don’t know who you are, then I don’t either, and I’m going to move on.”
Dennis DonovanWDG Group
Ady Voltedgec
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“Recently, I received an email from a group claiming to have 18 target industries. That’s ridiculous, and impossible. I told them to take me off their mailing list.”
Jay GarnerGarner Economics
Ady Voltedgec
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Your BrandWho (audience)What (positioning)Why (data support of positioning)
Important notes:• More than a Logo!• Differentiation • Your Story• Consistency & Repetition• Integration
Ady Voltedgec
© GIS Planning Inc.
Your Website Content
• What are the three most popular features/content on your website?
© GIS Planning Inc.
What Your Colleagues Have
User-generated content (blogs, forums)Transactions (business licenses, permit applications, etc.)
Comparisons to other areasFormatting option for mobile devices/mobile apps
VideosGIS mapping tools for site selection analysis assistance
Testimonials and success storiesBusiness list
Employment training programsBusiness assistance services/how to start a business
Social media integrationMajor industries or business/industry clusters
IncentivesLabor force (availability and wages)
News about community (past or present)Land/sites and buildings inventory
Major employersInfrastructure (utilities and transportation)
Quality of life (climate, schools, housing, culture, healthcare, etc.)Maps
Demographic reportsHyperlinks to other organizations
Staff directory and contact information (phone, fax, email, address)
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%22%
38%36%
18%50%
44%50%
65%67%
64%56%
69%77%
73%79%
76%79%
77%83%
79%84%
89%93%
27%19%27%
49%23%
32%28%
14%15%
18%28%
16%10%
15%9%
12%10%13%
7%13%
10%6%
3%
Have Will implement in 2-5 years
Source: National Survey of Economic Developers, GIS Planning Inc. 2012
© GIS Planning Inc.
User-generated content (blogs, forums)Videos
Transactions (business licenses, permit applications, etc.)Formatting option for mobile devices/mobile apps
Business listComparisons to other areas
Social media integrationNews about community (past or present)
Hyperlinks to other organizationsTestimonials and success storiesEmployment training programs
Quality of life (climate, schools, housing, culture, healthcare, etc.)Business assistance services/how to start a business
GIS mapping tools for site selection analysis assistanceMajor employers
IncentivesStaff directory and contact information (phone, fax, email, address)
Major industries or business/industry clustersMaps
Infrastructure (utilities and transportation)Demographic reports
Labor force (availability and wages)Land/sites and buildings inventory
24%33%
48%51%
53%55%
60%60%
67%67%
70%73%74%
77%80%81%
83%83%85%86%
90%91%91%
Most important features on an ED website?
Source: National Survey of Economic Developers, GIS Planning Inc. 2012
© GIS Planning Inc.
Website Content
© GIS Planning Inc.
Web Developer Options• ED Website Consultant
– likely better quality, focused solution, ED-specific tools• Professional Web Developers
– possibly local, design oriented, less/no ED experience• Do-it-yourself / in-house
– control your own destiny• Qualified Lay Person
– lower cost, often lower quality• How to choose a website developer for your E.D. Website
© GIS Planning Inc.
Web Page EssentialsThe Business Card of Web Pages
• Names and Titles (or what the staff person is responsible for)
• Mailing/Street Address• Phone Numbers• Fax Number• E-mail
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Data versus Information
“Data, data everywhere, And no one stops to think.”
Anonymous
Ady Voltedgec
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From Data to Information• The Raw Ingredients:• Market Characteristics• Operating Costs• Operating Conditions• Quality of Place The Finished Products:• Your Positioning and Story• The Business Case for your Place
TM
Ady Voltedgecc
© GIS Planning Inc.
Community Profile
• Major Employers• Utilities• Transportation• Taxes• Union/Non-Union• General
• Quality of Life– Climate– Education– Culture and Art– Healthcare– Housing– Cost of Living
Web Page Basics
© GIS Planning Inc.
Target Industry Profiles
• Major employers• Wages by occupation• Unique locational assets• Testimonials• Key location criteria for sector
© GIS Planning Inc.
Business Assistance
“What can you do to help me?”• Assistance• Services• Programs• Incentives
Web Page Basics
© GIS Planning Inc.
Starting a Business
• Road map through the process• Checklist• Contact Information
Web Page Basics
© GIS Planning Inc.
Employee Training
• List of Employee Training Organizations– Agencies– Educational Institutions
• Employee Training Incentives
Web Page Basics
© GIS Planning Inc.
New Business Development
• What’s new in your community?• Prospective business – “what am I joining?”• Existing business – continuing success?• Write your own press release
Web Page Basics
© GIS Planning Inc.
Planned Economic Development
• Where is your community going?• Community Vision• New projects in the pipeline• Painting your picture of the future
Web Page Basics
© GIS Planning Inc.
Maps
• Local• Regional• State/National
Web Page Basics
© GIS Planning Inc.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• Save Time• Answer Typical Questions
Web Page Basics
© GIS Planning Inc.
LinksLink to your Economic Development Partners
• Chamber of Commerce• ED Office• Regional ED organizations• Small Business Assistance Agency• Employment/Workforce Organization
Don’t list everyone you know; group the links into logical categories.
Web Page Basics
© GIS Planning Inc.
Database & Application
Driven Websites
© GIS Planning Inc.
Dynamic Web Sites
• Database Derived Websites– Access, DB2, Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, etc.
• Application Driven Results– Microsoft IIS, Sun Solaris, Apache– ASP, .NET, CGI, PHP, JSP, etc.
© GIS Planning Inc.
Reasons for Dynamic Pages• User Controlled Experience
– Faster Information Retrieval• Easier to Maintain• Reduction in Errors
– Single Data Source• Decrease your long term costs
© GIS Planning Inc.
Online Demonstration
Choose Maryland
© GIS Planning Inc.
Online Demonstration
Choose Maryland
© GIS Planning Inc.
Getting people to your website
It’s called marketing.
© GIS Planning Inc.
Interruption Marketing
Getting people to your website through advertising
© GIS Planning Inc.Pennsylvania Power & Light
Good: Clear that this ad is encouraging the reader to go
to the PPL website for efficient site selection
Good: Saying it all in one graphic. “Are you exhausted
and abused from the site selection process? We have
your solution”
© GIS Planning Inc.Pittsburgh Regional Alliance
Good: Highlights the website address in the first words of the
main text.
Good: Graphic communicates “pushpin” which, today, also has
associations with maps.
© GIS Planning Inc.Georgia EMC
Good: Very, very clear
© GIS Planning Inc.State of Illinois
Have you ever seen this advertisement
before?
What do you think about this
advertisement?
What does it make you think?
What does it communicate?
© GIS Planning Inc.
Getting the Word Out
• Web Listing– Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask, AOL, others
• Web Links– Link from related web sites
• Advertising– Web Page Banners and Ads– Traditional Media
• Media– Do something newsworthy with your site
© GIS Planning Inc.
Search Engines
© GIS Planning Inc.
Yahoo Site Selection
© GIS Planning Inc.
Search Engine Users
• 85% of Internet users get to a website for the 1st time by using a Search Engine
• They knew what they wanted and used Search Engines to find the best vendor
• 33% of users believe that the 1st spot in search results is the best vendor (searchengineguide.com)
• 57% of Internet users use search engines every day
Source: Mind In Motion 2006
© GIS Planning Inc.
The Role of Programming in SEO
• Higher search engine rankings• Lower hosting/bandwidth costs• Faster page loading• Platform mobility
How to Optimize your website
© GIS Planning Inc.
Top 5 Search Engines 2012Search Engine Market Share
Google 66.2%
Microsoft 15.2%
Yahoo! 14.1%
Ask 3.0%
AOL 1.6%
Source: comScore.com January 2012
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Online AdvertisingGoogle has become the remote control for the world; it’s the first stop, not TV.
—Will Margiloff, CEO of Innovation Interactive (Denstu)
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• Online advertising offers a significant competitive advantage over offline advertising.
• The infinite “shelf-space” of the Internet means that transaction costs are lower, and content can be everywhere at once.
• Broadband has also opened up Internet advertising to video and audio which allows for a more emotional experience.
© GIS Planning Inc.Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers/Interactive Advertising Bureau
Online Advertising Revenue Growth
© GIS Planning Inc.
Internet Advertising
Source: PriceWaterhouseCoopers/IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report (www.iab.net)
© GIS Planning Inc.
Internet Advertising
Source: PriceWaterhouseCoopers/IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report (www.iab.net)
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Pay Per Click• Used in “sponsored listing” in a bidding process • If you bid and you are among the top bidders your entry is
displayed and you pay the bid amount when it’s clicked. • Targeted advertising• Top players are Google (Adwords), Yahoo (Overture) and MSN
© GIS Planning Inc.
Many PPC & Online Ad Options
• Google• Yahoo• MSN• Ask• AOL• Facebook• MySpace• Many others
© GIS Planning Inc.
A/B Testing
• Experiment• Try different works• See what works
© GIS Planning Inc.
Search Engine Optimization
Your brand isn’t what you say it is. It’s what Google says it is.
—Chris Anderson, Wired Magazine Editor-in-Chief
© GIS Planning Inc.
Search Engine Optimization• The art of optimizing your website to get good
positioning on the search results• Search engines keep getting “smarter” to find
relevant websites• 2007: $41 Billion Industry (Source: Business 2.0)
© GIS Planning Inc.
SEO General Guidelines
• Keep the design simple• Use mostly text titles/tags/links rather than images• Write for the users, not the search engines• Write valuable content, peppered with your key
phrases• Have simple navigation so the spider can get
everywhere easily
© GIS Planning Inc.
Hurt you in SEO
• Using Flash (thought not as much of a problem now unless you are using Apple products)
• Exclusive use of drop down menus• Using Frames (but hardly anyone does this
anymore)• Exclusive use of graphics for headers and
buttons• Poor navigation
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The 12 Recommendations for Economic Development SEO
Keywords
These are not commandments because SEO strategies and effectiveness evolve so often.
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1. The name of your organization
Some businesses’ only contact with you so far may be through your website.
So, to them, your name may also be your URL (Uniform Resource Locator) – which means your web address.
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2. Variations on your name
• Great Place Economic Development Corporation
• Great Place EDC
• City of Great Place
• Great Place City
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3. Misspellings of your Organization
Most people don’t think about this but misspellings happen all the time, even if Google says “Did you mean”
• Pittsburgh, Pittsburg, Pitsburg, Pittsberg
• Fairfield, Farefield, Fairfeeled
• Massachusetts, Massachewsets, Massechewsetts
• Connecticut, Conneticut, Connetticut
• Minneapolis, Mineapollis, Minnieapolis
• Cincinnati, Cincinati, Cinsinatti
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4. Add “economic development”
• Your city’s name + economic development
• Your county’s name + economic development
• Your region’s name + economic development
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5. Geography Name + Demographics
EDOs often have some of the best demographic information and make it more understandable than websites like the US Census.
Think about all of the different demographic-related words and combinations:
• Population
• Income
• Demographics
• Education
• Labor
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6. Geography + Specialty or Focus
• Geography + Site Selection
• Geography + Foreign Direct Investment
• Geography + Business Expansion
• Geography + Business Relocation
• Geography + Entrepreneurship
• Geography + Incentives
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7. Your geography's name + maps or map
• Minneapolis map• Boise maps • Portland map
Geographic elements that are map-related:
• Interstate or highway
• Downtown, Office Park, Central Business District
• Port
• Enterprise Zone
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8. Your geography's name + GIS or geographic information system
Power users, site selection consultants, corporate real estate professionals, and analysts are searching directly for these high-value website tools
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9. Your geography's name + property
This means all variations on each of the property types and terms:
• Sites and buildings
• Industrial properties, industrial sites
• Office building, office park, business park, research park
• Land, available land, industrial land
• Shovel-ready, certified site, sure site
• Retail, shopping center, power center, mall, strip center
• And many, many more combinations
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10. Your geography's name + business
Spokane businessRochester businesses
Also major business names in your area:
• Kodak Rochester
• Dell Roundrock
• Wal-mart Bentonville
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11. Your geography + business assistance
• Saginaw business assistance • Charlotte small business service• Waco entrepreneurs• Riverside small business development center• Pensacola how to start a business• Vorhees SBA • Doing business in Colorado • Invest in Rhode Island• Minnesota Incentives
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12. Your geography + major industry
Your geography's name + name of major industry
You can do this for as many as you have:
• Austin software
• Charlotte business services
• Houston energy
• San Diego biotech
• Salinas agriculture
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This is not an exhaustive list
It’s a place to get started.
There are many other keywords that are useful for your community so keep creating them.
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What do I do with these keywords?
• Your website • Property GIS• Blog• Social Media • News Releases• Other websites
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Keywords on your website
Do:
• Use the keywords in places that they make sense and in appropriate contexts.
• Use in multiple pages where appropriate • Use in Page Titles
Do not:
• Stuff pages with multiple mentions of the same keywords. This will lower your search engine ranking
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Keywords on your property GIS
Do:
• Organize properties by type with detail such as sub-categories (office park, call center, flex)
• Have geographic identifiers with data• Include as much data as possible
Do not:
Send people to third-party demographic or business data vendors. This takes people away from your website and doesn’t help your SEO
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Keywords on your property GIS
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Keywords on your Blog
Do:
• Write naturally and include the use of keywords in places that they make sense and in appropriate contexts.
• Use Keywords in the title of your blog posts
Do not:
Stuff posts pages with multiple mentions of the same keywords. It won’t sound natural. Remember you blog is not just for keywords to be found, it’s for sharing valuable information.
© GIS Planning Inc.
Keywords for Social Media
Do:
• Understand that short is better. Twitter only allows short posts.
• Understand how keywords are searched such as # hashtags on Twitter
• Put the right keywords next to relevant content.
• Use general social media: Use Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter
• Use targeted social media: Integrate and aggregate your social media and keywords with a ZoomProspector.com Community Connection Page
Do not:
Use social media for your organization the same way you would use it as a person. If your audiences are businesses they don’t care if you did laundry over the weekend so don’t post that stuff.
© GIS Planning Inc.
Keywords for News Releases
Do:
• Understand that press releases are the old way. News releases are the new way. News releases reach more than just the press.
• Recognize that news releases live forever on the Internet.
• Include your targeted keywords in the body text and title if appropriate.
• Use a professional service. Get much more value.
Do not:
Stuff the news release with multiple mentions of the same keywords. Instead, create variations on the keywords.
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Keywords for News Releases
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Keywords for Other Websites
Do:
• Understand that you can create content on websites other than your own.
• Web 2.0 technology allows you to post relevant comments on articles so go ahead and post.
• Include your targeted keywords in your posts and remember to include information identifying your geography.
Do not:
Post just to post or if it is not relevant to the article. Writers and readers will find you irritating at best. You don’t want to turn people off to your organization.
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Keywords for Other Websites
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• Alters SERP (search engine results page) pages real-time based on every letter that a user types.
• Ability to change what being on the “1st page of Google” means.
• Longer, more specific keywords may not be as valuable as they once were if Google starts showing several SERP pages before a user has even typed one single word).
Google Instant
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E-mail Marketing
Communication & getting them to your website
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5 Things to Avoid
Image source: http://60secondmarketer.com
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1. Complaints Reported spam /abuse
2. Spam trap addresses Purchased / rented mailing lists
3. High unknown user rates Bad addresses / high bounce rates
4. Blacklists Complaints
5. Spam Triggers ALL CAPS Overusing punctuation!!!!! Words like “Free loans just for you!” or “open this right now!”
5 Things to Avoid
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1. Send email only to people who have given you permission 2. Build Your Email List3. Clean Up Your Email List 4. Make it Easy to Unsubscribe 5. Optimize with social media6. Provide relevant content 7. Killer Subject Line8. From Label9. Good mix of text/images 10. Ask!.. and Respond11. Segment Your Readers12. Test and Iterate
12 Things to Do
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1. Send email only to people who have given you permission
12 Email Marketing Best Practices for Economic Development
2. Build Your Email List Link to opt-in forms on
website/blog/social media channels to sign up.
Email Service Providers provide free email opt-in forms
Collect emails at local events/ partner emails / websites (Chambers, City)
Provide incentives to sign up
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12 Email Marketing Best Practices for Economic Development
6. Provide relevant content
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Designing E-mail• From Line
– Organization Name or Similar – not a person’s name because they could change.
• Subject Line– Keep it short. 40 characters or less. – Don’t repeat “from line”, space is too valuable– Don’t use excessive punctuation!!!!!– Don’t use CAPITALIZATION (it’s considered
screaming)• Content: keep best stuff above the fold • Images: Don’t use as sole content
Source: Vertical Response, Webinar 2007
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Actual Email Subject Lines• PIDC May 2012 Newsletter• 640,000 square foot building available in Roanoke, VA• QUESTION: Where can you find the “Maxxinista” capital of the world?• GNO Inc. Newsflash – LA Most Improved in USA• 49th Angel Fund Forum• The Square-Wyoming Site Selection Newsletter• Upcoming North Texas International Business Events• DCEDC Business Roundtable Event - Make Your Reservation Today• Excellent R & D/Manufacturing facility available in the Rockford Region• PIDC May 2012 Newsletter – TEST• Invitation to Play Golf with the Pros! Ady Voltedge c
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Web Analytics
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• You can’t manage what you can’t measure.
• The Internet provides some of the richest data available.
• Many free tools are available to help you take advantage of monitoring and analyzing your Internet data.
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Metrics• Unlike Advertising, Direct Mail and Articles you
know if people are reading your website and who they are!
• Higher Cost Services– Nielsen//Netratings <www.netratings.com>– WebTrends <www.webtrends.com>
• Outsourced Services– WebTrends Live <www.webtrends.com>– Development Results (focus on ED)
<www.developmentresults.com>• Low Cost to Free
– Web Counters such as <www.chami.com>– Google Analytics – <www.google.com>
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© GIS Planning Inc.
How EDs track their websites
Source: National Survey of Economic Developers 2011. GIS Planning, Ubalde & Simundza
Do not track
A website analytics service designed for the economic development industry
A standard website analytics service
2%
15%
82%
29%
5%
66%
2007 2011
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Why are Metrics Important
• See what works• See what is not working• Fine tune your web site performance• Customize Content for Unique Visitors• Allows you to redevelop/repurpose your web
sites.• “Smart Web Sites”
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Website Analytics
• Google Analytics• VisiStat• AuriQ Systems
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Measuring Use by Design
• Identify what people are clicking on and where
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1.) Who’s your audience?
2.) What should we be measuring?
3.) Quantitative + Qualitative
4.) Have a hypothesis, and use it to improve your site
5.) Take a varied approach
6.) Don’t get comfortable!
Make a Plan
© GIS Planning Inc.
• The simplest, most cost-effective way to start testing components of your website.
• Splits up two different instances of your website and statistically compares them to each other.
• Allows you to see which instance of your website provides you with more value.
A/B Testing
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• More sophisticated than A/B testing—more than two variables can be tested.
• Takes more resources and time (requires more traffic to your site) than an A/B test, but also provides richer results.
Multivariate Testing
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Try starting out with an A/B test to hash out big changes to your site, then fine tune it with smaller multivariate tests.
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How often ED Websites Updated
Source: National Survey of Economic Developers 2012 by GIS Planning: Ubalde & Simundza
Daily
Weekly
Bi-weekly
Monthly
Quarterly
Bi-annually
Annually
11.8%
30.3%
12.5%
24.6%
12.3%
4.6%
3.8%
16.0%
30.3%
9.7%
23.7%
11.7%
4.0%
4.6%
2007 2011
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Freshening Up Your Web site
• If you have the most dynamic, responsive, flexible and customizable marketing medium take advantage of it
• Modify it as information changes• Bring in new/relevant information, articles,
multimedia, news, etc.
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Checking out good websites
• http://www.BuffaloNiagara.org • http://www.maricopamatters.com • http://www.alleghenyconference.org/pra/ • http://www.progressivebynature.com (special
focus)• http://www.100reasonsindiana.com
(microsite)
© GIS Planning Inc.
Anatalio UbaldeCEO & Co-Founder
ubalde@gisplanning.comLinkedin.com/in/anatalioubalde@ZoomProspectorFacebook.com/ZoomProspectorYouTube.com/GISplanning
GISplanning.com
ZoomProspector.com
SizeUp.com
© GIS Planning Inc.
Janet AdyPresident
jady@adyvoltedge.com608.663.9218
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