City of Morgan Hill Communications Assessment

o Track sign-ups for Nixle and Constant Contact and compare against online pushes for sign- ups (i.e. Facebook Page posts) to determine effectiveness of messaging. o When creating communication plans for certain projects/initiatives, define metrics on each City platform to determine the reach of messaging and the success on each platform. o Produce a quarterly Constant Contact report for City management that highlights Open Rates, Click Rates and Subscriptions. Benchmark against past quarters to track progress and leverage insights to adjust messaging and/or design approaches to increase engagement. o Consider A/B testing different layouts, content priorities or information on newsletters to see if one method achieves better metrics than another. o Produce a quarterly social media report for City management that highlights audience metrics (number of Fans/Followers) as well as Engagement metrics. Leverage these insights to identify what content resonates best with social media audiences. 9. Empower Staff and Council as Information Ambassadors The City places a strong emphasis on customer service and individual attention. This requires effective one-on-one engagements by City staff with residents to answer their questions in a timely and professional manner. This is also an opportunity for the City to leverage a strength of customer service to turn each staff person, particularly those on the front lines of engaging with the public or who are in the field working, into ambassadors for the City’s efforts and communication platforms. Action Steps o Train ‘front line’ customer service staff on the role of City communications platforms to keep residents informed so customer service can help sign people up or redirect them to the platforms the City is investing in. o Develop a ‘branding’ elevator pitch so that staff can easily explain the City’s vision/goals to community members o Standardize all staff email signatures to includes links to the City’s digital assets, especially the City website and its main social media sites. o As part of Social Media Policy creation discussions, consider the pros and cons of empowering staff members and City Council members to address misinformation online via personal social media accounts. o Conduct annual training on the Emergency Communications Plan, especially responding during crisis communications. 10. Continue to Grow & Celebrate Transparency Efforts Transparency is a concern for local governments as a tech-savvy and concerned public makes greater demands for “open data” regarding government business. Morgan Hill’s transparency efforts help reaffirm trust while clearly communicating the status of the City's finances so that residents can fully understand the financial demands and challenges the City faces. While Morgan Hill employs several best practices, these practices could be more prominent on the website and celebrated within its communications.

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