Multi-Channel Ad Campaign Uses Data Insights to Attract New Residents and Businesses

Lower Columbia Region

The Strategy

The Lower Columbia Initiatives Corporation discovered that 75% of new residents first visited the area as tourists, fell in love with the lifestyle and then found a way to live there. The Thriving Communities campaign is targeting these visitors to the area while at the same time instilling confidence in the local economy. With data in hand,  local residents now share it with visitors and anyone who will listen, ultimately attracting investment and keeping people  in the region.

By changing residents’ perspectives on the area, people start to think differently about the role everyone plays in the economic health of their community and how they can contribute to it.

Thriving Communities metrics help unify the message of economic prosperity in the region.  As new metrics are published each month, community ambassadors stay engaged and continue sharing information.

Thriving Communities uses eye-catching visual marketing to capture key economic drivers in the region, highlighting things like the Columbia River, Teck Resources (the largest employer in the area) and RED Mountain. The messages are simple, interesting and easy to share with others. The campaign includes print, radio, billboards, web and shareable online content. Overall, the metric is viewed over 800,000 times per month through all of the marketing platforms.

Successes

As many rural communities can attest, attracting new residents, workforce and investors by increasing the visibility of the region could be a very costly and time-consuming task. Rossland’s Mayor Kathy Moore says, “As the mayor of a small town it is always a challenge to get the good news out there. This campaign is fun, eye-catching and effective. It helps inform the local population as well as potential investors in our area.” Using  local residents to champion the region is an inexpensive, effective way to market some of the most interesting, thought-provoking, positive economic facts.

The metrics are also used by groups that are invested in the economic development of the area. Local municipalities use the metrics to share positive facts with their council and constituents. Some local employers include the metrics in internal newsletters to share with their employees. The Trail and District Chamber of Commerce continuously uses the metrics to showcase the health of the economy.

Lessons Learned

“You can never advertise enough! Although collecting the information is at times resource consuming, it has inadvertently benefited our organization two-fold; by raising our profile in the region, and establishing new relationships and partnerships with organizations that might otherwise have been overlooked.” – Terry Van Horn, executive director, Lower Columbia Initiative Corporation

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About the Lower Columbia Initiatives Corporation

The Lower Columbia Initiatives Corporation is the regional economic development office representing the communities of Rossland, Warfield, Trail, Montrose, Fruitvale and Regional District of Kootenay Boundary Areas A and B. It strives to develop a creative, dynamic and competitive business environment and works collaboratively with the communities in the Lower Columbia region, local agencies, organizations and businesses to develop and implement strategies that assist in strengthening the local economy and foster economic growth.

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Learn more about the Thriving Communities campaign with speaker Terry Van Horn by watching the BC Ideas Exchange Showcase webinar. 

December 22, 2017