Community Systems hosted a webinar on digital economic development. They discussed how technology has made old economic development practices obsolete, such as printed fact books and fax machines. They defined digital economic development as any interaction that uses digital tools. They provided examples of different roles within economic development organizations and how they utilize various digital systems. Finally, they outlined five ways organizations can create value from digital interactions, such as optimizing websites to drive conversations, leveraging property databases, streamlining systems, involving all staff, and using analytics.

1. 1
HOW DIGITAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ENABLES
COMMUNITIES TO EXPAND THEIR IMPACT, WITHOUT
EXPANDING THEIR BUDGET
Smarter Software for Communities
September 30th, 2014

2. 2
Your hosts
Ben Wright
CEO,
Community Systems
Atlas Advertising
benw@communitysys.com
www.twitter.com/communitysys
David Stinnette
Business Development Associate
Community Systems
davids@communitysys.com

3. 3
Presenting From Community Systems’ Denver, CO
Co-Working Space

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A note about Innovation
P r e s e n t e d b y

5. 5
Innovation distinguishes between a
leader and a follower
But innovation comes from people meeting up in the hallways
or calling each other at 10:30 at night with a new idea,
or because they realized something that shoots holes
in how we’ve been thinking about a problem.
Steve Jobs
Apple Inc.
“
”

6. 6
Every technology company likes to think that they are innovative.
But few really achieve it. We like Steve Jobs’ definition of
innovation — particularly that innovation distinguishes leaders
from followers,
and that innovation is really about solving problems.
At Community Systems, we live innovation, but we live
innovation in service of solving problems for economic
developers.

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So what problems
for Economic Developers
has Community Systems
helped to solve?

8. 8
2008:
We cut the cost of GIS in economic development by 70%,
making GIS more ubiquitous in economic development by
entering the market.
2 0 0 8

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2009:
We were the first to integrate prospect response with GIS
The State of Ohio responds to hundreds of prospects every year.
In 2009, we launched the industry’s first
prospect response system, fully integrated with GIS,
and cut response times by
75%
2 0 0 8 2 0 0 9
What would you do with
4x more
time?

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2010:
We introduced GIS to business developers and marketers, many for
the first time, as a viable marketing and
lead generation tool.
By tracking time on site, conversion to conversation, and overall
usage, we turned GIS into one of the most cost effective lead
generation tools that business developers have today.
2 0 0 8 2 0 0 9 2 0 1 0

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2011:
We fully integrated website content management, property, and
prospect response into one system, one platform,
and one company.
We are the only company that does this.
Content Management System Web Analytics Prospect Response System
2 0 0 8 2 0 0 9 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 1
Business Retention
Portal
Geographic Information Systems

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2012:
We made GIS accessible on any device,
including mobile devices.
2 0 0 8 2 0 0 9 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 1 2 0 1 2

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2013:
We spun off Community Systems and became
the largest provider of technology products
to the economic development industry, in terms of staff.
2 0 0 8 2 0 0 9 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 1 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 3

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Our mission: To power
intelligent location decisions.

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By powering the world’s best economic development
websites, GIS, and prospect response systems.

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Who we work with:
Community Systems serves over 4,000 communities in 43 states

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This includes:

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Data, technology, and agency
partners this requires:

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Download the slides, listen to the
video, continue the dialogue
• Continue the Conversation:
– Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CommunitySys
• View and share the video with your colleagues:
http://communitysys.com/News-Media/Webinars-(1).aspx

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Join us at the world’s first Digital
Economic Development Summit!
Presented by Community Systems:
“How Leading Economic Developers are Engaging Prospects,
Inspiring Their Communities, and Collaborating with Their Team In
New Ways”
Where:
The IEDC Annual Conference or from your
own office via online meeting
When: In Person Attendees (At IEDC,
Fort Worth):
Tuesday, October 21, 7:30 – 9:00 AM
CST Webinar Attendees: Tuesday, October
21, 8:00 - 9:00 AM CST

21. 21
Join us at the world’s first Digital
Economic Development Summit!
Digital Economic Development Summit, Presented by Community Systems:
“How Leading Economic Developers are Engaging Prospects,
Inspiring Their Communities, and Collaborating with Their Team In
New Ways”
To register to come in person, type “IEDC” into your chat box.
To register to attend via webinar, type “Webinar” into your chat box.

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HOW DIGITAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ENABLES COMMUNITIES TO EXPAND THEIR
IMPACT, WITHOUT EXPANDING THEIR BUDGET
Smarter Software for Communities

23. 23
Questions we will answer today:
1. How Does Community Systems Approach Innovation in Economic Development?
2. How Has Technology Made Certain Practices Obsolete?
3. What Practices in Economic Development are Becoming Obsolete?
4. What Would EDO’s Do to Drive Results in an Era of Increased Accountability?
5. What is Digital Economic Development?
6. Who are Digital Economic Developers and What Kinds of Things do They Do?
7. What are Community Systems’ Five Ways to Use Technology to Drive Value ?
8. Discussion

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How Has Technology Made Certain Old Approaches
Obsolete? What’s next?
LinkedIn surveyed more than 7,000 global professionals about which tools
and trends will disappear from offices in the next five years. Here are the top
10 office tools and trends professionals think will vanish:
• Tape recorders (79 percent)
• Fax machines (71 percent)
• The Rolodex (58 percent)
• Standard working hours (57 percent)
• Desk phones (35 percent)
• Desktop computers (34 percent)
• Formal business attire like suits, ties, pantyhose, etc. (27
percent)
• The corner office for managers/executives (21 percent)
• Cubicles (19 percent)
• USB thumb drives (17 percent)

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What technologies that were once sacred have already
gone by the wayside in economic development?
• The printed three ring binder fact book
• Receiving RFI’s via fax machine
• The Rolodex

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When were these formative technologies first adopted
in Economic Development?
Computers
(1983)
Email
(1991)
National
Data
Websites
(1994)
Website
Content
Mgmt (1995)
Email
Surveys
(1997)
CRM
Systems
(1999)
GIS systems
(2000)
Social Media
for Business
(2003)
Online
Meetings
(2004)
Smart
Phones/
Mobile
Devices
(2007)
Digital
Proposals
(2009)

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Why does technology get adopted?
1. Visionary thinking
2. Resource Scarcity
3. Competitive Opportunity
4. Social / Cultural Pressure

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What Would EDO’s Spend Money on to Drive Results in
an Era of Increased Accountability?
Survey from our last webinar: n=50
Technology to make staff’s efforts
more efficient
Additional business
development staff
Additional marketing dollars
A marketing agency to guide me in
driving results
Other
46.4%
21.4%
21.4%
7.1%
3.6%
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0%

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Definition of Digital Economic Development
Digital Economic Development is
any interaction you have with an employee, colleague, prospect,
partner, or otherwise that is made more efficient, enhances, or is
made possible by digital communications tools.

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WHO ARE DIGITAL ECONOMIC
DEVELOPERS, AND WHAT DO THEY DO?
Smarter Software for Communities

31. 31 CEO/Executive
Name:
Wendi Nafziger
Organization:
Longmont EDC
Digital Systems Managed:
• Longmont EDC Website
• Longmont CRM System
• Longmont Property Database
• Longmont Email
• Longmont Social Media
Digital Interactions in
September:
• 627 Website Visits
• 142 Properties
• 38 Contacts
• 35 Property Searches
Website
Total Interactions:
665
Email
Marketing
Daily Average:
33
Number of Staff:
3
September 2014
Social
Media

32. 32 Business Developer
Name:
Sam Bailey
Organization:
Colorado Office of Economic
Development and Int. Trade
Digital Systems Managed:
• State of Colorado Online Property
Database, containing 18,600
available properties
• State of Colorado Prospect
Response System, used to
manage and 200 + partners
Digital Interactions in
September:
• 1,900+ property searches
• 2-3 projects entered
• 600+ partner communications
Total Interactions:
2,500
GIS
System
CRM
System
Daily Average:
200+
Number of Staff:
5+
September 2014
Digital
Proposals

33. 33 Marketer
Name:
Irene Alvarez
Organization:
Columbus 2020
Digital Systems Managed:
• Columbus 2020 Website
• Columbus 2020 Email
• Columbus 2020 Social Media
Digital Interactions in
September:
• 15,000+ Website Visits
• 30+ Email Signups
• 600+ Files Downloaded
• 4873 Twitter Followers
Total Interactions:
20,000
Website
Email
Marketing
Daily Average:
1,000
Number of Staff:
19
September 2014
Social
Media

34. 34 Researcher
Name:
Neil Hamilton
Organization:
Metro Orlando EDC
Digital Systems Managed:
• Metro Orlando EDC Website
• Metro Orlando EDC Data Collection,
Storage, Analysis, and Reporting)
• Metro Orlando EDC Property
Database of 300+ properties
Digital Interactions in
September:
• 4,000+ website visits
• 300+ report downloads
• 1,000 property searches
September 2014
Total Interactions:
5,000+
Daily Average:
250
Number of Staff:
26
Website
National
Data
Websites
GIS
Systems

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HOW CAN DIGITAL ECONOMIC
DEVELOPERS CREATE VALUE FROM
THESE INTERACTIONS?
Smarter Software for Communities

36. 36
Five Ways Digital Economic Developers can Create Value
from These Interactions
1. Optimize your technology to drive conversion to conversations with your business
development staff
2. Leverage your sites and buildings database as a marketing tool, and integrate it into
your website and marketing
3. Save time, streamline your digital management systems by focusing on a core set of
systems.
4. Get your entire staff involved in your digital enterprise
5. Use analytics to measure and report the impact you have on your community

37. 37 Time on site: 3:55
How to Optimize Your Technology To
Drive Conversion to Conversations

38. 38
What are Users Clicking on?

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Leverage your sites and buildings database as a
marketing tool, and integrate it into your website and
marketing
• Why to do this?
• To have separate sites is to reduce time on site by half.
• To have separate sites doubles marketing costs.
• Together, you get ¼ the impact with separate sites per marketing/business
development dollar you spend.
• What to do:
• Direct your GIS vendor to provide you with a GIS system that integrates
with your website in the following ways:
• “Find Properties” link that links directly into the property search function.
• “Find Companies” link that links directly into the companies search function. If
they don’t have a search companies function, try another GIS system.
• “Find Communities” link that links directly into the communities search function.
• If they argue that separate “microsites” are better ask them to show you
data that separate sites increase time on site and decrease marketing
costs.

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How TVA Implements Website Integration
• Included Property,
Company, and Community
Search one click
integrations
• Added “About Us,” “Site
Selection Services,” and
other most used content
Result:
Average Time on Site Increased from
5:00 to 10:00 per session

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Save time, streamline your digital management systems
by focusing on an integrated set of systems
The Industry Can Choose a
Disorganized Set of Disparate Systems…
Or a Coordinated Set of Systems, Optimized
Website Analytics
CRM, Prospect
Responses
GIS and Data
Management
Business
Retention
for Economic Development

42. 42
Get your Entire Staff Involved in the Digital Enterprise
Website
Analytics
CRM, Prospect
Responses
GIS and Data
Management
Business
Retention
1. If your staff works on a common
platform, designed to optimally
create, publish and manage content
efficiently…
2. And that system is designed to
convert casual browsers into real
prospects…
3. That you can respond to quickly and
with built in property data,
demographics, in a secure
environment…
4. And management can review the
progress of the team with real time
analytics…

43. 43
Organizations can now truly measure and drive the
impact you have on their community.
1. Business Attraction, Business Retention,
and Marketing, Activities (Make a metric
graphic)
1. Relationships with Expanding and
Relocating Companies (Make graphics)
– Website visits
– Inquiries/conversations
– Companies Served
1. Community Outcomes (Make graphics)
– Jobs Announced
– Capital Investment Announced
– Population Change
– Personal /HH Income Change
– Workforce Educational Attainment

44. 44
What Innovations has Community Systems
Launched this week, for the economic
development industry?
Website
Analytics
CRM, Prospect
Responses
GIS and Data
Management
Business
Retention
1. We have stepped up our relationship
with property data provider Xceligent,
to offer property data in even more
markets
2. We improved our GIS Property
management tools to add to our
industry leading, quality scoring
methodology, edit multiple records at
one time, remove duplicates,
3. We launched collaboration and
communication dashboards in our
software so that business developers,
marketers, researchers, and CEOs
can see who is using the system, see
active projects, contribute to
proposals, and contribute website
content, all in one place
4. We launched interactive
benchmarking tools for community
impact and EDO performance.

45. 45
Join us at the world’s first Digital
Economic Development Summit!
Digital Economic Development Summit, Presented by Community Systems:
“How Leading Economic Developers are Engaging Prospects,
Inspiring Their Communities, and Collaborating with Their Team In
New Ways”

46. 46
Q+A

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Thank you and stay in touch!
Smarter Software for Communities
929 Broadway
Denver, CO 80203
Contact: Ben Wright
t: 720.420.3800 x 210
benw@communitysys.com
www.Communitysys.com