Rankings Demystified Webinar: The Science & Reason Behind Forbes’ Number Crunching

by on May 2, 2013 in Best Practices, Economic Development, Media Relations

City Rankings DeMystified

We hope you can join us on Thursday, June 13 at 2 p.m. EST as we reveal the behind-the-scenes process that goes into developing some of the most important rankings in economic development!

Rankings have become the apple of the economic development world’s eye in recent years. Various methodologies have been tossed about for “Best States for This” or “Best Cities for That,” causing both intrigue and skepticism in the economic development industry.

Regardless of which side you fall on, these rankings matter.

They make a strong, sometimes lasting impression on CEOs and young professionals, the very targets of city and state marketing campaigns. With a top ranking, your community could ride on its coattails for a decade. With a poor showing, it could be difficult to shake the reputation for a similar period of time. So what do we make of these rankings, and how can our communities work toward a competitive showing in the ones that hold the most weight?

DCI has brought together two Forbes editors who regularly work on city and state rankings, Kurt Badenhausen (Best Places for Business & Careers, Best States for Business) and Morgan Brennan (America’s Coolest Cities), for a webinar on Thursday, June 13th at 2:00 p.m. EST. They will share their methodologies in detail, what they look for when devising a ranking topic and their advice on improving a community’s standing over time. We’ll also invite questions from the audience to ensure you walk away with a better understanding of how the system works. As DCI’s Media Relations and Rankings Specialist, I’ll be moderating the session.

The only thing you have to do is register below. You’ll then receive a confirmation email with your webinar login.

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Economic Development Media Training Tip: Never Say %$#& During an Interview

by on April 24, 2013 in Best Practices, Economic Development, Media Relations

Have you ever been asked to conduct a media interview following the loss of a project to a competitor? What about reporters asking for comments when a major investor closed a business in your community? In economic development there are many instances when you may have to give an interview on a sensitive topic. The lesson we learned this week though, is no matter how much you want to say the first thing that comes to your mind, which may be @#&%, you should never do that, especially when you are on live TV.

A.J. Clementine became an overnight sensation across the U.S., but not for his skills as an anchor on a local North Dakota evening show. Instead, A.J. captured the attention of the media because he was fired his first day on the job for letting out a few choice words while on the air. He let his emotions get the best of him, forgot his microphone was on, and blurted out profanity.

As you prepare for your next interview keep the following media training tips in mind:

  1. Whether you have a microphone on, or are having a face-to-face interview with a journalist (with or without a tape recorder), remember pretty much everything you say is “on the record.” This includes conversations before and after the interview.
  2. It is acceptable to show “appropriate” emotion during an interview, but there is a fine line. You never want to be perceived as weak, arrogant, or detached. Keep in mind, you are talking to the audience, not the camera, and you want to connect with both the anchor and the viewer.
  3. If you have a verbal slip up, admit to it, apologize and move on. Most people are forgiving when you’re honest. We’ve all been there!

Hopefully, A.J. Clementine will recover the blooper, but don’t let that happen to you. Never say %$#& or anything else you may regret when in the presence of the media!

 

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Bob and Gary’s Excellent Adventure: Two Governors Join Forces for a First-of-its-Kind Business Recruitment Tour

by on April 23, 2013 in Best Practices, Economic Development, Events, Lead Generation

Utah Gov. McDonnell (left), and Virginia Gov. Herbert (right) pose for a picture with Forbes' Kerry Dolan on their joint business attraction mission to California

Virginia Gov. McDonnell (left), and Utah Gov. Herbert (right) pose for a picture with Forbes’ Kerry Dolan on their joint business attraction mission to California

A public official traveling to other states and countries to recruit business is not something new. Just in the last few months we’ve seen South Dakota’s Governor Dennis Daugaard head to China, Houston’s Mayor Annise Parker lead a delegation in Turkey and Texas’ Governor Rick Perry make a big splash on the Golden Coast.

But two Governors on one tour – now that’s a twist.

Earlier this month, Governor Gary Herbert of Utah and Governor Bob McDonnell of Virginia hosted a joint tour through the State of California to speak with local businesses interested in expanding into either, or both, states. They held business receptions in Orange County, Palo Alto and San Francisco, and met one-on-one with businesses and reporters along the way.

The idea came about because both Utah and Virginia have recently ranked as top states for business on Forbes.com and CNBC – Forbes’ Senior Editor, Kerry Dolan, played host for part of the tour. The two Governors have also become friends, often running into each other on the Republican circuit. To them, joining forces was a no-brainer, but an oft-repeated question on the tour was: “How does this work, aren’t you two competitors?”

The answer: yes and no. As noted by the rankings, both Utah and Virginia offer a favorable climate for business and both states share similar financial outlooks, business interests and political agendas. This does lead to some friendly competition and the Governors often joked, “come visit our great states, but visit mine first.”

Yet, the states are so geographically diverse that they each offer a unique perspective. With its proximity to Washington D.C. and its coastal location, Virginia presented itself as a prime East Coast hub. Utah, on the other hand, is a gateway to the American Heartland, and, as the state is only a short flight from the West Coast, is already a familiar vacation destination for many Californians.

On the tour, the states shared certain industry targets, in particular with the technology cluster. In these instances they were able to pool contacts and resources to present a unified front as two sides of the same coin. Where the states’ interests diverged, they made sure to book times for separate appointments.

In short, there are three simple steps to create a successful joint business attraction tour:

  1. Have a common theme: whether it’s topping the national rankings or shared industry clusters, make sure you have something in common with your travel companion.
  2. Be the yin to their yang: a common theme is good, a carbon copy is not. Make sure to have selling points that make you stand out on your own, and unique from your partner. Your offer should be complementary, not mutually exclusive.
  3. Plan ahead: regardless of who your joint forces are – two states, two cities, two industries – there will be a lot of hands in the pot. Make sure you have a clear agenda and you communicate it well in advance, so that both parties meet their objectives at the end of the day.

With a good game plan, you might just find that two is better than one.

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Made In NY Campaign Looks to Attract Tech Talent

by on April 2, 2013 in Best Practices, Economic Development, Talent Attraction

madelogo-1Remember back in middle school when you thought all you could do was attract geeks? Well, these days, your geek magnetism would be the envy of economic developers everywhere.

When it comes to talent attraction, it seems like every city across the U.S. is trying to recruit techies.  Technical talent is in low supply, and –in an increasingly digital professional world–high demand.

This February, New York City Mayor Bloomberg launched the “Made in New York” campaign to promote the city’s technology startups and tech job opportunities.

The campaign is an expansion of the original Made in NY initiative—originally created to support the fields of film, television and theatrical production, it was expanded in February to include the digital and startup industry.

With more than 900 local tech startups hiring for over 3,000 jobs, New York’s booming tech industry is seeking geeks and ready for the competition—with a multi-platform initiative that’s all about promoting the city’s tech sector and making it easier to navigate for those seeking jobs or talent.

Made in NY includes a website with resources for entrepreneurs and a map featuring employment opportunities, as well as an advertising campaign featuring different Made in NY tech companies that will appear around the city on subways, buses and taxi monitors.

Here are some lessons that the rest of the economic development world can learn from New York City’s tech-talent attraction initiative:

Why Quit When You’re Ahead?

Many regions that currently have plenty of talented workers, such as Raleigh and Austin, are launching talent campaigns to be sure they maintain their lead and are proactive about continuing to recruit talent.

A city like New York, which definitely has no shortage of people, is working to promote an already booming industry to grow even further.

Mayor Bloomberg calls New York City the “hottest place in the tech universe”, and proclaims that there is “simply no better place than New York City to build a digital business.” The Made in NY campaign is a proactive effort to keep New York’s tech industry and talent supply ahead of the curve. Cities that have  a strong tech talent base, but aren’t currently being proactive about retaining and attracting their workers should take note.

Speak their Language

For a talent attraction campaign to get noticed, it’s all about understanding the needs of job seekers as well as businesses in their particular industry. Wanna attract geeks? You gotta speak their language. (And no, we don’t mean Elvish).

With cities everywhere clamoring for digital experts, it takes a little creativity to get noticed among the competition. Made in NY did this by speaking the language of techies: they created an interactive digital jobs map that’s housed on the Made in NY website. The map, which displays technology companies that are hiring in the city, is “a visual testament to the vibrant state of New York’s digital industry.”

The map is color-coded based on the number of tech companies in different neighborhoods, so it’s easy to tell where the tech “hotspots” are. Users can also filter their search by different categories: investors, incubators, companies that are hiring, etc. There’s also a searchable list of companies, and an option to add your company to the map.

With so many resources in one convenient location, the Made in NY website as a whole is a digital dream for IT job seekers: it connects them with tech firms, helps entrepreneurs find low-cost office space, includes information on how to get a digital internship, and even links to computer classes for those that want to learn more about the digital world. And of course, houses the digital jobs map.

A Powerful Partner

Think back to middle school again…remember the geek who started dating a cheerleader and suddenly became cool? Sometimes you’re only as strong as the ones who support you. In the case of talent attraction, having brand ambassadors can go a long way in sharing your message and spreading the word about why your region is so great. In the case of Made in NY, they found a pretty hot cheerleader: BuzzFeed, one of the most well-known social news organizations around.

As one of today’s top tech companies that was actually made in New York, Buzzfeed worked closely with the mayor’s office to create a social content advertising campaign around Made in NY. They kicked off their support of Made in NY with a blog titled, “11 Reasons to Start a Company in New York City”. The launch event for Made in NY was held at the BuzzFeed headquarters, and the President of BuzzFeed spoke about how BuzzFeed was home-grown in New York City, and couldn’t be prouder of it.”

With over 40 million unique visitors per month, BuzzFeed’s support is sure to get Made in NY noticed. Talk about a powerful brand ambassador.

We think this was a smart way to kick off this event, since making a splash with your campaign launch was one of the six tips recommended by two cities in our webinar, “A Talent Attraction Crash Course for Economic Developers.”

 

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Key Economic Development Social Media Takeaways from Metro Orlando

by on February 27, 2013 in Best Practices, Digital Marketing, Economic Development, Social Networks

Last week we published a blog highlighting Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission’s #WhyOrlando social media campaign. After speaking with the Metro Orlando EDC, here are seven key takeaways I would love other economic development organizations to consider in their social media marketing efforts. Be aggressive about fighting misperceptions. Metro Orlando wasn’t afraid to address Jet [...]

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How Metro Orlando is Using Social Media to Work for the Region

by on February 21, 2013 in Best Practices, Digital, Digital Marketing, Economic Development, Social Networks

Recently I stumbled across the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission’s #WhyOrlando social media campaign. Since I’m always on the lookout for how economic development organizations are engaging with their ambassadors and target audiences on social media, I took a moment to sit down with the Metro Orlando EDC’s marketing team to discuss the initiative and [...]

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5 Fashion Tips for Broadcast Interviews

by on February 7, 2013 in Best Practices, Economic Development, Media Relations

In honor of New York’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2013, we thought we’d share a few tips on how to dress for success. Instead of talking fall fashion and runway models, however, we’re here to help economic developers and tourism officials who find themselves in front of the camera for a media interview. When getting [...]

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When It Comes to Branding, Everyone’s a Critic…

by on February 7, 2013 in Best Practices, Economic Development

On January 31st Enterprise Florida unveiled a new logo. Criticism was swift and unforgiving: The man’s tie immediately came under attack. “Your new logo is sexist and needs to be revised,” wrote one business owner. Others attacked the tagline. “It is far too tame to be a competitive platform.” And finally, the organization was criticized [...]

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New York Times Reporter Calls for More Transparency on Incentives

by on January 31, 2013 in Best Practices, Economic Development, Media Relations

Most economic developers hated reading the three-part series on incentives that The New York Times ran on its front page in December 2012 under the banner “The United States of Subsidies.”  They found the articles lopsided, inaccurate and downright damning. But when Louise Story, the investigative reporter who wrote the series, addressed the International Economic [...]

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Answers to 7 Questions About Starting a Talent Attraction Campaign

by on January 17, 2013 in Best Practices, Talent Attraction

A few months ago, DCI hosted a webinar for communities looking to attract skilled professionals, called “A Talent Attraction Crash Course for Economic Developers: 6 Tips from 2 Cities on Launching Your Campaign.” During the webinar, participants asked the following seven questions, which are answered here by the session’s two panelists, Wake County Economic Development’s [...]

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