BDC using social media to attract new investors

The Business Development Corporation of the Northern Panhandle continues to focus on finding new ways to bring more business to the Ohio Valley.They’ve recently turned to Twitter and YouTube to make it easier and faster for national and international prospective buyers to consider investing in the area.They're not just pitching the property to investors, but the community as well, while also bringing in fresh college graduates and students to pioneer the program.Their efforts have already seen dramatic results.“It’s been very helpful to us to send YouTube videos to prospects all over the world, and they can quickly asses and make determinations within 24 hours to learn more about the site,” said Pat Ford, executive director of the BDC.The BDC recently received a marketing grant from the West Virginia Secretary of Commerce for $10,000. It’s using part of the money to reach potential investors.“It became very apparent to our organization that the site location consultants representing corporations both nationally and internationally kept getting younger and younger over the years,” Ford said.That's where Alexa Frankovitch comes in. She studied communications at Wheeling Jesuit, and she's one of four from ages 17 to 23 assisting in social media marketing and community outreach.“We get to make pieces that people not just in the area can see, so we can market it to people in Japan California, people all across the board can see it,” Frankovitch said.Through their efforts, inquiries have quadrupled. And they're not slowing down. Ford says they're looking at new platforms and ways of expanding their marketing presence to bring business to the community.Ford also mentioned ways to keep in touch with the local community, like perhaps expanding to using Snapchat.They're also working with graphic design students from West Liberty University to revamp their marketing.They'll be rolling out a new logo in early January.http://wtov9.com/news/local/bdc-using-social-media-to-attract-new-investors