Welcome!Welcome!

City of ChandlerCity of ChandlerSocial MediaSocial Media

Nachie MarquezNachie MarquezDirector, Communications and Public AffairsDirector, Communications and Public Affairs

Chandler, ArizonaChandler, Arizona

Pinal County Town HallPinal County Town HallApril 29, 2010April 29, 2010

Social Media Presence

Twitter – Created in November 2008:– http://www.twitter.com/cityofchandler– As of April 23, 2010 – 2,114 Followers

Facebook – Created in April 2009– http://www.facebook.com/pages/

Chandler-AZ/Chandler-Arizona/61661304927

– As of April 23, 2010 – 4,378 Fans

Links to social media sites on City’s Web site

How We Use Social Media Creating a means for two-way

communication

Encouraging citizen participation

Educating public on City services

Publicizing City events, news and meetings

Reaching younger generations

Connecting with people using the sites they typically use

Example 1: Public Safety

Example 2: Relationship Building

Policy Considerations

Established formal policy in June 2009

Requires that City departments who establish social media accounts must notify the Communications and Public Affairs Departments.

Outlines that the Communications Department is the official spokesperson for the City.

Reminds employees about acceptable Internet use.

City Involvement Communications and Public

Affairs Information Technology Parks and Recreation Aquatics Libraries Police Fire

Results The City of Chandler has been

recognized as one of the most active municipalities in metro Phoenix by local media.

Interest in our social media efforts continues to climb, evidenced by the growing number of Followers and Fans.

The City of Chandler also has fielded calls nationally to provide guidance on developing social media policies.

Lessons Learned Be responsive:

– Twitter: Make an effort to tweet every day and avoid consecutive tweets within a short time period.

– Facebook: Strive to post to Facebook weekly; too many updates may be annoying to some.

Be fearless: – Chandler gets a lot of encouragement and

support rather than negative comments. If you do get negative feedback, thank them for their opinion and move on.

Be witty: – Yes, local government has a personality,

and, here in Chandler, we have good humor.

At the Beginning …Recommendations for delving into social media

Establish your domain name. Visit the sites at least once a week. Educate department heads and city

officials on its purpose. Create a social media policy and get a

handle on who is interested within your organization in having accounts.

Publicize like any other initiative. Ensure the public knows you are the

“official” resource for your organization.

Know what is being said!http://search.twitter.com

Fears and Myths May be bombarded with negativity Not sure how to respond Too techie Unable to respond in a timely manner Requires more resources Hard to come up with news and info Time to monitor sites

– Who will do this?– How often?

Time consuming

Pros and Cons

Let’s begin with potential ‘Cons’

Potential for negative feedback (This can be good!)

Unable to control the message (multi-level communication)

Limited space (140 characters on Twitter!)

Requires creativity and brevity Profanity

Pros and ConsEnd it on a high note with the Pros! Great communications tool Quick and efficient Cost effective – Free! Another way to get the word out Great way to connect with your audiences,

especially the younger generations Popular Easy Proactive messaging – Market your

services! More use by media Primary source of official information

Thank You!

Questions?