7.3. EDSR 03-18-2019Request for Action
To Item Number
Economic Development Authority 7.3
Agenda Section Meeting Date Prepared by
General Business March 18, 2019 Colleen Eddy, Economic Development Specialist
Item Description Reviewed by
Marketing Update Amanda Othoudt, ED Director
Reviewed by
Cal Portner, City Administrator
Action Requested
Item presented as information.
Background/Discussion
This year, the performance measures set by the EDA focuses on personally connecting with developers,
marketing the city and gaining positive exposure for the city. In order to accomplish these goals, staff
proposes several marketing and business attraction initiatives.
Advertising:
In the first quarter, the city placed quarter page ads in Site Selector magazine, Trade and Industry magazine
and an ad which was included in an advertorial in Expansion Solutions magazines. This venture also
includes a lead generation component. The city will once again be promoted via a full color ad in the MN
Twins Yearbook and in a full color ad in the Tri-County Manufacturing Directory.
This year we will be advertising in the Economic Development Directory feature in the Heartland Real
Estate Journal publication. Our ad in the Growler Magazine was successful the first time we ran it; we are
proposing to run it again.
Marketing:
Staff worked with Prime Advertising on the 2019 Community Profile, which is currently at the printer.
The profile will once again incorporate an eight page spread, with updated statistics and graphics. The
2018 EDA Annual Report was bound in a booklet format which will be distributed at the EDA meeting.
Promotion:
This year, staff is proposing to highlight local vendors and products, which will be part of an “Elk River
Swag Box.” The box will include various items that are locally made or local products. Staff will continue
to distribute the Elk River Swag bag, which is full of various items that represent the city’s targeted
industries.
EDA website:
The EDA website has been upgraded to Gateway 2.0. New features include a Powered by our Businesses
video module and graphic infused Community Profile. Staff continues to work with Golden Shovel
Agency on content that populates the news feed. We receive quarterly analytic reports which reflect the
The Elk River Vision
A welcoming community with revolutionary and spirited resourcefulness, exceptional
service, and community engagement that encourages and inspires prosperity
number of hits/page views each of the page receives. Staff meets monthly with the designer/content
manager to go over the site, upcoming articles and any new items that we might want to take advantage
of.
Videos:
New videos have been created to highlight the city’s BR&E visits. Jake Pace, the city’s cable coordinator,
attends and videotapes various BR&E visits. The video of Heritage Millworks is now live and other
videos are in the works.
Sponsorships:
In January, the EDA sponsored the Annual EDAM Winter Conference. This year’s event was held in St.
Louis Park and was attended by over 200 Economic Development professionals from around the state.
As the Keynote Sponsor, Amanda gave a two minute presentation on the city and introduced the
Keynote speaker. Staff is proposing to once again sponsor the MN Real Estate Journal’s Energy and Data
Center summits in partnership with Elk River Municipal Utilities, the MNCAR Realtor’s Expo, and the
EDAM Summer Conference.
Trade Shows/Conferences:
Staff will be attending the Data Center Dynamics conference in lieu of BisNow and Caprate events,
which staff attended in the past. The city will be part of the Minnesota delegation and will consist of
various market visits. The city has applied to attend the MN DEED hosted FAM Tours scheduled in
Dallas (May 1-3, 2019) and Chicago (August 21-23, 2019). Due to overwhelming interest, DEED is
conducting an application process to attend these two events.
Financial Impact
Funding for trade shows, marketing and advertising are included in the 2019 budget.
Attachments
th
2018 4 Quarter Google Analytics Report
Prepared for
City of Elk River Economic
Development
Quarterly Analytics Report
Q4 2018
Golden Shovel Agency
43 East Broadway Street
Little Falls, MN 56345
Phone: (320) 639-0110
Toll Free: (888) 266-4778
www.GoldenShovelAgency.com
Confidential: This report is intended solely for the use of the addressee and may contain confidential information. Any dissemination,
distribution, copying, or other use of this document is strictly prohibited.
Website: City of Elk River Economic Development | http://econdev.elkrivermn.gov
______________________________________________________________________________
New developments and upgrades for the Economic Gateway Platform
We, at Golden Shovel, always strive to make our product
better for you and the people that will be visiting your
website. That’s the reason we endeavor to be ahead of
our competition and continue making improvements and
upgrades to our system every quarter. Our goal is to
provide you with cutting-edge tools, coupled with the
best possible support so your website remains current,
efficient and aligned with the latest trends in the
economic development field. Our team has made
significant additions to the Economic Gateway Platform and all of these developments and upgrades are
available to you at no extra charge. The biggest changes that were implemented the last quarter in 2018 are:
●Cookie Warning - The Site admin now includes a checkbox which can be enabled to cause a
standardized cookie notification to display when users visit a site. This feature provides the ability to
comply with the EU 'Cookie Law' if an admin so desires.
●News Articles in Site Map - The system can now be set up to include recent articles from the News
module in the search engine-friendly (i.e. Google) sitemap, increasing exposure of a site's more topical
and timely information.
●Exclude Pages from Site Map - Pages now have a checkbox option which will exclude that page from
the search engine-friendly (i.e. Google) site map.
●Manage Sharing Filters - The Admin's Manage Sharing section for the News, Events, and Jobs
modules now shows archived/past information grayed out, and includes a button allowing the admin to
hide archived info so that they can more easily browse through current/upcoming content.
●HTTPS Mixed Content Warning - Sites transitioning to HTTPS will now be warned in the admin when
viewing pages with insecure links in the editable content (this will help in clean-up of content to make
sure those pages are eligible to show the 'secure' lock icon when being viewed on the front end).
●Large File Storage Solution - A Large Uploads tools (found under the Admin's Media) tab has been
built. This tool uploads files to an external cloud server, allowing us to increase the max file size which
can be uploaded through the Economic Gateway admin. Files up to 120MB in size can now be uploaded
via the admin – an increase of 50MB over the previous limit – and a total of 4GB of files per site can be
hosted through this solution. (Files up to 25MB in size can still be uploaded through CKFinder.)
●Expandable Incentives Template - A new Incentives module template has been created to provide an
option for a one-page interface. Listings can be configured to display all content (a one-page solution) or
Golden Shovel Agency
Groundbreaking Economic Development Communications
Page 1
only a preview of content and a button linking to the full info (a landing-and-detail solution). The results
list can be displayed with only the featured programs pre-expanded, or with all results pre-expanded or
pre-collapsed.
●File Viewer Photo Gallery - A photos-only version of the File Viewer can now be configured to create a
simple photo gallery which displays a grid layout of all photo-type files in the designated folder.
●Contact Specific Template - A new template for the contact form module now allows for pages of
content to be created with a contact form built in at the bottom. This approach allows for pages on key
programs to incorporate a call to action inviting the reader to get in touch with a designated staff
member about that program. The form has been simplified from the full contact form for a more
streamlined user experience, and will send the user's request to the single recipient which is designated
through the admin for that page. An additional content field beside the form allows for information about
the relevant contact person to be displayed, making for a more personal and friendly experience.
Contact information for the site and a location map are automatically displayed as well, adding useful
information and visual interest and making it a viable option for those who would prefer not the use the
full contact form template on their site.
●Simple Events Template - A new template for the Events module has been built which offers a
one-page approach which is well suited to organizations which wish to use a calendar but do not have
enough events to fill a monthly grid-style presentation. Events are displayed in date order based on the
next upcoming start date, and if there are multiple dates/times associated with an event those instances
are displayed in a list; this makes for an attractively compact presentation of regular meetings and other
repetitive events.
●ESRI Tidbits Template - This new variation on the Community Profiles template allows for one section
of a given location’s ESRI Infographics (Population, Housing & Income, or Workforce – as seen in the full
Community Profiles module) to be displayed on a page with editable text above and/or below. This
allows admins to incorporate the visually appealing ESRI-based infographics to overview pages on
topics such as Workforce and Quality of Life.
Get in touch with your Gatekeeper representative to go over the specific improvements available for your
website. Rest assured that our team will continue working on more improvements for your website in 2019 and
of course, we’ll keep you posted on those.
We have been here, there and
everywhere!
Last quarter in 2018 we attended numerous
conferences and events across the country. Our main
goal? Make sure we stay on top of the best practices
Golden Shovel Agency
Groundbreaking Economic Development Communications
Page 2
and new trends, but most importantly, to reconnect with customers and friends. Our ultimate goal is to share
with you about the most valuable information on what’s new and what’s coming next, this way helping you to get
the best out of your economic development efforts. Here is a brief summary of the events we attended last
quarter:
●IEDC 2018 Annual Conference - Atlanta, GA. - Sep 30-Oct 3
●TEDC Annual Conference - Fort Worth, TX - Oct 17-19
●MAGC Fall Conference - St Paul, MN - Oct 11
●KAED Economic Forum - Covington, Kentucky - Nov 7-9
●NREDA Annual Conference - St.Petersburg, FL - Nov 7-9
●MAEDC Competitiveness Conference & Site Selector Forum - Chicago, IL - Dec 2-4
We are now gearing up for more exciting conferences in first quarter of 2019 (and we’re confident this is going to
be another great year!). The first on the list will be the IEDC Leadership Summit in Fort Lauderdale, FL
(January 27-29) and if you’re planning on attending as well, please let us know, it would be great to connect!
It’s time to take it to the next level.
Don’t get behind!
Technology evolves all the time and there is no reason for
you to not move at the same pace. We know sometimes is
not easy to stay on top of all these changes and that’s the
main reason for our expert webinar series to exist. Every
month you can join our free sessions to learn about new
trends, innovative strategies and upcoming technologies. This is an invaluable (and completely free) resource for
you and your colleagues to hear and learn from experts in the economic development industry, so don’t wait any
longer and save your seat for our next session here.
Last quarter we hosted the sessions listed below and if you missed any of them, don’t worry, you can access the
the recording at any time you want:
●Trends in Workforce Attraction - How one toolkit can change your perspective: Workforce attraction
is crucial in economic development - without the workforce and enough potential employees - your
business attraction can suffer. What does workforce attraction actually mean? What are companies
actually looking for here when deciding where to locate? And more importantly, how do you even find this
potential workforce? In this cutting edge webinar we discussed these trends and show you have to use
and build your own toolkit for workforce attraction. Did you miss the live session? Watch the recording
Golden Shovel Agency
Groundbreaking Economic Development Communications
Page 3
here!
●Digital DNA of the Startup Ecosystems: Digital transformation is helping every industry in getting more
efficient in using the resources they have, and augmenting their capacity on demand. When it comes to
startup ecosystems, digital transformation can help in connecting startups with investors, develop quality
standards for service provides, reduce overload of the existing facilities, and increase the footprint of
current community services infrastructure through digital means. In this one hour webinar, you will learn
about the digital components and services that can support a startup ecosystem in your economic
development region. You can watch the recording here!
It’s time to sign up for our upcoming Free Expert Webinar!
Being Opportunity Zone “Investment Ready”
What does it mean and what a community can do to attract investments?
Opportunity Zone’s have been the talk of the Economic Development world throughout
2018, most of the conversation to date has been targeted directly at private-sector investors
and how individual corporations can utilize the program to meet their tax goals.
Springsted’s Housing and Economic Development (HED) clients come only from the public and non-profit
sectors. During this Opportunity Zone Webinar, the focus is what local development leaders can do to become
“Investment Ready” and how to encourage projects that meet their community’s goals in 2019 and beyond.
Some concepts that will be covered during the webinar:
●How to use similar concepts like “Shovel Ready” to help you to become Opportunity Zone
“Investment Ready.”
●How to create economic and housing development policies and procedures that support
Opportunity Zone projects.
●How to create materials and messaging that meets an certified-investor or Opportunity Zone
Fund’s investment strategy.
●How to target local investors that share the vision and values of your community.
●How you can help encourage Opportunity Zone investments that meet your community’s goals.
The webinar will be January 17th, 1:00 - 2:00 PM CDT and registration is free, but space is limited. Save your
seat here!
Golden Shovel Agency
Groundbreaking Economic Development Communications
Page 4
So, how successful has been your website strategy?
When it comes to website performance, content is king,
and having a solid and consistent content strategy,
coupled with best SEO practices, is the best way to ensure
a successful performance of your website. It takes time to
build an audience and community awareness, but having a
content management strategy in place, will help to reduce
the time and effort investment your organization needs to
make in order to become relevant in your industry and get
the best out of your marketing efforts.
Just keep in mind: Don't make your content about you, make it about your audience. Think about the stories
you love. There is always a reason those stories stand out from the rest, and mainly it will be because they
engaged you. Digital content is just the same. Competition for your audience's attention is fierce and it never
ends. If you want to stand out, you have to find a way to make your content more engaging to them. Also, don’t
underestimate the power of social media, they are a great way to amplify your online presence, whether is for
sharing a success story or highlighting the most recent changes in your hometown. If you have a success story,
share it with the world!
We know for a fact, that clients who consistently share stories and keep their audience aprissed on the latest
news in their area, are the same ones who see consistent growth in their website traffic and its overall
performance, so don’t forget to follow the equation: Content Strategy + Consistency + Community Awareness =
Successful website strategy.
We hope that 2018 was truly a year of growth, innovation, progress, and development for you. Certainly, it was
that for us and we look forward to starting another great year with our clients and friends. Cheers!
Stay connected,
The Golden Shovel Team.
Golden Shovel Agency
Groundbreaking Economic Development Communications
Page 5
Metrics
The following data and metrics will provide you with an overview of your website’s
performance through Q4 2018 and they will be helpful for you to make any necessary
adjustments to improve results and get the most out of your website strategy.
Golden Shovel Agency
Groundbreaking Economic Development Communications
Page 6
Most Visited Pages
Golden Shovel Agency
Groundbreaking Economic Development Communications
Page 7
Visitors Acquisition Channels
Visits by State and City (Top 10)
Golden Shovel Agency
Groundbreaking Economic Development Communications
Page 8
Total Visitors : 710
New: 670
Returning: 40
Rank by Keywords
●Elk river economic
development: #1 of
6,770,000 pages
●Elk river economic
growth: # 1 of
3,370,000 pages
854 Followers
(vs. 851 in Q3 )
861 Likes
(vs. 850 in Q3)
254 Followers
(vs. 251 in Q3)
Golden Shovel Agency
Groundbreaking Economic Development Communications
Page 9
2018 Audience Overview
Golden Shovel Agency
Groundbreaking Economic Development Communications
Page 10