Communications for Better Economic Outcomes
Economic development on any scale requires the collaboration of not only stakeholders but community members at large – the public.
In order to succeed long term, most infrastructure and construction projects, as well as park or land preservation initiatives require strategic public awareness and consensus building. You need to get enough people interested in making use of what gets built.
When a new public or private community project is approved and funded, there must be a reasonably high probability it will be used by those who need it and deliver a valuable return on the investment to funders: taxpayers, public & private foundations, individual philanthropists, corporations, etc.
It’s never good enough to say, “We built it, so they will come.” How will they come if they aren’t aware? And are there enough people with a common need or desire in the community to support its purpose?
Daycare centers need young families with working parents. Public transportation systems need riders – lots of them daily! Community centers need socially active and engaged local residents. Businesses need customers!
Every community or region is a market. Every market needs enough people participating or it eventually stagnates or goes out of business.
Unless people fully grasp the value and importance of a local resource, they will not use it or participate in its success. That’s why a robust and strategic communications campaign is vital to any development initiative to work. Never underestimate the value of advertising, marketing, and public relations in the success of economic development projects.
Marketing is Operational
Too often, marketing communications are treated as something to add near the end of a project. A press release is drafted, a few public notices are posted, perhaps a meeting is held, and everyone hopes the project will speak for itself. That approach is not enough.
Communications should be built into a development initiative from the beginning, right alongside planning, funding, design, and implementation. It is not merely about promotion. It is about shaping understanding, building public trust, and creating the conditions for real participation. When communications are strategic, people understand what is being proposed, why it matters, how it will benefit them, and what role they can play if interested.
That process is especially important where outcomes depend not only on construction or capital investment, but on human behavior. A new facility, service, or public amenity only succeeds if people use it, support it, and see it as meaningful or even integral in their lives
Understanding Adds Value
In Northern New England, and notably in New Hampshire, broad support is rarely won through lofty claims or polished slogans. Residents tend to respond to practical reasoning, visible value, and honest communication. They want to know what a project will do, what it will cost, who it will serve, and whether it truly fits local needs and local character. Just ask any national politician campaigning in New Hamshire!
If crucial questions are not answered early and consistently, a communications vacuum, or indifference forms. And when that happens, misinformation and skepticism often rush in to fill the gap.
So clearly, public communications must do more than announce progress. It must interpret value. It must connect a project’s purpose to the everyday concerns of families, businesses, taxpayers, civic leaders, and community organizations. It must make the project relevant to the people whose support, usage, and trust will ultimately determine its success.
Awareness > Consensus > Participation
The strongest projects are not simply approved but understood by direct stakeholders and the public.
Communications done well help generate public awareness, encourage dialogue to support broader consensus building. That does not mean every project will win unanimous support. Few meaningful initiatives actually do. But it does mean that the public has a fair opportunity to understand the goals, weigh the benefits, and see how decisions are being made.
This is a major difference between project compliance and project success. A project can technically satisfy public process requirements and 
still fail to gain real traction. On the other hand, a project that actively builds awareness and community understanding is much more likely to gain the participation it needs to thrive.
As mentioned at the start, a transportation improvement project needs more than funding and engineering. It needs riders, drivers, businesses, and residents to understand how it improves access and mobility. A childcare center needs visibility among working families, employers, and community partners. A downtown revitalization initiative needs merchants, visitors, property owners, and local residents to believe in the district’s future and act/buy accordingly.
In every case strategic marketing helps move a project from concept to community adoption with real payoffs.
Clear Communications Can Reduce Risk
A more practical reason to take communications seriously is risk reduction.
Projects that fail to explain themselves clearly are more vulnerable to delays, opposition, misinterpretation, and weak public uptake after completion. By contrast, initiatives that engage the public with transparency and consistency are often better positioned to overcome uncertainty and sustain momentum.
This matters greatly in smaller states and rural regions, where major investments carry outsized importance and margins for error can be thin. In these places, every major project must work harder. It must attract enough users, enough goodwill, and enough ongoing support to justify its investment and generate lasting value.
That is why communications should be viewed not as a soft or secondary function, but as a core part of project execution. It protects the investment by strengthening the conditions that allow the investment to succeed.
What Strategic Communication Looks Like
A strong communications strategy first identifies the audiences that matter most. That may include residents, business owners, civic partners, taxpayers, commuters, neighborhood groups, funders, or regional stakeholders. Each audience has different concerns, different motivations, and different ways of receiving information. From there, the work becomes more deliberate.
- The message must be consistent and clear.
- The public value must be articulated in plain language.
- The outreach channels must fit the audience.
What are the right channels? Local media advertising, public meetings, online marketing, email, stakeholder briefings, social media, community partnerships… what’s the best combination given our resources?
And remember, communications must continue after approval and even after launch. Ribbon cuttings alone don’t cut it (couldn’t resist). Continued outreach, storytelling, reminders, updates, and public education often determine whether a new initiative becomes part of the community’s routine life or fades into the background.
Better Communications Add Up to Better Outcomes
The best development projects go beyond getting built. They get embrace and used often. That happens when people understand the need, recognize the value, and see themselves in the outcome. Better communication helps create broader support, greater usage, and more durable returns on investment.
Better outcomes – better futures are possible when communications support not only awareness, but participation. And it happens when leaders understand that successful development requires more than capital, design, and approvals. It requires community spirit.
The bottom line is that strategic communication is vital to economic and community development. It is one of the key tools that works because it touches and moves people from the mind and heart. In communities across Northern New England, that can make all the difference between a completed project and a truly successful one.
###
Chuck Sink is the owner and CEO of Chuck Sink Link, a marketing services agency in New Hampshire. He also teaches a course in Management Communications at Plymouth State University.
