Diversify Communication Modes

Get your engagement content into the hands of your community! Using a wide variety of communication mediums and platforms (incorporating both digital and physical distribution methods) helps provide the most accurate, representative results. 

Publicize your surveys, simulations, and other content through popular communications channels, including:  

• Organization website (pages, blog posts, and FAQs)

• Email

• Social media posts

• Flyers and other printed handouts 

• Press releases

• Meetings and other in-person opportunities

Use as many of these channels as possible and as make sense. Check out our outreach templates to save some time and effort on communications!
 

Enlist Help From Community Partners

In addition, we recommend partnering with as many local government departments, public agencies, and non-governmental organizations as you can to expand your reach into the community. We find that partner organizations are often excited to hear that you are actively seeking community feedback and are happy to help you reach out!

First create a list of contacts from potential partners, which can range from individual community champions to civic groups and organizations. Some examples include:

• Chamber of Commerce

• Schools and PTOs

• Civic organizations

• Religious institutions

• Local businesses 

• Veteran’s groups

• Local media

• Homeowners’ associations

• Local sports leagues

• Local leaders and bloggers

Once you connect with a contact, let them know about your plans to engage the community on important issues, projects, and priorities using Polco and/or Balancing Act tools. Ask them to help spread the word about your specific upcoming project (survey, simulation, or other engagement content). Provide those contacts with some information about your project, the sharable URL, and any specific messaging you’d like them to share within their organizations, with in-person visitors and digital followers, as well as with their friends and colleagues. Feel free to use our Community Partners email template as a starting point for your communications! We recommend following up a few times throughout the project to remind them, and thank them when the project has closed. 

If relevant for your contacts, you can also offer to give a presentation about your project at one of their meetings. This can be a great way to emphasize the project’s importance, reach more individuals, and immediately answer any questions that come up. You can also hand out materials such as flyers or business cards promoting your project or encouraging attendees to join Polco for future engagement opportunities.

General Tips on Messaging

These always apply!

• Let residents know why their response is important and how you will use the information.

• Give them a call to action—let them know what to do.

• Share a simple URL and/or QR code to make accessing the content as easy as possible.

• Keep it short, interesting and easy to understand.

• Link to other resources, such as an FAQ page, the Polco privacy policy, or a blog post that explains why the city is conducting this project.