As a smaller town or city, it can be difficult to stand out. You know that your home has unique cultural, social, recreational and environmental opportunities, but communicating these to the rest of the province or country can be a tough task. The solution to this issue is an economic development campaign. This will help to create unified messaging and imagery for your town or city. Creating, executing, advertising, and reporting on this central theme is the best way to gain recognition in the minds of the public, and inspire people about the possibilities of living, working, and playing in your town or city.
KIMBO has award-winning experience creating economic development campaigns for Prince George and Kootenay, so we understand what factors help separate the good economic development branding from the bad.
Strategic Vision for Guiding Economic Development
The first task for developing your brand is to figure out exactly what you want it to say about your area. It’s important to find the key strengths and opportunities that you want showcased, and to form a coherent vision for both the present and the future. A strong strategic vision is a great way to get people motivated and engaged with the long-term task of fulfilling the vision, especially for those who move to the area. You can also include resident input in the vision, through focus groups, surveys, or town hall meetings, in order to discover the kind of features and projects that are desired by those affected by your plan.
Economic Development Brand Identity
Once you know where you want your economic development project to lead, you have to figure out your essential look, feel, and message to broadcast to the world. By establishing a strong brand identity, it becomes much easier to achieve that separation from the pack that smaller towns and cities desire. The brand identity will be what people come to associate with your area, so it’s important that you distil all of the great parts of where you live into an exciting aesthetic and a tagline with a hook.
Comprehensive Social Media Presence
Having a great brand identity for your economic development project is a good start, but you need to start spreading it around, creating excitement, and engaging with people. Social media is the perfect tool for doing this, thanks to its high levels of reach, and general cost-effectiveness. Facebook and Twitter are excellent vehicles for the daily interactions that drive awareness and engagement in our current media culture. Also, their targeting tools allow you to pinpoint the people who see your message. Instagram can be used to extend the brand’s visual identity by capturing snapshots of your region, including the natural environment and local businesses.
Economic Development Report
A great way to showcase the success of your economic development project is to have an annual report or quarterly newsletter. This is an awesome way to report on the municipal plans that have been executed, to keep people informed about the future, to display town or city financials for transparency, and to feature news stories and profiles about the individuals or groups that are driving the economic development. An expertly designed publication can also increase your reputation locally and nationally, as it is shared in communities and organizations that may be interested in assisting in your economic development project.
