City of Morgan Hill Communications Assessment

o Create a Website Governance Policy that outlines who controls website content, the process by which to elevate or prioritize content messaging, a structure for reviewing content on the site, and a plan for adding content and with what frequency. o Include a schedule of when content should be updated by staff and which content needs to be approved by the Communications & Engagement Manager. o Review the Privacy Policy associated with the website to ensure compliance requirements for privacy disclosures. o Utilize the home page image ‘carousel’ to highlight important City news, event, projects and services. o Develop a Content Calendar for the carousel to determine when content should be switched out and what should replace current images. o Enable Event Tracking (through Siteimprove) for non-HTML links on the website to track user behavior, such as how many times an embedded video was played or how many times a PDF link was clicked. o Ensure that all domains resolve properly to http://www.morganhill.ca.gov/ . o Consider registering a friendly domain like cityofmorganhill.org (available as of 12/15/16) and using that as the preferred domain in the future. o Regularly review website usage data to identify the most popular pages and features on the website. Use that information to shape website content strategy. o Continue to create meta descriptions the website’s most-popular pages. o Add a full set of social media icons & links to the City’s main social media sites in the header and/or footer of the website. o Add a dedicated social media page to the site that links to every City-controlled social media asset and any related City policies. o Add a link to the most current agenda for the City Council to homepage and update for each council meeting to meet a future legal requirement 2. Develop a Social Media Strategy & Policy Social media is an integral part of any Communications plan for cities today. Staff realizes residents have come to expect their government to engage via social media channels and has established a presence on a number of social media platforms. However, all platforms have relatively modest followings and some are being managed by multiple staff members, which can lead to confusion over who is responsible for posting content and when. Tripepi Smith has suggested that the City adopt a formal Social Media Policy, develop a long-term strategy that harmonizes with the City’s goals, and establish regular “social media team” meetings to review future content. Action Steps o Establish a Social Media Policy to formalize usage policies and procedures. For example: defining administrative responsibilities such as providing access to login information, or o Limit carousel content to no more than four items at a time. o Add text layers to imagery to deliver on key messages.

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