The document discusses effective online promotion strategies for foreign direct investment (FDI). It identifies 15 key challenges that investment promotion agencies face with online strategies, such as unstructured inquiry responses and lack of focus on clients' needs. It provides examples and recommends solution best practices, including standardized processes, personalized engagement, and social media initiatives. The goals are to increase FDI deals by reducing transaction costs and helping clients decide on locations.

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2. What are we going to cover
Title: Effective online promotion strategies.
Subtitle:
Agency website comparison best practices. and
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3. Thesis
An effective online FDI strategy increases opportunity
and reduces foreign investment transaction cost for
the investor and the investment promotion agency.
DealMaker
S pecific
M easurable
A chievable
R ealistic
T imely
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4. Approach
What is our goal for this training?
What are the key common challenges of online FDI business?
Problem thesis
Lets look at some examples of the challenges (discretely)
Possible responses how we can address the challenges
Example of solution approaches (enthusiastically)
Recommendation and hand-out of best practice guideline
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5. Training goals
For your training:
Share a set of low-cost high-impact best practices for
areas of online innovation
For your clients:
Provide the essential information to all relevant prospective
investors to have a decisive influence on the clients’ foreign
investment decision making.
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6. Why it matters
Well, since you’re here so it appears to matter to you.
There is also a business case for a holistic online strategy:
• Clients’ “online” expectation
• Changing global FDI patterns
• Increasing complexity and competition
• Get more and better FDI deals
• Help clients decide for your location
• Increase speed of deal making
• Reduce the transaction cost
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7. Effective online strategy
The approach
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8. The 15 key challenges of online FDI business
1. Research shows that 70% of IPA’s fail to respond effectively to <online> inquiries;
2. Inquiry response process is not standardized and lacks quality assurance;
3. Not engaging the client how he expects it and with what he needs;
4. The technical difficulty of reaching your target clients online;
5. Content is not aligned with the client problem and his decision making process;
6. Partial or fragmented coverage of the clients’ investment process (life cycle);
7. Focus is more “about us” and the IPA processes than on the client needs;
8. Investor relationship management is overlooked;
9. Communication is impersonal and not localized;
10. Strategic economic development focus not clearly defined or implemented;
11. Content is not aligned with economic strategy and related priorities;
12. Insufficient understanding of the IPA’s competitive environment;
13. Business eco-system of focus areas not sufficiently covered with information;
14. Claims are not or insufficiently objectified and fear of comparison;
15. Constant increase of complexity and competition.
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9. Our point of view
1. An unstructured inquiry response process that lacks standardisation is the single
biggest obstacle for any effective online FDI business strategy.
No time, not enough resources, not enough budget and not the right capabilities are all
symptoms of strategic misalignment.
2. An effective online strategy spans the entire investment process and thus your
entire business process.
If we hold this true than “online” is not a marketing task but a business priority.
3. Outsourcing and out-tasking is one effective response for an IPA to get access to
private sector experience, innovation and speed.
Because in-house capabilities are equally important as problematic concerning “online”.
4. Complexity will increase further and faster!
Next in line are China promotion and global pro-active investor acquisition; Corporate
investors planning to move to bidding and auctioning of their FDI projects; diminishing
investor loyalty and most important global talent supply and demographics.
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10. Examples of some of the challenges
1. Deal = content X reach X perception X emotion
2. The consultants (gatekeepers) - They do not deal
nor think in emotions or perceptions
3. About us; our services; how we work;
4. Nr. 4 is so NOT good that I gave it its own dedicated
slide
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11. If you cannot manage email than you might as
well raise as much hurdles as possible:
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12. Examples of the challenges
4. No focus on key business eco systems and related opportunities
5. Not easy to do business
• Global Investment Promotion Benchmark?
• IFC Investment Promotion Essentials study?
Our experience adds this:
• 70% of email never gets answered – trend negative
• 70+% of online forms are never responded to - trend negative
• 70% of telephones not answered or no action – trend negative
But
• 70+% of LinkedIn mail gets answered – trend positive
• Why? Because we consider it PERSONAL
• Your biggest opportunity is your Creative & Entrepreneurial
community
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13. Solution best practices
The Basics - rational assets and facts
• Connect - just-in-time 24X7
• Pass the gatekeeper
• Competitive – Comparative – Transparent
• Extension and expansion are also about your
business case
Case study - ThinkLondon
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14. Solution best practices
Story telling - rational assets and facts
• Define your keyword epigraph – your brand language
• Talk business – opportunity language
Case study
www.czechinvest.com
pronicaragua
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15. Making it personal
By people – for people
• FDI decisions are about life
• FDI decisions are about trust
• FDI decisions are about talent that you should get
Case study
Bahrain
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16. Social media is a multiplier
World Bank President Robert Zoellick's recent note to staff:
"Make no mistake about it: this is no longer your grandfather’s
World Bank. But we need to continue to change."
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17. Social media impact for Global-Arena.com
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18. Make it EASY
To invest and to keep invesing
• Both CRM and IRM
Case study
Croatia
Touchdown London
Czechinvest partnership program
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19. The DealMaker circle of investor and FDI influence ( Relative to the clients’
Investment Process )
Company FDI
You now depend on:
Initiative starts
Your online exposure
Managed perceptions Together we manage the clients’
Brand recognition extension and expansion
The client needs
Meaningful focus Long-list selections
Presenting facts capabilities and
are made expertise
Your CRM process starts
Client issues here
Here you set the rules and
tender
raise the bar with your Tailor made and Personal
Comparative Profile Deal Be absolutely personal Client defines needs,
Client creates Making from here requirements and
tender document Client processes drafts business case
Short-list MAKE IT EASY inquiry responses
selections To make the
difference
Location
Client involves ratings
Quality information
external expertise is hard to obtain
and data
Systematic option
Make it personal as early in the comparison proofs This is the point where you
client engagement process as difficult create your first head-start
possible, leveraging your Blog and advantage using Comparative
Social Media initiatives Ranking
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20. Five recommendations
1. Accept that you will have more work and learning to do before you
can get to the aspired business outcome – it is hard work;
2. The solution will consist of a multitude of platforms and technologies
providing you multiple channels for different market-sector
combinations;
3. Consider it a journey and respect the goal; Mount Everest is possible
if planned in 20,000 steps with 6 camps by a trained and determined
team. But the weather finally allows it to happen. Tip: if the weather (read as
your political circumstances) are no good do something else.
4. You will only succeed if the team learns to take pleasure from results
and progress on a daily basis – plan small steps.
5. Start the journey with your clients and involve them in your process.
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21. Thank you
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22. The company
Global-Arena.com
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23. Our playing field
Global Arena is the leading
innovator in online FDI business
• Free & Premium services
• Global coverage
• ChinaConnect initiative
• OpportunityConnect initiative
Solutions for private & public sector:
• Business Clusters
• Business Parks
• Commercial Real Estate
• City development agencies
• Regional development agencies
• Metropolitan development agencies
• National Promotion agencies
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24. Background and status
• 2003 University of Ghent develops a Scientific Algorithm Solution for resource
allocation, sponsored by Hewlett-Packard
• 2003-2008 Scientific Algorithm Solution deployed in HP and other blue chip
companies.
• 2008 Global-Arena.com is founded to create an online capability
• October 2009 www.global-arena.com goes live : We found a robust online
translation of our algorithm
• Today, we currently promote 53 countries with a total of 814 business
locations. By the end of 2010, the number will increase over 1000.
• Actual Google Page Ranking : 231.00 (expect yours to have 7 digits)
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25. The future of FDI deal-making is online
• The most powerful and low cost way of global resource allocation
• Fast becoming the defacto FDI deal making platform for investors
• Enable global reach without a global organization
• Engaging online solutions differentiate and drive innovation
• Reduces FDI transaction cost
• Competition and transparency always lead to better economics
• The most effective networking
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