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"Economic Development Marketing Letter"
A Blane, Canada Ltd. Publication
Nationally Recognized Experts On Economic Development Marketing and Retention
August 2000, Volume: 3, Issue: e/8 ~~~"We live... in a world where consumers actively resist marketing. So it's imperative to stop marketing at people. The idea is to create an environment where consumers will market (you) to each other." Hence, the power of positive "word-of-mouth" marketing. Hence, hence, the importance of business retention as a platform for economic growth. Quote: Seth Godin, from his forthcoming book, "Unleashing the IdeaVirus." ~~~Growing local businesses... is often overlooked as a primary component of a retention/expansion program. Littleton's (CO) New Economy Program has built an extensive business reference library for local companies. They encourage entrepreneurship and help create target company sales lists. Louisville, KY suggests local companies for joint venturing or as possible suppliers. Fond du Lac, WI has created a for-fee service to help companies reduce employee turnover. Let us know what you are doing to help grow area companies. <ecanada@ix.netcom.com> ~~~Site popularity... Find out just how accessible your web site is using LinkPopularity.com, a free service that evaluates and then reports on how many Web sites out there are pointing to yours. Once you know where your site stands, visit other sites in the region and test their links. Maybe you will find a few new opportunities to form link partnerships. http://linkpopularity.com ~~~"What... is likely to kill you in the new economy is not someone doing something better, it's somebody doing something different." Michael Bloomberg, President, Bloomberg Financial Markets ~~~Speaking of something
different... So you don't miss the turn, the NEW word is "vortal."
Vortal is a new term for an old practice. Otherwise known as "targeted
vertical portals" or affinity portals, they are the latest Internet craze.
Unlike the generic portal typified by Yahoo!, B2C* vortals aim their content at
specific, hard-to-reach interest groups like outdoor enthusiasts. B2B* vortals
seek to serve vertical supplier groups like automotive or aviation. *(B2C:
business-to-consumer, B2B: business-to-business) *Side bar... In 1994 when we used business-to-business in our first economic development marketing course and subsequent book, "Economic Development: Marketing for Results!" to describe a better model for economic development marketing, few outside of industrial marketers were familiar with the term. Now, almost everyone even knows the shorthand B2B. Fascinating! ~~~"We have made 20 existing business calls... using the Synchronist System. Synchronist reports identified 8 expansions and 4 WARNINGS where those expansions were potentially at risk. We are seeing information we've never seen before. It's great." OH user. Synchronist info, call Eric, 630-462-9222 ~~~2nd Annual Synchronist Users' Forum... business retention software users (Synchronist System) from around the country are meeting in Chicago Oct. 2 & 3. Agenda items include: best practices, tips & tricks, and compiling preformatted reports into custom reports. New features in development include: plans for a retail/service segment analysis, Internet version, and much more. If you have Blane, Canada Ltd.'s Synchronist software, this meeting is to help you maximize the value of your R&E investment. We're here to support you. Contact us if you haven't yet registered. <nblane@ix.netcom.com> ~~~The Economic Development.Network (Dot Network)... is a non-profit Internet operation that functions to support business expansion, location and start-up processes; i.e., the aspect of economic development that directly relates to the creation of jobs and uplifting of local economies. Any economic development organization can register at the search engine website and obtain a listing under the Area Development Section for free! http://www.EconomicDevelopment.net Source: Bob Glover ~~~Fascinating book on social dynamics... "The Tipping Point", by Malcolm Gladwell explores how products, ideas, messages and behaviors spread in society. Economic developers are change-agents, and this book offers insights into the patterns that create change. It gets ^^^^ Reviewer: Sherman Dudley, GA http://www.twbookmark.com/books/8/0316316962/index.html ~~~"The value... in working with Blane, Canada Ltd. on our marketing plan was not to list options. The value was in avoiding tactics that would have wasted our limited resources." Midwestern client ~~~IF... you are responsible for sales, and you are worried about generating your own leads, it is clear -- your organization's marketing program is not working! ~~~The
best questions... in economic development are open-ended. Excellent questions
will: establish your authority, build rapport, facilitate the client's
discovery, demonstrate expertise, and yes, provide information. Do your
questions measure up? "Selling In An Economic Development
Environment," Blane, Canada Ltd.'s custom course. ~~~US Government Procurement forecasts... info that's crucial to so many small business owners yet can be difficult to locate. The folks at "The Federal Marketplace" site provide links to over 35 locations on the web where you can find military, civilian and independent agency procurement forecast information. Bookmark each link so that you can check back when the new fiscal year starts October 1. Check it out at http://www.fedmarket.com/ ~~~Can't get enough... DATA? More than 400 sources of web-based socioeconomic data. Or, get "User's Guide to Socioeconomic Data for Understanding Your Regional Economy," a sort of "complete dummies' guide" to finding and using socioeconomic data, designed for novice and experienced data users alike. It's available free from Economic Development Administration. http://www.EconData.Net Source: Joseph Cortright <jcortright@hevanet.com> ~~~"Lockwood Greene and Blane, Canada Ltd. continue to raise the bar defining excellence." Dr. Andre-Vincent Henry, VP Tourism and Industrial Development Company of Trinidad and Tobago. ~~~Committee mediocrity... occurs when a committee flounders or limps along waiting for someone (frequently staff) to push a project forward. Avoid this classic situation. Allow projects to go forward when a "champion" (an individual willing to personally commit to making the project a ringing success) steps forward. No champion, no project. ~~~Search engine don'ts... Want your Web site to show up on search engine results? This case study will tell you what not to do. http://wwwrd.0mm.com/INC106002 Source: inc.com e-letter, 7/4/00 ~~~Yet another... search engine vying for our clicks. "AlltheWeb" made it's debut recently. http://www.ussc.alltheweb.com ~~~Reduce
the cost of uncertainty... Trust does this. It goes far beyond just reducing
transaction costs. The larger issue is gaining enough confidence to invest,
believing (trusting) your information source is more important than access to
information. In our marketing and sales courses, we explore the issues of risk
and risk reduction. Credibility and trust are essential. ~~~Expert resource... askme.com. Their experts provide free information on many topics. Questions will often stimulate answers. Answers come from thousands of unpaid experts across the U.S. Questions and answers are archived for easy access or searching. http://www.askme.com, SpeakerNet News 5/19/2000 ~~~Web references... The 12/20/99 San Jose Mercury News advised readers who "feel egomaniacal surfing for telltale signs of [themselves]" to try Spyonit.com. Complete the Vanity Spy form and they'll let you and your organization know whenever you're mentioned on the Web. http://www.spyonit.com ~~~Get the scoop... Have manufacturers from other countries located within your area? Want to keep up with what is happening with that company back home? In addition to the Wall Street Journal, get on line with major periodicals from the appropriate country, e.g., Korea Digest to read about Dae Woo.
Blane, Canada Ltd.
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