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HomeMy WebLinkAbout020224 - 06.1 Community Outreach and Engagement COMMUNITY OUTREACH & ENGAGEMENT INTRODUCTION The pandemic and post-pandemic years have reshaped how we communicate with our community. There is an increasing demand for more online information, quicker responses, and more personalized messaging. In response, the Town has embraced this new dynamic communications landscape using social media as the main tool to achieve broader reach while maintaining traditional methods to engage with residents and businesses. More recently, the Town significantly upgraded its website to meet best practices and design evolutions, developed a standardized branding approach, and adopted an updated Communication Outreach Strategy. A detailed summary of these efforts and the resulting expansion of the Town’s communication impact is in Attachment A. DISCUSSION These major outreach and engagement efforts have both kept the Town communications methods up-to-date and built a foundation for upcoming critical communications efforts. In addition to the business-focused communication strategies outlined in the Economic Development Strategies report, 2024 communications will be focused on the Downtown Master Plan Catalyst Project, rollout of the certified Housing Element, and laying the foundation for presenting a Lighting and Landscape Assessment District (LLAD) rate adjustment to property owners in 2025. In preparation for communications on these complex projects, The Danville Town Talks (DTT) website has been renovated to prioritize these outreach efforts. The pages for each of these projects will be the backbone of all outreach, for both information gathering and for documenting outreach efforts. Communications will encourage subscriptions to these pages, so that all project updates easily reach the most engaged community members. The project pages also have a digest of past project milestones and outreach efforts, to address concerns from those who are just learning about the projects. A project page for the LLAD is anticipated to be added by summer 2024. 2 Downtown Master Plan Catalyst Project The communications and outreach efforts for this impactful project are already underway. The level and approach will vary depending on how significantly each constituent group is affected by the project. • Hartz Avenue businesses will have numerous contacts through various methods, as the construction will directly impact intersections near their storefronts. They will be the most invested in receiving the information and will benefit most from the highest level of contact, including in-person meetings and one-on-one visits. • General community who will be interested in but perhaps only minimally impacted by the project could choose to attend available meetings but will most likely be informed by broad messages through the quarterly newsletter, monthly email, and social media. Timing for contacts will be more specific once the construction phasing is known. A general timeline for pre-construction outreach activities for specific audiences is below. Note that all activities targeted to the General Community will reach all subset audiences. Month Project Activities Outreach Audience Outreach Activities January Bid Notice General Community Press Release Messages: Bid notice, recap of project history. Social Media Print Newsletter Email Newsletter Project Handout DTT News Item Event Organizers Phone Call Email Update Business Owners Email Update February Contract Award General Community Press Release Messages: Contract award, potential timing. Social Media Email Newsletter DTT News Item TT with the Mayor Business Owners Email Update Month Project Activities Outreach Audience Outreach Activities March Submittal Process General Community Town Hall Meeting Messages: Potential project timeline and Phase 1 location. DTT News Item Social Media Business Owners Stakeholder Meeting Downtown Walks Email Update Community Groups Join Existing Meetings Event Organizers Email Update 3 April Submittal Process General Community Press Release Messages: Firm Phase 1 timeline and potential future phasing. Social Media Print Newsletter Email Newsletter Updated Project Flier Project Signage DTT News Item TT with the Mayor Business Owners Email Update Downtown Walks Commissions/Committees Presentations Event Organizers Email Update May Construction Start General Community Press Release Messages: Phase 1 start date, location, and project details. Social Media Email Newsletter Phase 1 Project Flier DTT News Item TT with the Mayor Business Owners Email Update Customer Handouts Downtown Walks Event Organizers Email Update Phone Call These communications efforts would be in addition to the community outreach conducted by any Councilmember individually through one-on-one meetings, group presentations, tours, and Farmers’ Market office hours. Ongoing communication once construction begins will include regular project updates posted to DTT, with supplemental communication through email and social media that directs people to the DTT project page. This initial communications outline is intentionally flexible to adapt to project details as they become available. Housing Element Since 2021, the Town has actively engaged the community in updating the 2023-2031 Housing Element through workshops, surveys, and interactive tools, aiming to both inform and educate about this state-mandated process. The revised Housing Element, along with recommended changes to the General Plan, Zoning Ordinance, and Municipal Code for compliance with state housing law, will be presented to the Council on February 6. This presents an opportunity for significant outreach, particularly to address concerns and clarify the nature of these changes. The messaging will focus on re-introducing Housing Element basics, emphasizing its state-mandated nature and clarifying that it does not compel the Town to build housing. An explanation will be provided for the changes that were made to comply with state housing law, the penalties and potential negative impacts of not adopting a certified Housing Element, and the process for future development reviews and approvals. 4 This is a complicated message, and while we will use short-form media such as email and social media, the messages will need to be communicated through more expansive platforms. Here are the key methods we will use to educate and inform: • DTT Housing Element Project Page: This ongoing resource provides the history, milestones, and previous outreach and community engagement efforts of the housing element process. • DTT Private Development Page: The Town has developed a standalone Private Development page that not only features information on private developments, but also insight into how the submittal, review, and approval process works. As new projects are submitted, project details and status will be added as new items and to an active map. • Town Hall Meetings: For those who prefer to meet in person, the Town will hold two Town Hall Meetings for the public, to walk through the Housing Element and how it affects the Town. • Summary Handout: As the final Housing Element document is prepared, a companion summary document will be created. This will serve as an introduction to the Housing Element but can also be used as a standalone piece that can be taken to community meetings, Farmers’ Market hours, and other engagement opportunities with the Council. • Spring Newsletter: The spring Live Locally Quarterly Newsletter will include notice of the adopted Housing Element, encouraging people to go to the DTT Project Page to learn more about the history and future impacts. As these cornerstone communications pieces are rolled out, there will also be a significant “social listening” component that will drive day-to-day outreach. Based on comments and rumors posted on social media, the Town will craft targeted messages that can easily be shared on our own social media platforms. This will provide clarification, but also support those in the community who wish to share the key messages. 2025 LLAD Ballot In anticipation of taking a potential LLAD rate adjustment to property owners in 2025, the Town can begin messaging in 2024 to inform residents of its purpose and benefits. An article about the LLAD was included in the fall 2023 Live Locally Quarterly Newsletter. The key messages included: a) the purpose of the LLAD; b) how the funds are managed; and c) how property owners are directly contributing to the quality of life in Danville through this assessment; and d) the assessment amount has not been increased in more than 20 years. To build understanding and support for an increased assessment, these messages would be continued through multiple platforms: • Social Media: Monthly social media posts about LLAD-funded features of the Town will reference the LLAD, and thank residents for helping to keep Danville beautiful. 5 • Quarterly Newsletter: When LLAD-funded projects are featured, the article would mention the source of the funding. Toward the end of the year, the newsletter could include an article focusing on the low assessment with a chart showing how other costs of maintenance have increased while the assessment has not. • Website: The LLAD info on the website will be expanded, to include historical documents, comparison charts, maps, and articles mentioned above. Social media posts and articles will direct visitors to the updated page, which can later be transitioned to a DTT page if the Town wishes to create surveys or receive comments on the potential assessment increase. These communications activities will help ensure that once the property owners are presented with a ballot, they will better understand the LLAD and how it impacts their quality of life. Other Marketing Strategy In addition to the major project outreach efforts outlined above, the communications team will focus on the following initiatives in 2024: • Growing Email Subscriptions: Moving to a new email platform will provide the opportunity for easier subscriptions, better reporting, and improved technical quality for Town marketing emails. This will allow for growth in subscriptions for targeted email lists. • Targeted Communications to Key Audiences: With improvements in general communications to the community, there is also a need to target audiences that are more difficult to reach. The communications team will work with RACS staff as well as the Senior Advisory Committee and Danville Youth Council to outline and implement targeted ways to reach seniors and teens. The Town already provides programs for these groups, and ensuring the messages meet the audience will be a key focus in 2024. • Web Content Strategy: The Town’s website structure was updated in 2018, and content additions were assigned departmentally. This resulted in departments adding information in differnet ways, without an overarching structure to the content. The internal Communications Liaison team will work across departments to better organize and consolidate information on the Town website pages and menus, with a visitor-first approach. • Social Media Policy: The Town will update its 2017 Social Media Policy to better reflect current platforms and best practices. This policy will be brought before the Council in the summer for consideration. RECOMMENDATION Consider the information and status update outline. Provide feedback to staff with regard to the initial communications strategies for the Downtown Master Plan Catalyst Project and Housing Element, as well as the general marketing strategy initiatives. ATTACHMENT A The Updated Communication Outreach Strategy and Implementation Plan presented to Council in March 2023 represented an audit of the Town’s communications strategies. Existing strategies were evaluated from a customer perspective, and several key objectives were outlined in the implementation plan, including: • Consolidate eight active departmental Town social media accounts, renaming Town accounts to one consistent “handle” and launching an awareness campaign. • Use direct URLs in all outreach to ensure users can easily find specific web pages. • Maintain Police Department social media accounts as an independent presence, and add an Instagram account to broaden reach. • Create a monthly email newsletter that covers all activities, updates, events, and projects. These and other initiatives in the March implementation plan have been completed, with results that set the Town up for future critical outreach needs, such as the Downtown Master Plan Catalyst Project and Housing Element communications. Here are some statistics reflecting successful implementation of these initiatives: Town Social Media Growth The consolidation of Town accounts into one focused account better serves the community. Residents, businesses, and visitors can use one account on each social media platform to find information on events and projects. The statistics show an increase in numbers across the board, partly due to acquired followers from the account consolidation but also due to an outreach campaign that generated completely new followers. 2022 2023 Jan-Dec 22 Jan-Dec 23 YoY Increase New Followers Added* Facebook 503 724 44% Instagram 1,300 1,641 26% Total Followers* Facebook 9,199 9,923 8% Instagram 8,081 9,722 20% Profile Visits Facebook 13,492 24,122 79% Instagram 7,834 23,562 201% Total Reach Facebook 107,774 255,230 137% Instagram 24,838 104,294 320% Total Video Minutes Viewed (Both) 681 28,174 4,037% *2022 numbers estimated 7 A robust following on social media allows the Town to convey a variety of messages in a way that is effective, flexible, and cost-efficient. Social media is also critical in emergency messaging. Note that some data was not available for the entirety of 2022, but staff were able to estimate closely based on available data. While social media allows for extensive analytics, some data measurement history was not available. The social media strategy included a focus on video, including short videos promoting everything from safety messages to activity promotion. The videos produced were also shorter, which resulted in more people viewing them for a longer total time. The Town also posts to Nextdoor and Twitter/X, but those platforms do not offer reliable analytic data or consistent placement of messages. While staff have not focused on initiating growth on those platforms, both platforms remain a part of the overall strategy. The Town has just over 8,000 followers on Twitter/X and 34,392 members on Nextdoor. Website Traffic With an increased use of social media to promote programs and projects, having short website addresses (URLs) is a critical component of the Town’s social media strategy. The Town produces a lot of information through its website, and getting people from a social media post to the exact information they are seeking helps bridge communications gaps. When developing marketing materials for projects, programs, and other messaging, short URLs were evaluated and developed. Over time, many short URLs were developed to refer to the same webpage, so those were evaluated and consolidated. Having a short, distinct URL for each project or program is especially important for Instagram and printed materials, to make it easier for customers to type in the web address. As a result of this focus, the traffic to the Town website reflected an increase in “direct” visits, meaning a specific URL was typed into a browser. Visits to the home page also decreased, as the home page URL was only used to refer to general Town information or to a specific program featured on the home page as a news item. In 2023, overall visits to pages on the danville.ca.gov website increased 216% year-over-year, and direct visits to specific pages increased 248%. This indicates an overall increase in traffic, in addition to an increase in people getting exactly the information they need. The top viewed pages on the Town website for 2023 were: 1. Home Page 6. Permit Center 2. Calendar 7. RACS Department 3. Search 8. Meetings & Agendas 4. News Flash (Press Releases) 9. Village Theatre 5. Staff Directory 10. Police Department These numbers reflect the success of the short URLs and other initiatives, such as the monthly email newsletter and social media strategy. For example, the shortened URL of www.danville.ca.gov/tickets is used for all Village Theatre promotion, with a prominent link at the top of the page to buy tickets. Additionally, Town Council meeting agendas 8 are posted on social media with the short URL of www.danville.ca.gov/agendas, and a new weekly email includes all upcoming meetings, resulting in an increase in views. Police Department Social Media In 2023, the Police Department showed significant organic growth in followers and engagement on both Facebook and Instagram. In July, the Town re-acquired a closed Instagram account that was started by a former officer and had been gaining followers even though no one had ever posted to it. With this acquisition, the PD accounts were able to be updated to consistent handles (@DanvilleCAPolice) and the Instagram account shows steady growth. The PD Facebook page added 595 followers in 2023, with a total of 9,827 as of January 2024. Visits to the PD Facebook page increased 56% in 2023. The PD Instagram page started in July 2023 with just over 600 followers, and has increased to 915 as of January 2024. Both accounts are primarily managed by PD staff, with oversight by the PIO. Email Marketing Over the past year, the Town has evaluated its email marketing strategy, seeking to reach out to the community more effectively while consolidating efforts. The website includes a “Notify Me” email sign-up page, and when the new site was launched, staff included many different options for the community to sign up for very specific items. These lists were not regularly used to send content, and if they were, residents had to subscribe to many different lists to get information about the Town. In July, the Town launched a monthly email newsletter that covered all Town news, from construction projects to classes and activities. The Live Locally Update is sent just before the first of each month, highlighting news for the coming month. In August, the email was expanded to include a mid-month Live Locally Calendar Highlight, primarily to promote calendar events through the end of the month. The subscriber list for the monthly email was consolidated from opt-in lists for all of the topics previously available through the Notify Me sign-up page. For instance, since the email newsletter would cover gallery exhibitions, senior programs, and youth programs, subscriber lists for those individual topics were consolidated to the monthly general list. In the first email, subscribers received a note about the new outreach method, and were given the opportunity to change their subscription preferences. The emails sent to this list of just over 4,000 subscribers have an average 48% open rate, indicating how many subscribers open the emails that are delivered. The industry average for government agencies is 29%. While the number of subscriptions has not grown since the list launched, staff attributes that to a somewhat complicated sign-up process for the current email marketing system. This assumption takes into account the high open rate as well as high engagement on social media posts about the newsletter, which should result in increased subscriptions. The Town is implementing a new email marketing service now, which will offer better analytics and a more customer-friendly subscription process.