January 1999, Volume; 1, Issue: e/11

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of our friends around the globe. Best wishes for a healthy, prosperous, and successful 1999.

~~~Want more results in '99? Take Jim's advice, "Attempt something so big, that unless God intervenes it is bound to fail." James Stowers, Jr., Insurance Magnate. Source: Bob Marcusse, MO

~~~Evolve or die ... It is impossible to miss the dominance of the workforce issue in economic development today. As a marketer, I see the workforce challenge as an opportunity to develop "value-added information" about the existing workforce. Fargo, ND used a university to conduct special availability surveys. Dubuque, IA built a WEB site to market available jobs to former residents scattered around the world. They now have 3,000 plus resumes on file of people wanting to move back to Dubuque. It takes time and money to develop value-added information. But, this is what development organizations should be known for, not repackaged government data.

~~~Workforce forecast … the 18-25 year-old age group is a region's key to understanding the future workforce. "One demographic indicator that site selectors are looking more closely at is the number of 18-25 year olds in a community or region. This figure tells employers what their labor pool will look like five to 10 years from now." Quote: Expansion Management, Sept/Oct 1998. Source: Ed Crow, IL

~~~Outside influences ... "I agree that our profession (response to 12/98 Letter) is in much need of outside influences. After listening to countless economic developers talk, I find economic developers (and economists) are poor researchers. I highly recommend the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP) to anyone interested in learning about innovative methods of conducting actionable research on companies." Darhlene Zeanwick, Hampton, VA http://www.scip.org

~~~Emulate the award winning New Economy Program* ... on a shoe-string budget by drawing your community's library into economic development. "The inactivity of librarians in local development efforts is especially unfortunate for communities since much of the economic growth in recent years has been in the information economy where libraries have a special advantage." is stated in the booklet "Enhancing Economic Development Through Libraries." Norman Walzer & Karen Stott, Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs, http://www.iira.org  *Marketing Letter Vol. 1, Issue e/9

~~~Benchmarking ... for non-believers is junketeering. Yet, benchmarking applied to a community, a development organization, or a development program can be a valuable tool for improving results. But, don't limit the search for new models, methods, or ideas to development organizations. Our most valuable insights have come from outside the practice of economic development. Shop around, you may be surprised what you find.

~~~Node ... "Your community is a node in a network. What network(s) is your community engaged in?" Steve Pontel, La Jolla Institute

~~~"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." - Hence the importance of a marketing plan, to make the difference clear to leadership. Quote: Albert Einstein

~~~Revelation ... "My boss finally understands the resources required to do the marketing he committed us to doing! The marketing plan, Blane, Canada Ltd. helped me develop, has really put into perspective what must be done before the first direct mail letter goes out. Without the plan, I couldn't get my boss to understand that effectiveness is about the preparation and support, not an abstract start date." Quote: Blane, Canada Ltd. client.

~~~Early to market ... One of the best ways to fit marketing into a busy schedule is to do marketing/promotion activities first each day. Make calls to suspects, write that follow-up letter to prospects on hold, contact someone in your ally network. By getting to these tasks early, you gain momentum and are energized by the accomplishment. Avoid the "Never got around to it" syndrome.

~~~Most of the opportunities ... to improve results can be found in mid-game and end-game marketing functions, i.e. what happens after promotion. Traditional economic development marketing courses focus on paint-by-numbers marketing plans and time-worn promotion tactics... interesting, but inadequate for today's sophisticated economic development market. Attend MAXIMIZING RESULTS! ADVANCED MARKETING AND COMPLEX SALES, a new two-day marketing course designed for "experienced" marketers.

~~~Flowery marketing language can be a dangerous thing if it's not credible in the minds of your customers.

~~~Avoid humor ... Humor is rooted in cultural norms.  No matter how clever your tagline or cartoon may seem to you, it will likely elude and possibly offend a percentage of your audience.  It is best to just avoid using humor.

~~~Rule of Three ... in research for clients, Blane, Canada Ltd.'s principals conduct hundreds of interviews. Our rule of thumb is when we've heard the same answer from three different sources, we can consider it to be the 'truth'. Within a very short time, we can form a very clear picture of the situation. (For a marketer, truth is both a reality and a perception. Both must be dealt with.)

~~~The quickening pace ... of "bits replacing atoms" (e.g. computer information replacing land, labor, or capital) is both an enormous opportunity and a chilling threat to economic development as a profession. Tell us how you see this trend unfolding? Quote: "Being Digital" Nicholas Negroponte, Vintage Books. ^^^ Dated, but well worth reading.

~~~Making headway? Are your mailings contributing to your marketing objectives, or are they working at cross-purposes?  Neutrality is negative in marketing -- unless you're actively advancing your cause, you're losing ground!

~~~Strategic approach ... "I was a strategic information officer with a large company before coming to economic development. The concepts you are suggesting for business retention are right on the money." Quote: Participant at Eric's presentation on the structure of the Synchronist Business Information System^®, Blane, Canada Ltd.'s new business retention software, at Wisconsin Electric's Communities Conference.

Thank you for subscribing to the Economic Development Marketing Letter. We work hard to bring you insights into marketing strategy and tactics related to economic development with an eye on effectiveness. We are constantly on the alert for new trends to give readers the advantage of leadership. And, as always, we welcome your comments, suggestions, and/or submissions.