The document outlines the importance of creating a world-class economic development website, emphasizing the need for effective branding, design, and content management. It details a structured web development process consisting of discovery, design, technical development, launch, and maintenance phases to engage users effectively. Key components for success include clear navigation, strong content strategy, the use of social media, and performance tracking to enhance site accessibility and user experience.

1. Northland ConnectionWebsite Review and Agency CapabilitiesBuilding a Best-in-Class Economic Development Website

2. About Atlas Advertising We help economic developers reach national and international prospect and site selection audiences We deliver branding, website development, GIS mapping, research, social media, and creative services Our agency is led by a former economic development practitioner and has worked with 50+ different economic development clients in 30 states Our campaigns generate an average of three to ten times the response of other campaigns

3. Featured ClientsState of Ohio

4. Indy Partnership

5. City of San Francisco

6. Greater Phoenix Economic Council

7. Greater Omaha Economic Development PartnershipOutline OverviewWebsite development – project approach and processEight components of a world class Economic Development websiteSite Selectors & social media usageConversation / your questions

8. OverviewTaking on a website redevelopment project is a huge commitment – today you’ll take away the knowledge to:Understand and avoid the potential pitfalls of a web development projectUnderstand the importance of “good” design and how it can effect the performance of your websiteKnow what tools, content and features are key to a successful siteKeep your site updated and engaged, giving it a successful, long lifespan

9. Your platform A platform for publishing, communicating, organizing, and serving your customers and prospects

10. Today, there is very little in economic development that can’t be facilitated or made more efficient by treating your website as a platform for most of your media delivery

11. Think of it as the starting point for your new, online community: It’s about connections--connecting people to each other, to ideas, to communities and to possibilities.So, how do you do it?

12. Web development processPhases:DiscoveryDesign and Content DevelopmentTechnical DevelopmentLaunchMaintenance

13. Discovery PhaseYour website starts with a purpose and a design, but it is powered by the content you create.

14. DiscoveryGoal: Setting the tone for a successful, on-time, on-budget deliveryAudience identification and hierarchyOnly one audience at the top of the hierarchy – don’t muddlePositioningPositioning statements help establish and differentiate your product and service in the eyes of your customers. What is the service/product? Who is it for? How is it different from the competition? What makes it unique? Project Purpose – creating a common guideline for everyone to followA reference point for all design and IA decisions as we move forward Effective Information ArchitectureWhat are the needs and wants of your main audiences? How are their needs translated into a hierarchy of information?

15. Information architectureInformation architecture (IA) is the design of the structure, hierarchy, and navigation of a website (sitemap)Effective IA bridges the gap between research and the visual design, and the process helps an organization understand itself better

16. We’re concerned with creating an architecture and hierarchy that gets users to their content more efficiently – ideally within 3 clicks

17. Intuitive navigation doesn't happen by chance and it must reflect the way people think in order for it to be effective

18. Good IA can lead to smarter development processes, lowered maintenance costs, less internal documentation, and scalabilityInformation architecture

19. Design PhasePeople don’t just visit your website; they experience and interact with it.

20. DesignGoal: design an original, intuitive website that attracts and retains users until they find the information they need. Create a resource to entice return visits. 10 second rule “Am I in the right place?”“Do they have what I am looking for?”And sometimes, “Does better content exist elsewhere?”How to engage? Emotion, Differentiation and AuthenticityHelp users make decisions – guide themEye tracking studiesCalls to action (purpose of the site)Clarity of navigation in design

21. A well-designed homepageDesign is mostly about structure and hierarchyPeople process visual information 60,000 times faster than narrative informationDesign is not necessarily just about the visual aesthetics – it is about the facilitation of an information gathering processThe visual representation and online brand is very important, but our first priority is getting users to the information they need – all other experiences are secondaryYour online brand is more than your logo, images and color palette, it’s also:

22. the speed at which your pages load

23. the ease of navigation

24. the tone of your content

25. how quickly you respond to queries from your prospectsA well-designed homepageLexington, KYUses local imagery and representational paletteConnects the region with useful business messagingBacks up the positioning with fact-based informationProvides map for quick locational referenceAppeals to both the left and right brain

26. A well-designed homepageThe Right PlaceBold imagery, vibrant campaign languageMarketing speak backed up with facts and figures on home pageBalanced design pushes below the fold elegantlyProvides map for quick locational referenceHomepage caters to existing businesses as well

27. Design Tips and TakeawaysOK to design below the foldLimit your use of FlashUnderstand typical eye-tracking patternsContact information on the top of every pagePresent maps on the homepageUnderstand that your brand is more than your design

28. Writing Effective Content for Your Website"If your target audience isn't listening, it's not their fault, it's yours.”Seth Godin, Small is the New Big

29. Online contentOnce you have your sitemap and your agency is beginning the design phase, it’s time for your biggest task in the process. Most users scan instead of readYour content writers need to be trained in online content writingWrite in “usable content formats”Scannable, written and designed in chunksUpdate often to keep it relevantIf you write it well, your users will return to the resource you’ve created

30. Online content – pre-launchIn order for this phase to be successful, you can count on:Spending up to 2 months full time getting the copy written, edited and uploaded to your new website (approx 3 hours/page)Creating an effective editorial calendar, because when you launch, you’ll be:Reviewing and updating various portions of your site weeklyPosting to social media outlets daily

31. Online Content – Post LaunchPeriodically review your content

32. Do you believe the hype?Here’s a look at Google search returns for “content strategy":2006: 5,930,000

33. 2007: 8,340,000

34. 2008: 137,000,000

35. 2009: 337,000,000Eight components of a world-class ED website

36. Eight components of a world-class ED websiteAuthenticity of place branding and messagingClarity of navigation Depth and quality of contentUse of search marketing approachesUse of email marketing and news sectionsFrequent performance trackingUse of maps and GIS technologyUse of social media

37. Authenticity in place brandingCommunicating a true positioning of the regionUtilizing recognizable national elementsCapturing users’ attention--inspiring them to use the site

38. Outstanding branding

39. Clarity of navigationA prospect-specific section placed prominently

40. Utilizing IEDC data standards

41. Providing the top ten most requested pages

42. Keeping all valuable content three clicks or less from the homepageTop 10 pages requested nationally on ED websitesAbout Us (about the organization) Programs (that the organization offers) Data CenterNews Relocate and ExpandFind Property Site Selection Services Workforce Data and Information Database of Companies or Largest Employers Maps of the Area

43. Great content strategyScannable - bullets and chunksUsing a content management system that enables publishing of pages, downloadable documents, and dataWeekly updatesDevoting half of your budget to contentOffering prominent contact info

44. Great content strategy

45. Effective search marketingRanking #1 organically for “your city/region economic development”Ranking #1 organically for “your organization name” Utilizing paid search (PPC) to drive additional traffic

46. Top 10 search terms that drive traffic to ED websitesYour organization nameYour city/region name “economic development”Incentive type offered in your region (depends on community)Resident company name (i.e., Boeing)Region name (if different from city)Organizational url (without .com/.net/.org)Campaign name (initiative or fundraising)City/region name “maps”City/region name “counties”City/region name “industries”

47. Effective search marketing

48. Best search engine marketingLocation GeorgiaOptimize their website around top terms

49. Use PPC to broaden search terms “Georgia Demographics”

50. Over half of their traffic comes from search engines

51. 500% traffic increase by using effective search marketingwww.locationgeorgia.com

52. Effective use of an email newsletterMonthly email newsletter to investors, prospectsTracking performance of those newslettersPosting newsletters and news items to your website weekly or monthly

53. Outstanding email marketing

54. Effective performance trackingReview report once per monthTrack unique visits, referrers and downloadsBenchmark your performance against other EDsIntegrate tracking of advertising, web and PR effectiveness

55. Effective performance tracking

56. Effective use of maps and GIS technologyUse maps with various layers (transportation, education, etc.)

57. Use integrated real estate searches/GIS mapping software

58. Generate dynamic demographic and business reportsEffective use of Maps and GIS technology

59. Best use of Maps and GIS technologyIndy PartnershipUse maps to place their region in the global geography

60. Fully integrated property and business GIS search

61. Geospatial reporting

62. 1 property search and 1 business search per web visit, on averagewww.indypartnership.com

63. Effective use of social mediaLink your website and your LinkedIn profile

64. Keep an active Twitter account

65. Create a blog and update it four times per week

66. Incorporate “Share It” features on your siteDo you believe the hype?Here’s a look at Google search returns for “social media” over the past few years: 2005: 9,150,000

67. 2006: 41,600,000

68. 2007: 165,000,000

69. 2008: 359,000,000

70. 2009: 1,230,000,000 Effective social media strategies

71. Best use of social mediaMetro Denver EDC Outstanding blog, mostly written by their Executive VP

72. “Insider” tone

73. Outstanding use of Twitter – 2,700 followers

74. Tweeting 4-6 times a daywww.metrodenver.org/blog

75. What you can learn from Metro DenverYou can grow your sphere of influence by using social media

76. Your executive should be involved

77. Your blog should be open and honest

78. Use a tone that is personal and connects you to your stakeholders

79. Take a leadership role in getting information out about your community7 things you should be doing with social media todayStart blogging to drive traffic and increase conversationDevelop a dialogue with your workforce and residents with Facebook Use Twitter to engage your investors and community stakeholders, and to share information about your community Integrate Social Media and sharing into your websitesUse a variety of tools to recruit Site Selectors and prospects to online meetings Develop a dedicated approach to using LinkedIn for prospecting Keep and eye on new platforms, such as foursquare

80. The Atlas Report: Social Media Use by Site Selectors

81. Who we interviewedEstate Inc., New MexicoMike Barnes Group, Inc., TexasColliers Location Agency & Incentives Practice, IndianaMcCallum Sweeney Consulting, South CarolinaKoll Development Company, TexasCB Richard Ellis, WashingtonStudley Inc., PennsylvaniaGreenfield Development Company, North CarolinaCB Richard Ellis, ArizonaThe RSH Group, CaliforniaMoran, Stahl & Boyer LLC, Florida

82. Sherwin-Williams Co., Georgia

83. Trione & Gordon/ONCOR Intl., Texas

84. Colliers International, Toronto CANADA

85. Little & Associates Architects, North Carolina

86. Palm Inc – Sunnyvale, California

87. Visa – San Francisco, California

88. Foote Consulting Group – Glendale, ArizonaWhat social networks or tools, if any, do you use?71 % use LinkedInJust over 50% use facebook

89. How frequently do you use each?72 % use some form of Social Media at least weekly.

90. What is the applicability of Twitter to your profession?63.6% say Twitter has no/very little applicability to the site selection profession.

91. What is the applicability of LinkedIn to your profession?52.6% say LinkedIn has good application to the site selection profession.

92. Today’s opportunitiesContent is king: the more of it you have, and the better it’s displayed, the better your organization will do online

93. You should have control of your page, data, file, and photographic content

94. Integrated GIS makes the experience seamless for your users and delivers 300% more property searches than other tools in many marketsToday’s opportunitiesNever forget your brand or how far it extends on your website

95. It will deliver more than 10x the experiences of any other marketing you do

96. Search engine marketing is the most cost effective, targeted way to harvest new leads

97. It can increase traffic by as much as 1000% within targeted groups

98. Social media is a vast, untapped opportunity

99. Direct users to your LinkedIn profiles, blog, Twitter account, and let users share pages and contentParting thoughts…Your website is an outreach of your community—think of how you extend in-person greetings to your prospects, and try, as hard as you can, to deliver that message and tone online

100. Your site is not static, it’s living and breathing—it takes incredible attention and detail, but it will deliver incredible results

101. Your site is your platform—for first impressions, for storytelling, for capturing attention and most importantly for starting a conversationThank you! Questions?Peter BrownDirector of Creative Servicespeterb@atlas-advertising.comDownload this presentation: http://blog.atlas-advertising.comFollow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AtlasAd

102. Contact AtlasContact information:2601 Blake Street, Suite 301Denver, CO 80205Contact: Ben Wrightt: 303.292.3300 x 210benw@Atlas-Advertising.comwww.Atlas-Advertising.com