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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAdministrative Order 2020-02City of Bozeman Communications Plan 1 Communications Plan City of Bozeman Communications Plan2 City of Bozeman Communications Plan 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 5 What is a communications plan? What does it mean for you and Bozeman? 5 Communications Goals 7 Review of Channels and Audiences 19 Procedures 23 Looking to the Future/Conclusion 29 Appendixes (Social Media Policy, Web Governance Policy) 29 City of Bozeman Communications Plan 3 City of Bozeman Communications Plan4 City of Bozeman Communications Plan 5 Introduction In 2018 the City of Bozeman finalized its first ever Strategic Plan This document called for the development and implementation of an organization wide Communications Plan and associated protocol This document is a part of achieving the first vision of the Strategic Plan, “An Engaged Community ” As Bozeman continues to adapt and change it is critical that we have goals for how we communicate as an organization with the community What is a communications plan? This plan is written for City of Bozeman staff as a guide and vision for how we can best communicate, inform and engage with the public This document outlines how we can do that This communications plan is a set of six goals that identify key areas where the City of Bozeman can improve communications to expand overall reach to the Bozeman community This is the start of bringing a level of service to the community that is expected of government These goals combine one way communications with two way engagement So what do these goals mean for City staff? They will have a range of impacts Comments made on social media will receive responses Collaborative communications among local agencies will benefit all of us by creating shared understanding Empowered City employees will confidently serve as ambassadors of knowledge in the community This plan doesn’t mean that change will happen overnight It means that as an organization we are placing an increased value on the service of delivering information in a way that is timely, accurate, and understandable City of Bozeman Communications Plan 5 City of Bozeman Communications Plan6 City of Bozeman Communications Plan 7 Communications Goals The Communications Goals in this plan have been identified as the highest priorities for improving the City of Bozeman’s communications with our community. These goals may change or be replaced in future plans. GOAL 1: Telling the Story Bozeman’s story is vibrant, visual, and full of as many successes as it has challenges. It is time to celebrate those with the Bozeman residents and highlight the work of this community by taking full advantage of existing tools and resources. GOAL 2: Engagement Community engagement creates multiple opportunities for the public to contribute to city decisions. We bring these opportunities to the community through existing tools, city led programs, and by incorporating new and cutting edge options. GOAL 3: Celebrating and Enhancing Partnerships We commit as an agency to supporting and engaging the many working partnerships of the City through our communication efforts. GOAL 4: Communicating the Strategic Plan Strategic plan projects can be complex, staff intensive, and at times mean new policy, programs or procedures. This requires a high level of communication and engagement support by city staff. The strategy for supporting these efforts must be prioritized and clearly defined beyond the day to day work. GOAL 5: Communications Infrastructure as an Agency A strong and united body of employees bolsters the success of the agency. Improving communications as an organization ensures that we unify the City’s message from within so that we speak as one city, with one voice. GOAL 6: Communications and Public Engagement as an Integrated City Service Communications and public engagement must be fully integrated into all government services. Staff will work together to plan for technical support serving the public. City of Bozeman Communications Plan 7 City of Bozeman Communications Plan8 GOAL 1: Telling the Story The City of Bozeman’s story has changed over years but throughout time, dedication to service has remained. As identified in the strategic plan, and more specifically as seen in the top priorities as determined by the City Commission, growth and its impacts are a constant fiber found in our Bozeman story. It is our responsibility to citizens to tell that story in a way that is understandable, educational, and most of all encourages involvement or ambassadorship of knowledge. That story is told every day by residents of Bozeman, including those who work for the City of Bozeman. It is important that government work on personifying who they are, drawing back the curtain, and providing more opportunities for interaction with the everyday people who work to serve this community. While with growth comes growing pains, there is lots of good news. It is our duty to courageously share all information that residents should be well informed on. OBJECTIVE 1: Improve trust through transparency. The City of Bozeman calls out in the Strategic Plan 1.2 the need to “Dramatically increase transparency and create access to all city documents.” Significant work is already being done through dedicated efforts by Strategic Services and Community Development to improve and enhance how documents are available online for development in Bozeman city limits. This work has dramatically improved the amount of resources citizens may access and conveniently locates them in one place. Strategy Tactic Measurement Push Notification System: Currently the City utilizes eNotifications through the City of Bozeman website as a way for citizens to sign up for updates on specific topics. There is a need to improve how this tool is used and potential need for it to be upgraded to allow for more versatile and diverse types of notification. 1. Working together with Strategic Services, Community Development, and IT immediately implement eNotifications for Development Actions so that citizens can sign up to receive emails on upcoming development action in the City. 2. Implement a more robust version of a push notification system to include text message options, area/map location options, and categories beyond development. Implement phase one by Winter 2019, implement a more robust version by Spring 2020. OBJECTIVE 2: Create a visual story Improve the City’s use of visual mediums to better tell the story of the work going on in the City. Strategy Tactic Measurement Create and maintain a curated folder structure of photos and video that can be used across the organization for external and internal communications. Work with IT and City Management to create an initial cache of photos in a shared drive, invite Departments to add photos for consideration. Have a library of at least 200 high quality images that encompass a wide variety of landscapes, cityscapes, people, places and things to show the diversity of our city. GOALGOAL11 City of Bozeman Communications Plan 9 OBJECTIVE 3: Put a face to the City of Bozeman. City of Bozeman government is made up of hundreds of hard working employees who live their lives in this community. Often times it is easy for staff to be so focused on the challenges at hand that we forget how intimidating or “big” government can seem. Putting a face to the name (especially a face you might recognize) helps develop a relationship with our community. Credibility is key and no one is more credible than your neighbor, friend, walking buddy, etc. Beyond developing credibility, this is an important opportunity to recognize the hard work of city employees. Strategy Tactic Measurement Create unique and innovative content that can be shared across the City to personify government. 1. Utilize CaTS program at MSU to work with Marketing students to develop a full scale campaign highlighting the good work of Bozeman’s government employees. 2. Coordinate with Neighborhoods, Director Team, and MSU to create a marketing plan and to brainstorm ideas for how to spread the word beyond what we normally do. Over the course of 2-4 semesters launch at least one successful campaign with a class, collect content to be used by External Communications Team. OBJECTIVE 4: Create a calendar of themes for messaging over the year Strategy Tactic Measurement Conduct yearly brainstorm session with External Communications Team. Use the External Communications Team space to hold one longer meeting for developing yearly calendar. Create a new theme calendar for each year starting in Spring 2020. Work with social media teams and External Communications Team to create content around the theme that works for each department or division. Working with External Communications Team create and message content for the month to echo theme. Develop unified content, consider a hashtag or unifying symbol to use across content. Plan out website featured content to be included on the Bozeman website home page. Working in the Cross Functional Team identify priority areas that can be featured on the website. Have at least three current and changing slides per month. OBJECTIVE 5: Create a regularly scheduled “Update from the City” for residents that highlights upcoming projects, items of interest, staff work, and more. Strategy Tactic Measurement Determine the appropriate mediums to update: print/mail, online, blog, video, podcast, or combination. Collect examples and identify a budget for pushing to residents.Secure budget and staff time for Fiscal Year 2021. Working with City Manager, elected officials, and External Communications Team, create a comprehensive update. Collect information .Start Update from the City by Fall 2020. City of Bozeman Communications Plan10 OBJECTIVE 1: Utilizing social media channels to their full potential for engagement. The City has maintained a presence on social media for what is an impressive amount of time for government. Previously departments had little to no dedicated help to use and maintain these pages. With the creation of the Communications Coordinator position we have an opportunity to empower individual departments to take on the challenge of social media boldly and as an evolving tool. Currently engagement on our online platforms varies widely across individual departments and channels. Some departments have enough staff or have dedicated enough staff time to be responsive and utilize two-way engagement; others do not. It is the expectation of our modern day community that social media be an additional platform for reaching the City. Just like a phone call or an email, we have a responsibility to respond to comments and messages in a timely manner. Without a response the platform loses its value and followers write the page off as nothing more than a static “brick wall” where they can bounce their feedback and questions at with no response or result. Strategy Tactic Measurement Evaluate effectiveness of existing social media platforms. Working together with the IT Department, Communications will review existing channels to determine if all are serving the purpose that they were originally created to do. If possible, some channels may need to be reevaluated, dissolved, merged, or renamed to more appropriately serve the audience intendent Complete evaluation of channels and identify rebranding or consolidation opportunities. Work with departments to make transition Create social media teams within departments: Social media channels are as successful as those staff who utilize them as a tool. Departments do not have the resources, support, or depth to sustain and maintain social media channels that engage at the level of success that the community deserves. Together with the IT Department, Communications will work with individual departments with existing channels to establish consistent group meetings, proactively plan for content, and support and empower staff to engage on channels with content that adheres to City expectations. Team members will be encouraged to actively communicate and recognize the needs of others so that no one person is carrying the burden of social media on their own Establish at least three social media teams for departments that already have a presence GOAL 2: Engagement Community Engagement is called out in Vision 1 of the City’s Strategic Plan. Recognizing and prioritizing staff time to support Community Engagement is critical to enhancing how the City communicates with citizens. As an organization we strive to broaden and deepen engagement of the community in city government. Using existing resources, leveraging the talents of staff internally, and boldly considering innovative methods for inviting input from the community will play a part in strategies we set forth in this section of the plan. It’s important to recognize that communications and engagement are two separate concepts for the work that we do. Communications is one way communication that informs, educates, and alerts. The desired outcome of communications is to create shared understanding. Community engagement creates opportunities for the public to contribute to city decisions. The action of community engagement can take many forms and includes involving and collaborating between city decision makers and community members. The desired outcome of community engagement is that communities see their influence on decisions and policy. The grey area in between the two can be difficult to determine. It is critical that staff doing these actions work closely together and have a symbiotic relationship. GOALGOAL22 (continued on next page) City of Bozeman Communications Plan 11 OBJECTIVE 2: Consider options for dedicated engagement tools or platforms beyond social media and public comment. The City of Bozeman has previously used an engagement tool to collect feedback and input on specific city topics or policies. Use of this tool has faded away in the last two years. City staff recognize the importance of offering a variety of ways for citizens to get information on large projects and engage on topics. Many city projects require long-term communication with varied options for engagement and communication. Strategy Tactic Measurement Pull together a small working group to identify city’s needs and determine what type of platform would be the most beneficial to the entire organization. Inventory options, analyze cost and viability, solicit organizational buy- in both financially and for staff support, discuss options for training and implementation and management Launch engagement platform by Fall 2020 Launch engagement platform.Working with External Communications Team launch an online campaign to create community buy-in and spread the word Get 1,000 unique platform engagements in the first year OBJECTIVE 3: Create programs for fostering and supporting local citizens with an interest in developing their knowledge of local government. Strategy Tactic Measurement See examples in other communities like Neighborhood College, Citizen Academy, etc. Utilize nationwide and local networks to present a list of options to Internal Communications Team Research and present at least 4 examples Create curriculum for each government focus area.Working with Internal Communications Team research and develop categories. Develop curriculum and implement by Spring 2021 Create a process of graduation to encourage graduates to become involved in government at the next level. Work with local organizations and Citizen Advisory Boards to find avenues for graduates to apply their knowledge in public process Be able to show reinvestment of graduates in public agency OBJECTIVE 4: Innovate and improve the process for traditional public outreach (examples include: open houses, town halls, etc.). Strategy Tactic Measurement Review and document current methods and processes for public outreach and implement new options for improving these tools. Research best practices and create a “Planning an Event” toolkit for use by city staff Implement new strategies and have toolkit available for staff by 2021 OBJECTIVE 1: Utilizing social media channels to their full potential for engagement. (continued) Strategy Tactic Measurement Create yearly goals within teams and platforms to drive performance on channels. Goals can be tailored to individual teams. Together with the IT Department, Communications will meet once a year to help teams establish goals. The Web/Social Media Specialist in IT will keep teams up to date on their goals by sending out monthly updates on metrics See a noticeable increase in presence and engagement from viewers as teams are motivated to be thoughtful and proactive in the content they create and ways they engage, track progress Utilize unique engagement tools of social media beyond the standard content posting, commenting, messaging and events. Working within teams, hold 10-15 minute mini sessions to teach how to use other elements of social media that they may not be as familiar with. Examples include: surveys, Live streaming, stories, Tagging/ using hashtags, using filters, etc. Hold six mini sessions each year City of Bozeman Communications Plan12 OBJECTIVE 1: Highlight projects and commitments. Strategy Tactic Measurement Utilizing the channels available to the City, staff should not miss an opportunity to express gratitude and show collaboration when communicating joint work to the public. Sometimes this will require proactive collaboration between the Communications Coordinator and their counterpart for a partner organization. 1. Have the Communications Team reach out to the Big 5 partners to proactively brainstorm key projects that highlight the positive working relationship. 2. Utilizing outreach channels like press releases, social media, events, and other opportunities share the message of cooperation and collaboration. 3. Through social media channels make best effort to tag, reshare/ retweet, and so on any critical messaging of partner organizations that directly affect city residents. Be an available channel to communicate in the event of urgent messaging on part of our partner organizations. 1. Meet at least annually with the partners. 2. Show an increased presence of partners on our external channels. 3. See an increase in the number of tags and tagged posts we have on social media channels. OBJECTIVE 2: Prepare for emergency communications. Strategy Tactic Measurement Support Gallatin County Emergency Management to hold quarterly or bi-annual meetings of local partners PIOs and Communications personnel. Strengthen relationship with Gallatin County Management.Hold at least 2 PIO meetings per year, the City should host at least one. Encourage yearly exercises in emergency communications through the Gallatin County Emergency Management office. Create and support clear roles and opportunities for PIOs within the exercise. Work with Gallatin County Emergency Management. Have at least two city staff participate in the role of PIO in at least one situation per year. OBJECTIVE 3: Resolve conflicts and find solutions Strategy Tactic Measurement Encourage and support cross-departmental efforts to resolve community challenges by facilitating open and honest discussion about problems and challenges (ex: Neighborhoods Program/ Parking/BSD7 on parking issues in residential areas adjacent to high school). Offer Communications and engagement services to departments as an option for problem solving including staff level resolution training. Have a presence when asked in strategy meetings with departments. GOAL 3: Celebrating and Enhancing Partnerships The City of Bozeman is proud to support and recognize the many other agencies, non-profits, and organizations that support the work of the City as well as needs of the community that are not filled by local government. How we communicate these partnerships to the community is something we should make a commitment to improving. In addition, we commit to improved communication and celebration of our productive community partnerships. GOALGOAL33 City of Bozeman Communications Plan 13 GOAL 4: Communicating the Strategic Plan The City of Bozeman uses the Strategic Plan as a guiding document for projects above and beyond the daily services of city government. Of the action items in the plan the Commission identifies priority areas that staff should put extra focus on. Of these items, most if not all, require a dedicated amount of Community outreach and engagement. It is important to recognize that for these projects there is a significant amount of staff workload that will be required to reach the level of communication desired for projects of such high priority. The department staff in charge of the project cannot do it on their own as they are already spending a large number of hours working on the project itself. Likewise, though consultants can be of help to facilitate outreach and engagement, they cannot be the sole communicators on behalf of the city. OBJECTIVE 1: Provide full scale communications outreach and engagement for Strategic Plan priority projects. Strategy Tactic Identify and coordinate meetings of project team as designated by City Management, City Commission, Communications Coordinator, Neighborhoods Coordinator, and other appropriate staff. Create and execute individual Communications and Public Engagement plan for Strategic Plan priority project. 1. Identify and secure budget in preparation for the project. 2. Create a calendar of key events and assign team members to navigate logistical needs (location, food, beverage, etc.). 3. Utilize the menu options for Communications and Engagement and select the appropriate tools to suit the needs of the audience and the project. 4. Create a webpage for citizens to track progress and find more information. 5. Create graphics and other materials needed to provide education to citizens. This may be included in a consultant contract. If not consider hiring a consultant or plan ahead for staff to create. GOALGOAL44 City of Bozeman Communications Plan14 GOAL 5: Communications Infrastructure as an Agency The City has many channels for internal communication, which is truly a benefit for creating a collaborative and communicative work culture. Beyond phone, email, and department and interdepartmental meetings, the Friday update, intranet, and bulletin boards/break rooms provide opportunities for information to be shared with employees. However, there are certainly areas that need improvement. Inconsistencies in how and when items are communicated internally, who does what, and how items are prioritized. OBJECTIVE 1: Create an infrastructure of communications internally. Strategy Tactic Measurement Develop an Internal Communications Team that supports the infrastructure of communications for internal work, planning, development of programs, etc. Bring together managers/director from each department.Hold consistent meetings starting in Spring 2020. Conduct a self-audit of internal communications and determine areas to improve. Work with Internal Communications Team.Identify three areas where improvements can be made for employees to be implemented over a year. Develop an External Communications Team of the key knowledge holders for content in each department. Starting with Social Media and Web Content managers and then filling in any gaps, hold short meetings to develop a content calendar for the following months. Hold meetings starting in Spring 2020. Have Cross Functional Team conduct Communication trainings through the year with Directors, HPO, front-line staff. Using feedback from members of the Internal Communications Team conduct communications trainings on Media Relations, Social Media Engagement, Brand Guidelines, Tools for Communicating Under Stress, Content Creation, etc. Hold 4 trainings a year. Identify existing Public Information Officer trained employees, support further training for them, and encourage additional local trainings for future employees. Working with departments and Gallatin County Emergency Management bring together all PIO trained employees to further understand what level of interest and experience those employees have. Strive to deepen the “bench” of employees who can serve as PIOs and support the Communications Coordinator in the event of a large scale city emergency. Have at least 4-6 employees who are trained, comfortable, and available to assist in the event of a large scale city emergency. OBJECTIVE 2: Foster ambassadors of the City by keeping employees educated on city issues. Strategy Tactic Measurement Conduct an all employee survey to determine how City Employees receive information and how they would like to receive it in the future. Gauge employee interest across departments and varying demographics to further develop concepts for sharing city information to employees. With input from HR and City Management the Communications Coordinator will create and implement an internal survey. Survey should be conducted in conjunction with an all-city event like All City Staff meetings, Employee Wellness Screenings, etc. to encourage as complete participation as possible. Receive at least 50% of employee responses within the survey window of time. Develop a system for informing agendas for small teams, cross functional teams, etc. to spread information universally across the city. Work with existing teams to find a method that is efficient and effective. Implement the system with all teams. GOALGOAL55 City of Bozeman Communications Plan 15 OBJECTIVE 4: Create an internal Emergency Communications Plan Strategy Tactic Measurement Working together with IT, Strategic Services, and Fire Department, create and train staff on an Emergency Communications plan which will include both internal communications and staff responsibilities for external communications during an emergency. 1. Gather research from Gallatin County Emergency Management, ongoing work of the Fire Department in collaboration with Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), local Emergency Communications Plans, and other plans of a similar type (look to resiliency partners?) to develop a plan, train staff, and make available a booklet in every department. 2. Seek tools that may already exist that will be leveraged by staff as part of the Emergency Communications plan. Complete and implement plan by Fall 2021. OBJECTIVE 3: Work with the Human Resources Department to identify opportunities for employee recognition. Strategy Tactic Measurement Work with the Human Resources department and other appropriate staff to develop ideas for implementing the Strategic Plan 7.2C as part of a High Performance Organization. Consider existing events for recognition, research employee programs that are successful, gather feedback from employees to determine which might be most successful. Increase employee recognition in the organization. City of Bozeman Communications Plan16 GOAL 6: Communications and Public Engagement as an Integrated City Service Providing a high level of communications and engagement for projects and programs that the city is pursuing has become more of a requirement than an option. Some staff that provide that service are the Communications Coordinator, Neighborhoods Coordinator, Web and Social Media Specialist, Web Editors, and Social Media team members. OBJECTIVE 1: Establish communications and public engagement as an internal service to be made accessible to all city departments. Strategy Tactic Measurement Create a Cross-functional team of Neighborhoods, Communications, Web/Social Media Specialist, and Graphic Design to support needs across city departments. Create a workflow so that this team can collaborate and support one another in support of city departments. Schedule quarterly meetings. Document every project that the team works together on. Involve the Communications Coordinator or other member of the Cross-functional team in initial planning meetings about projects that will require outreach and engagement. Hold meetings with HPO to showcase the services for communications and engagement that the Communications Coordinator and Neighborhoods Coordinator can bring to projects. Clearly define the services and necessary requirements for involvement. Have developed worksheets for guiding planning meetings and hold these meetings in the initial phases of department projects. Find a mechanism to provide staff support for graphic design of content for external channels of communication. Consider hiring an intern through MSU, looking at creating a shared position, or other options for providing this service. Have this tool established as a key part of the Cross-Functional team and providing services by 2022. Require project contracts with consultants to include outreach and have accounted for the appropriate budget. In addition, plan for strategic plan projects that are done in-house to include outreach and identify spending in the budget. Work with departments to develop language for RFPs and Scopes of Services that clearly defines what outreach is required and work with the City Manager’s office to budget for in-house spending of strategic plan projects. Have a dedicated funding source for outreach clearly defined for city projects. GOALGOAL66 City of Bozeman Communications Plan 17 This page left intentionally blank. City of Bozeman Communications Plan18 City of Bozeman Communications Plan 19 Audiences and Channels Bozeman’s community is diverse and always changing Who we’re reaching and how we reach them is a challenge that the City is constantly evaluating As the communications program develops we learn from our successes and failures and become more efficient over time This awareness will serve the agency in the long run and benefit the community as we develop best practices for getting them the facts City of Bozeman Communications Plan 19 City of Bozeman Communications Plan20 Audiences Communication is effective only if the message reaches the right audience at the right time. This requires us to be aware of what audiences we are trying to reach before determining what channels to use to reach them. This compilation below is a sampling of the many varied audiences that the City of Bozeman strives to communicate with. · Employees · Volunteers · Advisory boards · City Commission · County Commission · State officials · Legislators · Current and potential · Living within city limits · Living outside city limits · Property owners · Tourists · Current · Potential · Individual owners · Corporations · Property owners · Montana State University · Bozeman School District 7 · Gallatin College · Other education entities (ex. private schools, day care) · Reporters and editorial staff · Stakeholder groups · Community groups · Non-profit organizations · Other government agencies · Professional organizations · Medical community City Staff Elected OfficialsResidents Businesses Visitors Education Community Media Other Organizations City of Bozeman Communications Plan 21 Web · City of Bozeman website · Organizational partner websites · Maps Outdoor · City vehicles · Local area signage (ex. banner above Main St.) · Public art · Utility box artwork · Sponsorship signage · Site signage or banner · City building bulletin boards · Kiosk Social Media · Faceboook · Twitter · Instagram · NextDoor · YouTube · Linkedin Collateral/Printed Pieces · Posted public notices · Street notices (ex. street cleaning signs) · Direct mail · Posters · Utility bill stuffers · Stickers · Rack cards · Guides (ex. Parks & Rec Program Guide) Mobile · Text message and alerts · City apps (ex. Dropcountr) · Digital ads · Maps Print · Newspaper · Magazine TV/Radio · Television · Radio · Channel 190 E-mail · Newsletters · E-Notifications Face-to-Face · Public meetings · Outreach events · City of Bozeman staff · Professional organizations · Social interactions/out and about · Volunteers · Phone calls How we communicate to our audience is as important as understanding the audience. Using available communication tools, and understanding which audiences uses them, will help to improve our communications overall. Many of the channels listed below are cost effective and are currently used by the City. When you are considering communication to your audience, evaluate which channels will be most successful in accomplishing your goal. Communication Channels City of Bozeman Communications Plan22 City of Bozeman Communications Plan 23 Procedures City staff across our government do communications as part of their work responsibility For some communications, there are clear policies in place for how to use tools In other instances there is a need for a protocol that can be a “best practice” that is adjustable to the situation These procedures serve as the guide for staff to feel empowered to handle those situations As always, the Communications Coordinator can serve as the counsel for clarification on the procedure or for a second opinion on the appropriate next step · Using the City of Bozeman Logo · Communicating via the Website · Communicating using Social Media · Communicating with the Media · Sending Press Releases · How to use Photos · Planning Successful Public Events · When to use a contractor for your communication needs City of Bozeman Communications Plan 23 City of Bozeman Communications Plan24 Using the City of Bozeman Logo The City of Bozeman Brand Guidelines were created in 2015 and outline very generally how the City of Bozeman logo and branding should be used When using the logo or branded colors in any internal or external communications staff should to the best of their ability follow these guidelines If an item is being created that falls outside the scope of the guidelines staff should consult with the Communications Coordinator. The Bozeman Brand Guidelines are not static and can and should be considered for updates and thoroughness periodically. Communicating via the website The City of Bozeman’s Web Governance Policy is the guiding policy for all communications done through the Bozeman website. Questions about this policy should be directed to the Web/ Social Media Specialist in IT. When writing content for the website content creators should seek to answer the question “What does the public want to know?” Content should be simple, straight to the point, and written with the end user in mind. Use of complicated jargon that may not be understood by the general community should be avoided. Using the website as a place for “fluff” content that does not serve as an answer to a question should be kept to a minimum. Routine and complete reviews of a department’s web content can and should be performed. Both the Social Media/Web Specialist and the Communications Coordinator can support a department that is looking to do a content audit of their page. Communicating using Social Media The City of Bozeman has adopted a Social Media Use Policy within the Information Technology Use Policy. This policy applies to the development and ongoing use of City-owned websites, social media channels and intranet portals. Departments that are interested in or have already established social media channels must adhere to the requirement in the Social Media Use Policy in order to do so. Beyond the policy lies a grey area which Directors and staff may struggle with when it comes to how those channels are used to interact with citizens and disseminate information. The following provide some general recommendations that may give guidance as to “grey” areas that exist on social media. Branding Defining the brand and voice of the channel: Departments should review their “goals” for the channel as described in the Social Media Channel Protocols when the page was created. These goals should help determine the overall brand or “voice” that the page is envisioned to have. This voice will be critical to keeping the channel recognizable over time as staff changes over. Content standards: • The use of abbreviations or hashtags on social media is an appropriate manner, but it is important that content being disseminated makes sense if it’s abbreviated (if it wouldn’t make sense to someone outside of your department, it should be written out). • As directed in the Social Media Use Policy content shall, to the greatest extent possible, direct users back to the City’s main website for in-depth information, forms, documents, or online services necessary to conduct business with the City. Not only does this keep the primary source of information within the website, it also allows for pages to create simple, consumable content that is not overwhelming to the follower. • Content should be clear and understandable within the context of the page(s) it is shared on. Single sentences out of context are not useful to the department or to those who follow the pages. City of Bozeman Communications Plan 25 • Content should be grammatically correct and free of spelling errors • Content should be accompanied by an image or another form of visual (videos, gifs, boomerangs, etc.) to provide a more interesting and follower friendly experience. • Content should be related to the goals and brand of the page. This helps keep the vision of the page intact while also developing a relationship of trust between the page and the follower of what to expect from the page. • Content that is requested to be shared from another page or organization outside of the City of Bozeman social media channels should only be done so if the page or organization requesting is directly relevant to the goals or brand of the City of Bozeman page. (Example: Co-hosting an event that a city department is a part of, sharing a post from a local non-profit for a service/activity that the City is helping to sponsor or participating in). • Content should to the best of one’s ability be accurate and timely Timeliness and Response The City’s timeliness about posts and responses to comments may also vary based on staff availability. Responding to Comments For those departments that engage in 2-way communication on their social media channels responding to comments, messages, and other means of interaction on social media is critical This a key opportunity for the City and the department to show a commitment to engagement, transparency and communication. However, there can be a lot of questions when it comes to when and how to respond to comments. Response Standards • If the person has a question – Respond with information or point them back to the City’s website or appropriate resource. You may ask them to contact you offline when appropriate via private message, email or phone (when it is a private issue, when the issue is one in which there is little or no interest by others, etc.). • If the person has a complaint – IF inaccurate, politely correct inaccuracies When a general complaint and when deemed appropriate thank them for sharing feedback and direction that may be needed. If it is regarding a personal matter, reply that you would like to address the issue offline and provide contact information. • If the person leaves a general comment, like “I love this project!” or “we always use this service from the City” a response is recommended Comments that have responses are then pushed to the top for other users to see. This is a great way to create engagement, show an active presence of the page, and to reinforce appropriate communications on the channel. • If the person is looking to begin a debate take the conversation offline Do not debate them on the page. It is ok to correct inaccuracies and to provide evidence to support information but avoid debates. If you’re unsure if responding to a comment might start a debate contact the Communications Coordinator or a supervisor for guidance. • Staff may use their discretion when responding to a post that may be considered passive aggressive, antagonistic, post previously answered, or irrelevant to the post at hand. You may choose to respond, or no response may be necessary, depending on the nature of the post. • Employees or officials personal use of social media are not bound by the Social Media Use Policy or these guidelines. The exception to this rule is when an employee is acting on a non-City social media channel as a representative of the City as described in the Social Media Use Policy. • When in doubt, contact the Communications Coordinator. Removing Comments Comments violating the City of Bozeman’s Acceptable Use Policy shall be removed following approval from the City Attorney’s office as per the Social Media Policy. Per the policy authorized users or managers may hide comments until the City Attorney’s office has had time review. Correcting Mistakes If an employee makes a factual mistake on a City’s social media page, he/ she should correct it as soon as possible. Corrections should be upfront and timely If possible make the correction in the post itself and/or add a comment or additional post clarifying with correct information. City of Bozeman Communications Plan26 Communicating with the Media Our media representatives are a critical part of how the City gets information to the community. Without their support and hard work we would lose a major outlet for reaching people. It is our goal to be as responsive and available as possible when responding to interview requests and requests for information. The creation of the Communications Coordinator demonstrated the commitment to further improve media relationships. The value of a fair and honest working relationship between the City and the media is priceless. Media Relations • Communications Coordinator will be first point of contact for all media representatives. - Media reps will be asked to contact the Communications Coordinator for questions regarding the City and to schedule interviews. - Departments receiving requests from the media should redirect them to Communications Coordinator unless it is regarding an immediately time sensitive event such as crime scene, public works emergency, public events, etc. - Communications Coordinator is first point of contact but not necessarily the only point of contact and will coordinate with other departments to get answers as needed. • Whenever a department interacts with the media the Communications Coordinator will be informed so follow up and promotion of the story can be organized. • Communications Coordinator will coordinate with departments to make sure responses to media are unified and understandable to the public • Communications Coordinator will coordinate with departments to arrange interviews with credible, comfortable, and available spokesperson for the topic. • For items involving multiple departments Communications Coordinator will coordinate between them to develop talking points and a unified message • Communications Coordinator will be available to provide assistance prior to and during an interview as warranted. - Practice interviews - Interview tips and tricks - “Buddy” to sit through an interview with Sending Press Releases • Press releases should be coordinated with the Communications Coordinator for review and edits and timing. Unless it is an emergency press releases should be sent from the Communications office. • Emergency press releases may be sent through a department as necessary following understood approval from the Department Head. The Communications Coordinator should be made aware of the press release and sent a copy. • Press releases should be distributed to the “Media Contact List” in the Bozeman web address book which is maintained by the Communications Coordinator, and include City Management, and City Commission as recipients. • A designated department spokesperson or Communications Coordinator should be prepared and available to respond to questions from the media following the release. City of Bozeman Communications Plan 27 How to use Photos Together with IT, Communications will work with departments to develop and maintain a robust and current folder sharing system accessible within all departments of high quality photos that have been approved to be used in any capacity for city use. • When taking or using photos that have people in them staff should get consent • When using a photo that has been shared with staff from a citizen staff should get consent to use on specific channels or for general use. If the citizen requests a credit on the photo ask for a copy of the photo with a watermark name on it. • Staff should make effort to take good photos or notify the Communications Coordinator when a great photo opportunity is coming up. Planning Successful Public Events As a city we are constantly out in the community holding public events. Whether it’s department specific or a city-wide effort, there are tools to support staff in holding these events. Consulting with the Communications Coordinator at the beginning of your planning phase can set your team up for success. Locations, set-up, materials, marketing, staffing and more are all areas where there are opportunities to improve, streamline, or create innovative events. Also, it is crucial to be prepared to collect data and input from those who attend. When to use a contractor for your communication needs We are growing great teams of employees who support all our communications needs, but sometimes a project needs more time, skill, or expertise than we can provide. In some instances, departments may consider using a private contractor to get help with communicating a project. The Communications Coordinator can provide guidance as to when that is appropriate, how to select one that fits the desired outcomes, and can be a part of coordinating with a contractor to produce work product. City of Bozeman Communications Plan28 City of Bozeman Communications Plan 29 Looking to the Future/Conclusion The mantra of Bozeman has been sustainable growth that is both responsible and responsive We applaud the leadership of the City for valuing the growth of communications as an agency Our communications plan steps us in the right direction toward elevating how the City communicates and engages with the community We are still in the beginning stages of growing this program With the continued support of our guiding documents, elected officials and staff and the many audiences we seek to reach, we will advance this service to the next level Bozeman is a leader in Montana and the way we communicate should reflect our high level of service and leadership Appendixes (Social Media Policy, Web Governance Policy) The City of Bozeman has IT policies in place that guide how we create, implement, and use some of our most important city channels For questions about appropriately using the City’s website for communicating refer to the City’s Web Governance Policy For questions about appropriately using the City’s social media channels refer to the City’s Social Media Use Policy City of Bozeman Communications Plan 29 City of Bozeman Communications Plan30 www.bozeman.net 02/2020