Community Systems
Digital Economic Development University
Program Overview and Costs
Why take this course?
Every day, 90+% of site selection decisions, even in your own community, start online. As
economic development budgets and staff time is stretched even thinner, EDOs face the prospect of not being able to service companies that are considering their area right now, or watch as companies in their area decide to move elsewhere without them even knowing.
The solution to these challenges is to develop a High Performing Economic Development Website, and related digital tools. But how is this accomplished cost effectively?
You’ll be building your website as you learn
All participants in the certification track will receive a reduced cost website, content management system, GIS property database, and CRM system to use during the course, and keep after being certified. Further, all current users/customers will be able to attend the sessions to build on their current systems at no cost, and license new software at the same reduced rate. It is the lowest cost way to get all three systems, period.
About Community Systems’ Digital Economic Development University
Community Systems Digital Economic Development University is the first of its kind: A program specially designed to put the skills economic developers need to compete in today’s digital age in the hands of economic developers at the lowest cost possible. The courses consist of 13 90-minute webinars, delivered online and recorded for future use, that are only open to participating communities.
All communities that participate gain access to the courses, as well as the recordings.
Communities that commit to the certification track also work during the courses to create their own website, guided by our instructors, for as little as the course fees plus a $1,000 fee. There is simply no other way to gain access to the skills and tools available than in these trainings.
About Community Systems’ Digital Economic Development
University Faculty
Community Systems’ instructors are senior staff of Atlas Advertising and Community Systems, and have achieved some of the economic development industry’s highest ratings while teaching for the International Economic Development Council, Georgia Tech Innovation Institute, Economic Development Association of Canada, and dozens of state association conferences. Faculty will be joined by expert speakers in each of the key subject areas as needed.
Community Systems
Digital Economic Development University
What are your alternatives to taking this course?
Your alternatives to taking this course are:
1. Pay costly consultants to do this work for you
2. Spend as much as the entire course (and tools) in traveling to take specialized training courses from the same instructors teaching the courses here
3. Take additional staff time to work through what we have learned in 20+ years in the digital economic development industry
4. Wing it and hope that no one in your community holds you accountable for doing so
Why get certified?
• Being a Certified Digital Economic Developer comes with the following benefits:
• Develop the best skills in the economic development industry to drive the future of the profession – managing your digital website, GIS, and CRM systems.
• Access to reduced rate software to drive your economic development website Ability to attend future webinars at no cost
• All Certified Digital Economic Developers will be recognized at the
Digital Economic Development Summit 2.0 at the International Economic Development Council’s Annual Conference in Anchorage, Alaska in October
What types of certifications are there?
• Certified Digital EDO: Given to an entire EDO, this certification signifies that your entire
organization has the skills to compete in the digital world, including marketing, business development, research, and more
• Certified Digital Marketer: Given to an individual, this certification signifies that you have the
core skills to market, generate leads, and increase digital engagement with your community using a wide range of digital tools
• Certified Digital Business Developer: Given to an individual, this certification signifies that
you have the core skills to recruit and retain companies, convert leads, and advance deals in your community using a wide range of digital tools
• Certified Digital Researcher: Given to an individual, this certification signifies that you have
the core skills to generate relevant property, demographic, and business data, along with the analytics and leads data to help the organization drive results, engage prospects, and more, using a wide range of digital tools
What will happen if you don’t take this course?
Quite simply, if you don’t take this course, your organization will either pay more for the skills, or you will not develop them in your community at all. And, your community will not win as many projects as a result.
Program Overview and Costs
Community Systems
Digital Economic Development University
What is required to get certified?
• Certified Digital EDO: Given to an entire EDO. To become a Certified Digital Community,
have one of your organization’s members attend all 13 sessions, and complete your economic development website, GIS system, and CRM system by the conclusion of the courses in the fall of 2015
• Certified Digital Marketer: Complete four or more of the digital marketing courses offered
in 2015
• Certified Digital Business Developer: Complete four or more of the digital business
development courses offered in 2015
• Certified Digital Researcher: Complete four or more of the digital research courses offered
in 2015
Is there a cost to get certified?
Yes, there is a cost to get certified. These costs cover instructor time, bandwidth, curriculum creation, and other costs.
• Cost to become a Certified Digital EDO: • Attending all courses: $1,200
• All Certified Digital EDOs get their own license of Community Systems’ Atlas One Software Suite.
• For use during the courses: $0
• To launch the website after it is complete: $1,000, one-time launch fee • Discounted software, hosting, and data fees depend on community size:
• $100 per month for communities smaller than 100,000
• $250 per month for communities between 100,000 and 1,000,000 • $500 per momth for communities over 1,000,000
• Certified Digital Marketer: Complete four or more of the digital marketing courses offered in 2015
• Certified Digital Business Developer: Complete four or more of the digital business development courses offered in 2015
• Certified Digital Researcher: Complete four or more of the digital research courses offered in 2015
Community Systems
Digital Economic Development University
Course Number
Topic Title / Description Certification Track Marketing Track Business Development Track Research Track Date
1 Digital Strategy Defining your Digital Strategy: How to use Digital Tools to Compete in the World of Today and Tomorrow X X X X 3/11/15 11:00-12:30MST 2 Website Content Management
Telling Stories Online: How to Develop Relevant Economic Development Content For Your Community
X X 4/1/15
1:00-2:30 MST
3 Property Data Management
Building an Attractive Property Inventory: DIY Data Collection, Working with Brokers and Local and National MLS Partners
X X X 4/14/15 12:00-1:30 MST 4 Demographic and Labor Market Data Management
Using Demographics and Labor Data to Tell Your Story: Building Your Demographic Data Library Using State, Local, and National Sources X X 4/29/15 1:00-2:30 MST 5 Demographic and Labor Market Data Management, Business Data Management
Using Your Largest Employers to Tell Your Story: Building Business Lists, Success Stories, and Testimonials from Your Community’s Most Important Assets
X X X 5/12/15
12:00-1:30 MST
6 Website Design and Branding
Telling your Digital Story Visually: How Great Website Design can Drive Conversations with Your EDO X X 5/27/15 11:30-1:00 MST 7 Website Content Management
Managing Your Digital Presence: Developing an Ongoing Content Management Competency in your EDO X X 6/10/15 11:30-1:00 MST 8 Email Marketing Management
Driving Traffic to Your Website, and Your EDO, Using Email Marketing Tools
X X 6/25/15
12:00-1:30 MST
9 Digital Analytics
Setting Goals, Measuring the Performance of Your Economic Development Website X X X X 7/8/15 11:30-1:00 MST 10 Digital Lead Generation Digital Prospect Responses
Using Digital Tools to Generate Leads to Your EDO
X X X 7/22/15
11:30-1:00 MST
Session Order and Descriptions
Community Systems
Digital Economic Development University
11 Search Engine Marketing Basics
Leveraging Search Engines to Drive Traffic to Your Economic Development Website X X 8/5/15 12:30-2:00 MST 12 LinkedIn for Economic Development
Using LinkedIn to Drive Prospect and Stakeholder Engagement
X X 8/19/15
11:30-1:00 MST
13 CRM for Recruitment and Retention
Capturing Leads, Managing Recruitment and Retention Prospects Using Customer Relationship Management Tools
X X 9/2/15
11:30-1:00 MST
Cost for Track $1,200 $400 $400 $400 Cost per
Session
$120
Session Order and Descriptions
Course Instructors
Ben Wright
CEO, Product Visionary
Ben founded Atlas Advertising after working in economic development as the Chief Economist for the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, where he built his first economic development website and place marketing strategy in 1995.
Since founding Atlas in 2001, Ben has been the driving force behind developing some of the world’s most advanced strategy and web technology for economic and community development, including the robust content management system Atlas CMS (used in 85 different markets), category-leading GIS system Atlas InSite (used in 100+ different North American markets), as well as prospect management tools which dramatically increase response times for communities proposing to prospective companies. Ben holds a BA from Stanford University, with a minor in Urban Studies.
Guillermo Mazier
Director of Strategic Accounts
Guillermo has touched nearly every Agency of Record project Atlas Advertising has executed in the last four years. His insights and unique perspective have helped Atlas gain the credibility and reputation it holds today. Guillermo holds a BA in International Business and Economics, with a minor in Spanish from Regis University in Denver, CO, along with an MBA in International Business from Regis University and an International Business Certificate from the Fundacion Ortega y Gasset in Toledo, Spain. Guillermo is the Communications Chair for the Board of Directors for the American Lung Association.
His primary objective as Director of Strategic Accounts is to represent and oversee the company’s business development and strategic marketing activities. Guillermo works with new and prospective clients to provide strategic recommendations on how to increase inquiry levels, prospect activity, and stakeholder engagement through Atlas’ technology suite and service offerings. He has served Atlas for the past four years and his efforts have helped grow Atlas into an industry-leading economic development marketing firm.
