tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84121809703118668492011-04-21T21:34:27.644-04:00Transforming Municipal GrowthGain insights for using best marketing practices to grow your municipality and improve your economic development program.Phillip Barnesnoreply@blogger.comBlogger51100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412180970311866849.post-8118165123697890722008-01-02T17:34:00.000-05:002008-01-02T17:46:39.551-05:00Vendor selection and the RFP/RFQ process'Tis the season for identifying your vendors for the upcoming calendar and fiscal years. This can be a daunting process for some, but nothing to get too worried about. Here are three tips to selecting the right vendor for your upcoming economic development or municipal marketing project.1. ExpertiseWhen you line your vendors up head-to-head, you want to compare them on the same criteria. Create aPhillip Barnesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412180970311866849.post-11496066467366672932007-11-01T20:12:00.000-04:002007-11-01T20:53:20.553-04:003 ways to be a stronger leader for your communityIt's a fact. People have an innate need to belong. More specifically, people need to be part of a successful community with a vision and goals for the future as well as a reason for being today. And every great community has one thing in common: outstanding leadership. In the absence of leadership, people will naturally seek out a different community that satisfies their needs. This could be justPhillip Barnesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412180970311866849.post-32773839260465604952007-10-23T21:23:00.000-04:002007-10-24T21:48:13.744-04:00When was the last time you spoke to EVERYONE in your town?There is no reason these days not to have personal relationships with every business and resident in your town. Don't have the time, you say? It's time to leverage the power of good data!If you have a database of every resident and business in your town with some key demographic or firmographic information combined with a well-designed and automated contact matrix, you can expect to maintain Phillip Barnesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412180970311866849.post-56494781528355943002007-10-21T10:37:00.000-04:002007-10-21T16:54:52.704-04:00who are the people in your neighborhood?No, it's not just the title of children's song, but a very serious question if you are planning your economic development strategy for next year. As Fall gets into gear, a new year is just around the corner.As you consider your strategies for next year, you should be able to answer the following question. Who are the people in your neighborhood? U.S. population and economic census data can give Phillip Barnesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8412180970311866849.post-49320907624653468752007-10-18T21:01:00.000-04:002007-10-18T21:09:31.929-04:00good data makes all the differenceThe importance of having good data for your municipal marketing efforts cannot be overstated. Having good data means that your list is complete, clean, up-to-date, and comprehensive. With a good database, economic developers now have a powerful tool at their disposal for direct marketing analysis and campaign execution. Don't have a database or not sure how to use it properly? In the United Phillip Barnesnoreply@blogger.com1