effective marketing - a key success factor for enterprise gis

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www.metrokc.gov/gis

Greg Babinski, GISPFinance & Marketing Manager

King County GIS Center“Putting GIS to Work in King County”

Effective Marketing

A Key Success Factor for Enterprise GIS

42nd Annual URISA Conference

Reno, Nevada

November 10, 2004

Geospatial Technology Competency ModelOutputs, Roles, & Competencies

� Outputs are the products and services GIS organizations

deliver to their customers

� GIS professionals typically perform specialized ‘roles’

that focus on delivering a subset of GIS outputs for the

organization

� Geospatial Technology Competency Model identifies 12

distinct ‘roles’ required for enterprise GIS operations

� Typical roles include management, project management,

data management, programming, training, mapping,

marketing, etc.

� Each GIS ‘role’ requires mastery of a set of knowledge,

skills, and abilities (KSA’s).

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� Technical: Assess Geospatial Technologies, Technical Writing

� Business: ‘Big Picture’ Vision, Industry Understanding, Cost Benefit

Analysis/ROI, Change Management, Buy-in/Advocacy

� Analytical: Creative Thinking, Problem Solving Skills

� Interpersonal: Leadership, Questioning, Relationship Building,

Feedback, Communications

But what is effective enterprise GIS marketing?

Two examples:

� King County GIS Center

� Muckleshoot Indian Tribe GIS

Geospatial Technology Competency ModelMarketing Role & Competencies

King County GIS� The King County Geographic Information System (KCGIS) is a

consolidated and coordinated regional geographic information

resource, organized to meet the business needs of King County,

local agencies, and the general public.

� KCGIS is comprised of both the King County GIS Center (an internal

service fund, responsible for core GIS resources and enterprise GIS

services for the entire County) and business specific activity in

various GIS programs distributed across other County agencies.

� KCGIS is managed by the Director of DNRP, supported by a

management level GIS Oversight Committee and an operational

level GIS Technical Committee.

www.metrokc.gov/gis

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KCGIS OrganizationDNRP Director(P. Bissonnette)

DNRP

KCGIS Center

SWD WLRD

DNRP TU(G. Hocking)

Parks

DNRPGIS Unit

EnterpriseOperations

GISClient

Services

Transit DDES KCA EMDRoads

DOT DDES KCA DES KCSO

RELSD KCSO

BudgetOffice

BudgetOffice

DPH Council

DPH Council

KCGISOversightCommittee

KCGISTechnicalCommittee

TransitGIS Unit

RoadsGIS

Program

DDESIS Section

KCAGIS

Program

EMD-E911 GISProgram

ElectionsGIS

Section

1 GIS Mgr

3 GIS FTEs2 GIS TLTs(5.45 net)

1 GIS Lead

(1.00 net)

DPH

3 GIS Power

Users9 Casual

GIS UsersGIS Clients

KCSO

4 GIS Power

Users(0.6 net)

GIS Clients

1 GIS Lead

5 GIS FTEs1 GIS TLT(3.01 net)

1 GIS Mgr

5 GIS FTEs(6.15 net)

Council

1 GIS

Power User(0.15 net)

GIS Clients

BudgetOffice

2 GIS Power

Users(0.60 net)

GIS Clients

1 GIS Lead

3 GIS FTEs(4.33 net)

1 GIS Lead

1 MappingSpvr7 Mappers(8.40 net)

Business Reporting Relationship

GIS Oversight Committee Membership (lines depict businessunits with 2004 membership) DNRP Technology Unit Manager

(Gary Hocking) is permanent Chair

GIS Technical Committee Membership (lines depict wheremember is drawn from each agency)

GIS Service Delivery - via KCGIS Center Enterprise Operations

and/or Client Services

Direct GIS Service Delivery - via KCGIS Center Matrixed Staff

GIS Service Delivery - via Dedicated Department GIS Unit

King County Consolidated GIS Organization2004

DES:

RELSD


KCA


DDES


DES:

EMD-E911


DOT:

Transit


DOT:Roads

GIS Users

GIS Clients

WTD FMD

DES:

FMD

GIS Clients

KCIA

DOT:KCIA

GIS Clients

Outside Regional PublicAgencies and Public Usersof KCGIS Data & Services(Parcel Viewer, iMap, VMC,CDs, Client Services, etc.)

GB: November 17, 2003

10.5 GISFTEs

9.0 GISFTEs

7.5 GISFTEs

1 GIS Center Mgr2 GIS Function Mgrs1 Office Mgr

DNRP:

WTD

GIS Clients

DNRP:

Parks

GIS Clients

DNRP:

SWD

GIS Clients

DNRP:

WLRD

GIS Clients

Executive

GIS Sponsor

Department

GIS Sponsor

KCGIS

Govern

ance

GIS

Serv

ice

Pro

viders

GIS End

Users

Business D

irection to

GIS Serv

ice Pro

viders

KCGIS Center Management RepresentsDNRP Parks & SWD on KCGIS Technical Committee

Agencies that Fund KCGIS Center O&M (entitled to a seat

on the KCGIS Technical Committee). These agenciesprovide business direction to GIS service providers.

Typical KCGIS Service Provider Organization (FTE countindicates both positions assigned GIS tasks and net FTEs

assigned to GIS, based on 2004 KCGIS O&M Plan)

KCGIS Center

GIS Unit

GIS MgrGIS FTEs

How is GIS Used for King County Business?How is GIS used for County Business?

� Mapping

� Public information delivery

� Growth management & planning

� Property assessment

� Land development permitting

� Site selection

� Simulating environmental conditions

� Emergency response planning

� Crime analysis

� Transportation planning

� Bus & van routing

� Road maintenance management

� Public health service delivery

� E911 operations

� Airport sound abatement

� Boundary management (legislative districts, voter precincts, tax unit boundaries, etc.)

� And the list goes on…..www.metrokc.gov/gis

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Agency Business Drivers:

� Define Your Agency Business Goals

� Define Your Business Success Indicators

� Define Marketing Goals to Achieve Business Success

Marketing Strategy Process:

� Define & ‘Package’ GIS Outputs (Products & Services) That Can

Provide Business Value

� Identify Customers & Communicate the Business Value of Your

GIS Products & Services to Appropriate Decision Makers

� Listen to Customers & Competitors to Enhance & Refine Your

Agency Product & Service Offerings

GIS Marketing Strategy Development Process

KCGIS Center Business Goals:

� Develop, Maintain, and Distribute GIS Resources & Services that

Meet Customer Business Needs

� Serve Customers Who are Willing to Pay for GIS Products &

Services

KCGIS Center Marketing Goals:

� Promote the Use of GIS Technology, Products & Services

� Ensure the Financial Viability of KCGIS Operations and the

Products & Services Offered

KCGIS Center Business & Marketing Goals

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� Maintain our Existing Base of Customers

� Identify & Develop New Customers

� Develop ‘Business Intelligence’ to Help

Guide the Development of Future KCGIS

Center Capabilities

KCGIS Center Marketing Objectives

Enterprise Operations:

� GIS Data Warehouse Management

� GIS Systems Administration

� Enterprise GIS Data Coordination

� Core GIS User Applications

Matrix GIS Staffing Services

On-Demand GIS Client Services:

� Application Development

� Training

� Mapping & Analysis

KCGIS Center Products & Services

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� Aligned with 3 KCGIS Center ‘Business Lines’

� Some Customers use Products or Services

from all 3 Business Lines

KCGIS Center Target Markets

Enterprise Operations:

� Current: 30 County agency customers

� Average annual revenue: $46K

� Potential for 40 – 60 additional customers

(Other county agencies, local cities, utilities,

special districts)


KCGIS Center:1. Manages Data mainained by otherDepartments2. Maintains Data acquired from otherAgencies3. QC's & Monitors all Dept. data posted toKCGIS Data Warehouse4. KCGIS Database Administration5. System Administration6. Metadata management

7. Maintains standard KCGIS data access

front end-user applications

DESMaintains:

1. Election Districts2. Voter Precincts

KCGIS CenterDNRP GIS Unit

Maintains:1. Hydrography2. Sampling Sites3. Sewer Lines4. Parks & Trails

DDESMaintains:

1. Comp Plan Zones2. Land Use Zones3. Hazard Zones

4. Wetlands

KC AssessorMaintains:

1. Parcel Data2. Parcel Annotation

KCGISData

Warehouse(Managed byKCGIS Center)

DOTMaintains

1. Street Centerline2. Street Addresses

3. Transit data

Posts New

ly

Maintained Data

Access all GIS Data

Posts New

ly

Maintained D

ata

Access all GIS D

ata

Posts NewlyMaintained Data

Access all GIS Data

Posts New

ly

Maintained Data

Access all GIS Data

Posts N

ewl y

Maint a

i ned D

ata

Acc

es s a

ll GI S

Data

Posts Newly Maintained DataAccess all GIS Data

QC & Monitor all Public LibraryGIS Data for Standards & Quality

Future RegionalGIS Partners

Maintain:1. Local zoning2. Local land use

3. Other Local Data

Other KCGISDepartments,

Countywide GISEnd-Users, & theGeneral Public

Posts New

ly

Maintained D

ata

(Future)

Access KCGIS D

ata

Ac c

ess all G

IS D

ata

KCGIS Data WarehouseMaintenance & AccessArchitectureNote: Only sample datamaintenance responsibilities areshown

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Matrixed GIS Staffing Services:

� Current: 6 County agency customers

� Average annual revenue: $203K

� Potential for 10 - 15 additional customers

(Other county agencies, local cities, special

districts)


On-Demand GIS Client Services:

� Past Year: 160+ separate customers (County

agencies, cities, districts, utilities, tribes,

private firms & individuals)

� Average annual revenue per customer: $2,235

� Potential for 250 - 750 customers

� New growth areas may include non-profits,

targeted high-potential business communities,

and out of area customers


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Enterprise Operations & Matrixed Staffing Clients:

� Public agency environment

� Rigid procurement and/or budgeting process

requires extensive marketing effort

� A key objective is to retain these customers

year after year (CRM is key!)

� Decision occurs at three levels

KCGIS Center Target Market Decision Makers

The Technician or Business End-User:

� Do the products or services being offered

provided business value?

� Do the products or services being offered

provided technical value?


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Agency Business Operations Management:

� Do the products or services being offered help

me meet my business goals?


me meet my department’s budget goals?


me meet my goals within the expectations of

my elected leadership/board?


Agency Leadership, Elected or City/Executive Manager:

� These decision makers control organizational strategy,

procurement policy, and budget.

� Do the products or services being offered align with

my strategy, policy, and budget?

� Is the political climate OK?

� Do the products or services help me save money while

I retain control and credit in the eyes of my

constituencies for GIS derived services?


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On-Demand GIS Client Services Customers:

� More diverse customer base

� Short-term and low/medium cost projects push most

decision making down to managers, business end-

users, & technicians

� General marketing message with focused sales effort

� Repeat business pushes down overall marketing

cost, so CRM is key


Keeps Agency’s Business & Marketing Strategy Forward

Focused:

� Everyone in the organization contributes business

intelligence

� What is the competition up to?

� What can new technology do for customers?

� How satisfied are our customers?

� Did our services help them meet their business

goals?

� How could we serve them better?

Business Intelligence Development

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Supports Development of New Products & Services:

� Based on GIS conferences, literature, educational

programs, user groups, and professional networking

� Leads to analysis of emerging technology that could

meet customer business needs

� Could lead to internal product/service R&D effort

� Could lead to new products or services (resulting in

new marketing effort)


Management of Business Intelligence Process:

� MS Outlook Team Folders or SharePoint used to manage

client contacts information

� Weekly business group staff meetings net first hand client

information

� Monthly client services business meetings analyze client

and competitor information

� Monthly all-staff meetings ensure customer information

exchange

� Weekly management team meetings include focus on

refining & acting on business intelligence


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Competition:

� Theoretical – benchmarking studies

� Outsourcing the whole enchilada

� Internal: centralized vs. decentralized services

� Outside service providers

� Business partners

� Can another provider deliver services better or

cheaper to the target market?

Other Marketing Strategy Considerations

Legal & Business Environment:

� Is there a legal or statutory issue? Ask you attorney

– but ask the right question!

� Is there an internal political bias?

� Is there an external business lobby?

� What is in the best interest of your constituents?

They are usually taxpayers.


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Level of Effort & Cost:

� It will take time

� It will cost money – both for marketing material and

R&D

� But - there are many ways to integrate marketing

into what you are doing already!


Marketing Plan Matrix:

� Key link between strategy and implementation

� Describes individual marketing tools, materials,

activities & events

� Identifies marketing goals each supports

� Identifies target market each addresses

� Describes who, how, when each is intended to be used

KCGIS Center Marketing Strategy Components

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Branding:

� Creates an image of quality and value

� Appropriate for the organization, or for specific

services or products

� King County GIS Center – the message behind the

name:

� The ITS Division GIS Technical Resource Center?

� King County: Origins & Core Service Area

� GIS: Our technology world of services & products

� Center: Enterprise, convenient, efficient


Logo’s & Product/Service Branding:

� Logo’s reinforce identity, but…

� Beware corporate standards

� Tag Lines can help reinforce the brand:

� ‘We Put GIS to Work for King County’

� Product & Service Branding:

� GIS Services Express

� Training Tag Line: ‘Visualize Your Data – Better Decisions –

Superior Public Service’


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GIS Staff as a Key Marketing Resource:

� Customer-service focus should be a key non-

technical expectation:

� 1x positive customer experience = 10y marketing effort

� 1z negative customer experience = 100y marketing effort

� All staff should understand the marketing process:

� Look for leads

� Report back business intelligence

� Scope out the competition

� Sensitivity, imagination, & flexibility


� Comprised of dozens of tools and activities

� Some target one market, some two or all three

� Some are one-time, annual, monthly, weekly, or

ad-hoc events

� Some are appropriate for designated staff, others

can be used by any GIS professional

KCGIS Center Marketing Plan Implementation

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KCGIS Governance Meetings & Process:

� KCGIS Oversight Committee (6 Senior Managers)

� KCGIS Technical Committee (20 Lead Technicians

or Business Users)

� Enterprise Operations focus

� Prime venue to market enterprise operations

services


KCGIS User Group Meetings:

� Monthly meetings, open to all internal & external users of

KCGIS Center services

� Attendees (20-40) tend to be technicians or business users

� Primary focus on technical issues or project show cases

� Outside vendors (KCGIS Business Partners) participate

� Non-overt marketing message: KCGIS center is a quality

technical resource and a reliable, responsive service

provider


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KCGIS Center national GIS Day Event:

� All day public event in a large public conference room

� 8-10 booths for KCGIS business lines & other KCGIS

business partners

� Two small adjacent rooms used for presentations and ‘ask

the GIS doctor’ drop in clinic

� Primary focus on showcasing business solutions

� Recent key note speakers: County Executive & Assessor

� 200+ attendees represent current & future target markets

� Generate external publicity


Annual King County Budget development Process:

� Narrowly Focused – But High Value Activity

� Focus by GIS Manager & Finance & Marketing Manager

� Targets business unit managers & department directors

� Focus to commit to annual GIS service & funding levels

� Extensive verbal & written communications, plus lobbying

technicians & business users

� Other key players include department finance managers,

budget office staff, Executive management analysts, and

Council staff


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Cold Calls & ‘Howdy Meetings’:

� Business intelligence driven

� Finance & Marketing Manager or other GIS staff initiate

� Cold call objective is a follow-up ‘Howdy Meeting’ with

decision makers

� ‘Howdy Meetings’ are mostly informative – what we do,

what potential client does, how GIS might help

� We focus on free GIS resources, but try to identify follow-

up business opportunities

� Process resulted in several new Enterprise Operations &

Matrix GIS Staffing customers


Effective Web Site:

� Web mapping showcase (1.6 million annual user sessions)

� Generates exposure to the marketing message:

� Weekly GIS news items & client project news

� Staff professional presentations & GIS Knowledge Base

� Spatial data catalog

� Client Services Section:

� Sample projects & products

� Training program

� GIS data


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Other Marketing Tools & Activities:

� Annual GIS O&M Plan, GIS Best Practices & Standards

� Targeted & mass mailings

� Customer satisfaction surveys

� Newsletter (KCGIS.Today), Posters & ‘Map-a-Month Calendar’

� SOQ’s Service Description Sheets, Staff Bio’s

� Vendor booth at state URISA Conference, frequent speakers

at local conferences & events

� Future: Business specific conferences & advertising, more

public-private partnership


Marketing Follow-up Activity:

� Annual report on activity:

� Number of events, contacts, activities

� Annual evaluation of marketing effectiveness:

� Number of new customers

� Customer retention ratio

� Repeat business

� Revenue growth

� Satisfaction surveys & feed back forms

� Unsolicited complaints (few) and testimonials (many!)


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� Located in Southern King County (semi-rural)

� Manages approximately 6 square miles of land, plus

other property throughout King County

� Operates a major casino complex & a regional

entertainment venue

� Muckleshoot Tribe GIS managed by one person with

strong & successful marketing

Muckleshoot Tribe GIS

Branding Program & Target Market Development:

� Standard logo for all maps, web site, & products

� Target market identified as tribe department managers &

business operations staff:

� Educated about GIS concepts

� Developed a product of wide tribal value


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Branding Program & Target Market Development:

� Large scale aerial-imagery based “label-map’ of entire

reservation area

� Developed with CC GIS interns

� Used throughout tribal government

� Whets appetite of market for more GIS-based products & services


Tribe Intranet GIS Web Site:

� Educates Tribe administrative staff about GIS concepts

� Provides showcase for Muckleshoot GIS maps & imagery

� Provides access to maps & imagery in JPG & PDF format

� Describes the Tribe’s framework GIS projects

� No web mapping capability


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Project & Personal Branding:

� Maximum use is made of project branding with

descriptive acronyms:

� JUMP (Joint Utility Mapping Project)

� SNARE (Survey Network Across the Reservation with Elevations)

� Facilitate understanding project concepts by Tribal decision-

makers & enhances image of quality & reliability

� Personal Branding: GIS Certification

� GIS Manager was self motivated to pursue certification

� GISP Certificate on Manager’s door has attracted attention

� Certification has perceptibly enhanced the stature of the GIS

program


Small Agency GIS Marketing Challenges:

� Limited resources means marketing needs to be focused

and very efficient

� There are some inherent advantages though:

� Business intelligence processing is easy

� The marketing strategy & plan can be ‘in your head’

� Marketing has been a key factor for Muckleshoot GIS:

� 6 plus years of support, growth, and success

� Continued support

� Potential for future development


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Conclusions & Questions

www.metrokc.gov/gis

� Effective marketing is a key success factor for

development and ongoing operation of enterprise GIS

� Large and small agencies can benefit from effective

marketing

� How does your agency market its GIS?

� Questions?

ReferenceGaudet, C., Annulis, H., and Carr, J., 2001. Workforce Development Models for

Geospatial Technology, Hattiesburg, MS: The University of Southern Mississippi.(http://www.geowdc.usm.edu/research/research.htm)

AcknowledgementMr. Tim Leach, GIS Manager,

Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, 39015 172nd Ave SE, Auburn, WA, 98092.

effective marketing - a key success factor for enterprise gis

Technology

muckleshoot

average annual

marketing

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gis usersgis

business intelligence

kcgis technical

target market