Passive Support from City Administration isn’t enough for successful Communications

By TOM BRYSON | Senior Communications Consultant
March 29, 2022

See if this sounds familiar - so long as the newsletter publishes on time and the Council meeting broadcast goes out, the brass doesn't pay much attention to Communications & Marketing.

While that mindset is certainly preferable to outright ignorance of, or worse yet, resistance to, communications efforts, it is far from what should be considered acceptable in what is now, arguably, 40 years into the "information age."

"Spoken like a true retiree?" Maybe.

But, also spoken like someone who has the better part of four decades on either side of how communities practically message their residents. It is from that standpoint that I offer the 10 easily correctible mistakes that City administrators make when it comes to effectively managing and utilizing Communications & Marketing personnel and assets.

1. Treating Communications & Marketing as a low priority "luxury."

Admittedly, there are higher priorities in government service such as abating crime and keeping water coming out of the faucet. Smooth streets are nice, too. However, in this day and age, when information has never been more plentiful (and frequently erroneous), Communications & Marketing has become another critical piece of the government service delivery puzzle. Accurate and timely information, frequently about crime, water delivery and street projects, has never been more important. Any government official in the 21st century that believes they can get by without an aggressive and dynamic communications function needs to seriously revisit their own career path.

2. Not understanding the difference between Communications and Marketing.

The are two different functions, with admitted commonalities. One website says, Marketing is promoting and selling the products and services, whereas Communication is the way of storytelling and conveying the message to the targeted audience. According to Champlain College Online:

What is Marketing? Marketing describes the act of promoting and selling products or services to a target audience. A successful marketing plan requires thoughtful strategy, competitive analysis, market research and extensive knowledge of industry trends. Marketers use communications to share messages with their audience.

What is Communication? The term communication refers to the process of exchanging or imparting information. Communication focuses on conveying a specific message, but unlike marketing, the message does not necessarily have the goal of selling a product or service. Communicators are storytellers who write compelling copy within a marketing plan to strategically develop a particular message that will resonate with a target audience.

3. Reluctance to get involved in social media.

Really?!

Twitter has been around since 2006. Like it or not, Facebook has been a part of our lives for 18 years. YouTube uploads more video in 24 hours than the original major TV networks have broadcast in their collective history.

What are you waiting for? If you're not participating in the social conversation, it is most assuredly going on without you.

4. Not seating Communications & Marketing Director at the City's leadership table (as a Director) and not empowering that person with the authority to act.

Don't just give him/her access to high level meetings, they need a seat at the table and a voice. Consider them your in-house PR consultant and, believe me, you want to know what they think because there is a communication function to every aspect of government Whatever issue is at hand, they've been thinking about it longer than you have and already have scenarios plotted, at least in their head. Also, they need to be imbued with the authority to carry out their mission of the agency's message, and all that entails. This ranges from being able to create talking points for any department on any issue to acting as the "logo police" when departments tend to invariably stray from the original approved artwork.

Not that such a thing ever happens.

5. Hiring the wrong people for Communications & Marketing.

There may be spectacular marketing professionals out there with years of agency experience that have run multi-million dollar accounts that look great on paper but will be completely tone deaf when it comes to adapting to a municipal government environment. Same goes for many journalists. Being great at reporting the news does not necessarily translate into conveying information to the community. That said, there are many of us that came from marketing and/or journalism that made a good "go" of it all, but it takes careful screening and experience to select the right people that are going to "get it."

6. Failing to understand that your Communications & Marketing Director is more than your newsletter editor.

Your Communications & Marketing Director IS your in-house communications strategist, your consultant on all manner of messaging. EVERY municipal department, from public safety to solid waste and all in-between can benefit from the wisdom of this seasoned veteran's experience. How many are taking advantage of the opportunity and how many are ignoring this tremendous internal resource?

7. Incorrectly assuming that City Administrators are expert at Communications & Marketing, same for electeds.

They aren't. Please stop it.

8. Not funding Communications & Marketing staff to attend professional education opportunities.

There are any number of professional organizations for municipal government employees that ensure those employees enjoy what is tantamount to a small paid vacation at least once a year. Not so with local Communications & Marketing professional groups. Make no mistake, our familial ranks enjoy each other's company but the annual conferences of organizations like the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officer (TAMIO) or the national City-County Communications & Marketing Association (3CMA) provide a wealth of networking and educational opportunities that are game-changing differences for local government communicators across the country.

9. Nesting the Communications & Marketing function with the City Clerk's office.

Once upon a time, in a dark corner of an unknown City Hall, some City Manager decided that the City Clerk's office needs to be in charge of communications only because they deal with public information requests - in addition to dozens of other responsibilities and some legal obligations for the City. While any of us, indeed many of us, have experienced the marvel of "other duties as assigned," and many City Clerks are dutiful in fulfilling this obligation, it really makes as much sense as police being in charge of streets because they drive so much. In order to underscore their authority for the City's message, and to enhance their access to all departments, your Director of Communications & Marketing needs to report to the City Manager either as a direct report or an ACM.

10. Not calling for outside help when you need it.

Whether you have a dedicated communications professional or if you're in need there are an increasing number of private firms, staffed by former local government communicators that can consult with your agency on everything from comprehensive communications planning, social media strategy, crisis comms and everything in between.