City of Morgan Hill Communications Assessment

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. 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. 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. While the City has done a great job in developing its email platform (Constant Contact), Tripepi Smith recommends the City deepen its use of direct electronic communications as a core part of resident outreach and suggests methods to achieve this. 8. Communications Metrics: Measure What Matters Outside of the Recreation division, Morgan Hill staff does not regularly report on available metrics for a number of the City’s Communications platforms. For example, City management and City Council rarely hear about data on website activity, social media successes, or the impact of physical collateral/mailers. Collecting and reviewing these metrics is important, but 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. 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. so too is converting the data into actionable steps for management. 9. Empower Staff and Council as Information Ambassadors

8