Driving success for inward investment

Here at Yes Agency, we often work on a range of inward investment campaigns. Clients are always tasked with the same daunting conundrum – how to attract the attention of such a broad audience against global competition.  As we are situated in the Midlands a large part of our inward investment projects are for one of the key sectors in our region – Automotive – evident through our recent work with Drive Midlands. So what makes for a successful campaign in such an over-saturated market? How do you make sure the region stands out above the rest? We have compiled a couple of key nuggets which we have we think are essential to any inward investment campaign.

COLLABORATION – Putting the wheels in motion

Critical to success is the spirit of collaboration. There are clearly significant benefits to drawing together SMEs and sharing experience and expertise to generate combined clout, so get partners on board. Collective thinking and endeavour within the sector will unite the sector in driving inward investment, not to mention increased partnership working, business sustainability and effective supply chain management.

This ethos was reinforced in a recent PWC report on the future of the automotive sector, indicating that “those that do stand out will be the companies that harness their limited capital resources in creative ways, to navigate a still-unfolding and unfamiliar landscape.”

TARGETING – Know how to navigate your audience

Given the vast size of the audience for a campaign such as this, it is difficult to do a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Every aspect of the campaign requires bespoke tailoring, which can get costly over a large amount of media channels. A great way to raise awareness is to establish the inward investment brand at large scale events, for instance, last month Birmingham hosted the world renowned Automechanika, the biggest trade show for the automotive industry. The 2017 event welcomed over 850 exhibitors and attracted over 12,000 quality trade visitors to the NEC. This enabled Drive Midlands to put Birmingham firmly on the map as the heart of UK automotive manufacturing. These large scale events are a great source to tap into.

Supporting event efforts with consistent messaging (we recommend through predominantly digital marketing) and rigorous networking will build a firm foundation to promote the region.

Do you need vehicle for change?

If you need marketing support to drive inward investment, then call us on 01889 564931, send us a Tweet @yesagencyuk or email us at ask@yesagency.co.uk. We’ll be happy to give your marketing materials an MOT.