This document summarizes a presentation on using social media for economic development. It discusses how various economic development organizations are using social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Common uses include announcing projects, sharing organizational news and promoting local quality of life and businesses. The presentation provides tips on developing a social media strategy, building an online community, using social media for talent attraction, and establishing social media guidelines. Case studies show how social media can help with talent attraction and increasing media coverage. Guidelines from the GSA, IBM and Intel are presented as examples for establishing social media policies.

1. SIFTING THROUGH THE NOISE
Making Social Media Work for Economic Development

2. The Faces Behind the Voice
Jessica Tuquero
Lorna Shepard
Account Supervisor
Consultant
Susan Merryman Sandy McMerty
VP of Marketing and Communications Director
Communications

3. About DCI
• Served 350+ countries,
states, regions and
cities since 1960
• Specialize in economic
development and
destination marketing
• Employ 35 of the
brightest “place
marketers”

4. Agenda
• How are we using social media?
• Developing your strategy
• Building an online community
• Talent attraction 2.0
• Establishing guidelines
• Q&A

5. How are we using social media?
Of the 307 organizations who participated in a survey…
57% 43%
Use social media Don’t use it

6. Managing Resources
Percentage of Allocated Resources Full Time
Employee w/
Other
2% Responsibilities
4%
Part Time
Employee/ Intern
17%
Outsourced
77%
Full Time
Employee's Only
Responsibility

7. Who are we speaking to?
• Within your organization 27%
• Regionally 41%
• Nationally/Internationally 30%

8. What are we communicating?
• Project announcements
• Organizational news
• Quality of life
• Support for local
businesses

9. ED’s Most Valuable Online Tools
#1
#2
#3

10. The Future of Social Media in
Economic Development Marketing
40% 36%
35% 28%
30%
25%
20% 14% 15%
15%
10% 5%
5%
0%
Least important 2 3 4 Most important
1 5

11. Social Media is Not Just For Kids…
• Median age is over 30 on
LinkedIn, Facebook and
Twitter
• Forbes: The Rise of the
Digital C-Suite
• Nielsen Global Index:
Social media sites
accessed more than email

12. HOW DO I GET STARTED?

13. Developing your strategy

14. Conversations are happening

15. Hear and be heard
Social Media is more like
sociology than technology
Social Media is about
dialogue - not monologue

16. Cool!
VS.

17. We still need strategy
The principles are the same
– Who – are you trying to reach?
– What – do they do online today?
– When – will you connect?
– Where – is the right medium?
– Why – for what purpose?
– How – will you connect, engage, sustain?

18. 3 C’s
• Context
• Connect
• Continuum

19. Connect with Columbus

20. Building an online community

21. Building Community in Social Media
• Simple Reasons Why You Should Do It
• How Social Is Not Traditional
• Why and How is North Dakota Playing
• Results You Can Shake a Measurement At

22. Getting Social
Why build community? For companies, resistance
to social media is futile.
– Duh. It makes sense. Millions of people are
creating content
for the social Web.
– Relationships are key to ED. Your competitors are
already there.
Your customers have
– Measure ROI in a new way. been there for a long time.
If your business isn't
putting itself out there,
it ought to be.
February 19, 2009

23. Traditional Style – Hey Everybody
Traditional Media
• monologue
• GETTING attention
• broadcasting
• interruption-based
• days +

24. Social Style – Hey YOU
Social Media
• dialogue
• GIVING attention
• narrowcasting
• permission-based
• minutes

25. It’s Like Dating
What are you
doing right now?
Like

26. The BIG 3 Analogy
• The Office
• The BBQ
• The Bar
• You Tube
• Blogs

27. Philosophy of Thirds
• All Business
• Personal
• What the ?$%#
NO
BE AUTHENTIC.

28. Measure – Even When You Can’t
• ROI
– Return on influence
It isn’t always the big
thing that matters.

29. Results
e-newsletter
• Sent to 1739
• 46% (811 of 1739) read
•5913 total reads
- 730% return on message
- in top 5 referrers

30. Results
• 3rd Party
– Colorado Ambassador
link tracking - bit.ly • “Crow”
• 361 using bit.ly link to view
• 2 families move b/c story
• Untrackable reposts – LOTS
- Do they count? YES. • Mileage

31. Talent Attraction 2.0

32. Research Findings
• AVAILABILITY of WORKFORCE
– Key challenge among prospective companies
– Key challenge among companies in Greater Reno-Tahoe
• WHAT WORKFORCE NEEDS & WANTS
– Rational: CoL; affordability of housing; quality of schools
– Emotional: ?People like me living there? (Race, beliefs,
interests)
– Unfamiliar with Reno-Tahoe: ?Are there skilled, professional jobs
there?
• Greatest potential for attraction: California,
Northeastern U.S. & Western states

33. Strategies
• Educate the workforce in other markets
– Attract those not necessarily looking to relocate or considering
GR-T
• Involve companies already in Greater Reno-Tahoe &
skilled professionals living in GR-T
• Guerilla (cheap)
• Start in northern CA, then expand

34. Tactics: Web Portal
WWW.MyNevadaDreamJob
• A local-market “Monster”
• A portal for non-job information
• A way to ‘connect’ with like-minded professionals
living in Greater Reno-Tahoe
• A means to collect, track and provide value to
EDAWN’s members

35. Tactics: Beers & Careers
Awareness
– through P.R. ‘stunt’
– Facebook: ad & events page
– Flickr
– YouTube

36. Tactics: Beers & Careers
Awareness
– through P.R. ‘stunt’
– Facebook: ad & events
page
– Flickr
– YouTube
– Email to friends &
colleagues

37. Beers & Careers

38. Beers & Careers

39. Beers & Careers

40. Beers & Careers

41. Results
13 GR-T employers + UNR + 2 real estate developers
• 110 Professionals attended Beers & Careers
• $63,000 in media coverage
• 2,927 video hits
• 1,935 unique visitors to MyNVDreamJob.com
– 550+ from CA
– 60 completed profiles

42. Establishing guidelines
• Should I have social media
policies?
• Where do I begin?
• Examples…

43. U.S. General Services Administration Social Media Policy
http://socialmediagovernance.com/policies.php?f=5
IBM Social Computing Guidelines
http://www.ibm.com/blogs/zz/en/guidelines.html
Intel Social Media Guidelines
http://www.intel.com/sites/sitewide/en_US/social-
media.htm

44. Q&A
Jessica Tuquero Lorna Shepard
DCI Ask us anything! Economic Development
Authority of Western Nevada
Susan Merryman Sandy McMerty
Columbus Chamber of North Dakota Department
Commerce of Commerce

45. Thank you!
Jessica Tuquero Lorna Shepard
DCI Economic Development
@DCIEcondev Authority of Western Nevada
Jessica.tuquero@dc-intl.com lorna@red-dogconsulting.com
Susan Merryman Sandy McMerty
Columbus Chamber of Commerce North Dakota Department of
@ColumbusChamber Commerce
susan_merryman@columbus.org @NDAmbassador
smcmerty@nd.gov