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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-19-19 CPRL&L Committee PacketOTAY WATER DISTRICT CONSERVATION, PUBLIC RELATIONS, LEGAL & LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING and SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2554 SWEETWATER SPRINGS BOULEVARD SPRING VALLEY, CALIFORNIA Board Room MONDAY August 19, 2019 12:00 P.M. This is a District Committee meeting. This meeting is being posted as a special meeting in order to comply with the Brown Act (Government Code Section §54954.2) in the event that a quorum of the Board is present. Items will be deliberated, however, no formal board actions will be taken at this meeting. The committee makes recommendations to the full board for its consideration and formal action. AGENDA 1.ROLL CALL 2.PUBLIC PARTICIPATION – OPPORTUNITY FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD ON ANY SUBJECT MATTER WITHIN THE BOARD'S JURISDICTION BUT NOT AN ITEM ON TODAY'S AGENDA DISCUSSION ITEMS 3.UPDATE ON THE DISTRICT’S SOCIAL MEDIA AND WEBSITE ANALYTICS (OTERO) [5 minutes] 4.DISCUSSION OF SOCIAL MEDIA 5.ADJOURNMENT BOARD MEMBERS ATTENDING: Mark Robak, Chair Hector Gastelum 2 All items appearing on this agenda, whether or not expressly listed for action, may be de-liberated and may be subject to action by the Board. The Agenda, and any attachments containing written information, are available at the Dis-trict’s website at www.otaywater.gov. Written changes to any items to be considered at the open meeting, or to any attachments, will be posted on the District’s website. Copies of the Agenda and all attachments are also available through the District Secretary by con- tacting her at (619) 670-2280. If you have any disability that would require accommodation in order to enable you to par-ticipate in this meeting, please call the District Secretary at 670-2280 at least 24 hours pri- or to the meeting. Certification of Posting I certify that on August 16, 2019 I posted a copy of the foregoing agenda near the regular meeting place of the Board of Directors of Otay Water District, said time being at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting of the Board of Directors (Government Code Section §54954.2). Executed at Spring Valley, California on August 16, 2019. /s/ Susan Cruz, District Secretary STAFF REPORT TYPE MEETING: Regular Board Meeting MEETING DATE: September 4, 2019 SUBMITTED BY: Tenille M. Otero PROJECT: Various DIV. NO. All APPROVED BY: Mark Watton, General Manager SUBJECT: Update on the District’s Social Media and Website Analytics GENERAL MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION: No recommendation. This is an informational item only. COMMITTEE ACTION: See Attachment A. PURPOSE: To provide the Board with an update on the District’s social media and website analytics. ANALYSIS: It is important that the District manages and monitors its online presence, which includes both social media and the web. Managing online content is a constant, evolving and creative process. Technologies are changing rapidly on a daily basis, and the public has more options readily available to choose from. Historically, traditional media has allowed organizations, public agencies, media, and others to select the communications channels to distribute content to the public. Today, the public has the option to choose which communications channels they prefer to receive their news from, which include social media platforms. Social media assists District staff to assure immediacy and transparency for those customers in the District who choose to use these platforms. Although social media is not the only form of communications, it does complement traditional communications methods. Social networking improves interactivity between public agencies and the public, and it reaches demographics or populations that do not regularly consume traditional media. One of staff’s goals is to increase the District’s online audience and customer and key stakeholder engagement by using social media channels to extend the reach of the District’s programs and projects, AGENDA ITEM 3 including water education, conservation, Capital Improvement Programs, and more. Social media platforms are leveraged to listen to and participate in public dialogue of the District’s customers. These platforms also help staff to provide controlled content to the public about the District’s goals, programs, and projects. Staff has increased the number of followers and engagement using its social media platforms by creating visual content, posts, and hashtags on a frequent basis. Staff also includes Spanish-language messages in its posts. The District currently uses the following platforms: •YouTube – Joined November 2010 •Twitter – Joined February 2011 •Facebook – Joined November 2011 •Nextdoor – Joined July 2016 •LinkedIn Company Page – Joined August 2017 •Instagram – Joined November 2018 (Launched January 2019) Included in Attachment B are the latest social media and otaywater.gov web analytics. The last update staff provided to the Board was in September 2018. Communications staff began tracking social media analytics in 2016. Twitter’s analytics allowed tracking since 2014. From July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2019, the number of the District’s Twitter followers has increased by 339 percent, from 432 to 1,897. From fiscal year 2018 to fiscal year 2019, Twitter followers increased 11 percent, from 1,713 to 1,897. Unfortunately, Facebook limits tracking analytics only as far back as July 1, 2016. Since July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2019, the number of the District’s Facebook “likes” has increased by 77 percent, from 155 to 274.From fiscal year 2018 to fiscal year 2019, the District’sFacebook followers increased by 14 percent, from 241 to 274. Since June 30, 2016 to June 30, 2019, the total cumulative video views for the District’s YouTube channel have increased by 82 percent from 47,696 to 86,862. From fiscal year 2018 to fiscal year 2019, the District’s video views increased by 22 percent, from 13,622 to 16,633. Nextdoor has also seen an increase in residents’ participation within the District’s service area. Since the last time staff reported to the Board in September 2018, the number of Nextdoor accounts in the District’s service area has increased from 28,084 to 38,213, which increases the District’s Nextdoor reach by about 36 percent. That is an overall increase of 61 percent, from 23,768 accounts, since staff first reported the Nextdoor statistics to the Board in April 2018. Nextdoor has allowed the District to communicate with verified residents who live in its service area and post relevant messages. It also has allowed staff to geo-target specific neighborhoods within its service area. Staff has used it to post content related to water-use efficiency rebates, the WaterSmart Landscape Contest, the “Water is Life” Student Poster Contest, the Consumer Confidence Report, turning off irrigation systems during rainfall, water theft, the District’s Instagram launch, and more. The District uses LinkedIn to post content mainly about job opportunities, but also includes other District and water-related content. The District’s LinkedIn page followers have increased by approximately 30 percent since the last time staff reported to the Board in September 2018, from 251 to 327 followers. Staff also launched the District’s Instagram page in late January 2019. To gain followers early, in November 2018, staff posted a teaser Boomerang video, and in December 2018, posted another teaser video presenting an overview of the District’s service area. In addition to posting to social media platforms, staff has also taken proactive measures to gain followers and “likes” by adding social media icons to the header of all District web pages and a Twitter feed to the home page. Social media links and icons are visually displayed in publications including the Pipeline newsletter, the mobile app, public PowerPoint presentations, and more. Staff plans to update the mobile app to add the most recent social media icons. Also, cross promoting social media platforms is key to owning, maintaining, and cultivating an integrated social media marketing strategy. As an example, staff cross promoted the District’s social media platforms by adding the Instagram launch teaser video to YouTube and using that link to post the video on all the District’s social media channels. Staff continues to explore best practices of social media cross promotion and to post new content to social media platforms, including videos, photos, updated headers and others as necessary depending on the topic, resources available, and value added to the content. Staff also plans to implement a social media photo contest, but because there were too many other competing contests hosted by the San Diego County Water Authority, Helix Water District, Sweetwater Authority, and other agencies during the spring and summer, staff plans to launch something in the fall or winter. The District will continue to assess its current social media platforms and their effectiveness, including paid social media advertising. Staff held off on paid advertising this last fiscal year to achieve cost savings requested by the Finance department. Staff has incorporated paid social media and online advertising in the fiscal year 2020 budget. To effectively disseminate and extend the District’s message, enhance its brand, and increase social media/website users and engagement, staff monitors trends in the social media and technology environment through research, training, and collaboration with others in the industry. Research data has shown that although Facebook may be the most popular social media channel based on user accounts, the overall usage of Facebook is decreasing. Facebook usage by age groups 12-34 and 35-54 has decreased since 2017 and holds a small percentage of usage compared to the 55+ age group. Facebook and Pinterest have the highest composition of U.S. users age 55+. SnapChat, Instagram, and Twitter have the highest composition of U.S. users age 12-34 and LinkedIn claims to have the highest percentage of users age 35-54. Attachment C shows the data from The 2019 Social Habit Study. Also, according to research, Instagram is one of the fastest-growing social network platforms. In addition, the size of a social media site by the number of users it hosts does not yield that it may be the perfect platform for an agency or organization. There are many variables to consider when deciding whether a social media platform is a good fit for an organization, including target audience, brand, message, content, product, resources, what the social media platform offers, and much more. To reach the District’s diverse customer base demographic, staff continues to use a diversified communications strategy, using traditional media and various social media platforms. Staff also manages and maintains the District’s website, otaywater.gov. The goal is to enhance its web presence so that its website communicates the most current information, is user friendly to better serve customers, and visually conveys that the District is using state-of-the-art technologies and is a forward-thinking agency. Attachment B also includes website analytics. During fiscal year 2019 (July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019), the top 20 most viewed pages on the District’s website were the following: 1) Home Page2) About Otay 3) Payment Options4) Job Opportunities 5) Employment6) Engineering Services7) For Customers (Customer Service Page) 8)Billing Information9) Contact Us 10) Start or Terminate Service11) Start or Terminate Service Form12) Update Your Account13) Engineering Bids14) Rebates 15) Public Services 16) Water Agency Search Result17) Job Descriptions 18) Water Services19) Bid Opportunities20) Board Agenda and Minutes Another data point to highlight for the website during that same time period is that 88 percent of the District’s users were new users and 13 percent were returning users. Attachment B also shows how users arrive to the District’s site and which URLs are considered the top 20 referral sources. To address the Spanish-language need in the District’s service area, communications staff worked with IT to develop a functionality that displays duplicate web pages in Spanish. Staff however works with a translation consultant to have English content translated into Spanish, but the new functionality streamlines the process to publish and display the District’s website Spanish content. To make it easier for the public to find information on current construction projects, staff created a “Construction Projects” button on the home page. Staff also updated the Capital Improvement Program, Education, Working to Keep Rates Low, and other pages. Staff generates new and repurposed content to the District’s website to keep content interesting and appealing, resulting in the public’s continued visits to the site for the latest information. Attachment B also includes a variety of other analytics, including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, the website, demographics, engagement, highlights, comparisons to other agencies, and more. Staff would like to highlight that compared to other water agencies in the San Diego region, the District is listed in the top two for its number of Twitter followers. The San Diego County Water Authority ranks as number one, and is a wholesale agency, covering all of the San Diego region. Compared to the District, the Water Authority has more staff, a larger budget, and additional resources. Subsequently, when compared to other retail agencies in the county, the District is ranked as number one for its total number of Twitter followers. District staff implements particular strategies to improve its online web presence, which include ongoing assessment of the site by making it more functional through: reorganizing navigational structure; crafting website content that aligns with key messages, while also succinctly conveying the information being searched for by visitors; posting content more frequently to keep the pages attractive and engaging; incorporating enhanced visuals with a higher frequency of images per page to appeal to visitors, while reinforcing the agency's connection to the communities it serves; and creating content in Spanish language. The website is also another communications tool that the District continues to assess and enhance as part of the strategic plan. Staff will continue to monitor social media and website trends to effectively reach the District’s customers. FISCAL IMPACT: Joe Beachem, Chief Financial Officer There is no fiscal impact associated with this action. STRATEGIC GOAL: Execute and deliver services that meet or exceed customer expectations, and increase customer engagement in order to improve District Services. LEGAL IMPACT: None. General Manager Attachments: A) Committee ActionB) Presentation: Social Media and Website AnalyticsC)Presentation: 2019 Social Habit Study D) Sample: Nextdoor Post on “Water is Life” Photo Contest ATTACHMENT A SUBJECT/PROJECT: Informational Item: Social Media and Website Analytics Update COMMITTEE ACTION: The Conservation, Public Relations, Legal, and Legislative Committee reviewed this item at a committee meeting held on August 19, 2019. The attachment will be updated with notes from the committee’s discussion. Social Media and Website Analytics Conservation, Public Relations, Legal, and Legislative Committee August 19, 2019 Otay Water District Attachment B Twitter Followers 432 1,713 1,897 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000 FOLLOWERS July 1, 2017 - June 30, 2018 July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2019 +11% July 1, 2014 339% increase (since July 1, 2014) Twitter Highlights *48 July 1, 2016 –June 30, 2017 July 1, 2017 –June 30, 2018 July 1, 2018 –June 30, 2019 * Total number of times a user has interacted with a Tweet including retweets, replies, follows, likes, hashtags, links, profile picture, username, and Tweet expansion. *56 *63 Highest Engagement Twitter Comparison Water Agency Followers San Diego County Water Authority 4,786 Otay Water District 1,932 Sweetwater Authority 1,919 Olivenhain MWD 1,722 Helix Water District 1,639 Santa Fe Irrigation District 1,312 California American Water (CalAm)1,208 Vallecitos Water District 1,143 Padre Dam MWD 1,100 SD Waste No Water 522 Rainbow MWD 210 Fallbrook Public Utility District 41 Valley Center MWD 37 No Twitter Account: •Carlsbad MWD •Lakeside Water District •Ramona MWD•Rincon del Diablo MWD•San DieguitoWater District •Vista ID •Yuima MWD City or Other Followers Camp Pendleton 23, 633 City of Oceanside 16,679 City of Carlsbad 15,137 City of San Diego 14,307 City of Escondido 4,621 City of Vista 4,314 City of Poway 3,298 City of Del Mar 1,249 As of Aug. 6, 2019 Facebook Likes 155 241 274 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 LIKES July 1, 2017 - June 30, 2018 July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2019 +14% 77% increase (since July 1, 2016) July 1, 2016 Facebook Highlights 1,830 July 1, 2016 –June 30, 2017 July 1, 2017 –June 30, 2018 July 1, 2018 –June 30, 2019 1,378 809 Highest Number of People Reached YouTube Video Views 13,622 16,633 0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 14,000 16,000 18,000 VIDEO VIEWS July 1, 2017 - June 30, 2018 July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2019 * Number of videos published (*3) (*4) +22% YouTube Channel Growth (Joined in November 2010) *June 30, 2016 (*7) *June 30, 2017 (*3) *June 30, 2018 (*3) *June 30, 2019 (*4) *Total Growth Since June 30, 2016 Video Views:47,696 56,607 70,229 86,862 82% Watch Time (minutes):93,378 110,922 134,910 160,139 72% Video Likes:51 62 84 112 120% Video Dislikes:10 12 19 27 170% Video Shares:31 70 137 246 694% Subscribers:42 50 72 88 110% *Cumulative since November 2010 *Number of videos published 82% increase (since June 30, 2016) YouTube Highlights Most Viewed Video Published on Thursday, Nov. 25, 2010 Views: 25,822 Likes: 23 Dislikes: 2 Shares: 33 Instagram Highlights *36 *Most liked as of Aug. 6, 2019 *35 *34 MEDIA 62 COMMENTSLIKES 1,406 320 66 129 FOLLOWINGFOLLOWERS Instagram Engagement 23 13 45 263 208 376 205 62 211 0 1 0 8 5 20 11 6 15 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 Nov 2018 Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Likes Received Comments Received Official Launch Nextdoor 23,768 28,084 38,213 0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000 40,000 45,000 MEMBERS Apr '18 Board Report Sept '18 Board Report Current Aug '19 +18% +36% 61% increase since Apr ‘18 Board Report LinkedIn 251 327 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 FOLLOWERS Sept '18 Board Report Current Aug '19 30% increase since Sept ‘18 Board Report +30% Website Analytics Period: July 1, 2018 –June 30, 2019 MOST VIEWED PAGES: TOP 20 (percentage of total page views) Total Page Views: 449,179 1.Home Page 47.81%11. Start or Terminate Service Form 1.02% 2.About Otay 7.19%12. Update Your Account 1.00% 3.Payment Options 4.87%13. Engineering Bids 0.94% 4. Job Opportunities 3.96%14. Rebates 0.78% 5. Employment 3.26%15. Public Services 0.68% 6. Engineering Services 2.59%16. Water Agency Search Result 0.60% 7. For Customers 2.58%17. Job Descriptions 0.57% 8. Billing Information 2.06%18. Water Services 0.55% 9. Contact Us 1.73%19. Bid Opportunities 0.55% 10. Start or Terminate Service 1.34%20. Board Agenda and Minutes 0.54% Website Analytics SEARCH: HOW USERS ARRIVED TO OTAYWATER.GOV (percentage of total users) Total Users: 163,942 Direct 75.00% Organic Search 25.09% Referral 1.89%Social Media 0.24% Period: July 1, 2018 –June 30, 2019 Website Analytics REFERRAL SOURCES Total Referrals: 3,482 1. com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox 2. sharepoint2016.otay.local 3. sdcwa.org 4. m.facebook.com 5. governmentjobs.com 6. duckduckgo.com 7. springvalleyca.com 8.com.google.android.gm 9. t.co 10.facebook.com Period: July 1, 2018 –June 30, 2019 Website Analytics NEW VISITORS VS. RETURNING VISITORS New Vistors, 87.86% Returning Visitors, 13.38% Period: July 1, 2018 –June 30, 2019 Website Analytics TOP 10 CITIES Percentage of users Spring Valley 45.67% San Diego 17.11% Chula Vista 14.96% Fallbrook 4.46% Los Angeles 4.06% El Cajon 2.17% La Mesa 0.75% Santee 0.69% Rancho San Diego 0.53% National City 0.33% Period: July 1, 2018 –June 30, 2019 Website Analytics TOP 5 MOBILE OPERATING SYSTEMS TOP 5 COMPUTER BROWSERS iOS 12.59% Android 4.67% 0.40%0.01% 0.00% iOS 12.59% Android 4.67% Windows 0.40% Windows Phone 0.01% BlackBerry 0% Internet Explorer 57.12% Chrome 21.38% 16.03% 2.62%2.14% Internet Explorer 57.12% Chrome 21.38% Safari 16.03% Edge 2.62% Firefox 2.14% (percentage of users) Period: July 1, 2018 –June 30, 2019 Questions? Otay Water District www.otaywater.gov (619) 670-2222 Email: info@otaywater.gov Social Media 2019 Social Habit Study Conservation, Public Relations, Legal, and Legislative Committee August 19, 2019 Otay Water District Attachment C Social Habit Study What is the Social Habit Study? The Social Habit 2019 is a study from Edison Research designed to dig deeper after a finding from The Infinite Dial®2019 (from Edison Research and Triton Digital®) showed that Facebook has 15 million fewer users overall in the U.S. in 2019 than 2017. 194 250 260 287 300 300 303 320 326 330 446 500 531 803 1,000 1,083 1,300 1,500 1,900 2,271 SOCIAL NETWORK MESSENGER / VOIP BAIDU TIEBA SKYPE VIBER SNAPCHAT PINTEREST LINE TIKTOK SINA WEIBO TWITTER REDDIT DOUBAN LINKEDIN WHATSAPP FB MESSENGER INSTAGRAM WECHAT QQ QZONE YOUTUBE FACEBOOK Social Platforms: Active User Accounts Based on Monthly Active Users, User Accounts, or Unique Visitors to Each Platform, in Millions Source: Hootesuite We Are Social Social Habit Study Who was surveyed? Social Habit 2019 is an in-depth look at social media users in the U.S. with data from the following studies: •National Telephone Survey: The Infinite Dial®2019 from Edison Research and Triton Digital o January/February 2019 –Edison Research conducted a national telephone survey of 1,500 people aged 12 and older, using random digit dialing techniques to cell phones and landlines (U.S. Population 12+). Telephone data weighted to national 12+ U.S. population figures. •National Online Survey: Social Habit Survey from Edison Research o May 2019 –Edison Research conducted a national online survey of 850 people aged 13+. Data has been weighted to match The Infinite Dial. •In-person In-depth-Interviews: The Social Habit Interviews from Edison Research o April 2019 –Edison Research interviewed twelve social media users age 18-29 who report using Facebook less recently or have stopped altogether. Composition of Social Media Brand Users Base: Persons Saying they Use that Brand % OF USE BY AGE GROUP Source: The Infinte Dial ©2019 Edison Research and Triton Digital These are users that have “ever” used social media platforms. Composition of Social Media Brand ‘Core’ Users Base: Persons Saying they Use that Brand the Most % OF USE BY AGE GROUP •Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter have the highest composition of U.S. users age 12-34. •Facebook and Pinterest have the highest composition of U.S. users age 55+. •LinkedIn claims the highest percentage of those age 35-54 “Core users” are those who use that one ‘most often’ Facebook Usage Decrease •The Social Habit 2019 study showed that Facebook has 15 million fewer users overall in the U.S. in 2019 than 2017. •Approximately one-third of Facebook users are using the platform less often than when they joined, regardless of age, but the reasons for using Facebook less vary widely with age. •13-34 age group say they are using Facebook less because they enjoy other social media sites more, their friends don’t post much on Facebook, and because they are trying to avoid parents and relatives on the site. •35+ age group say they are using Facebook less because they don’t like rants and have privacy concerns. •Overall –For the District, Facebook is not going away, but the usage is decreasing and other social media platforms’ usage are increasing more rapidly. •As a result, the District will continue to use Facebook, but also analyze all platforms to effectively disseminate the District’s message to its customers. Social Media Brand Usage Total U.S. Population 12+ % USING SOCIAL MEDIA BRAND Source: The Infinte Dial ©2019 Edison Research and Triton Digital “Not only have millions of Americans stopped using Facebook entirely, nearly a third of Facebook users tell us they are using the service less. While Facebook remains the leading social media brand in America, it is being wounded on multiple fronts, as every demographic has their own reasons for spending less time there,” said Tom Webster, Senior Vice President at Edison Research. Facebook Usage Facebook Usage Total U.S. Population 12+ % USING FACEBOOK Source: The Infinte Dial ©2019 Edison Research and Triton Digital Facebook Usage U.S. Population % USING FACEBOOK Source: The Infinte Dial ©2019 Edison Research and Triton Digital Questions? Otay Water District www.otaywater.gov (619) 670-2222 Email: info@otaywater.gov Social Media Attachment D