It’s widely known that outdoor signage, roadsides and pavement markers, and ads placed on billboards have big roles to play in economic development.

But the newspaper and magazine industry — which includes many small- and mid-sized communities that would benefit from the kind of outdoor advertising assistance and support that Lakeland, Fla., received recently — needs a shot in the arm, too.

That’s the message from John Stankevich, director of economic development and business attraction for Lakeland-Winter Haven, a community of about 165,000 people located between Tampa and Daytona Beach, Fla.

Stankiewicz addressed the 2016 Future of the Newspaper/Magazine Convention as part of a keynote address on Tuesday afternoon.

Stankiewicz said that during his previous roles in Atlanta and Clearwater, he worked with many cities that have issues with their local newspaper and magazine publishing assets. Often, newspapers and magazines are their only economic development vehicles in the market.

The re-evaluation of newspapers and magazines is underway in Lakeland, as the community reassesses its needs in light of major changes in how information is delivered and consumed. The city recently became a regional metro area, with the addition of Winter Haven and Polk County in 2016.

“What we’re doing in Lakeland is re-evaluating our strategies for marketing Lakeland to the market,” he said. “The criteria of what makes a destination in a market has changed, and you need to understand what makes Lakeland a destination.

“We have used media primarily to engage our current residents. What we’re doing now is looking at our strategic objectives, and how we can leverage what we have to move the needle forward,” he added.

The questions now facing Lakeland, Stankevich said, is: How will media resources support tourism, communications and business attraction efforts?

He said the city will make an announcement later this spring about a local business that has joined forces with a national marketing firm to bring a high-end service event and banquet to Lakeland, and how such efforts will position the community as a premier convention destination.

“There are not a lot of companies who would move here without our local newspaper and magazine,” he said. “We have a mission statement, and the city council has a mission statement.”

To date, Lakeland’s local newspaper has remained independent of the general news department.

“Obviously, the general circulation staff exists for issues that affect the entire community,” he said. “However, local content has been the principal source of media coverage of Lakeland, so it’s highly encouraged to support these local organizations.”

The city of Winter Haven will consider similar approaches as it begins its own conversation about how it may create a local marketing plan for its local newspaper.