Tools For Thought - Intelegia

on May 19, 2010

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For months, Intelegia has provided examples of how Web 2.0 tools can be used to promote a region for investment attraction. On both sides of the border in North America, we have seen a slow adoption of the tools by economic development agencies. For some agencies, websites with web 1.0 characteristics seem to be appropriate for their needs.

The Acton Region, located in the centre of Estrie, Centre du Québec and Montérégie regions.

Here is a look at The Acton Region website that has the following elements which makes it a very efficient tool for investment attraction.

Key Industries and Business Opportunities Listings

From the index page of site, investors and / or site selectors can access information regarding the key sectors in the region, specifically:

Metal fabrication
Composite materials (plastics, fibreglass, rubber)
Agri-food
Subcontracting (machining, bending, prototyping, welding)
Wood processing
Concrete products
Textiles

Although the section may look rather generic, the business opportunities listings is worth taking a look at. Figure 1 provides a glimpse of the project costs and financial results associated with an investment opportunity in the plastics sector.

Figure 1:Project Costs and Financial Results For A Possible Investment In The Plastics Sector

The complete investment opportunity profile is available here

Key Localisation Factors Information

Along with the detailed information, the site supplies vivid images of the Acton Region as a promotional tool. By clicking on the Industrial Parks link listed under Investing In Acton, visitors can have access to micro-websites where there are possible locations in industrial parks in the region. Figure 2 is a listing of buildings and land for rent and sale in the industrial park in Acton.

Figure 2: Listing of buildings and land for rent and sale in the industrial park in Acton.

For each location, the website provides a hyperlink to Google Map image of the location as seen in Figure 3 for the first result listed above.

Figure 3: Google Maps Image Of Available Facility in Acton

Tweeting or Blogging For Economic Development

Published

on May 5, 2010

in Economic Development, Investment Attraction and Uncategorized

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Tools that are used as a part of a social media strategy for economic development are free however; it does require hours of work by individuals who manage the content. When faced with the option of using a blog or a Twitter account, tweeting makes complete sense when time is short. Twitter allows you to get your message out in 140 characters or less in seconds.

As seen in the post, “Invest In Korea Social Media Tools“, the Korean agency provides relevant and timely information regarding foreign direct investment via InvestinKorea. This is done within a matter of seconds however; some of the tweets lacks the details needed to inform and convince investors to place money in the country.

And that’s where the art of blogging comes into the social media marketing equation.

Blogging for economic development affords you with the luxury of providing not only facts from other sources but with the analysis of key issues. Figure 1 is an image of a page from Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation’s blog “Clark’s Cone of Silence” by Tom Clark.

Figure 1: The Cone of Silence Blog

What is important to note in The Cone Of Silence is the appearance of Tom Clark’s photo and biography. Both elements aids in the promotion of the blog by being an authoritative source for news and analysis for economic development in Metro Denver. In his post, “Metro Denver makes big impression on national site selectors“, Clark provides a detailed account of a visit with site selectors and Metro Denver’s key locational factors.

Since it would be rather difficult to put all that content into one tweet, it is important to know what sort of information should be available on a Twitter feed and blog in order for each application to be efficient and effective,

Case scenario:

You have just received a mandate to put your city on the radar in terms of investment attraction. Given a Twitter account and a blog that is already indexed by the top search engines and news aggregators, what kind of content should be posted on each application?

Possible Solution::

Twitter:

Link to local news articles on success stories of companies that have invested in the city
Link to latest report on city’s innovation climate
A tweet from the provincial / state government regarding news about recent changes to incentive programs

Blog:

Profiles of new companies investing in the city. (Please note: This should not be a copy of a press release)
Assessments of successful incentive programs
Photos /videos of events linked to investment attraction initiatives

The purpose of the post is not to discourage economic development agencies from either tool. The two applications compliment each other and should be used strategically to reach desired objectives.

Do you agree with the possible solution presented for the case scenario mentioned above? What would you do if you were given the same mandate. Tell us!!!

The Northern Lights Mining Network© (NLMN) Facebook Initiative

Published

on February 18, 2009

in Author-Ian Smith, Investment Attraction, Social Media Marketing, Uncategorized, Web 2.0 and Web 2.0 Strategy

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We, here at Intelegia have been preaching about the power of Web 2.0 and its various tools. There is no doubt that social networking platforms have brought people together regardless of location.

After defining an investment attraction, retention and expansion strategy for Hyron Corporation, thanks to our parent company, E&B DATA under the management of investment strategist, Isabelle Poirier, Intelegia took the mandate to the next level.

Intelegia is quite proud to share with you the details of a pilot project using Facebook.

We have created a page in which members of the local business community and stakeholders of the mining sector can connect to share information and promote the region as a location to invest. The Northern Lights Mining Network© has the objective of building a virtual network for entities in the sector operating north of the 53rd parallel. The network will serve presently as a central hub for those in Labrador and eventually be a resource for those across Canada.

Some of features on the page include:

Event listings
RSS Newsfeeds
The Wall
Notes
MyFlickr

If you wish to become a ‘fan’ (member) of The Northern Lights Mining Network© , log onto Facebook and click on the link posted above associated with the network’s name. Stay tuned for new developments on this exciting initiative.

Profiles of Web 2.0 Participants

Published

on August 13, 2007

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According to Hitwise, there is a significant gap between individuals who consult web 2.0 based site and individuals who are willing to contribute to it. Only 1% to 5% of web 2.0 users are generating content on the platform whereas 80% to 90% of users are just visiting various sites to access content.

This is kind of a surprising fact to realize since the web 2.0 was suppose to be the ultimate sharing platform. Although sites such as YouTube and Wikipedia has received tremendous attention, they have not reached their potential in terms of allowing people to make content available in various formats.

Harry Potter Internet Intelligence Resources

Published

on July 26, 2007

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It seems that lately, I can’t avoid the number story that is making every newscast, the launch of the new Harry Potter book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow”. I guess that if everyone is caught up the frenzy, then I should join in.

If you are like me and a few books behind the world, here a few internet resources to consult to get up to speed on what the all buzz is about regarding the new book.

And of course, be sure to conduct blogsearches with Technorati.

Very Interesting Findings On Web Search Results

Published

on July 20, 2007

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According to a study conducted by Webfetch, a U.K. meta search company, online users of Google is missing out on “3 out of 4 (72.7%) of the web’s best search results”.

Interesting. I believe that the number maybe a little high but nonetheless, it will shatter the myth that some still have that everything on the web can be found via Google. With Goolgle’s strong brand presence online, it will take more than a report or a press release to get people to change search tools. From personal experience, omitting information that is online but not indexed by Google will only encourage individuals to consider using a second search tool.

From additional findings from the report can be read here.

Welcome To The Blogosphere Stephan

Published

on July 11, 2007

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I would like to take the time to welcome a colleague, Stephan Becker to the blogosphere. Stephan will focusing on the world of “social media marketing”. Social media marketing is in its infancy however; it is a very dynamic field to follow if you wish to communicate effectively on the web to reach potential consumers.

Google & The Copyright Issue

Published

on July 6, 2007

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Back in late April 2007, I brought to your attention a claim of copyright infringement by a group of Belgian newspapers against Google. The claim was based on the fact that Google was permitting users access to paid content via its news search tool and cached function for free.

The issue has been heard by the Belgian court but a decision has not be rendered. Google and the group of newspapers believes that the dispute will be settled out of court.

The reason that I am bringing this issue to light again is due to the individuals that take advantage of the cache function and assume that content is always on Google’s servers.

The issue is pretty interesting to the serious internet researcher to follow because it may alter the way some content is indexed and searched for in the near future.

The Power of Wikipedia

Published

on June 29, 2007