What We Do

Manage Business Attraction Marketing

Our objective is to develop and manage the business brand for the state of Maryland. We aim to position Maryland as a great place to be — to run a business and live a well rounded lifestyle. Our marketing messages reinforce key selling points with an emotional pull to really instill a positive perception of Maryland as a location.

Our primary marketing hub is open.Maryland.gov. This site is essentially an online brochure for Maryland and attempts to engage business decision makers in content that will help them keep Maryland top of mind as they make business move/ expansion plans. All of our advertising directs to this site.

The marketing budget is comprised of dollars allocated from the state budget as well as dollars collected from fundraising from private sector businesses. Fundraising efforts are made possible by the Maryland Marketing Partnership (MMP). This legislatively mandated organization was created in 2016 as a way for us to generate additional funding for our advertising campaign.

The MMP is led by a governor-appointed board of business executives. The board works in partnership with the Commerce marketing team to oversee the advertising campaign. The partnership is also made up of 20+ Maryland Businesses that invest in the partnership and share their resources.

Promote Commerce Programs & Initiatives

Commerce’s marketing team supports the promotion of Commerce programs and initiatives, including grants and other opportunities for business. The team creates printed collateral about Commerce programs as needed, and writes/ designs Commerce’s Annual Report. The team also facilitates and manages many sponsorships on behalf of Commerce. Additionally, the commerce.maryland.gov website is maintained by the marketing team.