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Home My WebLink About2/13/2025 - Social Media Strategic PlanSocial Media Strategic Plan February 2025 The Data The Data The Data Current Social Media Platforms: •Facebook (22 Accounts) •Main 14K •Parks, Recreation, Tourism 18K •Explore Park 18K •Splash Valley 12K •Green Ridge 7K •Police 17K •Fire / Rescue 15K •Emergency Comms 3K •Library 7K •Planning 2K •Instagram (8 Accounts) •Main 9K •Parks, Recreation, Tourism 4K •Police 2K •Fire / Rescue 1K •Chief < 1K •Library 3K X / Twitter (8 Accounts ) •Main 1K •Parks, Recreation, Tourism 4K •Explore Park 2K •Library 2K •Fire / Rescue 2K •Police < 1K •Emergency Comms < 1K YouTube (9 Accounts) •Main < 1K •Parks < 1K •RVTV 2K •You’ve already built an impressive team •A strong, professional PIO office •Dynamic communicators with diverse skills •RVTV – longform production •Library – Dynamic 2.0 social media •PD / FD / Parks & Rec •Eager to tell their story •Great storytellers •You’ve built a large audience •Facebook > 100,000 followers! •Instagram > 20,000 followers! Positive Progress Roanoke County Outlined 3 Key Goals •Deeper / Broader community connection •Tell your story •Combat bad information / lies •Increase Economic Development •Maximize internal resources •More efficiency / less expense Goals Recommendation # 1 •Consolidate / focus on 4 key verticals •Roanoke County (Main) •Public Safety •Police •Fire •Lifestyle / Quality of Life •Parks and Recreation •Library •Economic Development Recommendations •Main •Facebook, Instagram, YouTube •Public Safety •Police •Facebook & Instagram •Fire •Facebook & Instagram •Lifestyle / Quality of Life •Parks and Recreation •Facebook & Instagram •Explore Park: Facebook •Library •Facebook & Instagram •Economic Development •LinkedIn & Facebook Recommendations County Main Feed Public Safety Quality of Life Economic Development PD FD Library P & R Explore Park“Best Of” Departments (Content Creation) PIO Office (Publishing) Benefits of Implementation •Strategic Approach •Central oversight •Consistent messaging (voice) •Cross-functional engagement •Share best practices •Better internal communications •Larger reach for each post •Without losing key audience segments •Consistency •Of posting cadence •Of engagement tactics Recommendations Recommendation # 2 •Further empower your Public Information Office •Departments responsible for content creation •A culture of content •PIO owns publishing / posting / reporting •Weekly creative meeting •Aligned with new strategy and voice •Regular reporting cadence •To departments •To administration Recommendations Recommendation # 3 •Focus on building a social media 2.0 •Facebook is aging rapidly •Facebook focus is optimization •Consistent cadence of posting •Utilize Next Door for Event Promotion •DO NOT engage in other comms here •Focus on building audience on IG and YT •Video first •Build a personal connection •DO NOT clutter the feed •DO NOT use for event promotions •Leverage later once audience is built Recommendations Social media built for mobile •Video is primary (10X engagement!) •Shares drive the algorithm •Social scrolling was designed to de- emphasize the impact of comments •You are building a new audience here •They are younger (under 55) •They have different tastes in content What Is Social Media 2.0? Your Voice •We discussed the unique characteristics and shared values of Roanoke County with your stakeholders •Key Themes: •Drama Free / Calm •Service / “Having Your Back” •Community / Home (neighbor) •Outdoor / “Choose Your Own Adventure” •Pride in being the best at what we do •Our service is reflective of our values as a community: not showy, but highest level •Excellence in what we do Your Life’s Adventure! Our Steady Hand. Recommendation # 4 •Take a better approach to engagement •Remember, local government is TRUSTED •67% trust according to Gallup •Don’t let the vocal minority dominate •Focusing on a small constituency’s constant social media noise… •Diverts limited resources •Spends money (time) inefficiently •Distracts from key priorities DON’T IGNORE THE SILENT MAJORITY Recommendations Engagement Do’s and Don’ts Trust your team! They understand the medium and are best equipped to engage Be consistent with your voice! This is the key to your residents understanding your efforts Social media feedback is important – but understanding the big picture is critical Respond promptly to those who seek information… Via DM, not in-feed! Actively comment on others’ feeds with praise and positivity! Use content (not comments) to dispel misinformation! Try to solve social media misinformation alone or get bogged down in individual, petty battles Assume Facebook represents everyone on social media or in your community Engage in responsive, defensive posting or commenting Seek off-platform solutions to solve issues on social media Try to correct misinformation or negativity in comments Engage in battles in Community Groups (or on Next Door) Feed the trolls! They are rarely representative of the majority Recommendation # 5 •Strategic focus on economic development •Primary Platform is LinkedIn •Focus on Engagement (Connection > Marketing) •Follow key industry leaders and accounts •Listen. Understand needs / perspectives •Evolve into a position of thought leadership •Content Strategy •The KEY is providing value •Infographics / Carousel •Video (+/- 90 sec) •Plan to post 3 x per week •Share valuable information to build audience •Then tie-back to your initiatives Recommendations Your PIO team will connect with current leadership of each department previously tasked with managing their own social and work towards getting alignment: •Reminding them they’re going to shape their own story and have more opportunities to reach the community through a strategic approach •Designate a “Creator Squad” for each •Provide assurance that they’ll maintain creative autonomy •Establish a clear reporting cadence Most importantly, remind everyone that their tastes and preferences are NOT paramount. Focus on the Voice! Focus on the audience and what they respond to! Implementation •After 12-18 months: •You will have a solid understanding of your audience and a deeper connection to your neighbors •A stronger connection to and deeper understanding of key economic development partners •You’ll have a compelling video feed that will attract / engage younger audiences and help recruitment •Your channels will all “sing from the same hymnbook” showcasing a consistent and positive message REMEMBER: Every organization’s content evolution is a unique journey. Find your own stride! Expectations What Can This Board Do ? Here is how you can help: •Madeline and Amy will lead this important transformation •Support their efforts •Ask questions and build understanding vs. reacting to a single post •Don’t feed the trolls •They are looking for your validation •It elevates THEIR importance on social media and in the community •Their posts and comments rarely constitute an emergency •First, take a beat •Consider: if you think they’re off base / hysterical, other people do too! •Reacting to them costs tax dollars (staff time) •Ask yourself – would I spend my own money to address this post? •Participate in content creation (you’re good at it) •Let Amy bring you ideas •Communications Is The Goal •Success comes from testing and learning •Technology is ever evolving, but communications is always human! Partnership Summary Over our 8-days together, your team will have reviewed over 125 pages of materials, working towards improving overall social media communications and strategy. This Strategic Plan Overview is a summary of our recommendations and touches upon the elements we’ve built together during this process. Key Tools Provided: •Voice workshop (your lighthouse to guide consistent content creation) •Platform workshop (your guide to effective programming for the relevant platforms) •Calendar workshop and template (for effectively scheduling social media) •Aggregation workshop (for filling in gaps and showcasing your community) •Engagement workshop (for managing interactions with your community) •Tools workshop (cost effective tools for creating, and programming efficiently) •Story workshop (how to tell your story – process, and inspiration) •Measurement workshop (to track content performance and adjust) Discussion