Go Topeka – chocolate success and web site energy

I have never been to Topeka, Kansas. In fact, the only times in my life the city’s name has come to my attention is when I’ve occasionally heard the song “On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe,” which comes from a musical of 1946. The Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe in the song was a famous pioneering railroad company, though the name sadly disappeared in a merger in 1996. So, when a banner ad promoting Topeka popped up on an e-mail from the US publication, Site Selection International, I thought about how often I’d heard that song but knew nothing of the place, so I decided to click through to the website of GoTopeka, which describes itself as an “Economic Partnership.”

GoTopeka website

Now, I’ve looked at hundreds and hundreds of FDI, economic development and city promotion websites since the World Wide Web first became a serious marketing tool. I’ve written a few sites and advised on strategy, structure and content for many more. The best sites follow the rules of good newspaper design (the things I first learned in newsrooms 35 years ago still count) - a strong “lead story,” good headlines that tempt the reader to find out more and a variety of stories so there’s something for a range of interests. Most importantly, there’s always good use of white space to help make headlines and pictures stand out and arrest attention.

So, how did I rate Go Topeka’s web site? 8 out of ten, I’d say. It’s clean, sharp, bright, interesting and informative. It makes good and creative use of a recent success in attracting the Mars chocolate business to the city. Mars will spend an initial $250 million building a plant to make some of the world’s biggest confectionery brands. 200 people will be hired; a brilliant success for Topeka.

Congratulations are due for giving the e-mail addresses of senior staff. Data capturing e-mail forms have their uses, but nothing beats having contact with a real live human being that you can address by name. If you ask me to deal with a named person I feel more welcome. I feel I’m being treated with dignity and not simply as an anonymous stranger.

Could the site be improved? Well, here are a few thoughts:

• Rather than only a press release on the Mars success, I’d like to read detail on how Go Topeka attracted Mars in the first place and what it did to convince the business to locate in Topeka. That’s the sort of real practical information on benefits that executives with mobile projects want to know.
• Think about a music ident; a snatch of music that makes the site come a little more alive when first visited. Just a few bars of“On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe,” would do it.
• The web as we know it is changing fast and within a very short time sites with TV content will dominate the web. What an opportunity for us to watch the progress of the creation of a chocolate plant. Willie Wonka eat your heart out.

As we all know, there is not a lot of good economic news around the world at present, so it makes the heart beat a little faster to come across an organization like Go Topeka. It transmits those vital qualities of enthusiasm, infectious energy and professionalism. Enthusiasm, energy and professionalism are three of the essential elements needed to take the world back to confidence and growth.