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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCAO-006-16If this information is required in an alternate accessible format, please contact the Accessibility Coordinator at 905-623-3379 ext. 2131. Report To: General Government Committee Date of Meeting: November 28, 2016 Report Number: CAO-006-16 Resolution: File Number: By-law Number: Report Subject: Communications update Recommendations: 1.That report CAO-006-16 be received for information. Municipality of Clarington Report CAO-006-16 Page 2 Report Overview In the last three years the Communications Division has undergone some changes to respond to the growing demands from the community for increased communications, knowledge sharing, updates and transparency. The Communications Division has implemented processes to include both formalized communications such as press releases, and informal communications using social media and advertising to inform and engage Clarington residents. This report is a comprehensive update on the Division’s initiatives and results. 1. Background The Communications Division has expanded all communications initiatives to include both formal and informal ways to engage and reach Clarington residents. The Communications Division uses different ways to engage and inform the community both through social media and the News Module found on the municipal website. There is a protocol in place for releasing official corporate information and news in the form of press releases and media advisories. These are standard industry tools to share news and the corporate message. The Communications Division launched a brand new corporate website on July 9, 2015. The objectives for the site are to inform and engage residents in a meaningful, easy to use way and to provide streamlined, simple information about Municipal services, initiatives and projects. The website is accessible, meeting the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), Level AA compliance. In conjunction with the website and in keeping with the notion of mass communications, the Communications Division has been working diligently to expand Clarington’s social media channels. Social media continues to grow, with more and more residents obtaining their information and news using various forms including Facebook and Twitter. The Communications Division continues to create new ways to increase Clarington’s reach and engagement, while promoting the Municipality’s main social media channels. The Division is looking to significantly expand its social media reach while balancing and incorporating traditional media forms. Traditional ways of advertising and marketing are still important to the Municipality. The Communications Division continues to design and submit weekly advertising to both local newspapers. The Division also builds and creates supplementary advertising campaigns to promote and inform residents about numerous Municipal initiatives. The Communications Division is responsible for the design of all Recreation Guides, pamphlets, budget brochures and other corporate sanctioned information and communication tools. This report provides a snapshot of the work and communications initiatives employed to inform and engage the community. Municipality of Clarington Report CAO-006-16 Page 3 2. Formal Communications 2.1 Press Releases Press releases are just one vehicle used to communicate with the media and residents. Press releases are used to ensure that “accurate information about the Municipality of Clarington,” its programs and services are “communicated professionally and in a timely manner.” This supports a key goal as set out in the Municipality of Clarington’s Communication Strategy that formed report CAO-010-13 to Council in October 2013. Press releases are written on a number of corporate initiatives, programs as well as Council decisions to inform the community about the business of the Municipality and how taxpayers’ dollars are being allocated. It’s a tool that supports Council’s Strategic initiative to “Communicate widely, frequently and through various channels how good governance and value for the Clarington tax dollar are being provided.” In the past year from November 1, 2015 until October 31, 2016, the Communications division released a total of 69 press releases. Those were sent to media, posted on the website and sent out through social media channels. A total of 56 per cent, or 39 press releases, were picked up by one local news outlet. W hile almost 39 per cent of the press releases, or 27, were picked up and published or broadcast by multiple local news outlets, including Metroland Media and Durham Radio News. This is an increase from the previous year when 64 press releases were issued. Of those 64 releases, approximately 20 per cent or 13 were picked up by multiple news outlets. These statistics do not include any coverage and news stories by broadcast media. These statistics were gathered from an in-depth search of past news stories with links still existing on the internet. It does not include news coverage at the time of the press release that has since been taken down from an external media website. Press releases are a hugely successful tool that allows the Corporation to engage media outlets, which, in turn, share the corporate message and news to a wider audience, ensuring that the community is aware of Municipal initiatives and news. In response to Council mandate to increase communications, a shift occured with a new Comunications Manager and a more formalized process for communications was implemented. Prior to that shift in direction, most communications occurred on the Clarington official Wordpress Blog. 2.2 Public Meeting and Notices Public meetings and notices are also used to alert residents regarding statutory public meetings that seek public engagement, input and feedback on a particular issue. Communications Division works closely with both the Planning Services Division and Engineering Services to post these notices on the website and widely share them through corporate social media channels. These are also submitted as official advertisements in the newspaper to reach a mass audience. For the period covering November 1, 2015 to October 31, 2016, 47 Public Meetings and Notices were posted to the Clarington website, with 208 people subscribing to the notification system that sends an email update to the subscriber, alerting them of a new post. This does not include any individual or mass Municipality of Clarington Report CAO-006-16 Page 4 letters that both Planning and Engineering send out to inform residents of these important public meetings. These notices are also submitted to the newspapers as part of the weekly corporate advertising. 3. Social Media Clarington Corporate Communications has four official social media channels including: Facebook, Municipality of Clarington Facebook Clarington Emergency & Fire Services Twitter @ClaringtonON Twitter @clarchief From November 1, 2015 until October 31, 2016, Clarington saw an overall increase of 313.3 per cent of impressions or views on both corporate Facebook pages as compared to the previous year. The engagement on the Facebook page, that means reactions to posts, sharing or commenting on posts, has also increased by 69 per cent from the previous year. Clarington Facebook pages have a combined total of 3,462 fans, or people who have ‘liked’ the page. In the past year, the number of fans has increased by 47.1 per cent. Below is an example of the top three Facebook posts that had the highest reach. That means posts on the Clarington Facebook pages that reached the most people. When residents share a post or write a comment, the message shows up in the newsfeed of a number of unique organic users, maximizing its potential reach. Top three Facebook posts with the highest reach Municipality of Clarington Report CAO-006-16 Page 5 Clarington Twitter feeds are also growing in popularity, with a combined total of 5,509 followers on both the @ClaringtonON and @clarchief accounts. Both accounts have seen an overall 172.3 per cent increase in engagements from November 1, 2015 until October 31, 2016, as compared to the previous year. Engagements are clicks, replies, retweets and likes. Clarington Twitter has had 28,861 engagements of those: o 7,694 Link clicks o 3,029 Retweets o 2,526 Likes o 355 Replies o 230 Retweets with comments This demonstrates the two-way communication and conversation with community members. In a year, 1,522 tweets have been sent out and 606 included photos. Message content includes a wide range of communications from news, job opportunities, road closures, notices of PICs, local events and much more. These messages often contain links with more information, pushing users to the corporate website. Both Twitter accounts have gained a total Municipality of Clarington Report CAO-006-16 Page 6 of 1,213 followers in a year and continue to grow on a weekly basis with new followers joining. Both twitter accounts combined have had a total of 1,627 mentions, or people mentioning @ClaringtonON or @clarchief in their message, either starting a conversation or asking a question. By doing so they are directly communicating with the Municipality and raising the Clarington Twitter profile, allowing Clarington to reach a wider audience. Here’s an example of the top three tweets, rated based on their widest reach. Here’s another example of the top three tweets based on the number of people who have clicked on the tweet to view the enclosed URL. Municipality of Clarington Report CAO-006-16 Page 7 Clarington’s socia media accounts allow for an interactive, fast way to communicate on a mass scale with residents. As these numbers indicate, this is a growing area of communications, widely utilized by Municipalities who are trying to engage with residents using a mass communications method, utilizing tools that continue to grow in popularity. 4. Website As mentioned, Clarington’s redesigned accessible website launched on July 9, 2015. It was created, in part, as a response to a citizen survey conducted in 2013 that formed CAO-008-13 report “Customer Service Survey, Results.” That report showed that 62 per cent of residents said that the Municipal website was an effective tool for communication, but 55 per cent of residents found the website, at the time, not easy to navigate. The new website, www.clarington.net, was designed with the end user in mind. It is simple to navigate and the information is written in an interactive, simplified manner. The website is also fully accessible and mobile friendly. Since the launch of the website from November 1, 2015 until October 31, 2016, there has been a 56.4 per cent increase in pageviews from the previous period and the old version of the site. Pageviews is the total number of pages viewed. During that same period, there has been a 63.5 per cent increase in unique pageviews, when a specified page is viewed at least once. The chart below outlines the number of sessions, or number of times the user is actively engaged with the website, using different devices. During one session, a user may view multiple pages. Current Period Nov. 1, 2015 – Oct. 31, 2016 Previous Period Nov. 1, 2014 to oct. 31, 2015 Website viewing per device Desktop 241,107 (47.1%) 207,630 (57.4%) - 10.3% Mobile 214,992 (42%) 112,138 (31%) + 11% Tablet 55,617 (10.9%) 42,120 (11.6%) - 0.7% This clearly demonstrates that residents are shifting from using their desktops to view the website to using their mobile devices. Clarington’s redesigned website is mobile-friendly to allow users the option to connect and get their information using a variety of devices. Here’s a list of the top pages that have been viewed the most, this excludes the homepage. Page Title Pageviews Pages viewed the most (%) Job postings 151,092 11.34% Careers 71,333 5.35% Swim Schedules and Fees 51,163 3.84% Recreation and Leisure Guide 44,740 3.36% Skating 26,914 2.02% Animal Services (Adoption) 25,156 1.89% Courtice Community Complex 22,574 1.69% Contact Us 22,234 1.67% Municipality of Clarington Report CAO-006-16 Page 8 Page Title Pageviews Pages viewed the most (%) Adoption Pet Online Tool 20,513 1.54% Newcastle & District Recreation Complex 18,490 1.39% The News Module on the website is interactive and allows residents to subscribe to receive up- to-date, instant notification via email that one of the categories they have subscribed to has been updated. To date, there are 3,841 subscribers to the various categories. 5. Advertising and Marketing The Communications Division is responsible for all advertising and marketing. This includes all weekly corporate advertising and any additional advertising. The division also designs four Recreation & Leisure Guides annually. This is a large undertaking. These guides are printed and distributed, via Metroland, to every household in Clarington and Community Services facilities. The Division also designs additional pamphlets and supplementary communications including budget brochures, winter control information brochures, community resource guides and much more. As part of advertising efforts, and in an attempt to reach a more traditional audience who may not be using social media and the website, Communications occasionally develops strategic radio advertising on channels geared for that audience. This was done on several occasions to promote Active Adult programming and Family Safety Day, just to name a couple of examples. 6. Next Steps The Communications Division is launching a new campaign to increase the number of Twitter followers to 7,000 in the next year. With 7,000 followers, the Division can expand its reach ten- fold, assuming that each of those followers has at least ten followers of their own. Communications will continue expanding on current initiatives. The Division is hoping to create some in-house videos to help explain some of the work the Municipality does for residents. The Division is currently working on a video to explain the Municipal budget. 7. Conclusion The Communications Division has had another busy year, managing different communications vehicles, advertising and marketing. Resident engagement is growing and so is that crucial two-way communication. The Communications Division also works closely with Departments providing strategic communications assistance and identifying issues that need further explanation and additional resources so that residents are informed and engaged. The Communications Division continues to employ new techniques and tools to build upon its successes and continue to reach a wider audience. Municipality of Clarington Report CAO-006-16 Page 9 8. Strategic Plan Application As mentioned in the report the initiatives support Council’s strategic plan priorities including “promoting residents’ engagement in our community,” as well as “communicate widely, frequently and through various channels how good governance and value for the Clarington tax dollar are being provided.” Submitted by: Curry Clifford, MPA, CMO Interim CAO Staff Contact: Basia Radomski, Corporate Communications Manager, 905-623-3379, ext. 2214 or bradomski@clarington.net