Marketing the Community for Economic Development

Contents

• Introduction
• Marketing Plans
• Branding
• Business Retention - Economic Gardening
• Contracts for Marketing Services
• Marketing on the Internet
  • Advertising Economic Development Opportunities
  • Downtowns
• Additional Resources
• Related MRSC Pages
  • Developing Local Government Tourism Industry

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 those listed on the downtown development and tourist development pages.

Marketing Plans

• Tourism Marketing Plans - MRSC
• Castle Rock - Strategic Marketing Plan: Overcoming Development Barriers and Positioning Castle Rock for Success (), prepared by Chabin Concepts, Inc. and Marketek, Inc., 2005
• Kirkland Tourism Program: Marketing Action Plan (), November 2002, updated January 2003
• Moses Lake Community Branding, Development, and Marketing Plan ( 13 MB), Destination Development, 2007
• Snoqualmie Economic Development, Branding and Marketing Plan (), prepared by Destination Development, Inc, April 2006
• Business Development City of Conroe, Texas - Downtown Development, Branding & Marketing Plan (), Draft November 2005
• Marysville, California - Downtown Marketing Plan (), May 2006

Branding

• City Branding Can Impact Economic Development, by Caitlin Geary, Nation's Cities Weekly, July 5, 2010
• 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

Business Retention - Economic Gardening

• Economic Gardening - Center for Economic Vitality, Western Washington University
• Economic Gardening: Next Generation Applications for a Balanced Portfolio Approach to Economic Growth (), submitted to (SBA)by Steve Quello, CCS Logic and Graham Toft, Growth Economics on Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy, State and Local Economic Research Web site
• Eyes Wide Open, A Practical Guide to Business Retention, by Del Birch, Public Management, August 2009
• Growing Local Economies - Christine Hamilton-Pennell, Consultant
• Indie Power: Buy Local & Buy Independent Campaigns, by Jeff Milchen, Main Street News, July 2009 MRSC Library Loan
  A Local Perspective: Littleton’s Economic Gardening Strategy, by Chris Gibbons, Nations Cities Weekly, January 11, 2010
• Ohio Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E) Initiative - Ohio State University
• To Grow Small Businesses, Doing What Local Governments Do Best is Best, by Christiana McFarland, Cities Speak.org (Official Blog of the National League of Cities), January 6, 2011
• Local Government Programs for Business Expansion and Economic Gardening
  • Beaverton, Oregon - Business Beaverton.Com - Helping Existing Businesses Grow
  • Castle Rock (Colorado) Chamber of Commerce - Castle Rock Economic Gardeners
  • Littleton, Colorado - Economic Gardening - Business and Industry Affairs
  • Loveland, Colorado - Economic Gardening Program - Joint program of City of Loveland and Center for Small Business Development
  • Seattle - GrowSeattle
  • Tacoma - Economic Gardening Program
• Buy Local Campaigns
  • Bothell Resolution No. 1177 () - Declares October 24-31, 2005, as BuyBOTHELL week and encourages all citizens to participate in the ongoing BuyBOTHELL Program.
  • Port Angeles Choose Local - Choose Local PA is a local initiative created by the Port Angeles Forward Committee at the behest of the Port Angeles City Council. Its aim is to educate residents as to why their support of the local business community is a direct benefit to the community as a whole and to the individuals who live there.
  • Snohomish County - Snohomish County Joins ‘Buy Local for Transit’ Campaign, Media Advisory (), November 18, 2010
  • Woodland Resolution No. 586 () - Urges residents of Cowlitz and Clark Counties to "Buy Local" and use local businesses where possible.
    

Contracts for Marketing Services

• Snoqualmie Contract with Destination Development for Economic Development, Branding and Marketing Plan (), 2005
• Interlocal agreement for tourism and marketing services between Tukwila and SeaTac (), January 2002

Marketing on the Internet

Advertising Economic Development Opportunities

• Bellevue Economic Development
• Federal Way Business and Economic Development (See Marketing Video)
• Forks Economic Development Opportunities
• King County Business Relations and Economic Development
• Kitsap Economic Development Alliance
• Piece County Economic Development Division
• Port Angeles Economic Development
• Renton - Economic Development
• Seattle - Office of Economic Development
• Sedro-Woolley Industrial Parks - Chamber of Commerce
• Richland Economic Development
• Tacoma Business Assistance
• Vancouver Economic Development
• Yakima County Development Association

Downtowns

• Kirkland Downtown Association
• Seattle Downtown Seattle Association
• Spokane Welcome to Downtown Spokane - Spokane Downtown Partnership

Additional Resources

• National Main Street 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

Marketing the Community for Economic Development Related MRSC Resources
MRSC Index – Marketing, promotions, branding