WASHINGTON, DC (Sept. 27, 2016) – Denver South Economic Development Partnership received a Gold Excellence in Economic Development Award for its 2016 Denver South Website project in the category of General Purpose Website from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC).
The honor was presented at an awards ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 27, during the IEDC Annual Conference, which was held Sept. 25-28, in Cleveland, OH.
“On behalf of the IEDC board of directors and Excellence in Economic Development Awards Advisory Committee, congratulations to Denver South EDP. Not only did they work to provide a necessary service to their community; but also, their participation in the awards program sheds light on their stellar projects which other communities can now use a benchmark.” – Barry Matherly, CEcD, FM, IEDC 2016 Board Chair, President & CEO of the Greater Richmond Partnership.
The Denver South website was built to be the foundation of Denver South’s marketing efforts. The site was created in partnership with Denver marketing firm Vladimir Jones. Denver South and Vladimir Jones designed the site to create an authentic look and feel that showcased the vibrant business community in Denver South and to highlight the Region’s competitiveness nationally.
The website is intended to serve as a resource to local businesses, but also to be an effective lead generation tool. Competitor and customer research identified a focus on small and medium sized businesses to be an opportunity for differentiation. To more effectively support small and medium sized businesses economic development specific language was largely removed from the site. The content was created to be more lighthearted and upbeat and built around the needs of smaller business executives. Additionally, a plan builder was created to allow for custom reports for site selection due diligence.
Site engagement metrics have drastically improved since the launch of the new website. The bounce rate has dropped from over 90 percent to 65. Time on site and page depth have also seen significant improvement. The new website now allows for the launching of proactive outbound marketing efforts.
IEDC’s Excellence in Economic Development Awards recognize the world’s best economic development programs and partnerships, marketing materials, and the year’s most influential leaders. These awards honor organizations and individuals for their efforts in creating positive change in urban, suburban, and rural communities.
“The awards process is a thorough, non-biased and multi-layered process. These are extraordinary accomplishments for all winners, and an overall great effort by all participants. We look forward to next year’s awards competition,” Matherly said.
About the International Economic Development Council: The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is a non-profit membership organization serving economic developers. With more than 4,700 members, IEDC is the largest organization of its kind. Economic developers promote economic well-being and quality of life for their communities, by creating, retaining and expanding jobs that facilitate growth, enhance wealth and provide a stable tax base. From public to private, rural to urban, and local to international, IEDC’s members are engaged in the full range of economic development experience. Given the breadth of economic development work, our members are employed in a wide variety of settings including local, state, provincial and federal governments, public-private partnerships, chambers of commerce, universities and a variety of other institutions. IEDC’s members create high-quality jobs, develop vibrant communities and improve the quality of life in their regions. www.iedcONLINE.org.
About Denver South Economic Development Partnership: Denver South Economic Development Partnership’s predecessor organizations were wildly successful in growing the Denver South region into what it is today: Colorado’s Corporate Capital, home to six of nine Colorado-based Fortune 500 headquarters. We are committed to building upon the organization’s legacy through visionary economic development leadership, civic involvement and positive business advocacy in a non-partisan and collaborative manner to continuously improve the region’s economy and high-quality living standard.
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