Workforce Business Case Development:
When a community finds itself challenged to “prove” labor market availability, the typical approach may be a Labor Market Study.  These studies often dissect labor market statistics and survey the population, and result in a detailed analysis, but not a compelling business case to hand over to a prospect.

A Better Option is to create a Workforce Business Case, a literal library of slides that can be easily customized for prospects to describe the talent pool, the talent pipeline, and the competition for talent in your community, region, or state.

Marketing Plan Review and Development:
Economic development targeting and marketing suffers from many “me-too” approaches to allocating time and money.  Traditional channels and clichéd approaches dilute the ability to stand out in a crowded marketplace.

A Better Option is to capitalize on the expertise of a site selector like Kate McEnroe, who has been the target of marketing campaigns and approaches for twenty years, to develop truly unique approaches.

Marketing Materials Review:
Most economic development organizations have accumulated a great deal of print and on-line marketing materials as leadership changes, targets evolve, and marketing activities arise.  This piecemeal approach can lead to a diffused “look and feel” for the organization with overlapping audiences and at times even inconsistent information.

A Better Option is to periodically commission a comprehensive look at all materials used in all channels, and receive professional feedback on how to pare down or supplement materials to have a more consistent and compelling package of materials.

Web Site Content Development:
Economic Development organizations develop web sites for a variety of audiences, but for site selectors, most sites still fall short of providing the data we value most and fail to take advantage of the opportunity to use this channel to present compelling marketing messages.

A Better Option is to couple the resources you use to develop the technical aspects of your site with Kate McEnroe’s expertise as someone who seeks out and receives state and community information on a daily basis and can tell you what corporate users find unique, compelling, and critical to decision making.

Screening Assessment Exercise:
A large portion of site selection now takes place at arm’s length from the state and community up until the point of identifying a shortlist.  To better understand this process, communities sometimes engage a consultant to conduct an on-site case study that simulates how to respond to RFPs and perform during a short list field work visit.

A Better Option, if your concern is that you are not receiving enough RFPs or field visits, is to participate in a Screening Assessment Exercise, which will reveal how your area is being evaluated by third parties, and what may be causing your community to be dropped during the screening process before you even realize you are under consideration.  The Screening Assessment Exercise results in recommended marketing activities that will help decision makers and influencers to better have a better understanding of the attributes of your community than data alone can provide.