They say demographics are destiny. If that’s the case, Wisconsin has some work to do to change its fate. Projections from the Wisconsin Department of Administration show the state population declining by about 183,600 by the year 2050, a 3% drop. There is still time to change those figures by attracting more people to move
Already a subscriber? Log in
To continue reading this article ...
Subscribe to BizTimes today and get immediate access to our Insider-only content and much more.Learn More and Subscribe Now
Missy Hughes[/caption]
“They move to La Crosse or they move to Green Bay,” she said. “People are more targeted in thinking about where they’re moving.”
Talent attraction is also just one side of the coin. On the other side is talent retention. It is hard for the arrival of new residents to support growth if current residents are moving out just as fast.
“If you can’t retain people, you can’t attract people,” Hughes said. “We feel that in a lot of the work that we do, it is focused on this idea of retaining and attracting people. And that means building strong communities. It means building places where people want to live … You can have all the ad campaigns and the marketing campaigns in the world, but if you can’t deliver a good product, then it’s wasted effort.”
Obviously, businesses have a role to play in both attraction and retention. While the state is known for a relatively lower cost of living, Hughes said it is important businesses meet the market where it is at on things like wages.
“I’ve really seen companies recognize that they are competing nationally, if not globally for workers and need to be able to provide those competitive wages,” she said.
Hughes also encouraged businesses to work with local and regional partners to be able to speak at the right level with prospective employees.
“I think what one might want to do is try to say, ‘well, we want Wisconsin branding all over everything,’ but it isn’t reflective of what people are actually thinking about,” Hughes said.
At the statewide level, however, Wisconsin has done an increasingly better job at attraction and retention. For much of the 2010s, the state saw net decreases from domestic migration. Since 2020, the state has a net gain of nearly 3,000 from other states.
As for which states, Illinois tops the list with Wisconsin netting 12,800 new residents from its southern neighbor in 2023, the most recent data available on state-to-state migration, followed by California, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Iowa.
As for where Wisconsin is losing residents to, Texas leads the list with a net loss of 5,800 in 2023, followed by North Carolina, Ohio, Georgia and Hawaii.
While dedicated marketing efforts to attract people to Wisconsin may need to be more localized, WEDC does still play a role in helping talent attraction efforts. The agency launched Look Forward Wisconsin, a national attraction campaign, in 2024 and has a program that matches funds that local communities spend on attraction campaigns.
The most recent state budget also allocated $5 million for a new program that will offer up to $500,000 grants to municipalities and organizations to attract new households to the state. WEDC is continuing its work to launch that program, Hughes said.
One organization that has worked with WEDC on talent attraction is New North, which handles economic development efforts in the northeastern portion of the state.
New North started with its “More You in NEW” campaign highlighting things people often cited for choosing the region like cost of living and quality of life. Initially, New North relied on stakeholders and the business community to spread the word. Eventually, the campaign gained enough traction to secure a WEDC grant that helped put money behind it.
Since then, the organization has launched other campaigns, each with a different message and target audience. One highlights cool places and products in the region, another spotlights veteran hiring, a third focuses on outdoor activities and the latest promotes the value of higher education.
In each campaign, New North has tried to emphasize using testimonials from people in the region.
[caption id="attachment_619367" align="alignright" width="300"]
Renee Torzala[/caption]
“When you have an actual person telling their story and sharing their perspective, it’s doing so much more than creating a very formal or polished ad,” said Renee Torzala, vice president, marketing and investor relations, at New North.
In addition to authenticity, she noted collaboration has been a key to the organization’s success.
“My advice is just to make sure that you’re bringing everyone along with you and that is the best way to get the message out,” Torzala said.
New North tries to keep its board and other stakeholders informed about the campaigns and encourages them to share messages with their networks. The organization also has a marketing committee, made up of marketing professionals from across the region, that works to develop the campaign ideas.
Measuring the success of talent attraction campaigns can be tricky. Sure, there are data points like impressions, social media followers or website visits, but connecting those to someone’s ultimate decision to move to the region is difficult.
“We do think that the more we can tell our story and get the message out there and build our brand … that’s just going to help encourage people to consider it” Torzala said.
She added New North plans to partner more with local tourism officials.
“In order for people to consider moving here, they have to come here first and experience it, so if we can get them here and just see what it’s like for themselves, that’s a great first step in getting them to consider it,” she said.
