We are pleased to present the results of the 2nd Annual Economic Development Marketing in Canada survey. In June and July of 2010, we asked members of the Economic Developers Association of Canada about their marketing practices, budgets, challenges and ambitions. The results are now available, and will serve as a valuable resource for the profession when it comes to benchmarking, planning and budgeting.

Some of this year’s key findings include:

• Business attraction is the top-ranked marketing objective. Business retention is a distant second.
• 37% of respondents say their website is the single most effective marketing technique they are using, and 70% have a dedicated, frequently updated web presence.
• With the exception of radio, advertising has decreased overall. Those that indicated they aren’t doing any advertising at all has increased by 8% over the 2009 survey.
• The adoption of social media is increasing, and continues to be the top planned activity identified for 2011.

A big thanks to all the respondents who took the time to participate. We will continue to conduct the survey annually and welcome your feedback, questions and suggestions. We hope you find it useful.

You can view and download the 2010 and 2009 surveys here.