By Hillary McKenzie-Cahill, Vice President of Marketing, Cayman Enterprise City

How do you successfully promote a little island nation in the Caribbean, to the entire world?

The Cayman Islands appears to be doing something right – it’s a small but incredibly successful jurisdiction ranked as the 6th largest International Financial Centre globally, the number one hedge fund jurisdiction and is also a popular tourism destination.

Thanks to Cayman’s financial services industry there is a highly sophisticated business and IT infrastructure. They have a pro-business Government and an innovative private sector, which are successfully harnessing the power of the Internet to market the Cayman brand to the world.

These days there are fewer expensive overseas business development trips to the ‘promote’ the jurisdiction, and less dollars spent on above-the-line advertising, instead there is more reliance on disseminating relevant information through multiple internet and e-marketing channels to carefully targeted audiences.

One successful Cayman project that has embraced internet marketing is IMA member, Cayman Enterprise City (“CEC”), which is Cayman’s Special Economic Technology Zone (www.CaymanEnterpriseCity.com).

Internet, technology and marketing companies from across the globe can easily and inexpensively set up their international (non-US) operations with staff and offices in CEC to take advantage of Cayman’s zero taxation plus a set of appealing concessions granted by the Cayman Islands Government. Close to 140 companies have already set up in the zone and are expanding internationally from Cayman’s tax-free platform making them more globally competitive and profitable, giving them access to cheaper capital and increasing shareholder value.

The strength of Cayman’s infrastructure, regulatory environment and Internet marketing are key factors in this success story. CEC is hoping to draw on the expertise of some IMA members in 2015 to improve and enhance its Internet marketing efforts.