WS Item 4 (3) - Communication ReportCity of
Southlake
MARKETING &
COMMUNICATION
PLAN
Prepared by the
Office of Marketing and
Communication
Communication and engagement
work hand in hand to sustain an
effective local government. Without
the ability to connect to and involve
the community, government processes
can become obsolete and taxpayers are
faced with an impersonal entity that is
difficult to understand or navigate. Best
practices demand a strategic approach
to communication and marketing, which
supports understanding, engagement,
and the ability to adapt to customer
needs.
The City of Southlake recently
consolidated communication
professionals from various City
departments into the Office of Marketing
and Communication (OMC) to lead its
efforts to provide public information,
market City services and programs, and
oversee City tourism programs. The OMC
also supports City employees through
strategic internal communication.
The City has always worked hard to
communicate with the public, but in
the past several years, communication,
marketing, and engagement have become
higher priorities. Among its many duties,
this office is responsible for the oversight
of the City's online and social media
presence. It manages the City's
media relations, photography, and
video production, and it aids in the
marketing of City events and other
corporate initiatives. The OMC
team also assists City departments
(business units) with their
marketing and communication
efforts.
The OMC has outlined a set of core
services to achieve the objectives
included in the City Strategy
Map, seen on page five. It aims to
communicate on topics such as the
annual budget, the Southlake 2035
Plans, and the Citizen Satisfaction
Survey, as well as other policy
priorities established by the City
Council. The team also manages
corporate branding and markets
City programs and services,
such as those offered at the Marq
Southlake, and those needed
to attract visitors for shopping,
dining, and overnight stays.
t
CITY BRANDING
Put simply, a brand is an organizations
promise to its customers. This promise is
conveyed through a well-designed logo
and visual images, strategic messaging,
customer service approaches, and the
organizations "voice."
It is important that these elements are
consistent in appearance and use. In
Southlake, initial steps have been
taken to develop and maintain a brand
presence. However, the decentralized
communication system previously in
place wasn't conducive to strong
city-wide branding initiatives. Stronger
branding was a key catalyst for the
formation of the Office of Marketing and
Communication.
One of the initial goals is to develop a
hybrid house of brands, incorporating
basic design elements into the logos
and taglines for the City's operations
and communication channels without
compromising the uniqueness of each
entity.
For example, The Marq Southlake
requires strong marketing efforts to
ensure the facility meets its financial/
return on investment goals, while the
tourism marketing program is designed
to persuade visitors to stay overnight
in the city. Southlake Water Utilities
requires strong communication and
external customer service components,
while Southlake Human Resources is
about promoting a strong employee value
proposition.
These are just a few of the many examples
of programs that must be branded as
part of the city, but are different in their
scope and communication or marketing
requirements.
Improving extending, and protecting the
City's branding is a top priority for the
Office of Marketing and Communication.
E3
Communication and marketing
programs and services to meet the
needs of the municipal organization
are important. It is equally necessary
to address topics and issues important
to City audiences. The OMC, working
with City departments, uses a variety of
tools to identify topics and methods for
delivering the information needed. Each
year a marketing and communication
work plan is developed to support
City marketing and communication
strategy, complete with implementation
performance measures.
Strategy and work plan initiatives
pursued by the OMC reflect corporate
priorities. The team is responsible, for
example, for the technical infrastructure
needed, e.g., websites, social media
platforms, and email/telephone message
"blast" systems, the team manages City
broadcasting responsibilities, media
relations, an organizes/ publishes an
editorial calendar to ensure proactive
efforts on known City events and
projects.
Finally, the OMC manages City tourism
programs in conformance with the City's
Tourism Master Plan, an element of
• Safety & Security
• Traffic/ Mobility
(#1 Citizen Survey Gap Issue)
• Sidewalks/Bicycle-Friendly
Streets/
(#2 Citizen Survey Gap Issue)
• Development/ Construction/
Plans
(#3 Citizen Survey Gap Issue)
• Businesses/ Economy
• Schools/Youth Issues/Families
• City Pride
• Sports/Parks/Open Space
• City Events
• Budget/Taxation
• Emergency Preparedness
Southlake 2035. These are a few
examples of the corporate role played
by the OMC. City departments (business
units) are responsible for managing
mission - specific communication, such
as small event flyers and employee
newsletters.
• Social Media
• Websites
• Email Blasts
• Mobile App
• Presentations
• Event Signs
• Southlake Connect
• Infographics/Displays
• Video on Demand
• Information Blogs & Emails:
Development Activity News
Water Smart, Southlake
• Posted Agendas & Publications
• Town Hall Forums
Where possible, data and analytics are
used to guide priorities and resource
allocation. This includes survey
responses, page views, feedback forms, of
social media responses. Data also is used
to measure performance on
workplan priorities and key
accountability indicators.
City of Southlake — Office of Marketing & Communication Strategy Map
The Office of Marketing & Communication is dedicated to inspiring and engaging people through collaborative storytelling and authentic experiences.
City ® Safety ® Quality 0 Performance ® Partnerships &
Areas:eas: Securityy Mobility Infrastructure Development Management Volunteerism
C5 Promote
opportunities for
partnerships & volunteer
involvement
82 Collaborate with select
partners to implement service
solutions
C6 Enhance sense of community LS Empower informed
by providing excellent customer 82 Achieve best -in -class decision making at all levels
service and citizen engagement status in o11 City disciplines in the organization
B6 Optimize FT Adhere to financial L6 Foster positive B4 Provide high quality
use of management principles & employee services through
technology budget engagement sustainable business
practices
OMC C1 Assist customers in navigating I
OMC C2 Maximize Citizen and employee involvement in
government transparency through strategic messaging
government processes and services (C6)
(C6)
Manage fie -tis -1 'ss
OMC BI Maximize City OMC B2 Establish Southlake's OMCB3Implement innovative
messages through strategically unique brand & story with effective technology solutions for
focused media coverage (BI) Y public relations strategies (BI) I stronger communication (B6}
OMC FI provide high value services through efficient
management of resources (FI)
OMC LI Build a positive, productive and engaged workforce
that supports the City's mission and strategic goals (L6)
OMC C3 Engage Employees in COS
culture though a strong employee
communication program (C6)
OMCB4 Engage in strategic
foresight to anticipate, evaluate
and address future challenges
and opportunities that my impact
the Citv and department. (B4j
OMC L2 Manage the City's brand through strategic
communication, city -established guides and training (LS)
"Technology is transforming the
experience of being a citizen. According
to a recent survey, approximately 66%
of social media users in the U.S. use new
media platforms to post their thoughts
about civic and political issues, react to
others' postings, press friends to act on
issues and vote, and follow candidates." 1
As the City seeks to engage the
community in relevant and meaningful
ways, it will be important to find the
places where people gather and discuss
their thoughts and ideas. Websites, apps,
and social media platforms, in many
ways, have created new places where
people engage with one another and seek
information.
This has changed the speed of
communication and removed many
barriers between local government
and the public they serve. "Citizens
no longer have to wait for the next
City Council meeting to address their
concerns." 1
Today the City of Southlake maintains
five Facebook pages (City of Southlake,
Southlake DPS, Southlake Parks, Visit
Southlake, The Marq Southlake), six
Twitter profiles (City of Southlake,
Southlake DPS, Southlake Parks, Visit
Southlake, Southlake Library, The Marq
Southlake), A Visit Southlake Texas
and The Marq Southlake Instagram
accounts; a YouTube channel for
video posting, and a Flickr site for
photos. When possible, social media
is used to draw people toward the
city's websites for more information:
CityofSouthlake.com, MySouthlakeNews.
corn, TheMargSouthlake.com, or
VisitSouthlakeTexas.com.
The City's social media policy was
enacted in 2012, and the City follows
a general set of guidelines, overseen
by the Deputy Director of Marketing
and Communication, when creating,
moderating and managing online
content.
Data collection methods relating to 4
online engagement tools are increasing
and the City is steadily improving its
ability to track information relating to
its online efforts. This makes it easier
to set goals and monitor the reach and
effectiveness of the use of these tools.
The City is growing and aims to retain
the number of people following, liking
Websites:
CityofSouthlake.com
MySouthlakeNews.com
VisitSouthlakeTexas. com
TheMarq.Southlake. c om
Facebook Pages:
www.facebook.com/QtyofSouthlakeTX
www.facebook.com/SouthlakePublic5deiy
www.facebook.com/SouthlakeParks
www.facebook.com/VisitSouthlakeTexas
Twitter Profiles:
twitter.com/ CityofSouthlake
twitter.com/SouthlakeDPS
twitter.com/SLParksandRec
twitter.com/SouthlakeEvents
twitter.com/SouthlakeLib
twitter.com/themarqslk
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/visitsouthlake/
www.instagram.com/themarqslkL
YouTube Channel:
www.youtube.com/user/giyofSouthlake
Flickr Site:
www.flickr.com/12hotos/southlaketexas
and commenting on posted content.
These tools have allowed the City of
Southlake to keep people informed
when it counts most. Particularly
during times of crisis, when people are
concerned about public safety issues or
during weather emergencies, the City
has found that social media and email/
telephone message "blast" systems have
been a key tool to keep people informed
Allowing the City to quickly release
critical information to a wide audience,
technology has proven invaluable.
These communication channels
also keep people informed about
the City's focus areas: Mobility,
Quality Development, Safety and
Security, Infrastructure, Performance
Management, and Partnerships and
Volunteerism.
Opportunities to expand the use of these
tools are plentiful. New sites emerge
frequently and become popular, such
as Pinterest, Tumblr, Snap Chat, or
Instagram. The landscape is constantly
changing. This can make it a challenging
but important job to evaluate whether or
not the newest technology will be truly
effective or worthy of being a voice for
the City.
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The formation of the Office of Marketing
and Communication was initiated to
address concerns about gaps in corporate
communication and leverage talent from
across City departments to improve City
efforts. The team formed in January 2017
and has worked diligently since then to set
up team personnel, processes, and work
objectives for the new approach.
With an established Strategy Map
and aligned Workplan, as well as a
performance scorecard, the team is poised
to advance specific objectives in 2018.
To the right is a list of some of the projects
that the OMC intends to tackle in FY 2018.
Using the aforementioned tools, the OMC
will implement policies and programs
designed to develop and protect the City's
corporate brands, market City programs
and services, and facilitate communication
between the City's residents, businesses,
and visitors, in short supporting the
division's core services and adhere to
the divisions mission to inspiring and
engaging people through collaborative
storytelling and authentic experiences.
If
Assist customers in navigating
•
Improve Southlake Police Department website content to maximize safety "news now" information.
government processes and
•
Use various communication tools to highlight projects designed to improve mobility.
services.
•
Provide public health information to drive awareness of key threats (e.g., mosquito -borne illness).
•
Improve website content as dictated by data and analytics.
•
Publish timely stories on City initiatives and activity on websites.
Maximize citizen and employee
•
Improve City transparency by enhancing website content on key issues, such as City finances.
involvement through
•
Develop and manage marketing plan to increase involvement in the 2017 Citizen Satisfaction Survey.
transparency using strategic
•
Develop and manage communication plan for citizen survey results.
messaging.
•
Manage marketing and communication strategies related to Southlake 2030/2035.
Strengthen COS culture through
•
Support marketing initiatives to ensure strong employee response to employee engagement survey.
a strong employee
•
Support communication efforts to inform employees of the engagement survey results.
communication program.
•
Coordinate marketing for Employee Appreciation Week; support other engagement initiatives.
Maximize City messages
•
Maintain strong relationships with local media, issuing proactive releases and responding to inquiries.
through strategically focused
•
Provide media communication support to business units, as needed.
media relations.
•
Promote programs and services, as appropriate, through the use of ads.
Establish and maintain
•
Establish a City of Southlake "hybrid house of brands" to improve marketing efforts.
Southlake's unique brand with
•
Develop and maximize Southlake pride opportunities, working with key partners (e.g., CISD).
effective public relations
•
Develop and manage marketing program for The Marq Southlake (Legends Hall & Champions Club)
strategies.
•
Highlight park system excellence through implementation of a strong marketing program.
Implement innovative
•
Monitor communication/industry trends; evaluate options for implementation.
technology solutions for
•
Continue implementation of Everbridge, working closely with the Office of Emergency Management.
stronger communication and
marketing.
Anticipate communication and
•
Ensure OMC participation in State and regional communication & marketing trade organizations.
marketing opportunities to
•
Review trade journals and other publications to identify "future ready" options.
address future challenges.
Implement the City's adopted
•
Implement programs and services as noted in the Tourism work plan.
Tourism Plan, an element of
Southlake 2035.