Archive for the 'Social Media Marketing' Category

Using Hootsuite To Manage Social Networks

Published
by
Ian Smith
on March 5, 2010
in Author-Ian Smith, Internet tools and Social Media Marketing
. 2 Comments

Having difficulties managing your time amongst the different social networks that your organization has a presence on?

Below is a tutorial that my colleague, Aicha Habiby, created in PowerPoint to aid individuals in using Hootsuite.

Hootsuite is an application that will allow individuals to manage multiple social network accounts via one interface.

This tool can be extremely helpful for individuals who responsible for their economic development agency’s Facebook, Twitter or blog accounts.

The complete slideshow is available in English and French on Intelegia’s Slideshare page

Want to know more about using social media marketing or Web 2.0 tools for economic development? Attend Intelegia’s seminar, “Optimize Investment Attraction Strategy Through Information and Social Media Applications“

Engaging Fans On Your Facebook Page For Economic Development

Published
by
Ian Smith
on February 17, 2010
in Author-Ian Smith, Social Media Marketing and Web 2.0 Strategy
. 2 Comments

You have finally dipped your big toe in the large body of water called, “Web 2.0″ for economic development, what do you do now in terms of engaging with individuals who are “following” you or fans?  According to Sysomos, only 77% of Facebook Fan Pages have under 1,000 fans.

If you have selected to utilize a Facebook Fan Page as a part of your economic development 2.0 strategy, here are a few tips to follow to increase the activity on the the page’s wall and discussion board.

1 - Build Your Audience

This tip may seem elementary however; building an audience is often taken for granted.  Economic development agencies begin their adventures on Web 2.0 by just creating a fan page and expect to be found in the sea of results for the query, “economic development” and prompting users to become fans.  Practical approaches to build an audience include:

  • Word of mouth promotion when meeting with stakeholders
  • Posting a link on the agency’s website where it can be highly visible
  • Placing a link in the signature of staff members’ email
  • Putting a brief note about the page in any online or offline publications

It is important to note that you should attempt to convince individuals to become “A Fan” for reason.  Individuals will decide to join based on a specific need such as keeping informed on the economic development initiatives in your region.

2 - Know Your Audience

Knowing your audience (fans) is vital.  This type of intelligence will influence the type of content that will be posted on the Facebook Fan Page.  By taking a look at who has become fans, you should be able to know  what percentage of the audience are:

  • Citizens of the region
  • Economic development professionals (elsewhere)
  • Site selectors / potential investors
  • Generic fan followers (Individuals that do not fit into the first three categories.)

A quick look at the fan’s profile could provide you with enough information to place the individual into one of the four groups listed above.

3 - Post Relevant and Timely Content

After assessing your fan base, you should be able to tailor your post for your wall or discussion board.  In the situation where your audience is comprised of economic development professionals, you may want to consider posting a link to an article regarding a particular issue dealing with a incentive program.  Making the program the subject of discussion will encourage professionals to share expertise on the topic.

Figure 1 seen below is an example of a posting of good economic news in the Chaleur region and a response of one of its Facebook Fans.


Figure 1: Link Posting On Chaleur Region Facebook Fan Page With Fan’s Comment

4 - Comment

At times, it is best to encourage a dialog amongst fans by simply being the first to comment on what you have posted.  You may post a comment summarizing the article for those who do not have the time to read it or just make a remark to spark a debate that will turn into a fruitful exchange of ideas.  Posting questions is a great way to begin to engage fans.

5 - Evaluate What You Have Done

The practice of engaging fans on Facebook is not completed as you click on the “POST” button.  It requires reviewing and evaluating what has been done and could be done to enhance the page for the fans.  Some elements of the page may include:

  • Adding applications to facilitate fan interaction
  • Including tabs for easier navigation on the page
  • Provide a news feed with relevant articles that could be the basis of a discussion

The post provided a brief list of suggestions of how to engage your audience on your Facebook Fan Page for economic development.  For more tips, read:

Are you thinking about building your economic development 2.0 strategy? Attend Intelegia’s seminar, “Optimize Investment Attraction Strategy Through Information and Social Media Applications” to learn about the key elements for a successful strategy.

SODIL Lanaudière On Twitter

Published
by
Ian Smith
on February 10, 2010
in Author-Ian Smith, Economic Development and Social Media Marketing
. 3 Comments

The topic of this blog is based upon a posting on the Linkedin group, Economic Development Professionals, specifically in the “discussions” section of the group.

A group member brought to our attention a Twitter feed that offers trilingual tweets.

Figure 1 is a screen shot of SODIL Lanaudière Twitter page.

Figure 1: SODIL Lanaudière Twitter page

SODIL Lanaudière is the agency that encourages the development of the Lanaudière (Quebec, Canada) business communities by assisting the region’s SMEs with their projects directly.

The SODIL tweets are made available in French, English and Spanish.  The images in Figure 2, 3 and 4 illustrates the trilingual tweets.

Figure 2: French Tweet

Figure 3: English Tweet

Figure 4: Spanish Tweet

Having the ability to post in more that one language is a benefit and most importantly, it can be a competitive advantage.  Communicating with existing or potential stakeholders of a region in a language that they feel the most comfortable in is a critical aspect in marketing.

Using YouTube To Promote Your Region and Economic Development Agency

Published
by
Ian Smith
on February 5, 2010
in Author-Ian Smith, Economic Development, Investment Attraction and Social Media Marketing
. 0 Comments

Below is a best practice example of how to use a social media marketing tool such as YouTube, to promote two items at one time.

In the video, “Michigan Gives You the Upper Hand”, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is able to market: 1) the state as THE place for investment opportunities and 2) themselves as facilitators in getting companies to invest.

Using testimonials by CEOs, MEDC drives home the message that they are will equipped with the incentive tools,  services and skills to address investors’ key location factors inquiries.

Does your economic development agency have a video or channel on YouTube for investment attraction purposes? Is it effective? Let us know and we will mention you and the video or the channel in a future blog post.  Please email the link to Ian at ian@intelegia.com.

Intelligence “R” US: Innovative Economic Development Practices in Mauricie, Québec

Published
by
Isabelle Poirier
on February 1, 2010
in Author-Isabelle Poirier, Economic Development, Economic Intelligence, Investment Attraction and Social Media Marketing
. 2 Comments

New economic development practices in a region is not the result of a sole leader. Changing the economic landscape of a region will be the work of individuals who collectively engage into innovative economic development practices.

Last week, I had the opportunity with my colleague Aicha Habiby to conduct the seminar, “Optimize Investment Attraction Strategy Through Information and Social Media Applications“.  Sixteen participants representing different sub-regions in the Mauricie Region gathered in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. Canada.

It was a busy day :-) Needless to say that because this course was computer based and we were more than happy to provide this training as a team. All participants agreed to start slowly but surely embraced social media tools to improve their regional investment attraction strategy and place their region on the radar of investors and site selectors. The process included achieving the following goals:

  • Establishing their “web identity” on social networks
  • Putting into place an information monitoring system
  • Improving their web researching skills by learning advanced research techniques using web 1.0 tools and sources, social media applications and real-time search engines
  • Generating “Intelligence” using specific analysis frameworks for investment attraction
  • Nurturing their virtual and real life communities by sharing information and knowledge
  • Being aware of key success factors and best practices for their future communication strategy

For quite awhile,  investment attraction techniques have included taking advantage of the web 1.0 however; it was just the beginning.  By tapping into the new applications on the internet,  the participants can now efficiently benchmark their region, target leads and promote their region.

If you want to know more about economic development opportunities in Mauricie, you can get in touch “within a click” with the following professionals:

At the end of the day, interesting opportunities are just one click or one phone call away from you… It’s yours to discover :-)

Customizing Your Facebook Page For Economic Development

Published
by
Ian Smith
on January 6, 2010
in Author-Ian Smith, Economic Development, Social Media Marketing and Web 2.0
. 2 Comments

Now that you have created your Facebook Fan Page for your economic development agency, it is time to customize the page to make it is easier for fans to find information.  Not only can it be beneficially to your fans but to your economic development agency’s search engine optimization strategy.

Here are few examples of economic development agencies and cities that have selected to customizing their Facebook Fan Page.

Levelland, Texas

The City of Levelland’s Facebook Fan Page has a section that is customized thanks to boxes which contains content.   Figure 1 presents a look at the section.

Figure 1: City of Levelland’s Facebook Fan Page With Customized Boxes
Please Click On Image To Enlarge

Fans of the page has a “one-stop” point for news and information about Levelland.

To visit the City of Levelland’s Facebook Fan Page can, please click here.

Chaleur Region

The Chaleur Region, located on the northeast coast of New Brunswick, has a Facebook Fan Page with customized tabs to facilitate navigation of the page. This Web 2.0 initiative is managed by Entreprise Chaleur, an economic development agency. Figure 3 presents the tabs for the RegionChaleur page.

Figure 3: Navigational Tabs On RegionChaleur

Individuals interested in investing in the Chaleur Region can simply click on the “Invest” tab and access information on the industrial parks in the region as seen in Figure 4.

Figure 4: Information On Industrial Parks In The Chaleur Region

Customizing a Facebook Fan Page entails obtaining the assistance of a programmer and searching for different web applications available on Facebook that can be added to the page.

Are you seeking to build a Facebook Fan Page for economic development purposes?  Learn more about Intelegia’s seminar, “Optimize Investment Attraction Strategy Through Information and Social Media Applications“

Best of Tools For Thought 2009 - Economic Development 2.0

Published
by
Ian Smith
on December 23, 2009
in Author-Ian Smith, Economic Development, Social Media Marketing and Web 2.0 Strategy
. 0 Comments

In 2009, we examined the use of social networks for economic development initiatives.  Web 2.0 tools such as Facebook, Twtter and YouTube serve as efficient vehicules to market a region without spending a huge amount of money.  The following post highlights the best practices in economic development 2.0 and related fields.

YouTube: Nova Scotia On The Map For Investment Attraction

This post provided an excellent example of how a private sector organization can use a Web 2.0 application to convince potential investors that Nova Scotia, Canada as the best location for foreign direct investment.

To learn more about this initiative and view the video spotlighting the key locational factors, click here.

Web 2.0 For E-Government?

Can Twitter be used in an e-government context?  Why not. Both Tools For Thought and Des Outils et Des Hommes identified San Francisco and New York as the cities that are utilizing Twitter to compliment a government service such as an 311 information telephone hotline.

Click here to read more about this simple use of Twitter.

What Is Available On YouTube For Site Selectors?

YouTube has quickly become a search engine for information.  Rather than using Google, some individuals are turning to the Web 2.0 site.  Intelegia conducted a search on YouTube to see what relevant videos are available for site selectors in terms of promotional content for investment attraction.

Click here to read the results of the exercise.

Are you seeking to create or improve your economic development 2.0 strategy for investment attraction?  Register for Intelegia’s seminar, Optimize Investment Attraction Strategy Through Information and Social Media Applications

Web 2.0 & Health Information Delivery

Published
by
Ian Smith
on December 16, 2009
in Author-Ian Smith, Social Media Marketing and Web 2.0
. 0 Comments

My colleague, Aicha Habiby, who blogs at Des Outils et Des Hommes, informed me on the use of social media tools to push health information to citizens.

The Public Health Agency of Canada provides health information in regards to the H1N1 flu via the following five Web 2.0 applications:

RSS Feeds

RSS Feeds allows the agency to disseminate information via users’ RSS readers.  As seen in Figure 1, there are four topics covered as of December 15th, 2009.

  • H1N1 Flu Virus (Human Swine Flu)
  • Travel Health Advisories
  • Canada Communicable Disease Report (CCDR)
  • Chronic Diseases in Canada (CDIC)

Figure 1: Public Health Agency Of Canada’s RSS Feeds

Widgets

To help citizens access information easily, the agency has created a widget in which individuals can plug into a website, blog or a social media platform.  Figure 2 presents a look at the widget and the content that is updated in real time supply information about the H1N1 flu.

Figure 2: Public Health Agency Of Canada’s Widget For H1N1 Information

Twitter

Figure 3 illustrates the agency’s Twitter page with 1,433 followers.  Browsing the past tweets, the agency disseminates information on the H1N1 Flu.

Figure 3: Public Health Agency Of Canada’s Twitter For H1N1 Information

Facebook

The content of the agency’s Facebook Fan Page is divided amongst the following four sections:

  • Wall - The wall offers access to links to current news and information about the H1N1 flu.
  • Info - Fans have access to links to Public Health Agency of Canada and Fightflu websites in English and French.
  • Notes - The Notes section offers general information on the H1N1 flu with the ability to have fans to post comments.
  • H1N1 Information Centre - This section is the one-stop shop for H1N1 information.  The resource is divided into 10 activity modules as seen in Figure 4.

Figure 4: Public Health Agency Of Canada’s H1N1 Information Centre on Facebook

YouTube

The agency’s YouTube Channel is composed of a series of bilingual videos regarding H1N1 Flu and on-going initiatives to keep the public health.  The video below is a short 30 second clip about the H1N1 Immunization Campaign.

Web 2.0 And Business Attraction - Canadian Cities Online Marketing Index : Update

Published
by
Ian Smith
on December 9, 2009
in Author-Ian Smith, Economic Development, Investment Attraction and Social Media Marketing
. 2 Comments

In September 2009, E&B DATA, Intelegia’s parent company, published “Web 2.0 And Business Attraction: Canadian Cities Online Marketing Index“, a study that measured how well Canadian cities economic development agencies are marketing their regions to potential investors via the web.  Specifically, the use of social media marketing tools and the availability of relevant information for site selection purposes were assessed.  The top four ranked cities were:

  • Halifax
  • London
  • Hamilton
  • Ottawa

To see if any of the top Canadian Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Areas (CMSA) has adopted additional Web 2.0 applications as apart of their marketing strategy for investment attraction, Intelegia visited the websites of the economic development agencies of the CMSAs on December 3rd, 2009.

The following agencies have integrated some social media marketing tools over the past few months:

  • Vancouver Economic Development Commission
  • Hamilton Economic Development
  • Montreal International
  • Greater Victoria Economic Development Agency

Vancouver Economic Development Commission

Since October 23rd, 2009, the Vancouver Economic Development Commission has been micro-blogging via its Twitter page, vaneconomic. Figure 1 presents a look at the vaneconomic page.

Figure 1: vaneconomic Twitter page

This page provides information in the form of announcements regarding award winners to the latest news about the upcoming Winter Olympics.

Hamilton Economic Development

Hamilton Economic Development offers videocasts via investinhamilton TV.

Figure 2: investinhamilton TV on The Hamilton Development Website

The videocast offers news regarding companies that are investing in the city of Hamilton.

Montreal International

Montreal International recently revamped their website to include a videocast on the front page.  Figure 3 shows what the index page of the website.

Figure 3: Index Page Of Montreal International’s Website

Besides the content of the videocast that promotes Montreal as the best place to invest, the website has four navigational tabs that enable individuals to locate information easier.  By clicking on the “INVEST” tab, individuals can now access contact information for the person who is responsible for fielding inquiries about investment opportunities in the Greater Montreal area.  This piece of information was not available on past versions of the website.

Greater Victoria Economic Development Agency

The Greater Victoria Economic Development Agency has an online presence on LinkedIn and Facebook.

The LinkedIN group page was created in October 2009.  Figure 4 is a screen shot of the LinkedIN page.

Figure 4: Greater Victoria Development Agency LinkedIn Group Page

As of December 3rd, 2009, there has not been any activity on the page.   The agency’s Facebook group, started September 26th, 2009, offers the following elements to members:

  • Wall posts
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Links

Figure 5 is an image of the Greater Victoria Development Agency’s Facebook group.

Figure 5: The Greater Victoria Development Agency’s Facebook Group

According, Economic Development Marketing in Canada (2009), a survey commissioned by the Economic Developer Association of Canada (EDAC), 70% of respondents identified that social media or blogging will be new marketing initiatives in 2010 for their organizations.  Based on the benchmark conducted in September 2009 and visits to the four sites listed above, it seems that some cities are slowly realizing the power of using Web 2.0 applications.

Has your organization started to use social media marketing tools for economic development 2.0 initiatives? If so, tell us and we will happy to make it the subject of a future blog post.

Web 2.0 and Investment Attraction: UK Trade & Investment

Published
by
Ian Smith
on November 11, 2009
in Author-Ian Smith, Investment Attraction, Social Media Marketing and Web 2.0 Strategy
. 2 Comments

E&B DATA’s recent benchmark study, “Web 2.0 And Business Attraction - Canadian Cities Online Marketing Index” examined how well economic development agencies in large Canadian cities are utilizing social media marketing tools for investment attraction.

Just to show that cities are not the only entities that are using web 2.0 applications, countries have hopped on the bandwagon.  A perfect example is: UK & Trade Investment.

UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is the government department that helps businesses locate in the UK and grow internationally.   The department’s website ranks amongst the best in class according to Organization for Economic Co-operation Development as stated in The World Bank’s Global Investment Promotion Benchmarking 2009 Summary Report (Please see page 62)

Upon visiting the website, you will be able to spot their collection of social media marketing  tools.  The site provides links to the following applications:

  • Blog - The provides insights on various aspects of trade and investment attraction activities.  UKTI uses a multi-blogger approach by having different staff members post on a regular basis.
  • Twitter - This  page acts as a vehicle to push information regarding  UKTI activities and relevant news items.
  • YouTube - This channel is an outlet to:
    • Learn about London’s success stories
    • Provide information on High Growth Markets
    • Provide country information
    • Access past speeches from Lord Davies - Minister for Trade & Investment
    • Access case studies
  • Flickr - The Flickr photostream allows individuals to view pictures from past business events involving UKTI representatives and ministers.
  • Facebook - The Facebook Fan Page is mainly composed of UKTI staff members and is used to provide updates on new posts on the other social networking platforms.
  • LinkedIn - The LinkedIn group is avenue in which UKTI can bring together trade and investment experts and businesses.  It is interesting to see that the department has created subgroup for business people interested in trade and investment between Canada and the UK.

Figure 1 illustrates the UK Trade & Investment’s Twitter page.

Figure 1: UK Trade & Investment’s Twitter Page
Please click on image to enlarge

UKTI shared their thoughts on their web 2.0 strategy in terms of their objectives and tangible benefits:

Objectives:

  • Reach new audiences: new and existing customers; consultants; the media; other government departments; colleagues
  • Spread the word about UKTI through news and insights
  • Raise awareness of events/initiatives/news
  • Support marketing pushes
  • Be more accessible/responsive/open/two-way
  • Keep track of what is being said about UKTI and have the opportunity to respond direct

Benefits

  • Opportunity to feed back, re-inform and offer further information
  • Increase attendance at events, and in turn increase take-up of UKTI services
  • Reach new audiences and be where conversations are already taking place
  • Positive (unsolicited) tweets about UKTI/services have reached a large and diverse audience (of previously untapped potential customers)
  • A major website traffic driver. Both Linkedin and Twitter are in the top 5 traffic referrers to the investment services website.
  • Drive (trade website) registration by raising awareness of how we can help. Eg, by tweeting business opportunities we are broadening reach beyond the current customer-base

Are you thinking about creating an economic development 2.0 strategy for economic development initiatives such as investment attraction for your city, province or state and/or country?    What are the main challenges that you will have to deal with?   Tell us.