72245658 2011-canadian-cities-online-marketing-index©

Web 2.0 And Online Marketing
For Business Attraction

Third Edition
nline
sO M
e

ark
iti

etin
Canadian C

g Index ©

©2011. Intelegia Group. All rights reserved.

The Canadian Cities Online Marketing Index report is prepared from sources and data which Intelegia believes to
be reliable and accurate, but we make no representation as to its accuracy or completeness. The report is provided
solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as providing advice, recommendations, representations
or warranties of any kind whatsoever. Opinions and information provided are made as of the date of the report’s
publication and are subject to change without notice. Intelegia disclaims any liability for errors or omissions therein.

About Intelegia

Intelegia is a boutique consulting firm in Montreal, Canada that understands the need to be innovative and strategic in a
business landscape that’s evolving at an incredible pace. The firm delivers social media strategies to efficiently engage with
stakeholders in economic development, business to business and business to consumer segments. It assists clients by
defining and executing sustainable social web strategies that will allow their brand message to stand out in a competitive
environment where target audience engagement is a must. www.intelegia.com

Web 2.0 And Online Marketing
For Business Attraction
2011 Canadian Cities

Content

5 Preamble

5 Context

6 Key Insights

9 Results

10 Best Practices
Social Media Tools - Web 2.0

16 Best Practices
Site Selection Tools - Web 1.0

18 What Are Other Agencies Doing?

21 Planning Points

23 Final Thoughts

24 Methodology

25 Frequently Asked Questions

26 About The Authors

27 Bibliography

Preamble Context

The evolution of social media in context of marketing To put the previously stated preamble into context for
is constantly in flux. Whether it is a new feature on an economic development professionals preoccupied
existing network or a new and emerging site are using with promoting their regions for investment attraction,
free tools in order to reach established marketing and consider the following scenarios:
business objectives. Attaining these objectives requires
marketers to take a structured approach to planning and 1. Economic development organizations can learn from
executing a social media strategy in which the following each other in terms of how to best market their
elements should be considered on an ongoing basis: respective regions in a very competitive environment
Social media is a tool that holds promise for economic
Branding development agencies if used correctly. By examining if
Is there a defined and clear brand message that can and how competing jurisdictions are using social media,
be used on social media to connect and engage with agencies can select the best approach on how tools will
target audiences? utilize to deliver its brand message efficiently and with
maximum impact.
Content strategy
Is there a content strategy in place to drive the 2. If your region has a brand, your agency will have an
social media strategy? How can the initiative remain easier time creating and executing a content strategy
sustainable if there is a lack of content to engage the for social media marketing
audience for a given period of time? Regions with a well-defined brand for business and
investment attraction will discover that the content
Level of engagement needed to keep the social media presence sustainable
What is the current level of engagement on the maybe already available. Ongoing content repurposing
selected social networks? What can be done to activities may be needed. Regions that have not defined
enhance engagement and manage sentiments, be it themselves in terms of their brand will face challenges
positive or negative? when it comes to stating their unique value proposition to
potential investors and site selectors when establishing an
Social capital effective and efficient content strategy.
Are organizations prepared to manage the spinoff
effects of individuals’ social capital on social media?
With tools such as Klout and PeerIndex that measures
3. Influencers on social media play a large role in
social capital, can organizations identify people that
obtaining feedback and necessary buy-in for economic
will help or hinder your efforts in attaining objectives?
development projects
Discounting an individual’s social capital on social
Search engine optimatizaton networks is an error. Influencers with large numbers of
Based on research conducted by ForeSee Results, friends, followers and connections can make or break
less than 1 percent of website visits, on average come an initiative. Monitoring and reaching out to specific
directly from a social media URLs1. This fact reinforces influencers should be a component not to be overlooked
the need for online marketers to enhance their organic in a social media strategy.
search engine optimization strategiews to include
publishing unique and timely content. The end result
will be having the ability to provide information to
individuals who use it to make better purchasing 4. An agency’s website must consistently become
decisions. user-friendly
An agency’s website is and will remain the core of any
online marketing initiative to promote a region for
investment. As a result, agencies must discover the best
way to provide information that will be used in the
decision making process. The prevailing smartphone
usage by business professionals trend should prompt
agencies to have mobile versions of their website
where current region profiles and key location factors
information is accessible from the palm of someone’s
hand.

2011 Canadian Cities Online Marketing Index© / 5

Key Insights

Intelegia had the opportunity to talk to the majority of the top six finalists in this year’s index to gauge their
approaches to social media. Below are some of the key insights from the agency’s marketing representatives
regarding the following issues:

Each agency has their own set of key success factors • The key success factors that drive the Regina Regional
that are essential to their sustainable online marketing Opportunities Commission’s social media program are:
presence.
i) A dedicated individual that manages the initiative
• Two of the key factors that have led to the Greater to ensure that the brand message is consistent and
Halifax Partnership’s success on social media are: on target;
ii) Positioning how the agency can be different;
i) a team of committed marketing professionals and iii) Sharing success stories about the region.
ii) executing a content strategy.
Each element assists the agency in developing a
The marketing team at the agency includes: brand for Regina that in turn gets the attention of
1. Internet and Marketing Specialist potential investors and the different stakeholders of
2. Marketing Assistant (Co-op) the city.
3. Communications Specialist Social media tools aid in overcoming challenges linked to
4. Director of Communications marketing regions for investment attraction and retention.
5. Research Coordinator
6. Partnership Team
• The Greater Halifax Partnership is able to overcome
Each member of the team plays an essential role in the the challenge of fielding questions from potential
planning and executing the agency’s overall strategy. investors and migrants to Halifax thanks to its
The content strategy that is used by the agency takes website and Twitter presence. Figure 1 illustrates
into account the usability and functionalities of the several inquiries that were tweeted to the agency by
selected tools and what type of information that site an individual who is interested in moving to Halifax.
selectors would look for in their approach to
evaluating locations. The agency has mapped out • Social media has enabled the Hamilton Economic
their content strategy based on the level of posting Development to be consistent in terms of branding
frequency on the selected networks. across all digital marketing platforms. This allows the
agency to have a uniform look when potential investors
• At the Hamilton Economic Development, the agency visit their various outlets for information.
added an e-marketing coordinator to its marketing
department in January 2011. This allowed the agency
to solidify its presence on the major social networks
and increased its audience for its own channel, Invest in
Hamilton TV. It is now up to 155 clips, which is an in-
crease of 59 clips since last year and up to 872,326 total
views (an increase of 458,326 views). In addition, the
extra individual that is dedicated to the agency’s mar-
keting efforts has led to an increase of
followers on Twitter.

Fig. 1 : Tweets By (@scotornsby) Requesting Information
On Halifax


Agencies’ social media presence is playing a major role in promoting their region for investment attraction or retention.

• As an element of the strategy used at the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation, the effort to reach
out to influencers using blogs is effective. Although local, the agency is able to connect and engage with
stakeholders which have a platform to spread the word about economic development activity in the region.
Figure 2 is a screenshot of a blog post from Fort McMurray regarding the agency’s luncheon announcing their
upcoming economic outlook.

In addition, the agency was able to invite a blogger from Toronto to come to town which resulted in two posts.
Figure 3 is the post by a freelance B2B marketing strategist recapping her trip to Edmonton highlighting the
city’s arts and technology scene.

Fig. 2 : Blog Post On The Running Start Fig. 3 : Blog Post On The Running Start
Source: My Oil Sands (http://therunningstart.ca/2011/04/20/top-5- Source: The Running Start (http://therunningstart.ca/2011/04/20/
things-that-you-probably-dont-know-about-edmonton/) top-5-things-that-you-probably-dont-know-about-edmonton/)

• The Hamilton Economic Development was able to leverage its presence on social media to qualify an investment
lead from nearby McMaster university. The agency’s business development consultant used the existing contact
information for the investor to send an invitation to the individual on LinkedIn. This initial step was followed up
with engaging with the potential investor in a conversation/information exchange solely via the business social
network. The proactive approach of the use of LinkedIn has led to presenting two locations and a possible third
to the prospect for the multi-million investment.

The agency has also participated in the execution of a Web 2.0 strategy for young professionals that are
looking to start or advance their career and life in Hamilton and to assist in building young professional networks
in Hamilton. The initiative, Hamilton Hive, is an “all-in-one, up-to-date resource for young professionals from
across the economic landscape”. The Hamilton Hive website integrates content from all selected social media
platforms. Figure 4 illustrates the tweets that were sent out via @hamiltonecdev.

This online engagement and mobilization is only one half of the equation when it comes to the Hamilton Hive
initiative. On the ground and “real-life” activities are alive and well thanks to the initiative. From executive
roundtables to information sessions, the agency plays a major role in enhancing the business environment in
Hamilton, virtually and in the real world.

Fig. 4 : @hamiltondev Tweets on Hamilton Hive


Agencies are constantly seeking to improve their social
media plan to do more to market the region.

• As a part of its social media plan, the London Economic
Development Corporation launched the video,
“Tomorrow is Made in London, Canada” in June 2011
to inform site selectors as well as government and
business professionals about the global brands and
innovations produced in London, Ontario, Canada.
Figure 5 is an image of the video.

The goal of the video was to demonstrate how products
and services made in London impact the global
marketplace every day. The agency wanted to remind,
and in some cases, inform its audience about the
brands and products in London that have global reach.
The video was posted on YouTube and the link was
directly emailed to a list of site selectors, government
and business executives. The video continues to be
shared and discussed and it has set a direction for print
and radio advertising. Fig. 5 : Tomorrow in London, Canada YouTube clip

• In Edmonton, the agency would like to improve its on Foursquare, on their blog and for their electronic
ability to quantify its efforts and the value of being on newsletter. All platforms will assist the agency in
social networks in terms of earned media. As a result, communicating with their different group of
the agency will know how to better leverage its use of stakeholders.
particular platforms and offline vehicles.
• In Regina, the agency strives to improve on focusing
• In Halifax, the agency has a preoccupation with on the audience that they wish to engage with. By
improving their ranking on Google. As site selectors defining its audience along the lines of investment and
and potential investors depend on Google to begin business attraction, the agency will be more efficient
their research process on a region, Greater Halifax in terms of producing relevant content based on the
Partnership realizes the importance of executing a interests of the refined target audience. Similar to
search engine optimization plan to bolster their web other agencies, the Commission hopes to have a firm
pages to the first page of results. grasp of understanding the return on investment of
their efforts on social media. Gaining such insights
•The Hamilton Economic Development agency aims will allow the commission to allocate its budget to the
to increase their numbers in terms of critical mass right initiatives to attain objectives.

Economic development officers from large cities have • Michael Marini and Andy Zimmerman of the Hamilton
experienced challenges with their social media strategies Economic Development recommends that all agencies
that can serve as “words of wisdom” for smaller agencies that are embarking on a social media initiative should
executing their respective strategies. not “get involved if you do not have the people”.

• Kadie Ward of the London Economic Development • Jennifer Christenson and Crystal McPhee in Edmonton
Corporation suggests that smaller agencies can learn a suggest that agencies start small and engage with
lot from observing other similar organizations and partners to enlarge their audience on the various
learning from best practices. In addition, she stresses platforms.
the need to really understand the social media tools
before gaining leverage and executing a strategy. •Jennifer Nelson, Director of Communications at Regina
Regional Opportunities Commission advises smaller
• The words of wisdom coming from Krista Hall, agencies to understand what they want to accomplish
Communications Specialist, Marketing and on social media and to define their target audience.
Communications, at the Greater Halifax Partnership is Nelson states: “it is not a question of being there but
based on having an evangelist to promote the knowing why you are there” in terms of using social
benefits of social media and the need to align the media.
initiative with the existing business and marketing
plans. Hall recommends that a social media calendar is
crucial for any economic development agency that is
about to embark on a web 2.0 strategy.


Results

Figure 6 and Table 1 present the results of the 2011 Canadian Cities Online Marketing Index©.

1 Greater Halifax
Partnership

2 Hamilton Economic
Development
Top 5
Agencies 3 Edmonton Economic
Development Corp.

4 Ottawa Centre for
Regional
Innovation (OCRI)

3 5 Regina Regional
Opportunities
Commission /
London Economic
5 Development Corp.
Fig. 6:
1
Top Agencies, Intelegia, 2011 4
5 2

90 81

80 71 69.5
Scores of the
70 55 54 54 Top 20 Agencies
60 39 38 37
35
50 28 28 26
24 24
19
40
9 8
6 6
30
Edmonton, AB

Ottawa, ON

Regina, SK

London, ON

Calgary, AB

Montreal, QC

Winnipeg, MB

St. John’s, NB

Toronto, ON

Québec, QC

Saskatoon, SK

Victoria, BC

Fredericton, NB

Vancouver, BC

Charlottetown, PEI

Nunavut

Yellowknife, NT

Whitehorse, YT
Halifax, NS

Hamilton, ON

Table 1: 2011 Scores Of The Top 20 Agencies, Intelegia, 2011.


Best Practices - Social Media Tools - Web 2.0

Blogs
Although blogs may not have the same bells and whistles as other Web 2.0 applications, they have big role in a social
media strategy. The platform permits individuals and organizations to have an outlet to control their respective
message and insights unlike other traditional media sources. Adhering to an established content strategy where
an editorial calendar dictates what and when content is posted will play a role in the organization’s search engine
optimization strategy.

Ottawa Centre For Regional Innovation -
Multiblogger Approach
Ottawa Centre for Regional Innovation (OCRI) executes
a multiblogger approach for its blog. Since January 2011,
readers of the blog were able to access the insights from 11
representatives from OCRI (including Claude Haw, former
President & CEO) regarding Ottawa’s key clusters. Figure
7 is a screenshot of the blog page where three posts are
listed from the different individuals from the agency.

The three representatives that bring their expertise to
the blog are:

• Kathy Mahoney, Vice President, Corporate Programs

• Alexandra Pugh, Manager, Communications and
Creative Services

• Claude Haw, former President & CEO

Fig. 7 : Three Blog Postings From Three Representatives of OCRI


Facebook
Facebook continues to be one of the most popular social networks on the Internet with over 800 million active
individuals around the world2. With the various options to engage a target audience, Facebook provides a platform
to execute innovative branding and communication strategies that can fit into a larger marketing plan. Having a
social media plan that includes Facebook requires a coherent branding message and a critical mass of stakeholders
that drives the engagement process and aid in obtaining established objectives.

Greater Halifax Partnership –
Customized Landing Page
The lead economic development agency has taken their
presence on Facebook to another level. Visitors to their
Facebook Fan Page are automatically directed to the
landing page as seen in Figure 8.

The page is graphically appealing than the traditional
page wall that visitors are pushed to by default and it
serves as a gateway to the following sections offered
on the agency’s website: Living in Halifax, Our
Programs, Economic Data, Investors in Growth,
SmartCity Business Show.

Fig. 8: Greater Halifax Partnership Facebook Landing Page

Edmonton Economic Development Corporation –
Building An Audience and Engagement
The Edmonton Economic Development Corporation has
been successful at building an audience on their Facebook
Page. In July 2010, the agency only had 268 people “liking”
the page, approximately 13 month later, the number of
individuals has expanded to 2 643 as of August 8th, 2011.
The agency’s page is shown in Figure 9.

The individuals who have selected to like the page are
engaging with the agency by either leaving interesting
comments as seen in Figure 9 or giving a thumbs up to
their regular and consistent postings on the page’s wall.

Fig. 9: Edmonton Economic Development Corporation
Facebook Page


Twitter
According to Stephen Waddington of Speed Communications, Twitter “can be a powerful channel for organisations
to take control of their brand. It allows brands to become their own media outlet, to interact with customers cost
effectively, broadcast messages to a huge audience and engage with users on a one-to-one basis.”3

Agencies that have found a balance between disseminating and engaging via Twitter will be efficient and successful at
opening the doors to potential investors and site selectors.

Edmonton Economic Development Corporation – Building A Critical Mass and Tweeting Activities
According to the number seen in Figure 10, the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation has really grasp the
fundamental basics of having a strong presence on Twitter.
As of August 12th, 2011, the agency had:

• Tweeted 2,489 times indicating the level of activity on the
microblogging platform;
• Selected to following 2,153 feeds to actively listen to
others;
• Created a critical mass of 2,972 followers in which there
are some individuals in their target audience;
• Listed by 204 individuals in order to be systematically
monitored. Fig. 10: @EEDC Twitter Statistics

Calgary Economic Development – Engagement
Amongst all the economic development agencies in this index, the Calgary Economic Development agency was found
to be the most efficient when engaging on Twitter to provide key location information via the microblogging application.
Figure 11 and Figure 12 present a discussion between an individual and the agency.

Fig. 11: An Inquiry To Calgary Economic Development Fig. 12: The Calgary Economic Development Reply To Inquiry
Regarding Promotional Material To Attract People To Move / With Shortened URLs To Webpages
Live In Calgary

In addition, the agency should be highlighted for their use of hashtags to brand the city with economic develop-
ment related information. Figures 13, 14 and 15 illustrate the hashtags #yycenergy, #yyc and #yyccc.

Fig. 13: Hashtag Use Of #yycenergy

Fig. 15: Hashtag Use Of #yyccc And #yyc #jobs

Fig. 14: Hashtag Use Of #yyc


YouTube
YouTube has afforded millions of users with the opportunity and ability to broadcast in the form of videos. In order
to have an effective video or a series of videos to sell a product or service, organizations must have a structured
core message and the ability to be found amongst the three billions of clips that are viewed per day4. To do so, an
organization’s brand has to be “front and center” in each clip in its channel and select the appropriate keywords and
tags to describe the content in the clips.

Greater Halifax Partnership – Channel Development
Via the Greater Halifax Partnership’s YouTube Channel, individuals can access the agency’s SmartCity Business Show.
Comprised of 11 episodes, the show is dedicated to “to putting a spotlight on Halifax to attract site selectors, businesses
and those who are considering moving to Halifax”5. Figure 16 illustrates the YouTube Channel.

The common link amongst the episodes is the important
brand message that Halifax is open for business attraction
whether it is a foreign company, local rural company or
entrepreneurs. Such a channel cannot be sustainable
without a coherent content strategy.

Fig. 16: Greater Halifax Partnership’s YouTube Channel

London Economic Development Corporation –
Retrievable Content with YouTube Search
Based on a series of queries with the YouTube search
engine, the London Economic Development Corporation
content was discovered quite easily. The following queries
were submitted:

• Name of city + keyword, “invest” +Canada

• Name of city + keyword, “economic development”
+Canada
Fig. 17: Results for London Fig. 18: Results for London
+“invest” +Canada + “economic development”
+Canada

Hamilton Economic Development –
Retrievable Content with YouTube Search
A video clip from the Hamilton Economic Development
agency is easily found on YouTube when the following
query was used:

• Name of city + keyword, “investment” +Canada

It should be noted that the video clip is ranked #1
amongst all non-promoted results for a query that con-
tains the term, “investment” which can lead to a series
of irrelevant results. Figure 19 presents a look of the
first page of hits.
Fig. 19: Results for Hamilton + “investment” +Canada


LinkedIn
With more than 120 million business users on LinkedIn6, it is essential that economic development agencies and
representatives have a presence on the social network. The notion of “six degrees of separation” on LinkedIn is
quite useful when entering business networks of individuals to reach the right person to initiate or close business
deals. In order for economic development agencies to benefit from LinkedIn, two components are needed: 1) All
representatives must have a professional profile and 2) the agency must have a company profile on the network.
Both components will aid information seekers in finding profiles easily via Google and the internal search function.

Montreal International – Profile of Lead Executive (Headline)
The importance of including the right keywords in the headline of a LinkedIn professional profile should not be
overlooked. Figure 20 is the profile headline of Jacques St. Laurent, CEO and President of Montreal International.

The keywords in the headline will help in the indexation of the profile on Google. Figure 21 is a screen capture of
results for a Google search for “Jacques St. Laurent” + Montreal that was conducted on August 11th, 2011.

The first result is the link to the professional profile of Jacques St. Laurent.

Fig. 20: LinkedIn Profile Headline For Jacques St. Laurent,
CEO And President, Montreal International
Fig. 21: Google Search Results For “Jacques St. Laurent” +Montreal

Ottawa Centre for Regional Innovation (OCRI) -
Profile of Lead Executive
Figure 22 is the public profile that is available on the web for Claude Haw,
former President and CEO of OCRI.

The key elements of this profile that are important to note from an invest-
ment attraction perspective are:

• Information regarding current and past affiliations;

• The amount of connections in Haw’s network (500+
connections);

• Intelligence that can be gathered pertaining to his experience in the
venture capital and business development fields;

• Haw’s specialities: venture capital and clean technology.

Fig. 22: LinkedIn Public Profile For
Claude Haw

Montreal International – Easy To Retrieve Using LinkedIn Search
The lead investment attraction agency for Montreal, Montreal International
has been very successful at breaking through the clutter that comes with
having a profile on LinkedIn. On August 3rd, 2011, a simple query using the
search terms: “Montreal” + “investment” was performed. The results are
provided in Figure 23.

Although Montreal International is ranked 6th on the first page, it is a good
position considering there are 102 total results for the city’s name and a
generic term (i.e., investment) that can be used by numerous companies in
their profile description. Fig. 23: Search Results For: “Montreal” +
“investment”


Klout
The notion of the degree of influence on social networks is playing a key element in some organizations’ marketing
approach. In Raymond Morin’s post, “The Meaning of Social Media Influence”7 examples are provided of organiza-
tions (i.e., universities and hotel chains) that are using individuals’ level of web influence to select their future stu-
dents and clientele.

Figure 24 is the Klout score profile for
the Regina Regional Opportunities
Commission.

With a score of 47, the agency is
deemed to have Klout style of a
“Conversationalist”and is influential
about Saskatchewan.

Fig. 24: Klout Score Profile For The Regina Regional Opportunities Commission

Mobile Applications
According to an online survey conducted in the first quarter of 2010 by IDG Global Solutions (IGS), mobile devices
are gaining popularity very rapidly worldwide8. In particularly, smartphone usage is on the upswing due to personal
and professional purposes especially when it comes to the need to access the web and social networks.

Organizations that are clearly taking note of this new reality in terms of how potential investors and site selectors
will be able to serve a target audience that is working differently and will filter out options (locations) for investment
if information that is not in the proper format for individuals who select to conduct research from a smartphone
rather than a laptop or desktop computer.

Hamilton Economic Development
Figure 25 presents a look at the
mobile version of the Hamilton
Economic Development website. This
functionality permits professionals
with smartphones to access rich
information that could play a role in
placing the city on a short list for a
potential investment.

Fig. 25: Mobile Version Of The Hamilton Economic Development Website


Best Practices - Site Selection Tools - Web 1.0

Site Selector Oriented
The dynamics of how a website should be constructed is changing. Instead of designing a website for the needs of an
organization to sell a product or service, organizations will have to build an online presence where all current and rele-
vant information is easily accessible to make the best business decision regarding selecting a specific city to be on the
short-list of prospects.

Hamilton Economic Development – Presentation of Business Parks and Industrial Land Developments Locations
To aid in the challenging task of gathering intelligence regarding available real estate and industrial locations, the
Hamilton Economic Development provides detail listing of business parks and industrial land developments. Figure 26
is a listing of parks / industrial developments opportunities in Hamilton. The listing is categorized by location in the city.
Figure 27 supplies descriptions of East Hamilton Industrial Area and the Flamborough Business Park.

Fig. 26: Listing Of Development Opportunities In Hamilton Fig. 27: Descriptions Of East Hamilton Industrial Area And In
The Flamborough Business Park

As a part of the intelligence that is offered by the agency,
site selectors are provided with aerial photos of parks and
developments as seen in Figure 28 for the East Hamilton
Business Park.

Fig. 28: East Hamilton Business Park Aerial Photo


Quebec International – Presentation Of Current And Relevant Information For Site Selectors
Within its “Invest in Quebec” section, Quebec International furnishes quick access to current and relevant informa-
tion for site selectors on a single page. Figure 29 depicts the listing of current publications on the section page
that can be downloaded in .pdf or can be read on the web.

Below the listing of publications, quick and easy access to key contacts in the agency in the form of a biography,
phone number, email address and a hyperlink to the contact’s LinkedIn profile. Figure 30 is a screenshot of Pierre
Quirion’s contact profile.

Fig. 29: “Invest in Quebec” Section Page

Fig. 30: Pierre Quirion Contact Profil On Quebec International’s Website


What Are Other Agencies Doing?

Social media has provided economic development agencies regardless of size to execute some very innovative
campaigns to market their regions. The agencies discussed below were not considered for the national benchmark;
however, they deserve to be brought to the forefront to be along with larger regions and cities.

Entreprise Chaleur – Engaging On Facebook
Entreprise Chaleur, the agency that is responsible for 15 communities in northeastern New Brunswick on the coast of the
Chaleur Bay, has been on Facebook for the past three years and has amassed a following of over 2100 individuals to its
page. As illustrated in Figure 31, the agency utilizes colourful photos to stimulate engagement with fans of the page.

The engagement with stakeholders allows the agency to gather information on economic development initiatives and
demonstrates to potential investors that there are individuals in the region that can contribute to the success of potential
projects.

Fig. 31: Region Chaleur Engaging On Facebook Page


Invest Toronto - Twitter
Via @Invest_Toronto, Invest Toronto
is consistently tweeting to its 1,046
followers as of August 8th, 2011.
According to ManageFlitter9, the
account sends out an average of 3
tweets per day. Figure 32 profiles
the agency’s stream with a focus on
the economic development related
news regarding Toronto.

Fig. 32: @Invest_Toronto Twitter Stream

Greater Peterborough Area Economic Development
Corporation – LinkedIn Profile
Figure 33 is the LinkedIn profile of Dan Taylor, President
and CEO of the Greater Peterborough Area Economic
Development Corporation.

The profile serves as a very good model for those who
are seeking to enhance their profile. Taylor’s profile
composes of:

• Headline with the name of the agency and current
position;

• Complete listing of current and past affiliations;

• Detail professional career summary.

The summary in which Taylor provides an approach that
informs individuals:

• Who he is?

• What he has accomplished?

• What he is looking to do in the future?

Fig. 33: Dan Taylor’s LinkedIn Profile


Annapolis Digby - Content Strategy
The Annapolis Digby Economic Development Agency
is the lead organization for attracting business and
investment in Annapolis, Nova Scotia. As a part of their
YouTube strategy, the agency utilizes a content
strategy in which they have a number of testimonials
from migrants to promote the quality of life and the
entrepreneurial spirit in the region. Figure 34 is a look
at one clip that deals with a couple who is in Annapolis
due to the quality of life and the opportunity to start a
business in the region.

Fig. 34: Annapolis Digby YouTube Channel

Conférence régionale des élus (CRÉ) de la Mauricie – Videocasts
This agency is responsible for economic development activities in the Mauricie region that is located between
Montreal and Quebec City and is composed of six municipalities.

As a part of their integrated social media presence, the agency has a collection of videocasts to promote the
region. Figure 35 illustrates the videocasts that are available on the Maurice.tv website.

The videos on the website are avail-
able in French, English and Spanish
and deals with the following topics:

• Mauricie

• Economy

• Education

• Quality of life

Fig. 35: Videocasts On Mauricie.tv


Planning Points

The methodology and process that were used to conduct that contribute to establishing a content strategy however;
this benchmark has afforded Intelegia to uncover the best the key elements that agencies should adhere to are:
in class uses of social media and web 1.0 applications
over a three year period. At the same time, Intelegia has • Set up an information tracking system to gather
witnessed some aspects of online marketing strategies information and news demonstrating the region’s brand;
that must be improved upon to benefit the selected
applications. The following observations made by • Identify any content that is available internally which
Intelegia may serve as key planning points for an can be repurposed and placed on selected social media
upcoming marketing initiative for investment attraction. platforms;

Definition Of A City’s Brand • Have agency’s personnel contribute content on a
More than ever, a clear definition of a brand is needed for frequent basis;
a city in terms of investment attraction and retention. With
• Editorial calendars where content is scheduled to be
the level of competition for investment dollars increasing,
posted on a consistent basis.
cities must break through the clutter of other nearby cities
and let their brand attributes sell their location factors. Execute An Engagement Strategy
Cities that select to execute a social media strategy will Having a presence on social media and pushing
need a strong brand that will connect with target relevant content is no longer sufficient for economic
audiences in order to begin and sustain engagement. development agencies. Agencies must be proactive
in engaging its audiences regarding what the regions
Recognize The Need For A Content Strategy
have to offer existing and potential stakeholders.
After the novelty of being on social media is removed,
Personnel of agencies must select and post content (in
agencies will have a need to sustain a level of engagement
different formats i.e., videos, blogs, tweets, photos) that
with interesting content. In Intelegia’s blog post, “3 Signs
can induce discussions amongst target audience members.
That A Content Strategy Is Needed For Investment Attrac-
In addition, those who are responsible for posting content
tion”10, readers were given signs to look for when assessing
must be vigilant on the level of engagement that is taking
their social media presence for a content strategy. The
place on chosen platforms and contribute to discussions
three signs are:
with the goal of promoting regions.
• You must substantiate your marketing budget for social
Go Mobile
media;
Individuals that play a role in the investment prospection
• You are looking for a way to bridge the gap between dynamic are not required to be at their desk nor have
branding efforts and planned Web 2.0 initiatives; their laptop open to conduct research. Via smartphones,
individuals can surf the web and find information from
• You are running out of things to say to engage your agencies that have decided to provide a mobile version
audience. of their websites. Agencies that do not offer this option
should make the nominal investment to make sure that a
Building The Content Strategy mobile application is available of the website to appeal to
The process of building the content strategy is the marria- individuals who care to work using their iPhone, Android
ge of taking the brand of the agency and curating relevant or Blackberry.
and timely content to begin and sustain an engagement
with the target audience. There are a variety of elements


Enhance The Agency’s LinkedIn Presence
There is a significant critical mass of business connections on LinkedIn that is helpful in the investment attraction process.
In order to capitalize on this opportunity, agencies must enhance their presence on the social network by:

• Ensuring all or the majority of representatives have a profile on LinkedIn;

• Having representatives with a detail and complete profile with position at the agency and a clear detailed summary;

• Encouraging representatives to expand their network with individuals who they have met in-person or in
LinkedIn Groups;

• Establishing a group on LinkedIn.

According to a survey conducted by Lab42 Market Research, 35 percent of users access LinkedIn daily. Moreover,
consumers are getting involved in industry conversations on the social site. 81 percent of respondents say they belong to
at least one group and 52 percent said they actively participate in group discussions11. With this mindset, agencies may
select to brand their group with their name or use a name that is not associated with the region. Figure 36 is a screen
view of the Foreign Direct Investment Professionals group on LinkedIn.

Figure 36: Foreign Direct Investment Professionals LinkedIn Group

This particular group is hosted by Invest Brisbane, the investment attraction promotion agency for Brisbane, Australia. The
group has 1486 members as of August 16th, 2011 and serves as the agency’s own community of investment professionals.
They can be contacted when the agency sees fit.


Final Thoughts

A coherent strategy for investment attraction calls for Agencies selecting to enhance their capabilities to
an integrated marketing approach. With the increasing correspond to the dynamics at play must make a
level of competition for investment dollars, economic structured effort to improve the way they communicate
development agencies must change the way that they with existing and potential stakeholders. Elements of such
promote their cities / regions as they did over the past a structured approach that will take into account prevailing
decade. Consider the following dynamics that are web applications trends should include:
essential for the investment prospecting process.
• Making relevant and timely information available via mo-
• Potential investors / site selectors no longer require to bile versions of site selection websites and microsites
be in the office or to have a laptop open to conduct
research on a city or a region • Consistently publishing timely information regarding the
city that is indexed by Google
• Making information mobile is essential
• Evaluating the agency’s website to see if the right infor-
• Google remains the number one search engine that mation is available and easily accessible from a potential
individuals utilize investor’s point of view

• Agencies’ websites are the home of site selection and • Seeking out opportunities to frequently engage on
contact information for preliminary inquiries. Facebook, Twitter and especially, LinkedIn Groups

• Social networks are rapidly bringing stakeholders • Providing content that is consistent with the city’s brand
together to share information and engage in meaningful that can be used on social networks and in-person for
conversations site selection facilitation activities

• A sustainable presence on social media for investment
attraction is contingent on a branding strategy that
will help in clearly differentiating one jurisdiction from
another

• Content strategies for social media should complement
efforts that are being executed at the same time as
offline marketing activities

• Investors and site selectors visit locations on their short
list based on their project needs


Methodology

The methodology used for Canadian Cities Online The appearance of the following Web 1.0 tools was ac-
Marketing Index© 2011 remained consistent with the counted for:
framework used for the 2010 benchmark study. The
identical set of cities was selected based on the Top 20 • Newsletters
Canadian Census Metropolitan Statistical Areas (CMSA) • Newsletters archives
as defined by Statistics Canada in 2006. • News Alerts
• Forums
The benchmark considered the following elements for • Event Calendar
the evaluation of agencies’ social media applications,
Web 1.0 features, the availability of relevant information To evaluate the effectiveness of an agency’s website in
for site selectors and potential investors. The terms of furnishing information for site selection initia-
appearance and ability to browse the mobile version tives, the following elements were considered:
of the agency’s website were evaluated.
• Currency of location factors information;
The benchmark considered pages and feeds directly
linked to the metro area economic development • Complete contact information for the individual(s)
agency website, as well as social media applications responsible for investment attraction available on the
that presented contact information consistent with the first page of the section or on the “Contact Us” page;
agency’s website. (i.e. president, general manager or
• Not only was the multilingual functionality of the site
marketing contact information, mailing address, phone
identified but also the ability to provide specific data
number)
in more than two languages (i.e., key location factors,
The agency’s social media applications were assessed etc.).
based upon the appearance of:
Assessing how easy it is to find information on a city’s
• Blog(s) agency courtesy of a search engine was conducted us-
• Facebook Page or Group ing Google and the following queries:
• Twitter
• “investment” + Name of city +Canada
• LinkedIn
• “invest in” + Name of city +Canada
• YouTube
• “incentive” + Name of city +Canada
• Flickr
• RSS Feeds In the best practices section of this year’s benchmark,
• Videocasts a small collection of economic development agencies
• Podcasts and investment attraction organizations that do not fit
• Content Sharing Pluggins (ie, Facebook, Twitter, the criteria (as stated above) were included. These enti-
LinkedIn, Digg, StumbleUpon, etc) ties deserved to be highlighted by Intelegia based on
• Availability of a mobile version of the agency’s their innovative use of web applications.
website
The examination of the social networks, Web 1.0 appli-
In addition, a set of metrics were used to evaluate how cations and site selection information were conducted
the social networks were used and their frequency. between July 14th, 2011 and September 15th, 2011. The
searches on Google were executed on August 12th, 2011.
To measure the amount of social capital that an agency
possesses, Klout was used along with the agency’s
username on Twitter.


Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When were the sites and applications reviewed for the Q: What do you mean by “multilingual content”?
benchmark? A: “Multilingual content” allows users to read site selec-
A: The sites and applications were reviewed during the pe- tion and economic data relevant content in more than two
riod of July 14th, 2011 to September 15th, 2011. languages.

Q: How did you select the cities to be included in the Q: What is a podcast?
benchmark study? A: By definition, a podcast is a video or audio file that can
A: Intelegia selected the provinces’ capitals, and the top 10 be downloaded directly from a website and be played via
Canadian Census Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA) as a media player. Video clips available on YouTube or other
per Statistics Canada in 2006. sharing platforms are not considered to be podcasts.

Q: How were the agencies selected? Q: What do you mean by Web 1.0?
A: The agencies were selected based on their mandate to A: The Web 1.0 is the portion of the web that contains
promote their region for investment static pages (instead of dynamic user-generated content)
attraction purposes. and online guestbook.

Q: What were the 21 used criteria for the benchmark? Q: What do you mean by Web 2.0?
A: Below are the 21 criteria that were used: A: The Web 2.0 is the portion of the web that facilitates
• Web 2.0 Applications interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-cen-
• Blog tered design and collaboration on the World Wide Web.
• Facebook Page or Group
• Twitter Q: What do you mean by a mobile application?
• LinkedIn A: A mobile application functionality allows individuals to
• Klout access and view the agency’s website and its content on a
• YouTube smartphone.
• Flickr
• Foursquare
• Links to other sharing platforms (i.e., Digg, Stumble-
Upon,
Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
• RSS Feeds
• Videocasts
• Podcasts
• Mobile Application
• Web 1.0 Applications
• Newsletters
• Newsletter Archives
• News Alerts
• Forums
• Events Listing
• Site Selectors Orientations
• Appearance of link to site selection section on index
page
• Appearance of contact person name for site selection
inquiry
• Multi-language content (i.e., two or more languages)
• Age of information for site selectors and potential
investors


About the Authors

Isabelle Poirier - President, Investment Strategist and Lead Instructor

With over 15 years in economic development, Isabelle advises organisations on investment
attraction and migration strategies, business and internet intelligence and social media
marketing strategies. Isabelle is a frequent speaker and trainer, in Canada and in the United
States on the topic of business intelligence and social media applied to economic development,
tourism and business-to-business marketing.

Isabelle can be contacted on:

LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/in/isabellepoirier
Twitter - @intelegia
Facebook - http:/ /www.facebook.com/isabelle.poirierintelegia

Ian Smith - Content Strategist, Competitive Intelligence Senior Analyst and Research

Ian is a content strategist at Intelegia. With his knowledge of the social media tools and an
understanding of branding on the web, Ian formulates content marketing strategies for clients’
needs. As co-author of the Canadian Cities Online Marketing Index© and chief blogger at
Intelegia, Ian documents and assesses global best practices of organizations’ approaches to
social media marketing in terms of integrating their branding and communications strategies to
obtain their marketing objectives.

Ian can be contacted on:

LinkedIn - http://ca.linkedin.com/in/iancarlsmith
Twitter - @citweetz
Facebook - http:/ /www.facebook.com/ian.c.smith1


Bibliography

The ForeSee Results Report on Social Media Marketing - http://www.foreseeresults.com/research-white-papers/social-media-
1

marketing-2011-form.shtml - April 2011
2
Facebook Statistics – http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics – September 2011
3
Twitter for business: the experts’ view - http://econsultancy.com/us/blog/7855-twitter-for-business-the-experts-view - August
6th, 2011
4
YouTube Shares Surprising Statistics On 6th Birthday, Huffington Post – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/25/youtube-
statistics-birthday_n_866707.html -May 5th, 2011
5
SmartCity Business Show From Greater Halifax Partnership, Intelegia, February 11th, 2011. http://www.intelegia.com/
en/2011/02/16/smartcity-business-show-from-greater-halifax-partnership/
6
LinkedIn Facts - http://press.linkedin.com/about
7
The Meaning of Social Media Influence – October 14th, 2011 - http://www.intelegia.com/en/2011/10/14/the-meaning-of-social-
media-influence/
8
IDG Global Survey Shows Smartphone Use Growing Rapidly with Regional Differences, July 11th, 2011 - http://www.
marketwatch.com/story/idg-global-survey-shows-smartphone-use-growing-rapidly-with-regional-differences-2011-07-11
9
ManageFlitter - http://manageflitter.com
10
3 Signs That A Content Strategy Is Needed For Investment Attraction – January 12th, 2011 - http://www.intelegia.com/
en/2011/01/12/3-signs-that-a-content-strategy-is-needed-for-investment-attraction/
11
LinkedIn groups extend content marketing reach – August 11th, 2011 - http://www.brafton.com/news/linkedin-groups-extend-
content-marketing-reach


72245658 2011-canadian-cities-online-marketing-index©

Empfohlen

Empfohlen

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Mehr von Intelegia Group

Mehr von Intelegia Group (15)

Kürzlich hochgeladen

Kürzlich hochgeladen (20)

72245658 2011-canadian-cities-online-marketing-index©