Marketing the Community for Economic Development

Contents

• Introduction
• Marketing Plans
• Branding
• Contracts for Marketing Services
• Marketing on the Internet
  • Advertising Economic Development Opportunities
  • Attracting New Business
  • Downtowns
  • Tourism
• Additional Resources

Introduction

To attract business, industry, or visitors a community must market itself beyond its geographic boundaries. A marketing program may include advertising in printed publications, use of other media, public relations, promotions, and an Internet presence. This page offers examples in addition to examples listed on the downtown development and tourist development pages.

Sample Marketing Plans

• Tourism Marketing Plans - MRSC
• Central Florida Development Council Business Marketing Plan & Budget  Fiscal Year 2006-07 ( 990 KB)
• Business Development City of Conroe, Texas - Downtown Development, Branding & Marketing Plan ( 2.23 MB), Draft 11-05
• Marysville, California - Downtown Marketing Plan (1.07 MB), May 2006

Branding

• Branding Your City ( 123 KB) - CEOS for Cities, December 2005
• The Difficult Job of Branding  (Universities and Cities) - Smart City Radio 
• Place Branding -  A quarterly review of branding and marketing for national, regional and civic development - Palgrave MacMillian
• The Branding of Atlanta, by Bill Wolpin. Editor's Viewpoint. American City & County, November 2005
• Edinburgh (Scotland) Regional City Brand - Site developed to answer questions about the project to create a city brand
• Toronto Unlimited
  • Behind the Campaign
  • History of Branding Strategy

Sample Contracts for Marketing Services

• City of Chelan/Lake Chelan Tourism Marketing Commission Lodging Tax Funds Agreement ( 589 KB), January 2000
• Agreement with Covington Chamber of Commerce creating the Covington Economic Development Partnership Committee, authorized by Resolution 02/40, passed 7-02.
• Interlocal agreement for tourism and marketing services between Tukwila and SeaTac ( 98 KB), January 2002

Illustrations of Local Government Marketing on the Internet

     Advertising Economic Development Opportunities

• Bellevue Economic Development
• Forks Economic Development Opportunities
• Kent Economic Development
• King County Business Relations and Economic Development
• Piece County Economic Development Division
• Port Angeles Economic Development
• Renton - Economic Development
• Seattle - Office of Economic Development
• Vancouver Economic Development

     Attracting New Business

• Federal Way Business and Economic Development (See Marketing Video)
• Kitsap County -  - Kitsap Regional EDC
• Sedro-Woolley Industrial Parks - Chamber of Commerce
• Richland Economic Development
• Tacoma Business Assistance
• Yakima County Development Association

     Downtowns

• Centralia City Guide
• Kirkland Downtown Association
• Spokane - Welcome to Downtown Spokane - Spokane Downtown Partnership

     Tourism See also Developing a Local Government Tourism Industry

• Cowlitz County Tourism Department
• Forks - Chamber of Commerce
• La Conner - Chamber of Commerce
• Lake Chelan - Chamber of Commerce
• Leavenworth - Chamber of Commerce
• Long Beach Peninsula - Long Beach Visitors Bureau
• Ocean Shores - Chamber of Commerce

Additional Resources

• Downtown Revitalization - CTED
• National Main Street Center
  • Mainstreet Solutions Center
• Buxton Co - Provides customer analytics - decision-making information for retail site selection and targeted marketing to major retailers, cities, economic development groups, and healthcare organizations - Web site provides newsletters (Community ID ENewsletter for public sector) and other informationon