Marketing Strategies to Break Through the Clutter

• What happens here, stays here. Las Vegas.

• The aliens aren’t the only reason to visit. Roswell, NM.

• Where horses have the right of way. McKinleyville, CA.

• It’s not the end of the earth, but you can see it from here. Bushnell, SD.

• Where the people are warm even when the weather isn’t. Andover, KS.

• Live large. Think big. Dallas, TX.

• Get ‘Er Done. Havre, MT.

• Cleveland Rocks.

• Rare. Well done. Omaha, NB.

• Music City. Nashville.

Top US City Slogans: (These are for Real)

Source: Tagline guru.com

Executive Summary

• What drives location decisions?• Role of research – budgets, audience• Effective marketing:

– Phase I – Ready– Phase II – Market

• Marketing methods that work• What makes a great brand?• Measurement means everything• Q&A

Economic Development Defined for Nashville

• 1.6 million population – growing 1.5x U.S. average

• College town – 100k students• Business case makes sense – low

operating costs, no personal income tax

• Quality of life• Industry

– 300 health care headquarters – Automotive & consumer goods

manufacturing – Music & entertainment industries– Extraordinarily high

concentration of entrepreneurs –second only to Austin, TX

Nashville Basics

What Drives Location Decisions?

• Varies entirely by industry sector

• Mainly fact-based, not personal

• Our role – facilitate, inform, persuade

• Proactive marketing can:

– Change perceptions

– Raise awareness

– Fill the pipeline

Utilizing Research to

Set Marketing Priorities &

Budgets

Source: DCI, 2008

Source: DCI, 2008

Target Audiences (in priority order)

• Existing pipeline of prospects – relocations & expansions

• Targeted marketing to top 200 relocation consultants in America 84% of relocations to Nashville historically represented by these firms

• National and regional media Business publications, industry trades for target sectors, general business

•Local business leaders and opinion leaders Getting the talk on the street right

• Proactive pursuit of relocations in five sectorsHQs, health care, music/entertainment, advanced manufacturing, logistics

Marketing to Break Through

the Clutter

• Ready for the prospect

• Measures in place

• Marketing strategy in place

• Then, and only then, ‘marketing’

Marketing Phase I

What is ‘Ready’

• All pertinent facts on community easily accessible-transferable

– Electronically

– Hard copies

• Community leaders / HR experts in line

• Response process in place

• Measurement standards in place

• Staffed appropriately

• Demographics –IEDC data standards

• Maps, maps, maps

• Wage data

• Detailed information on sites & buildings

• Unionization data

• Transportation data (traffic counts, flights per day, runway lengths, etc.)

• College & university profiles

• Access to elected officials and city leaders

• Access to HR experts & CEO’s in market

• Access to policy makers

• Access to research on competitors

• Not just access, but good relationships with the dealmakers – State ECD, TVA

• Process for responding to RFPs

• Detailed incentives data and process

• Everything else..

Essential Tools for Success

• Multi-pronged & multi-phased

• Consistent look and message over time

• Doesn’t have to cost a lot of $$

• Long sales cycle – relationships versus immediate sales

• Leverage, leverage, leverage

Develop a Marketing Plan

• Advertising

• Direct mail & email

• Site consultant campaigns

• Internet, social media and online marketing

• Special events

• Public relations –national and regional

• Face-to-face visits

• Trade shows

• Magazines

Most Used Marketing Methods

• Web page is most critical part of program…..‘cuts’ being made before a human contacted now

• Informational, yes, but PERSUASIVE

• Phone contact on every page

• Wide and shallow versus deep and narrow

• Email by permission only

Web and Social Media

• Strategy– Create organizational presence– Gradual immersion– Supplement to existing methods– Serve as independent news publisher/information center

• Goals– Attract 500 followers on Twitter– Attract 500 fans on Facebook– Generate 250 visits per month to web site– Communicate consistently & frequently

Social Media

1524

Twitter

685

Facebook

Web Site Traffic From Social Media

• Be real & conversational• Be consistent in frequency• Observe what others are doing• Play with it

– Test how often, what time of day, etc.– Try different wording, post different things on different mediums

Lessons

2005 & 2006 #1 City for Business

Expansions and Relocations

• Business climate• Work force quality• Operating costs• Ease of working with local officials

Public Relations

• Worth more than advertising

• Target writers at specific publications

– Get editorial calendars

– Know your target publications

• Keep your eye on “rankings”

• Reprint articles are great direct mail

• Focus on ‘cool companies’ in your town

Public Relations

Entrepreneurs = Economic Development

Sole proprietorships’ contribution to city jobs

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce: Bureau of Economic Analysis

Tell Your Success Stories

Peer to Peer Marketing

• “Dialogue with industry peers” is the number one influencer on corporate decision makers on future facility locations

• Peer to Peer marketing is our #1 marketing strength

– Louisiana Pacific HQ example

– Oreck HQ example

Event Marketing

Event Marketing

Event Marketing

Event Marketing

• Easiest target to reach – highest overall impact on relocations

• Build a database

• Make their jobs easy and they’ll come back with other projects

• Answer fast, complete, in their format

• Event marketing works

• Don’t waste their time

Site Consultants

Face to Face

• Best ‘relationship builder’

• Best method if done right

• Worst method if done wrong

• Don’t waste their time – pertinent information

• Who’s coming

• Who’s going

• Policy changes

• Listen listen listen

• Simple is good if its something they want to know

• Layoffs & Closures….Market them!

• Postcards, announcements, newsletters, testimonials

• No to fact books & videos

• Key is a quality list

• Metric to measure success

Direct Mail / Email

Great Brands Include

Functional + Emotional Benefits

Nashville’s Brand:• Creative

• Entrepreneurial

All communications reflect it

Nashville is a thriving city filled with risk-takers. Every day, people find new ways to take advantage of opportunities offered, to create something from nothing, to make their mark, to realize their dreams. At the center of this spirit is the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce.

At the chamber you:Belong….collaborating with others, energized by common drive and passion;Engage….sharing a vision for the future and sharing the collective influence to make it happen;Lead….impacting our region, transforming our future;Prosper….realizing opportunities that grow your business and enrich our communities.

Brand Promise

Our challenge:

Taking ‘Music City’ and translating it into broader

economic development value

The Importance of Measurement in

Economic Development

Recruitment Pipeline FY 2009-2010

Type of Operation

Project Numbers

Investment Square Footage

New Employees

Distribution 6 $130,500,000 2,375,000 1,049

HQ 10 $108,660,000 903,000 2,520

Back Office 11 $146,600,000 1,218,000 5,495

Manufacturing 4 $478,000,000 1,950,000 2,240

Other 6 $284,830,000 383,000 1,740

Total 31 $863,760,000 6,446,000 11,304

Existing Business Pipeline FY 2009-2010

Type of Operation

Project Numbers

Investment Square Footage

New Employees

HQ 10 $61,550,000 285,000 452

Back Office 10 $15,385,950 355,000 1,045

Manufacturing 10 $63,000,000 100,000 555

Total 30 $139,935,950 740,000 2,052

Objectives2008-2009

Goal2008-2009

Actual3 Year Goal

3 Year Actual

% of 3 Year Goal

1) Employment Growth of 1.5% per year in the region

11,500 - 14,733 34,500 9,895 28.7%

2) Maintain average unemployment rates below 5% each year

< 5% 7.4% 5.3%

3) Population growth of 2% per year in the region

33,410 30,485 97,763 111,145 113.7%

4) Increase per capita personal income at a rate that exceeds the CPI index by 0.5%

$1,663 $414 $4,261 $3,330 78%

Partnership 2010 Progress ReportFY 2008-2009

•102 relocations and expansions

• 7,396 new jobs

• $1.9 billion in capital investment

• 7.2 million square feet of space

Progress ReportFY 2008-2009

Marketing Strategies to Break Through the Clutter