Economic development and investment promotion agencies seeking to share regional data and available properties with online GIS data tools are in the business of place marketing. That's a really important distinction because it highlights the importance of presenting all this data in the most intuitive, user-friendly manner possible.
You can't assume they have knowledge of GIS or data analysis. You cannot assume they are tech experts or used to navigating unfamiliar web tools. Many are - and that's fantastic - but many others are not. You must ensure your headings and buttons are clear, attractive and easy to follow. After all, in an attention economy, it's all too easy for leads to click away.
If your online GIS data tools looks old school, unappealing or is prone to bugs and errors, you are losing leads without ever knowing you are in the running. This is just one of the reasons GIS Planning's suite of online tools for economic development and corporate site selection continue to be the industry's leading choice. Put ZoomProspector and any other GIS web tool for economic development side by side and the difference is obvious - both the user experience and user interface are dramatically more appealing, engaging and easy to use for anyone on the GIS Planning software.
That kind of innovation doesn't happen by accident. It's the result of many factors, including:
- 22 years of experience leading the industry
- an unbeatable commitment to funding product R&D by our parent company, The Financial Times
- our in-house team of graphic designers and software engineers
- the fact that many of our team were themselves economic developers prior to joining our company
Pair this intuitive user journey with robust data focused precisely on the questions site selectors and investors need, the unmatched ability to analyze data directly within the tools themselves, reports branded with your EDO name and logo and not a third-party data company, the ability to share custom generated analysis and our drag and drop proposal generator, and you can see why ZoomProspector comes out on top in head to head matchups. In fact, 66% of Americans live in territory serviced by GIS Planning software.
One recent example of the marketing savvy we offer our clients is or new set of virtual site visit options on property reports. Sure, you might have some properties on an EDO website where extra money is spent on 3D GIS modelling or interactive site visits. We can feature those on your website with the Custom Tour button. But let's be frank, most available commercial, retail and industrial properties in any economic development organization website will not get that extra special treatment. While the new COVID-19 reality means in-person site visits are far more difficult to arrange, we wanted to make sure all of your listed properties still benefit from digital tour options, so we've added Google Earth's 360° Virtual Site flyovers to every property in your system. We've also added 3D Rotation and Google Street View.
After all, few companies can claim to know user interface better than Google. It's important to know you can harness the ease, power and familiarity of one of the world's best known mapping companies directly on your investment attraction web tool.
If you'd like to know more about how GIS Planning's polished, professional user interface can help drive more quality investment leads to your region, schedule a demo today. Ask about a side-by-side matchup with other vendors - we're confident you'll see the difference innovation makes.
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