City of Morgan Hill Communications Assessment

o Encourage the Fire Department to establish social media sites, possibly leveraging the Police Department’s and City’s resources and expertise to form a joint “Emergency Operations” social media presence. 5. Integrate Cohesive Communications Strategy Throughout Departments Morgan Hill’s communication efforts currently happen on a somewhat “decentralized” basis where Department heads are largely responsible for their Department’s external communication efforts. As a result, there has been some variation in Departments’ Communications approaches and visuals. In this type of structure, agreed-to strategies and policies alleviate some of the burden on a central management figure to ensure the City is being consistent with its branding and messaging. With longer-term plans and guidelines, the City can build out a more consistent experience when it comes to external communications with the community. Action Steps o Officially designate Department ‘Communications Champions’ and assemble regular meetings with this core Communications group to discuss upcoming content, best practices, and lessons learned. o Create a master Content Calendar that identifies stories, platforms, and timing to deliver the City’s stories. Involve all Department heads in this planning and focus first on identifying the biggest stories of the year. o Update the City’s current “Style Guide” so it can be used as the requirements document for communications in the City. Provide this to new or existing staff who are embarking on marketing-related activities for their Departments. Provide templates to all departments that adhere to the Style Guide requirements and make it easier for departments to generate their own communication collateral as permitted or endorsed by the PIO. o The Style Guide can incorporate an array of items, including: treatment of the City logo in various formats, preferred, preferred colors in various identification formats (hexadecimal, PMYK, Pantone), spacing ratios, identified permitted and pre- selected photographic elements, and official sub-brand or program brand elements. o Execute a stock photography shoot and make an iconic image library of high- resolution images available to all departments to use in their communications. o Identify the current top five projects for the City and task relevant leadership to draft a Communications Plan related to those projects, including a timeline. o Include external communications as a focal point in the Weekly Leadership Huddle meetings to ensure Department heads know who is responsible for communicating what in regards to City events, projects and other newsworthy goings-on. o When major initiatives are being launched in the City, they should include a Communications component to the plan, even if the Communications plan is to not broadcast information. (That should be a choice, not an oversight.) o Have Department heads review communication efforts and public outreach for effectiveness and lessons learned on specific projects in order to share results with leadership staff on a quarterly basis.

52