City of Morgan Hill Communications Assessment

6. Develop Media Engagement Strategy, Policies and Procedures The changing media landscape means that, more and more, organizations must rely on direct communication with the public. However, traditional media is still an important component of the current Communications landscape, and Morgan Hill has several local outlets that can be leveraged. Reporters provide different perspectives and viewpoints that engaged residents will consider separately from City materials. Providing staff with guidance on media relations will help ensure information is shared in the City and clarify the role(s) staff members and Council members should take in handling Communications for the City. Action Steps o Develop formal policies and guidelines for press relations and inquiries, and share policies with staff so that roles and functions are clear and understood. o Work with teammates to harmonize (and regularly update) formal press distribution lists across Departments that create and/or distribute Press Releases. o Establish an internal/stakeholder Communications list to distribute Press Releases to partner agencies. o Focus on lists from the Fire Department, Police Department, City Manager’s Office, Economic Development and the School District. o Identify whom on staff will proactively build relationships with media contacts who commonly cover City news (Morgan Hill Times and Morgan Hill Life, in particular). o Identify whom on staff will be responsible for building relationships with sister agencies in the City to seek out communication partnership opportunities that yield a stronger community message. o Supplement Press Releases by proactively “pitching” stories to local/regional media. This could include assigning a human interest angle to a City program or regularly including pictures in Releases to add interest to the story. o Develop “holding” Press Releases for routine or anticipated items that can quickly be customized, depending on the situation. Examples include: hiring and retirement of senior staff, anticipated project completions, or breaking news items (such as road closures). o Expand outreach to ethnic media to capture reach Spanish-speaking members of the community. o Add a “Press Page” to the website with a focus on key leadership, high-resolution headshots, bios, mission statement, City facts, City history, royalty-free imagery of the City, and stock video imagery of the City (in high resolution) for easy use by media. 7. Deepen Direct Electronic Communications with Residents Direct electronic communication is a timely, cost-effective way to reach a large audience instantaneously. Examples include email campaigns, text alert systems, and broadcast media. More and more, the public is accustomed to receiving information electronically. Therefore, Tripepi Smith recommends the City deepens its use of direct electronic communications as a core part of resident outreach and suggests methods to achieve this.

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