“I’m not like other cities” - WHY AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BRAND MATTERS
Be honest, has one of your electeds suggested marketing your city as a “Great place to Live, Work and Play”? How hard did you bite your cheek after hearing that? Economic development is easy, right? You just need to stand out among surrounding communities, attract new businesses, convince existing ones to relocate, and position your area as the best place for job growth and economic expansion. Easy peasy.
But listen, saying your community is a “great place to live, work, and play” just isn’t cutting it anymore. The real question is why your community is a great place to live, work, and play and what sets it apart from any other place.
Here’s the good news, economic development directors can set their communities apart by creating a brand that speaks directly to the audiences they’re trying to reach while still honoring the City brands they also operate under. Here’s why that matters:
1. Professionalism Starts with a Credible Brand
Economic Development Departments are unique within a local government. While it’s always important to maintain professionalism, in economic development, you may be working with large developers, site selectors, and businesses that operate on an international scale. For all of these audiences, professionalism and clear communication are not only important but expected.
When a site selector reaches out, you’ll need to reply quickly, and you’ll want a vibrant, concise message ready to send. Bigger businesses aren’t going to spend the time pouring over your message to find the underlying message. Ensuring you know your brand and have clear materials at your fingertips should be a priority. Without them, you may have trouble connecting.
2. Know Your Unique Value
You don’t need a flashy tagline to show your wares; you need memorable key messaging that lands. You need to ask yourself what sets your community apart from others. What is your unique value proposition? Why should a company choose to locate in your town versus thousands of others? Having these messages ready and knowing how to use them can help you stand apart. It can also make your community more memorable.
3. Shoot for that Double-Take or even a Spit-Take
Site selectors and developers are looking at thousands of sites, locations, and properties every week. With the right branding and marketing materials, you can encourage someone blazing through emails and communications to take a second look. Getting someone to do a double take can mean they’re actually engaging with the information you’re presenting.
There’s just too much competition out there for you not to be different. Whether it’s a unique shape for a printed brochure, an eye-catching logo, or a killer economic development website, with the right materials at your disposal, an extra minute of someone reviewing your materials could just be what gets them to call your department or plan a visit to your community. And we all know that’s when the real work begins.
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An economic development brand should be about more than just creating a new logo or tagline. It’s about truly understanding a community, why a business would want to locate there, and, yes, why it’s not like other cities. At Slate, we have a track record of helping communities establish their unique economic development brand and partnering with economic development teams to create materials that capture what actually makes your community special.
Heck, finding out what makes your city special is what makes us “not like other marketing agencies.”
Lacey Mays
Marketing and Communications Strategist
Lacey brings over nine years of experience in community engagement, marketing, social media, content creation, and communications. With a background in economic development and local government, she is passionate about helping organizations share their stories, connect with residents, and celebrate community improvements.