Atlas CEO Ben Wright shares latest data on online usage for economic development, as part of the International Economic Development Council's Marketing and Attraction course in Phoenix in March 2012.

1. IEDC Marketing &
Attraction: Marketing
Specific Sites
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2. This session’s objective
To show you the role that real estate
plays in the site selection process,
and how to leverage that for your
community’s benefit.
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3. Three points
• The web is where the vast majority of the interactions with
your organization are happening now. These interactions
are an essential part of driving investment in your
community.
• GIS is an important tool to help serious inquiries evaluate
your community, and will improve the performance of your
online program if integrated into your website.
• The most comprehensive online programs market what
services your organization offers, your community’s
workforce, largest employers, community assets AND real
estate, as part of one story.
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4. About Atlas
Atlas helps economic developers reach national and international
prospect and site selection audiences. We deliver branding, website
development, GIS mapping, prospect management, social media and
creative services professionally and with a staff experienced in economic
development.
Atlas Advertising is led by a former economic development practitioner
and has worked with 80+ different economic development clients in more
than 40 U.S. states.
Featured clients:
– State of Ohio – Charleston County, South Carolina
– Indy Partnership – Greater Omaha Economic
– City of Richmond, VA Development Partnership
– City of San Francisco – Webster City, Iowa
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5. How many of you like to send text
messages?
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6. How To Vote via Texting
1. Standard texting rates only (worst6 case US $0.20)
2. We have no access to your phone number
3. Capitalization doesn’t matter, but spaces and spelling do

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9. 9

10. Session Outline
1. Latest Data on High Performing Websites, GIS
Systems, and Online Marketing
2. How a Site Selector Specializing in Manufacturing and
Office Gathers Information Today
3. How Economic Developers Can Take Advantage of
These Trends
4. Q+A
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11. Atlas study: Benchmarking the
value of promotional activities
1. We aim to solve issues of comparative performance in
economic development promotion
2. We are benchmarking:
– Website visits
– Inquiries
– Jobs annonced
– Capital Investment
3. Launched two weeks ago, we have 40 communities that
have already participated.
4. We are aiming for 350 by September and will present the
findings about how each participating community that
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participated ranks at that time.

12. Atlas study: Benchmarking the
value of promotional activities
Join the study by clicking this url (also at your table), or
reading the QR code below:
http://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/18025g4e68a
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13. The Corporate Location
Process
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14. The average economic
development website receives
18,600 unique visits per year, or
1,552 per month.
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15. The average economic
development organization receives
116 qualified inquiries per year, or
9.7 per month.
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16. The average economic
development website receives 161
unique visits per qualified inquiry.
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17. The average qualified attraction or
retention inquiry you receive is
worth $11.2 million to your
community in terms of wages and
capital investment.
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18. Top 10 pages used nationally on
ED websites
1. About Us (about the organization)
2. Programs (that the organization offers)
3. Data Center
4. News
5. Relocate and Expand
6. Find Property
7. Site Selection Services
8. Workforce data and Information
9. Database of Companies or Largest Employers
10.Maps of the Area
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19. Top Pages Used on Atlas Websites
That Include a Link to An Outside
GIS System/Property Database
Page Views Per
100 Site Visits
About Us 11
Site Selection Services 11
Data Center 10
Contact Us 7
Visits to Property Search or
GIS 5
Source: Study of Analytics of Atlas websites with a link to an external GIS, May 2011
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20. Top Pages Used on Atlas
Websites That Include
Integrated GIS
Page Views Per
100 Site Visits
Property Searches 38
Business Searches 23
Visits to GIS Landing Page 19
About Us 14
Data Center 12
Contact Us 10
Site Selection 7
Source: Study of Analytics of Atlas InSite websites with integrated GIS, May 2011
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21. 21

22. Research with Site Selectors
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23. Please rate the following in terms
of their importance as a source of
information:
% Important, % Important,
Information Source
2011 2006
Site visits (including familiarization tours) 100% 100%
Existing relationships with ED officials 95% 88%
Community websites 90% 63%
Third party national data sources 90% n/a
Past experience with other deals 81% 71%
Word of mouth from peers 57% 43%
Calls from local officials 48% 29%
Existing relationships with local real estate
38% 29%
community
National conferences 29% 0%
Trade magazines 29% 14%
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Social Media/Social Networks 24% n/a

24. Most Important and “Fastest
Growing” Location Factors
2011 2006 % difference
Access to customers (large markets) 95% 69% 26%
Financial incentives from communities 95% 69% 26%
Proximity to a research university 67% 43% 24%
Access to technical/scientific workers 90% 70% 20%
Quality or fit of specific real estate 90% 75% 15%
Access to transportation infrastructure 90% 76% 14%
Pro-business tax-regulatory climate 95% 83% 12%
Access to senior management talent 76% 64% 12%
Quality of life for employees 62% 60% 2%
Ability to recruit workforce 95% 96% -1%
A rapidly growing region 57% 60% -3%
Access to cultural amenities 43% 49% -6%
Access to outdoor recreation 10% 38% -28%
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Climate (weather) 29% 58% -29%

25. 25

26. Question:
What is the information you
most frequently get asked to
provide for Site Selectors?
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27. How a Site Selector
Specializing in
Manufacturing Gathers
Information Today
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28. Keith Gendreau
• Based in New York, NY
• Senior Consultant with Cushman &
Wakefield. Formerly with Wadley
Donovan Gutshaw Consulting.
• Geographer by Trade. Master’s Degree
in Economic Development.
• Specializes in Location Strategy and
Labor Analytics.
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29. Decision Support Data
Sources and Tools
Cushman & Wakefield Global Business Consulting maintains the most up to date demographic databases
and spatial analysis tools to execute projects of this type.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Mapping
MapInfo
Comprehensive demographic and segmentation database
Comprehensive Industry employment forecast , population mobility data
Location specific wage database
ACCRA cost of living index; State incentives database
C&W Team, 150+ years of specific relevant experience
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30. Case Study 1:
Workforce Analysis
• Situation:
– HQ relocation from Midwest
– Includes a new showcase manufacturing facility
– Critical international air service requirement
• Once 2 priority metros were identified, a sub-market location screen was conducted:
– Headquarters
• “Cluster” analysis focused on satisfying executive lifestyles including, quality-
of-life, commute times, and airport access.
– Manufacturing Facility
• Facility must reside within 45-60 minutes of the new HQ. Human resources
driven, other key considerations include sites/buildings and incentives.
• Results support:
• Site recommendations for due-diligence field study (define top two HQ and
three MFG in order of preference)
• Viability of least preferred markets
• Likelihood and magnitude of incentive benefits
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31. Case Study 1:
Workforce Analysis
• To identify best HQ
submarkets, the analysis
focused on resident
characteristics aligned with
relocatee demographics and
quality-of-life indicators.
• Plotting of “executive lifestyle
clusters” (green shading)
within a 60-minute drivetime
of Dulles airport.
• Both identified submarkets
are optimally positioned for
maximum exposure to
regional commutable
executive housing options.
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32. Case Study 1:
Workforce Analysis
• Manufacturing Plant
Location Screen.
• Objective: Identify study
sectors meeting minimum
labor thresholds in
production occupations,
and specifically machine
operators & assembler
occupations (red hatch
marks).
• Results: Rank order
study sectors for field
study validation on key
non-cost (i.e.,
demographic, labor
supply/demand, etc.) and
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cost variables.

33. Case Study 2:
Workforce Analysis
1 Intelligence Gathering
• Recent merger provided a new service region in Houston and created high
call volume/turnover and required greater customer service capacity
• Client was geographically constrained within the inherited service footprint 6
but chose to stay at least 15 miles from the current site
• We requested HR data from both Houston and an established center
Pull Factors
elsewhere 1
2 Findings 5
• Although the tenure and gender percentage was nearly identical,
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i.e., Target Households,
Houston’s workforce was nearly 5 years younger on average Educational Institutions
• Also, Houston hired twice as many candidates under age 25 than
did the benchmark city 2
3 Translation into Workforce Profile
• Primary Group reflected the “core” demographic drawn to these jobs 3
in Houston
• Secondary Group identified an older population segment, more like
Benchmark, where a more mature, “stable” worker might be found
4 Application
• Mapped densities of both target groups
• Used dot density map to identify proxy areas of Target Profile Push Factors
concentration which are within the service footprint, but outside of
the 15 mile buffer from the current site
5 Results
• Set up a “Push – Pull” argument to be near positive factors (target i.e., Natural Disaster Risk
households, education institutions) and away from negative factors Labor Market Competitors
(Natural Disaster, Competitors) 33
• Identified two leading candidates for Due Diligence
•Spring – North •Pasadena - Southeast

34. Question:
What Information is
Accessed Most Frequently
on Your Website Today?
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35. Additional GIS Use
Examples
Site Overlays Natural Disaster Risk Assessment
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36. GIS Content on Economic
Development Websites
• Many websites of economic development entities fall short of
providing the information that site selectors need for
Existing Building
discriminating among areas in the previously defined location Critical Search Fields
screening process.
City
• Concerning GIS content, critical applications include:
County
– Interactive Property Search Maps
Minimum Square Feet
– Interactive Demographics & Major Employer Plots
Maximum Square Feet
– Interactive Base Layer, Land Use and Zoning Maps
– Downloadable Shapefiles (.shp) for use in mapping Minimum Clear Height
software Minimum Column Spacing
• To provide better service to the corporate site seeker, the Sale, Lease, Both
following guidelines are suggested for economic development Building Type (i.e., Industrial, R&D, Commercial, etc.)
organization websites:
Specialty Feature (i.e., Call Center, Clean Room, Cold
Land Storage, Data Center, etc.)
Critical Search Fields
Zoning
City
Cranes
County
Docks
Minimum Acres
Rail (preferred/required)
Maximum Acres
Max Distance to:
Site Zoning - Interstate
Rail Proximity - 4-Laned Highway
- Commercial Airport
Max Distance to:
- Interstate 36 Previous Use
- 4-Laned Highway
- Commercial Airport
Brownfield or Greenfield

37. GIS Content on Economic
Development Websites
• Baseline content that would facilitate an interactive GIS platform should include the following “activateable”
menus:
Base Layer Future Land Use
Menu Submenu
County Boundary Business Park
Streets Commercial
Airport Runways , Noise Contours, Property Lines Developmentally Sensitive
Subdivisions Hydrology
Zoning Boundaries High Suburban Density
Parcels Industrial
Zip Codes Public / Institutional
Rivers Recreation
Forest / Preserved Areas Rural Density
Flood Plains Rural Land
Elevation (10 ft and 2 ft contours) Suburban Residential
Future Land Use Transportation
Color Aerials Urban Density
City/Municipal Boundaries
Schools (including colleges)
Rail (yards, spurs, main lines) 37
Utilities (to the extent available)

38. Three points
• The web is where the vast majority of the interactions with
your organization are happening now. These interactions
are an essential part of driving investment in your
community.
• GIS is an important tool to help serious inquiries evaluate
your community, and will improve the performance of your
online program if integrated into your website.
• The most comprehensive online programs market what
services your organization offers, your community’s
workforce, largest employers, community assets AND real
estate, as part of one story.
38

39. How Economic
Developers Can Take
Advantage of These
Trends
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40. Top-Notch Websites that
Market Sites & Buildings
Northern Kentucky: Ohio Business Development
• http://arcims.boonecountygis.com Coalition
/AirportBase/ • www.ohiomeansbusiness.com
Charlotte Regional Partnership
• charlotteusa.com
• Mecklenburg County GIS:
maps.co.mecklenburg.nc.us/edgis
Kansas City Area Development
Council
Source: Boone County GIS
• www.thinkkc.com/
Alabama Power
Indy Partnership
• www.amazingalabama.com
• 40www.indypartnership.com

41. To market online, your best
opportunities are:
• Integrating GIS into your website seamlessly, as
part of one story.
• Making your website a self-service website,
including user generated proposals
• Publishing and marketing your real estatee and
other content using slideshare
• Launching an active search engine marketing
program to drive traffic to your website
• Email marketing that you track and tweak
• Mobile internet including site searches
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42. Question:
Based on This Presentation,
What Are the One or Two
Things You Would Change
About How You Are Marketing
Your Sites and Buildings?
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43. Q+A
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44. Continue the dialogue with
Atlas
• Continue the Conversation:
– Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AtlasAd
• Join the community of innovative economic
development marketers
– Join our Next Gen Economic Development
Marketers LinkedIn Group
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45. Hear more from Keith Gendreau:
Attend the Atlas webinar
March 14:
How Site Selectors are Using
GIS to Evaluate Locations and
"Short-List" Communities
http://www.atlas-advertising.com/How-Corporate-
Real-Estate-GIS.aspx
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46. Get these presentations and more:
http://www.atlas-
advertising.com/community-
marketing-presentations.aspx
or, use your QR code sheet!
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47. Contact Atlas
Contact information:
2601 Blake Street, Suite 301
Denver, CO 80205
Contact: Ben Wright
t: 303.292.3300 x 210
benw@Atlas-Advertising.com
www.Atlas-Advertising.com
LinkedIn Profile | LinkedIn Group | Twitter |
Blog | Slidespace
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