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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. v CITY Oi SOUTHLAKE TEXAS T=km Ah °e°°" PMtos Likes Mers– > ® CMyof SOMlhrme Lon Clty Ga.—.tlnuMclpaty P,S6a likae =ly mane Cauod C.Mates F.—Monde "ng pur gtesllons MiM1e y 3130 h- k 8- spm, Tawn W I M1tlpJrhn ry/txcp}ie MVNeYou CM1okeSoutM1lake Camlyn Morrls CGmmmrity Engageme¢t Laura tell=Hosts 2015 SPIN e mrymsoumlake, ',Clry Countll Flace2 -� otosF.— °s lewns�B 5hawn -C-19 salNl Malta ampram lortnelll neAp Mone Nake sma Pamela A. 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Drivers ur9e0 to tt NEWa.�ro� use radion in arm: dtWIMHDK dw.y/✓e] Y exoro x.e Ma,n Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life, Lawrence, R, Wise, D., and Eutisohn, E., Mat Can Help?: Embracing New Platforms far a ma= o .; CityofSouthlake n wd�a nla„In a.. a 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.