Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership Takes Innovative Marketing Approach

Fort Wayne, Ind. (Vocus/PRWEB ) September 18, 2009

The Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership (NEIRP) has firmly grounded itself on the cutting edge of economic development with the announcement of northeast Indiana's premier economic development social marketing campaign. NEIRP updates and information can now be found on the Northeast Indiana Pulse Blog, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and photo-sharing network Flickr.

In recent months, the aggressive efforts of the Partnership to market the region and attract new investment opportunities have been enhanced and supplemented by the addition of social marketing campaigns. Facebook members can become fans of northeast Indiana, Tweeters can follow northeast Indiana's breaking news if they follow @NortheastIN, photos from all of northeast Indiana's 10 counties can be accessed on Flickr, and area economic development event updates are posted on NEIRP’s LinkedIn group page. The blog, Northeast Indiana Pulse, also provides a medium for reflection and commentary on northeast Indiana and economic development activity by NEIRP staff and regional partners.

"We saw a need to connect with our clients—site selection consultant and company executives—on another level," said Erica McCutchan, Marketing Manager for NEIRP. "Social media networks like LinkedIn and Twitter allow NEIRP to broaden the reach of our brand and further establish relationships. In the economic development world, these avenues of communication are fresh and innovative which allows the northeast Indiana brand to stand out from other regions."

In today's reality of online accessibility and the social networking frenzy, reports have shown online communities are increasingly drawing executive attention, increasing the demand for northeast Indiana's brand to be visible and accessible online. With full integration of social media into NEIRP's online website and presence, the Regional Partnership's response to this demand has proven to be one of the first of its kind in the state and nation. Only a handful of other economic development organizations throughout the country have been found taking advantage of the medium.