Richland County Issues For Marketing Services RFP

The Richland County Economic Development Office is seeking a partner that can assist the organization in developing a long-term marketing campaign and accompanying marketing plan that incorporates current best practices in business and destination marketing. The ideal firm has an in-depth understanding of the Columbia, SC market, experience marketing its assets and relationships with key stakeholders in the market.

Background:

The County is located in the center of South Carolina and covers a total area of 756 square miles. The County surrounds the state capital city of Columbia, which is also the County seat. Established in 1785, the County has grown to become home to just over 400,000 residents and represents a thriving business, industrial, governmental, and educational center. The County employs approximately 1765 people and operates a general fund budget in excess of $100 million dollars. Ranked consistently as one of the fastest growing areas in the State, Richland County and Columbia possess a virtually recession-proof economy. This is due to the presence of the seats of State and County government, the University of South Carolina, 7 additional institutions of higher education, and Fort Jackson (the nation’s largest and most active initial entry Army training base). Other positive attributes of the area include the new 142,500 sq. ft. Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, Riverbanks Zoo & Botanical Gardens (twice awarded the Governor’s Cup for the most outstanding tourist attraction in South Carolina), the Richland County Public Library (ranked 8th national among urban libraries serving a population of 250,000 – 499,999) and the Colonial Center (the largest arena in the state of South Carolina at 18,000 seats and the 10th largest on-campus basketball facility in the nation.

Approximately 65% of the land within the County is categorized as forest, 15% as urban, and the remaining 20% falls into the wetlands agriculture Water, rangeland and barren categories. The average maximum temperature is 75.4 degrees Fahrenheit, the average minimum temperature is 51.4 degrees Fahrenheit, and the average annual precipitation is 48.5 inches. The County is governed by an 11-member council, which in turn appoints an Administrator to handle daily operations and to provide professional expertise in government management. Under state law, the County is the primary governmental unit for the administration of law enforcement, justice, health, education, taxation, social service, library service, agricultural service, and the maintenance of public records. The Richland County Economic Development Office is an integral part of the state of South Carolina’s economic development ecosystem, working to expand, diversify and sustain the local economy by assisting companies that provide meaningful job opportunities and generate new wealth for its citizens.

This involves marketing available sites and opportunities to site selection teams for national and international businesses, including the promotion of Richland County’s high quality of life, which is known to be a key factor in site selection decisions.

Previously, marketing has been focused on answering industrial site RFPs and sharing the highly technical details of site attributes. There is a need for a refreshed approach to marketing Richland County as a destination for new and expanded business operations.

Scope of Work:

The Richland County Economic Development Office is seeking a partner that can assist the organization in developing a long-term marketing campaign and accompanying marketing plan that incorporates current best practices in business and destination marketing. The ideal firm has an in-depth understanding of the Columbia, SC market, experience marketing its assets and relationships with key stakeholders in the market.

The selected marketing team will work closely with the economic development office to understand its goals and objectives in reaching its key audiences. As part of the discovery process, the team will review current branding and messaging, and inventory existing local, regional and state marketing resources. After the discovery process, the team will create a long-term comprehensive campaign, develop a plan for the campaign, and produce collateral materials.

Deliverables:

• Long-term marketing campaign guidelines, addressing both messaging and visual identity;
• Marketing plan for the campaign;
• Development of collateral materials in multi-media format for the campaign;
• Specialty projects as needed

Due Date:

November 29th

Address:

Richland County Government

Office of Procurement and Contracting

2020 Hampton Street, Suite 3064

Columbia, SC 29204-1002

Attn: Melissa Watts

MWW PR and Finn Partners have relevant experience.