Webinar covers effective municipal communications

An MMA webinar on Aug. 27 covered strategies for effective municipal communications work.

Nantucket Communications Manager Florencia Rullo and Ashley Curtis, digital media marketing manager for Cambridge, discussed “simplifying your social media presence,” among other topics.

Curtis stressed the importance of a clear and consistent visual identity. She said a recognizable brand reinforces credibility across all municipal departments.

She said the information that’s shared and the way it’s expressed should be tailored for the various platforms that are being used. Presenters offered strategies for tone and optimal times to post on various platforms. Their social media recommendations include maintaining a consistent posting schedule, following platform-specific best practices, and providing value before promoting.

The presentation included tips for leveraging social media algorithms.

“Algorithms favor content that sparks genuine community interaction,” Rullo said. “You want to respond to comments to keep conversations going and alive, and the content that gets more people talking will be the content that performs better.”

The presenters also discussed establishing social media policies with the following key elements: brand voice guidelines, content review process, crisis response protocols, legal and ethical considerations, and employee use guidelines.

Belchertown Communications Manager Kate Nadeau, moderated 25 minutes of questions and answers, addressing inquiries regarding managing social media comments, managing the workload with a small team, and correcting errors.

• Simplifying your social media presence (780K PDF)