The vendor is required to provide economic development marketing advertising and public relations services for include:
• Website revamp
• Photography and videography
• Social media
• Marketing collateral
• Stakeholder communication & partnerships
• Ambassador program
• Public relations
• Paid media
• Broker and developer outreach
• Site selection consultant outreach
1. Website revamp
a. Map:
• Include a map on the home page of your website to illustrate where commerce city is located, and its connectivity to the Denver region, airport and nearby assets.
b. newsroom:
• This can be a powerful tool in promoting positive stories coming out of commerce city.
• The newsroom should be updated regularly with content such as blogs, project announcements, news articles and success stories
c. Downloadable resources:
• Continue making your economic profile downloadable, along with other marketing materials.
downloads provide convenience as well as an opportunity for a call to action on your site.
d. Visuals:
• Dynamic photos and videos are instrumental in creating a positive image, conveying information effectively and engaging viewers.
e. Mobile first:
• In recent years, searches on mobile have surpassed those on desktop. google also favors mobile-friendly websites in search results.
f. Ada compliance:
• Web accessibility compliance ensures that your website caters to a wide range of users’ needs and has become a best practice for websites.
g. SEO:
• Successful search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for boosting website visibility and search engine rankings by enhancing traffic, building brand credibility and driving higher conversions.
h. Clear contact information:
• Ensure an economic development team member’s contact information is listed and easy to find.
• site selectors and business executives do not like to fill out a form and want direct contact information.
• Ideally, pair a photo with contact information.
i. Calls to action:
• having clear calls to action (CTA) throughout the website engages, guides and encourages user actions and provides a measurable benchmark.
j. Visual and interactive:
• Your new site should utilize a web design that allows you to amplify visuals and display information in a digestible format.
• Using features like tabbed content, interactive maps and video can make your site more engaging.
2. Photography and videography
• Employees working in target industries
• Real people living and working in commerce city
• New developments and revitalized areas
• Community assets (including shots with people in them)
• Beauty in commerce city
• Community diversity
• Growth opportunities and infrastructure
• Businesses and their operations
• Unexpected and hidden gems
a. Emphasize success:
• Highlight the success stories of businesses operating in commerce city, entrepreneurs, new developments and opportunities for development to demonstrate commerce city’s economic vitality.
b. Professional production:
• When possible, invest in high-quality video and audio to enhance your credibility and make a positive impression.
c. Duration and format:
• Keep videos relatively short and easily shareable, especially for online platforms.
• Consider creating different versions or formats for different distribution channels.
d. Timing:
• Consider the time of day and the time of year when scheduling photo shoots.
• Avoid harsh midday sunlight, overcast lighting, rain/snow and bare foliage.
e. People:
• Use real employees, business owners and community members to make the images relatable and authentic.
• Make sure you have a signed photo release form from anyone included in photos.
f. Diversity:
• Represent the diversity of people, industries and cultures within commerce city to create inclusive and welcoming images
3. Social-media
a. Profile optimization:
• Ensure commerce city’s LinkedIn profile is complete, professional and representative of your economic development efforts.
b. Content sharing:
• Focus on quality over quantity. begin by posting twice weekly.
• Aim to share content with a call to action and link back to commerce city’s website.
c. Network expansion:
• Build a robust network of followers and connections, including local stakeholders, partners and businesses, as well as site selection consultants, corporate executives and developers you interact with.
d. Types of content to share:
• Progress on development projects
• Positive news articles
• City and partner news
• Stats and information on your key industries, workforce and doing business
• Testimonials/company success stories
• Local and national events the city is participating in
• Commerce city businesses with unique stories or milestones e. Consistent posting:
• Maintain a regular posting schedule to keep the commerce city ed page active and engaged with your audience.
• Share updates, success stories and relevant content consistently to stay top-of-mind.
start by posting two times/week and eventually increasing to three times/week.
f. Visual content:
• Utilize high-quality images, videos and infographics about commerce city to make posts visually appealing and shareable.
g. Engagement and interaction:
• Actively engage with your audience by tagging partners, responding to comments and asking questions to encourage interaction.
h. Analytics and insights:
• Regularly analyze your Facebook page's performance using Facebook insights.
• Understand what types of content resonate with your audience and adjust your strategy accordingly to maximize engagement and reach.
4. Marketing collateral
a. Key messages “pocket” brochure:
• This pocket-sized booklet can be handed out internally to help city staff, partners and stakeholders “sing from the same songbook” when it comes to selling commerce city.
• It can also be handed out externally to prospects.
b. Target industry factsheets:
• Once the city’s economic strategy is complete, we recommend developing fact sheets on your target industries that can be included as a call-to-action download on your website and handed out to prospects and partners.
5. Stakeholder communication
• E-newsletters with updates on the latest economic development news and links to city resources
• Quarterly or biannual meetings to share updates on projects happening in commerce city, new programs and initiatives, and ways partners can help amplify commerce city’s efforts.
• This also gives city staff a chance to hear partner/stakeholder questions, ideas or concerns.
• Once your economic development strategy is complete, hold an economic development marketing workshop, where you share how commerce city is positioning itself, key messages, collateral and key findings and next steps from the economic development strategy.
• The idea is to arm the city’s partners with tools on how to speak about commerce city’s assets and attributes.
6. Ambassador program
• Promoting commerce city’s business and development successes
• Connecting with potential businesses and investors considering the city during site visits or other opportunities
• Staying up to date on ed happenings throughout commerce city
• Sharing positive stories about commerce city via social media 7. Public relations
• Consider hiring a local public relations firm to proactively pitch positive stories in targeted publications.
• Communicate consistently with local media, letting them know about new projects, business news and developments.
• When possible, put forward corporate spokespeople who will speak highly of doing business in the city.
• Pitch quality of life stories to in-state media to bring awareness to commerce city’s “hidden gems” and livability, positioning it as a place where talent wants to live.
• Reach out to trade media with select news about companies expanding in commerce city within your target industries
8. Paid media
a. Facebook boosted posts
• Boosted Facebook posts are a cost-effective method to reach small business owners due to the platform's wide reach and precise targeting capabilities.
• By strategically promoting commerce city's business-friendly environment, small business programs and incentives through sponsored posts, you can effectively capture the attention of small businesses seeking growth opportunities.
b. LinkedIn sponsored content
• Utilize linked in’s sponsored content ads to boost awareness of economic development in commerce city through paid campaigns.
• This platform excels in its exceptional targeting capabilities, allowing you to connect with businesses of all sizes across a variety of industries.
• You can further optimize your approach by uploading customized company targets, which is especially valuable with a prospective list of businesses you would like to see in commerce city.
• It's essential to ensure that your sponsored content ads' messaging aligns with your updated brand key messages and emphasizes unique attributes that appeal to your target audience.
9. Broker and developer outreach
• Create an annual event to showcase commerce city to Denver-based commercial and industrial real estate brokers
• Speakers and panels with investors and leaders in commerce city
• A tour showcasing available sites, recent developments and commerce city assets
• A memorable networking component such a suite at dick’s sporting goods park during a state rapids game
• Keep in touch on a regular basis with brokers with updates on commerce city real estate developments via e-newsletters and phone outreach.
• Look for opportunities for in-person visits and networking – whether it’s a commercial real estate networking event in Denver or one-on-one meetings throughout the year.
10. Site selection consultant outreach
• Attend industry events
• Communicate via site selector e-newsletters
• Continue to partner with metro Denver EDC, OEDIT or other regional organizations to participate in site selector events such as familiarization (fam) tours, luncheons, conferences or outbound missions.
- Contract Period/Term: 1 year
- Virtual Pre-Proposal Meeting Date: April 14, 2025
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: April 16, 2025