This document provides tips and recommendations for economic development organizations to sharpen their online presence. It recommends prioritizing contact information, telling a compelling local story with photos and videos, including a map to show location, generating frequent and diverse content, recognizing local businesses, being mobile friendly, using regional outreach, microsites for specific initiatives, and lead tracking for website analytics. The document is from an economic development marketing agency that assists over 100 communities across 20 states.

1. Sharpening the Edge:
A Fresh Look at Economic
Development Online
4/14/16

2. Groundbreaking
Economic
Development
Communications
Full-service Economic
Development Marketing
Agency with Online Focus
Strategy
Branding
Website Development
Content Creation
Social Media
ABOUT US
Virtual Company

3. WE KNOW
ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
ABOUT US
● We Sit on ED Boards
● We Attend Conferences
● Regular Speakers
● Interviews
● Industry Articles

4. WHO WE WORK WITH
Helping Over 100 Communities Across 20 States

5. A Virtual Company

6. A FRESH LOOK AT
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ONLINE

7. CONTACT INFORMATION FIRST
Everything else second.

12. TELL A STORY
Visual, Authentic & Unique

18. Business and Workforce Testimonials

19. TESTIMONIALS

20. HAVE A MAP
Don’t assume anyone
knows your location.

27. CONTENT, CONTENT, CONTENT

28. Why? Good Content Brings Many Benefits
● Keeps website current
● Great first impression
● SEO benefits
● Informs local businesses
● Educates stakeholders
● Shows industry engagement
● Many types of content...

29. Local Content
● Local Newspaper
● Current ED news
● Events
● Local Businesses

30. Editorial Content
● Success Stories
● Business Parks
● Testimonials
● Local Businesses
● Made in advance
● Keywords

36. National & Expert Content
● Current
● ED Focused
● Educate
Stakeholders
● Blogs

37. Feature on Home Page
● Current
● ED Focused
● Educate
Stakeholders

40. Social Media

41. How Often Should I Post?
Weekly…
at minimum.

43. USE GREAT VIDEO
Moving, Informative, Visual

47. WORKFORCE ATTRACTION

48. SITE DRONE VIDEOS

49. RECOGNIZE BUSINESSES
Success Stories, Supporters or Members

53. INFOGRAPHICS

61. SOCIAL MEDIA

64. Who is using what tool?

78. BE MOBILE

79. Our analytics show that up to 25% of web traffic on our clients’
site selection pages are coming from mobile devices.
If your website isn’t optimized for mobile, you are
losing leads without knowing it.

80. Be Mobile Friendly

84. SEND THE MESSAGE
REGIONALLY

108. MICROSITES

109. Types of Microsites

115. LEAD TRACKING

119. CONCLUSION

120. 1. CONTACT INFORMATION FIRST
2. TELL A STORY
3. HAVE A MAP
4. CONTENT, CONTENT, CONTENT
5. USE GREAT VIDEO
6. RECOGNIZE BUSINESSES
7. INFOGRAPHICS
8. SOCIAL MEDIA
9. BE MOBILE
10. SEND THE MESSAGE REGIONALLY
11. MICROSITES
12. LEAD TRACKING

121. THANK YOU
Aaron Brossoit
CEO
320-980-4658
abrossoit@GoldenShovel.com
ANY QUESTIONS?