Day 1 – January 13

11:00 - 11:30 AM

Welcome and Introductions
Breakout Room Activity for Introductions

11:30 AM –12:15 PM

Overview of Economic Development Marketing
Marketing is a tool that helps promote economic growth and development in a community. This session will highlight the economic developer's role in developing and implementing a marketing plan, and the different targets of economic development marketing.

12:15 – 1:00 PM

Talent Attraction
Skills, experience, education, and ideas are the leading driver of economic growth today. It’s no surprise that leading economies today compete as much for highly educated workers as they do for businesses, in what is sometimes called the “war for talent.” Instructors will explore the means to attract and retain skilled workers, from overseas marketing and hiring missions to “deeper” strategies such as entrepreneurship development and placemaking.

1:00 – 1:30 PM

Lunch

1:30 – 2:30 PM

Telling Your Story Through Public Relations
Your organization’s public relations strategy is vital to getting the word out about your community to your target market(s). What story are you telling about your community and how are you telling it? In this session, participants will learn about how to create a diverse public relations strategy that supports your economic development initiatives, including best practices for creating and distributing press releases, pursuing and capitalizing on speaking opportunities, pitching op-eds, gaining earned media, and more.

2:30 - 3:30 PM

Online Marketing
Online marketing goes beyond a website. This session will explore the vast opportunities to be had when an organization takes on a marketing strategy that includes the targeted, measurable, and interactive promotion of a community, state or region. 

3:30 – 3:45 PM

Short Break

Social Media
Communication and marketing isn't what it used to be. Today you have many channels to reach your audience. This session will focus on communications using social media. Topics will include changes in how communication is happening, who is now doing the communicating, where conversations about your communities are happening, and how you can successfully use social media to engage your targets. Topics will include major social platforms.

Positioning Your Community and Finding your Niche
Each community, no matter location or demographics has its strengths and weaknesses. Identifying both and being able to play off the strengths is key to setting yourself apart. In this session, we’ll hear from three communities around the U.S. who are positioning their unique assets to promote their destination for investment, talent and even visitors. Participants will learn how to find those things that make your community unique and how to best communicate your position in today’s complex marketplace.

Day 2 –  January 14

Branding
A brand is the perception held of your place by your marketing efforts’ audience, whether site selectors, corporate buyers, entrepreneurs, or tourists. Like it or not, your town or region already has a brand—positive, negative, or wholly indifferent. Participants will learn about the components of brand, its importance to economic development, and how you can improve or change it.

Websites
A website is often the first contact someone has with a community, organization or company and is arguably the most important marketing tool in today’s world.  In this session, participants will learn about the key components of a highly effective website and how to best ensure your message and brand are being communicated online. Participants will also learn how to use digital technologies via their website to generate leads.

COVID-19: Panel & Group Discussion
(Please complete pre-reading material for this session)
The COVID-19 outbreak has drastically impacted how, when, and what we market in our communities. It is important as Economic Developers that we understand the changes in our audience and our role, so we can translate this into our marketing efforts. As the vaccine becomes more widely available, and our communities look towards recovery, this session will feature a community who has both pre and post pandemic lessons to share.  We’ll then break into small groups to discuss how to adapt your messaging, change your metrics, craft your image, create helpful content, and relate this to business attraction, in order to best serve our audiences.

Developing the Marketing Plan and Metrics for Success
All communities market themselves whether or not they have developed a marketing plan. A marketing plan helps to ensure that you are making a positive impact and are making effective use of available resources, staff and financial capabilities.  It provides a guide for all marketing activities and is an important part of an overall economic development strategy.  This interactive session will address how to set realistic goals and objectives, to develop strategies that support your marketing goals, and to how to measure the success of your initiatives.

Group Interactive Session:  Creation of a Marketing Plan
You’ve learned the pieces; now put that knowledge to work.  In this session, participants will work in groups to create a marketing plan for a community and share the results.