The blending of strategy and technology to form a stronger economic development program can make for a smoother transition from good thoughts to great results.  Technology is an important tool in the execution of your economic development strategy and goals.  Attention must be given throughout the planning and execution process to ensure your web site really sending the right message to your target audience. And "behind the scenes" management of information is providing a comprehensive picture of your economic development efforts.

Website development is fundamental to marketing success. Your website is almost certainly the first contact relocating businesses will have with your community. And progressive states, communities, regions and organizations are increasingly using the web to spark the interest of investors and bring their communities together with a common vision. EDS&T has unsurpassed experience creating powerful and compelling websites that help clients implement strategies and shape communities. Modern outreach and marketing are about more than a state-of-the-art website, and economic development organizations are only beginning to utilize the power of the Internet. But EDS&T specializes in leveraging creative techniques to put your program at the cutting edge.

Data management and software development is part of our web practice. Communities are using tools like e-commerce, survey collection, simulation games and corporate site selector exercises to educate, inspire and empower their constituents. EDS&T is the solution from that first web contact to ongoing communication. We also help regions manage their internal data via the web.

use of social networking media is more popular than ever. Despite the popularity of Facebook and other social networking media, business and government organizations are still grappling with the best way to use these ubiquitous media and to do so in a cost effective manner that maximizes return on investment. One appeal of such media is that they are ostensibly free; however, there is a cost associated with the time spent developing a presence on these venues, as well as a price to pay, if these are handled badly.

Nevertheless, media such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Linkedin, hi5 and others, are reaching a wide audience, and they do provide interactive options that cannot be achieved with just a website. These networking venues can be used for internal and external audiences and can serve to strengthen intra-group communication, as well as to attract new customers. For companies and communities, this could add value to marketing, support communication with internal clients, bring the organization to the attention of new prospects and open new avenues of communication. If the audience, presentation and utilization are carefully crafted, the results can be quite rewarding, at a relatively low cash cost.