Perspectives

ROI of $1.3 billion

Many community colleges have extremely limited communications budgets and personnel and have not invested in the capacity needed to provide communications and positioning that results in transformative economic development in their communities.  A project with which Coherent Marketing has been involved for several years shows how smart, sustained strategic communications can dramatically impact economic development in 21st Century job sectors. 

The North Carolina Advanced Manufacturing Alliance received an $18 million US DOL grant to upgrade equipment and curricula for specialized advanced manufacturing training at 10 community colleges in largely rural counties that had lost jobs to offshoring.  Integrated Media Strategies was brought on early in the project in 2011, and provided branding, marketing and communications support.  We developed a website and social media accounts and worked with college instructors and staff to sustainably create content in line with strategic positioning goals.

In September of 2015, the return on investment (ROI) on the $18 million has been more than $1.3 billion in new capital investments and expansions in the counties the colleges serve and more 6,600 jobs created. 

In these counties, that is a significant positive economic development impact. 

With workforce being a deciding factor in site selection, having sustained, credible content about the programs being offered has made the difference to site selectors doing due diligence on possible locations for their facilities.  The communications capacity we provided assisted colleges to attract and recruit student numbers to their programs, which range from advanced materials to mechatronics and multi-axis CNC and 3D printing. Additionally, without this communications capacity about their specialized workforce development and training programs, they would not have attracted the investment they did.  By showing consistent, sustained, credible and authentic content about high quality programs, being shortlisted for advanced manufacturing projects was ensured and economic development agencies were able to do the rest.  The visibility also empowered the consortium's advanced manufacturing departments to be able to better engage industry and leverage placements of interns and graduates as full-time employees.

If your county, region or sector is seeking strategic communications guidance for economic development communications, contact us.  We have had a similar record in biotechnology, biofuels and now advanced manufacturing and have worked with country governments and state and regional organizations, as well as consortiums.

The original article, which provides a table of companies recruited, capital investments and jobs created is at the Advanced Manufacturing Alliance website.

Details
Category: Projects
Published:
Hits: 19942
Subscribe
Show comment form

From Our Blog

  • Unveiling Joomla: A Journey Through Its Origins and Impact

    As we embark on a journey into the realm of content management systems, one name stands out prominently: Joomla. In this article, we delve into the roots of Joomla, its etymology, and its significance in the digital landscape.

    Let's commence our exploration with the name itself. While Joomla may seem like a coined term to some, its origins trace back to the Swahili language, particularly the word "jumla," meaning "all" or "as a whole." This linguistic connection not only adds depth to Joomla's identity but also reflects its inclusive nature, catering to diverse communities across the globe.

    Read more …

  • Cost-effective content marketing

    Fresh content on a website is one of the most important ways search engines rank where you will be found - on page one, or buried.

    Content marketing uses online content to increase the visibility of an organization and is an effective marketing method. Done right, it can help you get to page one.

    Many organizations have experienced staff, provide good services, and have everything needed to create great content with the regularity needed for this kind of marketing, but find it difficult to do so. We can solve that for you. We will turn what it is you do into effective web content. In short, we make content marketing easy for you. Contact us to find out about our rates and to discuss how we can help.

    Read more …

  • Consortiums, initiatives, associations and partnerships

    They all have the same challenge - and advantages. They require everyone to get in the boat, to row in sync together, and to row in a shared direction.

    Integrated Media Strategies has more than a decade of experience working highly successfully with these kinds of communications projects. We have spent hours in committees getting groups of people to come to agree on shared areas where strategic positioning of messaging can benefit all parties. And then working with those partners to implement the communications tactics to make it all work. We like herding cats.

    Read more …