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Marketing for the Small Municipality: Seven Simple Steps to Success
Economic developers know the importance of having a solid economic development strategy
You know how vitally important your position is to the future of the municipality you serve.
After all, economic development is all about the development of economic wealth for the well-being
of a town's inhabitants. It's not just about business either, but economic development involves a
sustainable increase in living standards including increased per capita income, better education
and health as well as environmental protection. And it's not a "one and done" type of activity,
but rather a continuous and sustained effort to achieve economic growth and expansion of your
local economy.
The role of the economic developer in sustained municipal growth
Your role as one of the 20,000 economic developers worldwide (or 4000 if you are in the United States) is to seek out new economic opportunities and retain or help grow the existing businesses you already have. Know that there is intense competition between communities, states and nations for new economic growth. The measurement of success within this industry is normally job creation, economic growth and increased or retained tax base.
Measuring your economic development success is crucial
Measurement is absolutely critical to the success of any municipal marketing project. Lancing Direct will help you use community profiling tools such as census data to see how you measure up against other communities and to create a growth plan that's in line with your community's demographic. It will be your responsibility to build quality economic development programs to assist the businesses in their needs so that jobs can be created.
Make sure your comprehensive economic development strategy fits your demographic
Every place is different, and so too will be your goals and your approach. Some examples might include a local economic developer working out of a mayor's office getting funds to clean up a brownfields site, or the economic developer working for a city creating a public relations campaign to change public misperception about the downtown area, or the economic developer working for the state looking to revitalize a historic district that isn't a best-fit for the residents there.
Why market your municipality?
Marketing is a term frequently misunderstood and a tool severely under-utilized by many municipal governments, but not for you. No matter what your goals are as an economic developer, you must communicate and do it well. That is what lies at the heart of good marketing. There are specific messages you need to send to existing businesses in your area, and other messages you need to communicate to potential businesses. Beyond that, you need to present your town to residents in the area as a good place to live and shop. And before that, you need to communicate your plan internally with the mayor or council to gain the support you need to execute your plans. Lancing Direct is your partner in this area. We will work with you to detail your desired outcomes and build a plan of action to get you there including things such as census analysis, public relations, promotional materials, and comprehensive economic development strategy. Contact Lancing Direct to discuss your plans and how we can help you achieve breakthrough results in your economic development planning.
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