1. Be different from your competitors
Many economic development organizations fail to think about the competition when thinking about branding their communities. This is a tenet of traditional product branding that place marketers would be wise to observe. You must recognize that site selectors, businesses and workers are not looking at your city in isolation. It is one choice in a sea of options, and the only way to stand out is to think not just about what your city has to offer, but to think about what your city offers that is different.
As the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) points out:
“Technically, your community may have the same strengths and assets as a number of others. The key is finding a differentiator in the mind of the client, and understanding site selection criteria so you can turn features such as transportation or education into distinct advantages.”
Don’t be afraid to take a stand and commit to what makes you different. Many people shy away from this approach for fear of losing some of their potential audience, but the result of trying to be all things to all people is usually a “bland brand” that resonates with no one. Build your brand message around your competitive advantage.
2. Tell the truth
The Saffron Group – a British consultancy – recently released a study that compared the brand strength of European cities. The study looked at both the assets the city had to offer (e.g. culture, amenities etc.) as well as the current image of the city. In many cases, cities had assets that they were not leveraging, resulting in an image that was weaker than what the city had to offer in reality.
But in some cases, the opposite was true.
Cities did a great job of selling an image that embellished (or worse) what the city offered in reality. This resulted in a city whose image was stronger than its actual assets. In short, these cities fail to live up to their own hype.
A sustainable economic development communications strategy requires the reality lives up to the perception. Identify your current assets, match them to an audience that values those assets and fill the gaps you need to attract sectors targeted in your economic development strategy. If you build it they will come. If you already have it, they will come for that too. But if you are dishonest about it, they will come, see for themselves… and then they will promptly leave.
3. Get stakeholders excited about what really matters
Too often we see stakeholders being poorly utilized in the branding process. It’s not uncommon to find a group of community leaders huddled around a conference table debating the merits of a red versus blue logo, rather than engaging with an overall strategy and vision. Get your stakeholders excited about what is really driving the branding exercise in the first place. This will garner lasting engagement that can be counted on well after the launch of the brand.
