Top Economic Development Influencers Driving the Place Marketing Conversation on LinkedIn
May 26, 2015 | By: Hanna GbordzoeLinkedIn is a professional social network where you’ve probably connected with colleagues, clients and other contacts. But have you ever thought to use it as a one-stop-source for the latest economic development thought leadership? Ever since LinkedIn became a publishing platform, leaders have emerged to share their expertise in a blog-like format. Below are some of the most frequent contributors.
Glenn Athey, Director at Athey Consulting, brings his economic development assessments to LinkedIn from “across the pond,” in London. Check out Athey’s page for key lessons from past practices and projections for the future of the economic development industry.
Mark Barbash, Executive Vice President, Strategic Initiatives at Finance Fund, is an economic developer based in Ohio. Using current headlines as case studies, Barbash shares his experiences, foresights and analysis on the industry. Barbash’s posts have recently focused on the workforce and incentives.
Dean Barber, President/CEO at Barber Business Advisors, LLC, is one of the most active economic development content creators on LinkedIn. He regularly posts articles about regions, companies and general economic development topics.
In Barber’s own words from a post, “[My blog] targets an audience comprised of both economic developers and corporate executives. By taking a cue from my former career as a journalist, a business editor of a daily newspaper, I usually have no shortage of [blog] topics from which to choose. I typically, but not always, write about news that directly impacts a business audience.”
Ed Burghard, CEO and Manager of The Burghard Group, LLC and Creator of the Strengthening Brand America Project, is a master of place branding and economic development. Burghard acts as an educator on LinkedIn, sharing what he knows about marketing communities. Take a look at his page for quality posts on everything from collaborating to building a strategy.
David Robinson, Principal at The Montrose Group, LLC, is also based in Ohio and brings his business consulting background to economic development insights in his posts. While focusing on his home state, Robinson ties in his impressions across the industry, throughout the Midwest and even pulls workforce examples from abroad.
Looking to join the economic development conversation on LinkedIn? Check out our previous blogs on the Top 5 LinkedIn Groups for Economic Developers and the Top Industry-Specific LinkedIn Groups for Economic Developers.
Who do you follow on LinkedIn? Tweet us @AboutDCI – we’d love to hear!