Office of Communication

STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS
PLAN
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 table of Contents
Introduction......................................................05
Mission Statement 07
Values 07
Executive Summary.........................................09
Current State of Communications................10
SWOT Analysis 11
Communications Vehicles 12
Audit Results 17
• Branding Analysis 18
• Social Media Audit 22
• Website User Audit 28
• Website Design Audit 30
Goals, Objectives & Strategy.........................33
1: Tell Our Story 34
2: Keep up with technology 38
3: Live the Brand 44
4: Bring it to Life 50
5: Do It Together 56
6: Never Stop learning 60
Appendix............................................................64
Emergency Communications Plan
Social Media Policy
Brand Style Guide

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Office of Communication
A Division of Management Resources Department | Jennifer Wichmann - Director

Jay Warren - Marketing Communications Manager

Mike Secrest - Digital Media Editor
Bill Boykin - Broadcast Specialist
Fred Oudoul - Web Developer
Sarah Barr - Communication Coordinator: Graphic Design
Renee MacQuaid - Communication Coordinator: Marketing
Reginald Lewis - Communication Coordinator: Media Relations
Ryan Hunt - Communication Coordinator: Social Media

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INTRODUCTION

H
ow people get their news has changed dramatically over the last decade. The evening
television news and the morning newspaper are no longer the definitive source of
news. People now have a multitude of channels from which they receive information
– a 140 character tweet, a Facebook video, a local news blog or a live streamed video.
Technology has provided us with an ever expanding host of venues for sharing information
with names like Meerkat, Instagram, Periscope and Snapchat. People can download and digest
information anywhere at any time with tablets and smart phones.

For a city, all of this could be viewed as a challenge. What is the best way to get relevant,
important information to our community and the public? Share what’s happening in our city?
Let people know about a new program or public meeting? We believe that rather than posing
a challenge, this actually presents opportunities to celebrate our city, inform our residents, and
educate people about topics that impact their daily lives and that of their families.

The strategic plan outlined in this document looks at the ways in which Arlington plans
to leverage the opportunities that new technology offers to communicate and disseminate
information. We have identified our audiences and communication platforms. We have explored
new technology and social channels that can reach even more people. We have developed two-
way communication to better engage our customers.

With the implementation of this plan, it is our goal to provide timely and accurate information
that people can use to connect with each other and the City about what matters to them most –
from spreading the word about a neighborhood party, to sharing information to fight crime, to
relaying ideas and proposing solutions to community issues.

Sincerely,

Jay Warren
Marketing Communications Manager

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We’re reaching beyond
our city’s limits,engaging
citizens in regional and
national dialogues.

6
MISSION STATEMENT
Consistently provide effective, authentic
communication through innovative means to
inform and promote the City of Arlington.

Values: OUr communication will be

• Accurate • Proactive
• Engaging • Timely
• Inclusive • Transparent

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Office of Communication

Organizational Chart

Marketing
Communications Manager

Digital Media Webmaster Communications Communications Communications Communications

Editor Coordinator - Coordinator - Coordinator - Coordinator -
Graphic Design Social Media and Media Relations Marketing
Broadcasting

Broadcast Camera
Specialist Operator

8

Executive Summary
T
he Office of Communications’ Strategic Plan
creates a blueprint for providing the best
possible communication with Arlington’s
residents, community partners, businesses and visitors.
The development of this plan happened over 12 months
and is based on the following foundations:
• Consultation of Arlington leaders and city staff.
• Review of best practices in Arlington and other
communities across the country.
• Multiple audits of our current state of
communication including our communication
vehicles, the architecture and user-end functionality
of the City’s website, social media and brand
communications.
• The advice and counsel of the Strategic
Communications Department at Texas Christian
University and the university’s Certified
Communicators Program.
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This research assisted in the creation of a central
communications mission: consistently provide effective,
authentic communication through innovative means
to promote the City of Arlington and its service to
residents. While this mission may sound lofty, it is rooted
in six, attainable goals that focus on the different ways we
can get our message out. They include:
• Tell Our Story: the storytelling components of
communication
• Keep Up with Technology: social media and website
communication
• Live the Brand: building brand awareness
• Bring It to Life: using video to tell our story
• Do It Together: coalition building with city
departments and partners
• Never Stop Learning: continuing education for our
team
Inherit in the design of these goals is communication
conducted on multiple platforms to reach as wide
an audience as possible. There are also concrete
measurements attached to each goal in order to gauge
impact and return on investment.
Adaptability is critical to the success of this plan: an
ability to adapt to an ever-changing media landscape, an
ability to adapt to evolving technology, and an ability to
adapt the goals to ensure they are continually realistic
and/or meet our current needs. In that way, this plan is
truly a “living document” that is meant to be regularly
updated to meet the needs of our organization and
customers.
current state of communications

Over the past 12 months, the City of Arlington has brought

on line a new brand, a new broadcast studio and a new,
responsive website.
All of these things have greatly improved the tools available to the city to tell Arlington’s stories on multiple platforms.

And while all of these things present strengths and opportunities for the City, they can also bring potential weaknesses
and threats. As an example, the studio, website and brand projects created increased workload spread out over months
for the entire staff.

We also are seeing less and less reporting by the local media, which requires the City to produce more content about
what’s happening in Arlington. While this is a strength, given our already established communication channels, it also
requires a larger time commitment from staff and additional resources to accomplish.

Our strategic plan is geared toward maintaining our established strengths, while providing paths to create opportuni-
ties out of our weaknesses and threats.

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swot analysis
Strengths
• Quality video productions
• Strongly aligned with community partners
• Established news source with
MyArlingtonTX.com and MyArlingtonTV
Weaknesses
• Insufficient staff for workload, needs
• Decentralized communication system
creates lack of cohesive messaging
citywide

• Diverse, experienced team • Internal processes can hamper creativity

and technology growth
• Support of City management for
communication efforts • Lack of return on investment for projects
assigned to the Office of Communication
• New, responsive website
• Funding source for state of the art
broadcast equipment

Opportunity Threat
• Create greater awareness of newly enacted • Competition from other news outlets/
City brand online blogs
• Improve broadcast programming with use of • Relationship with media
new studio • Lack of a continually updated/reviewed
• Increased communication between crisis communications plan
departments • Website security
• Community generated content
• Burnout due to insufficient staff levels
• Utilize high profile events to tell Arlington’s
stories
• Continue to grow social media through
reach and engagement

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communication vehicles

“Message”

Media MyArlingtonTX.Com

Social Media

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 TEAMWORK (noun):
Cooperative or coordinated
Cable Channel effort on the part of a group
of persons acting together as
a team or in the interests of
a common cause.

Video MyArlingtonTX.com
The City’s news site was designed as a place for citizens
to learn about the latest happenings in this dynamic city
we call home. It’s also a place to engage. This is where
the content generated and distributed by the Office
of Communication is housed. Materials such as news
articles and videos about city services and community
partners are then shared across all social media platforms
and our Cable TV channel, MyArlington TV.

The City of Arlington has a long-standing commitment

to transparent government through all means of
communication. MyArlingtonTx.com is about what is

Partners happening in Arlington. It’s about this richly-textured,

fast-paced city with friendly neighborhoods, world-class
entertainment and the services and activities which are
important to us all.

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communication vehicles FREQUENCY
• Daily

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

• Website analytics: page views
The City recently launched a new responsive website
• Comments
that integrates the City’s brand messaging, colors and
• Number of eSubscriptions
logo. The website was designed from the customer
perspective, with an eye to making navigation and finding KEY TARGET AUDIENCE
information as easy as possible. The City’s newsroom, • Arlington residents, visitors,
called MyArlingtonTX.com, is independently marketed businesses and partners
and housed on the website. It offers original, fresh news
content, weather information and videos which are all
updated daily. FREQUENCY
• Weekly

CABLE CHANNEL PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

• Citizens Satisfaction Survey
The cable channel is broadcast on Time Warner
Channel 15.1, 16 and AT&T Uverse Channel 99. It KEY TARGET AUDIENCE
provides original programming created by the Office of • Arlington residents, partners and
Communication, other City departments and partnering businesses
organizations like Mansfield Independent School
District and UT Arlington. Additionally, we broadcast
live and tape-delayed public meetings like Arlington
City Council, Arlington Planning & Zoning and Tarrant
County Commissioners Court. FREQUENCY
• Daily
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

SOCIAL MEDIA • # of Facebook fans, likes, shares and

comments
The City maintains multiple social media accounts • # of Twitter followers, re-tweets
including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn,
• YouTube views
Instagram and Pinterest. News, videos, pictures and
• Citizen feedback and comments
features are pushed on these pages daily. Various City
departments also have their own social media accounts. KEY TARGET AUDIENCE
As of May 2015, our combined social media presence • Arlington residents, visitors,
is more than 197,000 followers just on Facebook and businesses and partners
Twitter.
FREQUENCY
• Ongoing and/or as needed
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
PRINTED MATERIALS • Number of printed materials
distributed
The City produces a host of printed materials to
communicate information and programs to the public. • Number of requests for printed
These include annual reports, posters, water bill inserts materials
and brochures. • Citizen feedback and response to
content/actions
KEY TARGET AUDIENCE
• Arlington residents, partners and
14 businesses
FREQUENCY
• Ongoing/as needed
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
• Feedback and response to
content/actions
• Analytics provided by vendor
• Number of opens and/or views
KEY TARGET AUDIENCE
• Arlington residents, visitors,
businesses and partners
• Surrounding communities
FREQUENCY
• Ongoing and/or as needed
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
• Media coverage in newspapers
and online publications
• Media coverage on TV and radio
KEY TARGET AUDIENCE
• Arlington residents, visitors,
businesses and partners
• Surrounding communities
FREQUENCY
• Daily and ongoing/as needed
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
• Portal analytics
• Number of newsletter, global
email opens
KEY TARGET AUDIENCE
• Arlington employees
FREQUENCY
• Ongoing
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
• Attendance at public meetings,
city sponsored events and town
halls
KEY TARGET AUDIENCE
• Arlington residents, visitors,
businesses and partners
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ADVERTISING AND MARKETING
The City works strategically to get its messaging out
through print, radio and online advertising as well as
PSA and paid billboards.
MEDIA RELATIONS
The City of Arlington routinely works with local, state
and national media through advisories, news releases,
individual story pitches and articles posted on the city’s
newsroom, MyArlingtonTX.com. We also strive to foster
an open, positive working relationship with the news
outlets that cover Arlington by being as accessible and
transparent as possible.
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
Through the employee portal, global emails, training
seminars and employee meetings, the City strives to keep
its workforce informed about City news and initiatives.
Additionally, the Office of Communications coordinates
a weekly meeting of key city staff who are responsible for
communication for their departments. This keeps the
lines of communication open between all departments
and helps to coordinate messaging.
PUBLIC MEETINGS/EVENTS
In addition to regular City Council and Planning
& Zoning meetings, the City hosts a series of other
meetings on a regular basis. These include dozens of
boards and commissions that meet semi-regularly,
town hall meetings to address specific and general
citizen concerns/interests, and tele-town hall meetings
conducted through the Office of Mayor and Council.
Events sponsored by City departments, like Eco Fest
and National Night Out, also serve as vehicles to
communicate City information.
“A brand for a company is like a
reputation for a person. You earn
a reputation by trying to do hard
things well.”
— Jeff Bezos, Founder, CEO of Amazon.com

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 audit results
• Branding Analysis

• Social Media Audit

• Website User Audit

• Website Design Audit

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Branding alalysis

MyArlingtonTX.com

I
n June of 2014, after extensive research and planning, Arlington launched a new brand for the city: Arlington,
the American Dream City. This was a partnership between the City and the Arlington Convention and Visitors
Bureau. The theory was simple: pool limited staff and financial resources to speak with the same voice about the
city to both residents and visitors. This was the first citywide brand in Arlington’s history.

The brand included a new logo, the first major logo change in almost 30 years. The initial brand rollout included an
audit of the locations of the logo and a timeline for replacing those logos. To be fiscally responsible, the City made a
commitment to change things through attrition, as things wear out or are used up the new logo would be implemented.
Other prominent signs were replaced as the budget allowed, to help build brand awareness.

There were many other ways to spread the news about The Office of Communication conducted an internal
the brand, including: content analysis of its written communication to see
• Online and print advertising how effectively the brand was being used. This four week
• Free media analysis looked at posts on the City’s main Facebook and
• Events Twitter pages as well as all articles posted to the City’s
• Promotional items news page, ArlingtonTX.com.
• Street light banners
• Video productions The rubric used for the analysis looked at appropriate use
We also made a concerted effort to start incorporating of the logo, key messaging, the tone of the article, linkage
themes of the brand in the City’s written and social to the City’s Council priorities and if proper distribution
media communication. This included using taglines, channels were followed. Each article or post was then
logos, branded colors and fonts, hashtags and the brand given an overall rating.
name in publications and posts.

At the beginning of 2015, six months into the new brand,

Jan. 12, 2015 - Feb.15, 2015

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 OOC
From January 12-February 15 a total of 93 articles were
analyzed from MyArlingtonTX.com. 87% of stories were
rated as either very consistent or somewhat consistent.
100% of the time, we found appropriate tone and logo
usage. Also, all articles followed our prescribed methods
for distribution, which helps ensure accurate release of
information. However, key messaging was found in only The content analysis was conducted by members of
20% of stories. the Arlington Office of Communication staff with
assistance from UT Arlington intern, Ana Enriquez,
The Office of and oversight from Marketing Communications
Communications can Manager Jay Warren.
significantly improve
its use of the brand
in articles by better
integrating the overall
American Dream City
brand, the taglines provided with the brand and/or more
subtle links to the brand. Additionally, while 80% of
the articles had some connection to the City Council’s
priorities, it was discovered that we could provide a more
direct link to those priorities to better demonstrate the
rationale behind projects and initiatives and how they
help achieve the overarching goals of City Council.

REGINALD LEWIS
MyArlingtonTX.com Branding Analysis
Over the past 25 years, Reggie has worked in TV
newsrooms, public relations firms and in government
communication positions. Currently, he handles media
relations for the City and is responsible for managing
the content provided on MyArlingtonTX.com.

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branding Analysis

Social media

T
he social media content analysis looked at posts to the City’s main Facebook and Twitter pages. Between
January 12-February 15 a total of 225 Facebook posts and 160 Twitter posts were reviewed. 71% of the time,
we found the posts to be either very consistent or somewhat consistent. Roughly 25% of posts were given a
mixed rating. Many of these posts contained shared content from City partners or were about events not sponsored by
the City.

In all cases, the logo was appropriately used, in large part because these pages are branded with the City’s logo and
The American Dream City. And, as with MyArlington.com articles, all social media posts had the right tone for
City communication and followed our designated channels for distribution. 25% of the posts could have been better
branded with the American Dream City and between 19% (Facebook) and 32% (Twitter) could have provided a
stronger linkage to the City Council’s priorities.

Jan. 12, 2015 - Feb.15, 2015

Jan. 12, 2015 - Feb.15, 2015

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#AmericanDreamCity RYAN HUNT
Social Media Analysis
Ryan’s background includes three years as a
television news producer where he was responsible
for incorporating the station’s brand throughout
newscast scripts, teases and marketing materials.
Currently, Ryan manages the City’s social media pages
and several of its broadcast franchises.

Arlington’s American Dream City Brand

Campaign won

First Place
at the Texas Association of Municipal
Information Officers (TAMIO) conference in
2015.

The American Dream City Brand Campaign also

won the

Savvy Award
at the City-County Communications Marketing
Association (3CMA) conference in 2015.
Additionally, the American Dream City Logo
received 3CMA’s

Award of Excellence
for design.
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social media audit
I
ncreasingly, social media is becoming one of the
primary channels of communication for the City of
Arlington. The City’s main Facebook page has close
to 24,000 followers and more than 13,000 people follow
the City’s main Twitter page as of May 2015. Those
pages speak for the majority of Arlington’s departments
including Code Services, Economic Development,
Community Planning and Development and Public
Works and Transportation.
Other departments have sought approval from the Office
of Communications to build their own social media
presence. This was allowed when a compelling business
argument was presented by the department. Police,
Fire, Parks and Recreation, Convention Center and
Libraries are a few of the departments that maintain their
own pages. As of May 2015, Arlington’s total reach on
Facebook and Twitter was nearing 200,000, or more than
50% of the city’s population.
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Colin Burns, an Arlington resident with an extensive
background in social media, was hired to review the
City’s presence on Facebook, Twitter and other social
media platforms. Burns provided an analysis of the City’s
content on those pages, what worked and didn’t work,
and the audiences we were reaching.
Facebook
Part of Burns’ research looked at how Arlington stacks
up to other similar sized cities on social media. Currently,
Arlington has one of the largest presences on Facebook
of any city in the United States.
Burns research on the City’s Facebook page found:
• Our content is consumed in the Newsfeed, with
an average of 216 people going to our actual page
per day.
• 78% of our fans log in to Facebook daily.
 • 50% of our fan base sees our content once a
week; 20% sees it twice a week.
• Posts with pictures and videos did considerably
better in terms of reach and impressions.
• Our users follow the City’s Facebook page
because it is topical, provides news and is
informative.

78% OF OUR FANS

At the time of Burns’ research, we had 5,230 followers.
Based on his findings, Burns suggested we could grow
50% annually on Facebook. Arlington far surpassed that,
reaching 23,000 followers in 15 months, a 339% increase. LOG IN TO FACEBOOK
DAILY.
This was accomplished through a combination of:
• Targeted posts
• Consistent content
• Page boosting techniques
• Connecting with partner organizations
• Utilizing the brand

Arlington’s total reach on Facebook

and Twitter is more than 50% of the
population of the City.

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social media audit Continued

Twitter
Over the last 18 months, we have seen steady, organic
growth on Twitter. We started at 5,300 followers and
now have more than 13,000, a 141% increase. That far
exceeded Burns’ estimate of 50% growth annually. Still,
Arlington lags behind other cities on this platform.

His research showed:

• Our followers are mainly interested in business,
news and politics.
• 71% are in DFW.
• 56% are men.
• Many also follow the Rangers, Mark Cuban,
Dallas Morning News, WFAA, UTA and AISD.
The tweets that worked best were timely, topical and
informative. We have also found that posts with video
attached do better and are more likely to be retweeted.

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Other platforms
Burns analysis showed that the City has room for
significant growth on Google+, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.
We have also seen a large uptick in the use of Instagram
and the need to expand our base on this platform. These
websites all cater to different audiences and can help the
City reach a larger demographic base of our population.
in
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COLIN BURNS
Social Media Audit
Colin Burns is an Arlington native with degrees from
TCU and UT Dallas. His expertise is in social media,
where he has helped large and small companies like
AT&T, Chipotle and Match.com develop strategies
to increase their online engagement with customers.
Currently, Burns is the regional director for client
success for Sprinklr, which helps global brands drive
business outcomes and manage customer experiences
across all touch-points. Burns was awarded the CIO
100 Winner by CIO Magazine for his work creating
AT&T’s “social listening platform.”
social media engagement

Facebook Analytics
23,682
5,203 Fans
Weekly
engaged
users

983
226,060 Daily
engaged
Weekly
impressions 47,059 users
Weekly
reach
11,965
Daily reach

28 days:
153
112,538 Daily logged in
page views
reach

857,515
impressions

89%
of fans log in
daily

@cityofarlington 63% Female

Averages since April 2015.
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 @cityofarlington
Averages since April 2015.
Twitter Analytics

14,001 630,100 8,200

Followers Impressions Impressions
per day

Our followers are: For some perspective: In 2013,

• Interested in business and news (72%), Movies and
television (71%), Politics and current events (64%),
Music (60%) and Sports (48% NFL Football, 42%
Baseball and 40% Sports News).
• 35% hold professional/technical occupations, 25%
homemaker, 23% self-employed, 17% white collar
worker, 16% health services, 13% retired, 11% student
• 43% completed high school, 40% completed college,
16% completed graduate school
Colin’s benchmarks were to average
.63 favorites, 1.7 retweets and .24
replies per day. Since April 2015, we
have averaged 19 favorites per day,
16 retweets per day and 3 replies
per day. That means in two years, 58% Male
we’ve surpassed those benchmarks by
2,916% in favorites, 841% in retweets
and 1,150% in replies.

YouTube Analytics 175%

285,814 Increase in Views
Views
since 2013

46% watch on computer

492,110
Minutes 38% watch on a mobile phone
May 2014 to May 2015. watched
12% watch on a tablet 69% Male
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website user audit

I
n June 2014, after a yearlong effort to development process and content migration, the City debuted a new website
that prominently featured Arlington’s new brand and logo. The website, which was designed by Dallas based
Imaginuity, is responsive and designed from the user’s perspective. It uses WordPress which has enabled the Office
of Communications to train representatives from the City’s various departments to be administrators of their sites.
This is intended to allow departments to manage their own pages.

The Office of Communication hired two different firms to provide an audit of the new website. Ciber, A global IT
consulting firm, was asked to conduct an analysis of the design of the website, looking specifically at the coding. We
wanted to make sure that the website was fully optimized. Matt Gillmore, owner of Interactive Media Design, was
brought in to provide an analysis of the website from the user’s perspective.

User Audit
Interactive Media Design’s review of the website looked
specifically at the news page, home page, global navigation
and top tabs including Residents, Business, Visitors,
Government and Departments. Gillmore, praised the
layout, theme design, colors and iconography of the
website, noting that the “patriotic colors” provided good
contrast. Gillmore wrote, “It is a very good theme and one
of the better public-office websites I’ve seen.”
Describing the site as intuitive, Gillmore singled out
the responsive design of the website as one of its best
features. Overall, he said the “functionality, the layout,
and the interfacing are intuitive and contemporary.” He
noted that the website “looks great, is appropriately
design and laid out, responds well between resolutions
… and does a good job contextually of dividing
information into a categorized architecture to serve the

“It is a very good theme and one of the better

public-office websites I’ve seen.”
— Matt Gillmore
Consultant, Website User Audit

28
purpose of navigating multiple website entities coexisting
under one roof.”
Room for improvement was found in several key areas
of the website including the site’s architecture, navigation
and legal page. Gillmore noted that the site “breaks down
due to the vast quantity of compartmentalized content
and the complexity of non-linear navigation.” MATT GILLMORE
Gillmore made the following recommendations to Website User Audit
improve the website: Matt Gillmore has worked with computers and
• Breaking up the Terms of Use page programming for 35 years. He owns his own IT
• Use of Webmaster Tools to correct 404/Page and E-commerce consulting company specializing
Not Found/Bad Link errors in web design, production, development, support,
• Elimination of individual email addresses on the hosting, SEO, marketing and consultation. Some of
website his clients include IMC2, Integer, Elie Tahari, Pizza
• Enforcement of a style guide to achieve design Hut and Crest. He’s won awards for customer service,
consistency across the site illustration, design and development.
• Build in consistent indicators of how links
function.
• Creation of “breadcrumbs” to allow the user to
immediately understand where they are on the
website.

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website design audit

Design Audit

A
fter a two month review, Ciber determined that the website
“lacked the necessary ruggedness at the infrastructure and
the application layers.” Some of this was based on the content
management system (CMS), WordPress, employed by the website. Ciber
noted that “WordPress has historically exhibited vulnerabilities that
have been addressed by newer versions of the software and its associated
plug-ins. This introduces a release management process that needs to be
incorporated as part of the management of the City of Arlington website.”

The following recommendations were made to improve the website’s design, security and functionality:

• Setup a SSL VPN connection to fully restrict all server access to internal connections only.

• Reset all user passwords for all COA servers.

• Review and restrict WordPress administrator access to required personnel.

• Double the amount of CPU’s and memory to make the site less vulnerable to “denial of service” attacks.

• Update WordPress and the GravityForms plugin to the latest versions and put a process in place to

periodically check for the latest versions of the software.

• Configure the firewall to deny access from the following countries based on the Akamai advisory report:

China, Brazil, Russia, Romania, Netherlands, Taiwan, and Turkey & North Korea.

30

Ciber recommended a redesign of the website using a
different, “commercially viable CMS “which will make
it much less vulnerable to hacks and attacks, it will also
make the site much easier to maintain, manage and
enhance.” They noted that a different CMS would also
increase the speed of page responsiveness and refreshes.
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The City of Arlington’s website was named
Best Government Website
by the Internet Advertising Competition at the
ad:tech conference in San Francisco on May 2015.
The website also won the
Award of Excellence
at the Texas Association of Municipal Information
Officers (TAMIO) conference in Houston in June
2015.
CIBER
Website Design Audit
Ciber is an IT consulting firm with 6,500 employees
across the globe. The company provides both technical
expertise and industry knowledge to small and
large businesses including business intelligence, IT
outsourcing, application development and management,
and talent services.
32
goals | Objectives | strategy
goals
objectives
strategy

“Quality is never an accident. It is

always the result of intelligent effort.”
— John Ruskin, Artist, Philosopher

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GOAL #1: TELL OUR STORY
Communicate City news and information in a timely, transparent and accurate manner so
that citizens, businesses, visitors and City employees are knowledgeable about what’s happening
in Arlington.
Objective: Storytelling
Broaden the reach and impact of the City’s storytelling.
STRATEGY:
Provide meaningful, diverse and conversational content
for MyArlingtonTX.com, the City’s news site, to
showcase the good things happening around Arlington
and in city government.
• Foster stronger working relationships with
departments and city partners to develop original
content to populate MyArlingtonTX.com.
• Expand the City of Arlington “Communicators
Group” (made up of representatives from various
City departments) to include unrepresented city
departments.
• Create and implement a standardized “news
form” to be filled out by departments to improve
accuracy, context and speed of content creation.
Measures:
• Average four original stories a day on
MyArlingtonTX.com.
• Complete expansion of the Communicators
Group by 3rd Quarter of FY2015.
• Goal of 75% attendance at Communicators
Group by participating departments.
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• Publish a minimum of one original story per
strategic department per month on the City’s
website, social media and/or cable channel.
• Create and use the “News Form” by 3rd Quarter
of FY2015.
STRATEGY:
Provide a long range strategy to ensure comprehensive
coverage of City of Arlington events, projects and
business.
• Utilize the Office of Communications Editorial
Calendar to better coordinate coverage of City of
Arlington events, projects and information.
Measures:
• Maintain the already established Editorial
Calendar and include in the annual OOC
budget.
• Host a weekly planning meeting with key
OOC staff to populate the calendar and ensure
thorough coverage of City programs, news and
initiatives.
Objective: City Effectiveness
Use established communication channels to demonstrate Arlington city government’s effectiveness.

STRATEGY: collateral materials to broaden the depth of

Provide context in all content about City strategies and
long-term projects.
• Connect content on MyArlingtonTX.com and
social media to Arlington City Council’s five
established priorities and business plan.
• Bring more prominence to coverage of City
Council priorities by better highlighting priority
stories.
• Use the results of the annual Citizens’
Satisfaction Survey to guide story development
in an effort to improve communication about
problem areas.
• When appropriate, link previous videos and
reporting and increase the return on investment of
larger-scale projects.
Measures:
• Post one story per week that communicates and/or
connects to each City Council priority and track the
publication of those stories.
• Create a blog roll of priority stories on the “Priority”
page of the website.
• Create a “featured category” on the news page
highlighting priority stories.
• Develop a scorecard to track stories that provide
strategic context on long-term projects and stories
that relate to the Citizens’ Satisfaction Survey.

“Storytelling is the most

powerful way to put ideas
into the world today.”
—Robert McKee, Creative Writing
Professor, Consultant

35
goal #1: TELL OUR STORY Continued
Objective: Media Relations
Build positive news coverage of City of Arlington information and projects through outreach to local, national and
specialty media outlets.
STRATEGY:
Garner better local print, online and television news
coverage.
• Develop content posted on MyArlingtonTX.com
to attract news coverage.
• Pitch specialized stories to media outlets to
garner positive news coverage.
• Create a scorecard to track the impact of
MyArlingtonTX.com stories with a goal of three
stories a week resulting from the site.
Measures:
• Place four stories a month with local media
through coverage on MyArlingtonTX.com.
• Place two stories a month with local media
through individual pitches.
36
STRATEGY:
Foster stronger working relationships with Latino and
Vietnamese news outlets in Arlington and North Texas.
• Develop regular contact system with minority
news outlets.
• Pitch stories to minority news outlets that would
be of interest to their audiences.
Measures:
• Place two stories with minority media outlets
and community organizations.
• Generate two stories and/or social media content
a month from Arlington minority media outlets
and community organizations.
Objective: Transparency
Maintain open and transparent communication for all
City customers.
STRATEGY:
Conduct communication on multiple platforms to reach
and engage the widest audience.
• Produce multi-functional content that is
appropriate to be shared on the City’s website,
social media channels and cable channel.
• Assist in the launch and marketing of “Periscope”
to live-stream City initiatives.
Measure:
• Market “Periscope” through social media and
community events.
STRATEGY:
Ensure residents can easily find ways to contact staff
members, file an open records request, access meetings,
and find documents.
• Create easier ways on the City’s homepage and
department pages of the websites for residents
and customers to contact city staff.
• Provide multiple links to the open records
request on the City’s website.
• Create an “Open Arlington” section on the City’s
website to highlight Arlington’s transparency.
• Maintain Vietnamese and Spanish translation
services on the City’s website.
• Stream more meetings and events through new
web streaming technology.
Measures:
• Create a “contact us” dropdown menu on the
City’s website, listing all city departments.
• Ensure 90% of all content produced by the Office
37
of Communications is multi-functional and
shared on multiple platforms.
• The “Open Arlington” section is created and
regularly updated.
• By the end of FY2015, investigate the use of new
web streaming technology and implement the
best streaming platform for key City events and
meetings. 
STRATEGY:
Create online, written and video communication to
highlight the City’s recently passed bond program, the
cost of the projects and the timeline for construction.
• Create a “Bond Tracker” webpage and interactive
map on the City’s website to showcase news,
events and developments with bond projects
and provide a visual tour of where and when
construction will happen.
• Produce regular video and written stories
highlighting the bond package and progress on
its projects.
• Where appropriate, provide context in all content
about the City’s brand and the totality of the
bond program, to increase awareness of both
initiatives and show the brand in action.
Measures:
• Launch “Bond Tracker” webpage, map and
content by the end of the 3rd Quarter of
FY2015.
• Produce four web stories and two video stories
for the “Bond Tracker” program annually.
GOAL #2: KEEP UP WITH TECHNOLOGY
Explore and utilize multiple technologies to enhance the delivery of the City’s communication channels.

Objective: Social Media Content

Create greater transparency while providing additional channels for citizen input and communication by building the
City of Arlington’s social media presence through innovative content, creative outreach and consistent engagement.

STRATEGY: • Develop new and/or enhance current picture

Provide compelling, diverse content that engages social
media followers and increases reach.
• Craft more action statements and questions for
use on Facebook and Twitter.
• Create more video stories geared specifically to
social media.
• Post regular programming videos directly to
Facebook’s video sharing program to increase
viewership.
sharing programs.
Measures:
• Maintain current engagement levels and increase
post reach on Facebook and Twitter.
• Post three short, social-media geared videos a
week.
• Post five videos a week directly to Facebook.
• Launch “Pic of the Week” on Facebook and
Instagram in the 2nd Quarter of FY2015.

38
STRATEGY:
Increase our base of followers on Arlington’s established
social media pages and expand to new, targeted social
media platforms.
• Use advertising and “page boost” to build
Arlington’s follower and fan bases.
• Increase the content on the City’s Instagram,
Pinterest and LinkedIn pages.
• Create a social media marketing campaign to
increase followers on all social media pages.
Measures:
• Increase followers on Facebook and Twitter by
25% each fiscal year.
• Increase Instagram followers by 50% in FY 2015
and 25% each following fiscal year.
• Link posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
to increase content and reduce workload.
• Develop a method to track return on investment
on boosting pages, videos and posts.
• Launch social media marketing campaign
including posters and video PSA by the end of
2nd Quarter FY2016 and update annually.

“The Internet is becoming

the town square for the
global village of tomorrow.”
—Bill Gates, Co-Founder, Microsoft

39
GOAL #2: KEEP UP WITH TECHNOLOGY continued
Objective: Social Media Partnerships
Provide increased coordination between the City of Arlington social media accounts and the social media accounts
of the City’s departments and partner organizations to provide greater awareness of City information, maintain site
security and enhance the quality of content, engagement and reach.
STRATEGY:
Ensure quality content and adherence to City social
media strategies on all City of Arlington social media
sites
• Provide an updated training handout for all City
social media moderators on how to appropriately
manage their accounts.
• Maintain a running list of all passwords, user
names and administrators for all departmental
social media sites.
• Conduct an annual review of the Social Media
Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to
ensure appropriate use of the City’s social media
channels.
• Conduct an annual review of all City of
Arlington social media pages to ensure they meet
the City’s Social Media SOP.
Measures:
• Update the social media training handout
annually and provide to all new moderators.
• 100% departmental compliance with social media
password/administrator list.
40
• Review of Social Media SOP completed at the
end of each fiscal year.
• Review of City of Arlington social media
pages completed at the end of each fiscal year
and results provided to each department/
administrator.
STRATEGY:
Provide a pipeline to share social media content with
City of Arlington departments and partner agencies to
increase reach and engagement.
• Make specialized pitches to Arlington
departments and partner organizations to share
social media content.
Measure:
• Feature at least three posts a week on Facebook
and Twitter that would appeal to City of
Arlington partner organizations and share with
them.
STRATEGY:
Track and provide regular reporting of social media
growth, reach and engagement for all City of Arlington
departments.
• Create and provide a scorecard for City
departments to encourage regular, standardized
reporting of social media growth, reach and
engagement.
Measure:
• Create scorecard for City of Arlington
departments by the end of 4th Quarter FY2016.
 Living the
#AmericanDream
@MyArlingtonTV #ArlingtonTX
#WeekendBuzz
@CityOfArlington
@utarlington exciting!
Hope
to see Amazing Story! A true Yahoo! Keep
up the great I love
you #americandream
work. #Arlington!
there!

Thanks for the weather update!

Congratulations! Your
photo is the #ArlingtonTX MyArlingtonTV
Pic of the Week!! News
Meet the Yea for our
Pets of the volunteers. We
#AskArlington Week! appreciate all
you do!

LOL! Great news..! Wow! This

Thanks for
looks like so
sharing!!
much fun!

GO, RANGERS!!

WooHoo!

#Americandreamcity
41
GOAL #2: KEEP UP WITH TECHNOLOGY continued
Objective: Website
Continue the development and enhancement of the City’s new responsive website to boost its use and engagement.
STRATEGY:
Ensure that the newly launched website is up-to-date and
comprehensive.
• Migrate all department pages and other content
to the new website format/brand.
• Create pages for the Library, Parks and
Recreation and Convention Center.
• Complete the migration of all remaining content
from the City’s former website.
Measures:
• Have all pages migrated to the new website by
the end of the 2nd Quarter of FY2015.
• Library, Parks and Recreation and Convention
Center pages migrated by Dec. 2015.
• All remaining content migrated to the new
website by 3rd Quarter FY2016.
42
STRATEGY:
Maintain quality control of the overall site and
departmental pages.
• Ensure all City of Arlington department
administrators are trained on the new site for
content creation, updates and branding and
provide them with a website training/style guide.
• Conduct monthly reviews of department pages.
Measures:
• Complete individual training of departmental
webpage moderators by May 2015.
• Complete the website training/style guide and
distribute to moderators by May 2015.
• Start monthly departmental page review by May
2015.
• Utilize SiteImprove weekly to ensure proper
grammar and links.
 www.MyArlingtonTX.com
STRATEGY:
Ensure we have a long-term strategy for content
maintenance, hosting and future website needs.
• Conduct a user experience audit of the website.
• Conduct a design functionality audit of the
website.
• Acquire a consistent, reliable and affordable
hosting environment for the City’s website.
• Continue to make modifications to the current
website to improve functionality.
• Plan for a redesign of the current site in FY2016
to provide an enhanced user experience and stay
current with technological advances.
• Plan for a new website to launch in FY2018.
Measures:
• Complete user experience audit by April 2015 and
implement recommendations by end of the 3rd
quarter of FY2015.
• Complete design functionality audit by April 2015
and implement recommendations by the end of the
3rd quarter of FY2015.
• Sign new, long term hosting and content
maintenance contract by March 2015.
• Provide a quarterly review of the website’s “up time”
with a goal of 99% reliability.
• Improve user navigation of the website by creating
“breadcrumb” trails and colored backgrounds
behind location texts to cue a visual change.
• Identify funding for content upgrades/redesign of
current website.
• Identify funding and process for development of
new website.
43
STRATEGY:
Build traffic and engagement on the website.
• Create a marketing campaign with PSA
billboards, advertising, social media and email
blasts to increase the use of the website and
newsroom.
• Integrate the City’s branded WeatherBug weather
station on to the news page of the website.
• Approve all comments in a timely manner,
responding to and engaging with residents on a
regular basis.
Measures:
• Increase the page views on arlingtontx.gov and
myarlingtontx.com by 15% in FY2015 and each
following year.
• Provide a quarterly review of the website’s “up
time” with a goal of 99% reliability.
• Launch website marketing campaign in May
2016.
• Ensure that all appropriate website comments
approved and posted within four hours of
submission.
GOAL #3: LIVE THE BRAND
Build awareness of the City’s authentic, identifiable brand image to further strengthen Arlington’s distinct
positive image locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

“Your brand is what

other people say about
you when you’re not in
the room.”
—Jeff Bezos, Founder, CEO of
Amazon.com

44
Objective: Brand Storytelling
Use creative storytelling and technology to showcase the brand.
STRATEGY:
Use video and website content to tell the American
Dream story in Arlington.
• Create written and video stories of Arlington
residents, businesses and groups who are living
their American Dream in Arlington and share
with the City’s network of partner organizations
and departments.
• Create video stories of Arlington residents,
businesses and groups who are living their
American Dream in Arlington and share with
the City’s network of partner organizations and
departments.
Measures:
• Through 2015 release a new written
American Dream story every other week on
MyArlingtonTX.com.
• Through 2015 release a new American Dream
video every other week and track their viewership
on YouTube, with a goal of a minimum of 4,000
views per video.
STRATEGY:
Where appropriate, integrate the brand into City of
Arlington content, marketing, advertising, social media
and internal communications.
• Create a content analysis to see how the brand is
being used in communications from the Office of
Communications.
• Provide information/training to current and new
staff members on the brand and its purpose in
communicating Arlington’s message.
45
Measure:
• Conduct content analysis for one month each
year, to determine usage of the brand.
• Show the brand video during New Employee
Orientation.
• Show brand chapters during the monthly
Employee Anniversary Breakfasts.
STRATEGY:
Develop and implement a marketing plan to get people
to write their own American Dream story on the Dream
Wall of the City’s website.
• Ask City departments and partner agencies to
share the American Dream Wall ad on their
social media pages.
• Create a t-shirt contest and other social media
marketing efforts to increase the number of
participants.
Measure:
• Average 10 posts on the Dream Wall of the City’s
website a week through August 2015.
“A Dream Come True in America’s Dream City:
My husband and I opened The Thornton Inn Bed
and Breakfast in May 2014. A historical building
with a welcoming front porch as its signature
feature, we host guests from around the world.
Thanks Arlington for building a Dream City!”
—Sunny Graham, Citizen, Dream Wall Winner
GOAL #3: LIVE THE BRAND continued
Objective: Brand Awareness
Connect our brand to City of Arlington communications with appropriate messaging in media relations, marketing and
advertising.
STRATEGY:
Ensure consistent use of the City’s new logo and brand
organization-wide and by City partner organizations.
• Where appropriate, integrate the brand into City
articles, media releases and social media.
• Regularly update branding materials for
departmental internal and external use.
• Conduct annual content analysis reviews of City
departments’ communication to track consistent,
appropriate usage of logo and messaging.
• Complete the logo transition for the new brand.
Measures:
• Through content analysis, track the usage of the logo
and messaging with a goal of 80% correct usage by
the Office of Communication and 60% by other City
departments.
• Provide every department with brand style guide and
provide support for transition of logo.
• Starting in the 2nd Quarter FY2016, conduct an
annual content analysis for one week each year, to
determine usage of the brand with City departments.
46
STRATEGY:
Find key, cost effective places for advertising that
highlight the brand.
• Create a PSA billboard campaign showcasing the
brand.
• Create a 15 second, 30 second and 45 second
video PSA of the brand to be used internally and
by partner organizations.
Measures:
• Place four different PSA billboards a year.
• By the end of FY2015, develop and launch video
PSAs to play on MyArlingtonTV, at sporting
events, UT Arlington and Movie in the Park
showings.
• Start showing the main brand video at all
employee orientations.
• Show brand chapters each month at Employee
Anniversary Breakfasts.
• Integrate brand messaging into major video
projects.
Objective: Brand Partnerships
Utilize City of Arlington partner organizations to build awareness and buy-in for the City’s brand.

STRATEGY: • Provide an annual report on branding efforts to

Continue regular communication with the ALIGN City Council and management.
Committee (a group that is made up of representatives Measures:
from all of the major brands in Arlington) and provide • Host meetings for the ALIGN Committee as
opportunities for them to ALIGN with the brand. needed.
• Provide continuous communication with the • Send four brand updates a year to the ALIGN
ALIGN Committee and other partner organiza- Committee.
tions. • By the end of 2015, release a video that features
• Put together a quarterly brand update to send to a story from each brand partner.
partner agencies. • Annual report presented at the end of each
• Shoot American Dream City brand stories that fiscal year.
showcase the individuals, achievements and/or
initiatives of the City’s partners.
47
GOAL #3: LIVE THE BRAND continued
Objective: Brand Projects
In an effort to build the brand identity and awareness, host events that showcase the City’s brand and the brands of the
City’s partner organizations.
STRATEGY:
Develop communication tools that can be used by
Arlington realtors to educate prospective residents about
the City’s brand and amenities.
• Create a “Live in Arlington” webpage and social
media accounts.
• Create a welcome gift for new residents to
highlight the City’s brand.
Measures:
• “Live in Arlington” webpage and social
media accounts launch in August 2015 and
communicated to the Arlington Board of
Realtors.
• Start to distribute the welcome gift by the end of
FY2015.
• Create a communication network to relay regular
information to Arlington realtors.
STRATEGY:
Build events that can highlight the brand to diverse
audiences across the city and to visitors.
48
• Launch a 5K run to showcase the brand.
• Develop an American Dream City Scholarship
Program that will assist Arlington students
achieve their educational/career dreams.
• Develop a public art program to showcase
the brand across the Cultural Arts District,
Downtown and the Entertainment District.
• Integrate the City’s brand into Arlington’s Annual
July 4th Parade.
Measures:
• Find a partner agency to create the “American
Dream City 5K.”
• Launch and market the American Dream
City 5K in April 2015 with a goal of 2,000
participants in its first year.
• Partner with the AISD Foundation, AISD and
the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation to create
the “American Dream City Scholarship Program,”
to be launched in Aug. 2015.
• Secure money to fund the “American Dream City
Scholarship Program” for five years.
• Partner with the Arlington Museum of Art to
create and launch the public art program with a
target launch date of Aug. 2015.
• Coordinate with the Arlington July 4th
Committee to use The American Dream City as
its theme for the 2015 parade and that the brand
is integrated in future parades.
• Provide promotional materials and signage about
the brand along the July 4th parade.
49
Goal #4: BRING IT TO LIFE
Use video technology, storytelling and MyArlingtonTV, the City’s cable channel, to ensure the best possible messaging
and presentation for City business, projects and facilities.

“Sometimes reality is
too complex. Stories give
it form.”
—Jean Luc Godard, Film
Director, Screenwriter

50
Objective: Video Storytelling
Increase the amount of video content on the City’s various communication platforms to better inform Arlington
residents about City business and activities.

STRATEGY:
Develop more diverse and higher quality video
content from strategic City departments and the
Office of Communications.
• Purchase video equipment for select City
departments to use, tied to the amount of
content they provide for the Cable Channel
and social media.
• Provide multiple editing platforms in the
City’s Media Center for staff, departments,
interns and freelancers and provide equipment
training.
• Focus on the creation of shorter news and
feature videos that are geared for social media.
Measures:
• Purchase additional video equipment for STRATEGY:
department use (as needed) by the end of the Create a streamlined process for major video projects
3rd Quarter of FY2015. to ensure the best storytelling, effectiveness, branding,
• Create an editorial calendar for video content coordinated workflow and return on investment.
that is produced by various departments to • Create an annual strategy to coordinate the
ensure appropriate usage of the provided themes of the City’s major videos including State
equipment with a goal of one original video of the City and Budget.
story from each participating department a • For major projects, increase the use of graphics
month. and the studio in storytelling.
• Provide a fully functioning Media Center with Measures:
video editing capabilities by March 2015. • By October 2015, build a calendar to coordinate
• Three members of the Office of major projects.
Communications trained in Adobe Premier • By October 2015, develop yearly video strategy
by Jan. 2016. for major projects.
• Provide a video editing course for department • Provide graphics training to optimize graphic
representatives in the first quarter of FY2016. usage in major videos.

51
GOAL #4: BRING IT TO LIFE continued
Objective: Cable Channel Programming
Enhance the amount and quality of original programming on MyArlingtonTV to better inform stakeholders and grow
our viewing audience.
STRATEGY:
Utilize the City’s broadcast studio and other tools to
create original programming to better communicate City
news and initiatives.
• Provide a fully functioning studio and train staff
on how to use it.
• Develop original programming that showcases
the City’s priorities, projects and news.
Measures:
• Complete studio project by the end of the first
quarter of FY2015.
• Conduct training session with OOC staff in Jan.
2015 and periodically as needed.
52
• Feb. 2015, launch “Weekend Buzz,” a weekly
entertainment/information show with content
generated from City of Arlington partners and
our weekly written version of “Weekend Buzz.”
• March 2015, launch “MyArlingtonTV News” a
weekly news show with content generated from
the stories posted to MyArlingtonTX.com.
• April 2015, launch “Ask Arlington” featuring City
leaders and employees answering resident ques-
tions about current City projects, programs and
current events.
• Create other programming as warranted, with a
goal of launching two new shows each fiscal year.
STRATEGY:
Support our City departments and partners by opening
the studio for their use to create original content that can
also air on MyArlingtonTV.
• Assist each strategic department in the creation
of one show that can be shot in the studio
highlighting the work/programs of their
department.
• Create a usage plan for the studio to include
Office of Communication programming and use/
needs of other City departments and partner
organizations.
• Train strategic staff on the use of the studio and
its equipment.
Measures:
• Air original programming produced in studio by
each strategic department (Police, Fire, Water,
Library and Parks) by December 2015.
• Complete usage plan by the end of the 2nd
Quarter of FY2015.
• Conduct training with key department staff by
April 2015.
STRATEGY:
Improve the quality of the content of the programming
provided on MyArlingtonTV.
• Launch the City’s WeatherBug cameras and
weather station on MyArlingtonTV.
• Enhance the content and presentation of
information on MyArlingtonTV’s Bulletin
Board.
53
• Maintain current relationships and build new
relationship with City partners to provide
additional local video content.
• Market and promote MyArlingtonTV
programming on social media, the City’s website
and in other venues.
• Create a video PSA highlighting the content
upgrades/options on MyArlingtonTV.
Measures:
• Launch WeatherBug by March 2015 and brand
with Arlington’s logo and colors by end of
FY2015.
• Ensure all slides are properly branded and
updated on a regular basis by Jan. 2015.
• Provide outside, local programming from five
different City partners on a regular basis.
• See a 10% improvement in the quality of
MyArlingtonTV on the City’s annual Citizen’s
Satisfaction Survey.
• Shoot and launch MyArlingtonTV promo by the
end of FY2015.
GOAL #4: BRING IT TO LIFE continued
Objective: Infrastructure Upgrades
Upgrade the facilities and equipment to provide better live programming and more reliable technical quality.
STRATEGY:
Provide a consistently reliable feed of MyArlingtonTV
on Time Warner and AT&T Uverse.
• Upgrade the server to provide better picture
quality and ensure continuous on-air
programming.
• Lobby Time Warner and AT&T Uverse for high
definition output.
• Purchase a new digital switcher for the main
control room to enable digital programming.
• Create a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
for the City’s control rooms.
• Create a troubleshooting guide for Granicus to
be used by the City Secretary’s Office, Office of
Communication and Information Technology
(IT) to ensure the best possible functioning of
the City’s voting and online video system.
Measures:
• Install a new video server and have the
equipment in place by the end of the 3rd Quarter
of FY2015.
• Purchase and install a switcher and digital
router to have digital programming by the end of
FY2015.
• Meet with the cable provider lobbyists by the end
of FY2015 to discuss options to transition to
high definition.
• Control Room Standard Operating Procedure
finished by the end of FY2015.
• Granicus Troubleshooting Guide finished by end
of FY2015.
54
STRATEGY:
Improve the quality of all live public meetings broadcast
by the City through enhanced technology, renovated
spaces and improved A/V.
• Provide assistance, funding and oversight for
the renovation and construction of the City
Council Briefing Room (CBR) to provide a more
professional setting for live broadcasts.
• Provide guidance and assistance in the design
process for a new City Council chamber.
• Determine the best, most user-friendly A/V
system for a new City Council chamber and have
it installed during construction of the chamber.
• Upgrade hearing impaired equipment in the City
Council Chamber and Council Briefing Room.
• Hire a full time technical director to manage the
live operations of the Council Briefing Room,
City Council Chamber and Broadcast Studio.
Measures:
• By August 2015, renovate the City Council
Briefing Room (CBR) to include a more
professional setting, improved lighting and
presentation displays, and upgraded A/V.
• By FY2017, upgrade all A/V and lighting for the
new City Council Chamber.
• Upgrade hearing impaired equipment by August
2015 in the CBR and by FY2017 in the new City
Council Chamber.
• By FY2017, create position job description,
secure funding and hire new technical director.
55
Goal #5: DO IT TOGETHER
Leverage internal and external partnerships and build new partnerships to foster greater
awareness of City of Arlington programs, information and projects.

“Alone we can do so
little, together we can do
so much.”
—Helen Keller, Author, Lecturer
and Political Activist

56
Objective: OOC Resources
To better coordinate messaging, establish the Office of Communication as the primary resource for communication for
the organization, including marketing, graphic design and media relations.
STRATEGY:
Improve marketing materials and graphics by
streamlining the process in which departments request
assistance from the Office of Communications (OOC)
for communication materials.
• Create a “Project Form” to define projects, ensure
appropriate branding, manage work flow and
track return on investment.
• Ensure the brand is effectively integrated into
pieces that the Office of Communications
develops for City departments.
Measures:
• Implement the “Project Form” by May 2015 and
ensure 100% compliance by July 2015.
• Conduct an annual content analysis to ensure
the brand is appropriately incorporated into
publications and graphics produced by OOC
75% of the time.
Objective: Emergency Communications
Office of Communications will work closely with the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) to provide the most
up-to-date information possible during an emergency.
STRATEGY:
Ensure there is an updated emergency communications
strategy to help communicate to the public during an
emergency and that staff is trained in how to implement
it.
• In coordination with the OEM, update the
Emergency Communications section of the City’s
Communications Manual.
• Create internal and external emergency
communications training opportunities for key
staff and leaders.
57
STRATEGY:
Identify and train City of Arlington executives and
employees for media interviews and on-camera
appearances.
• Develop and provide a media training course for
City executives and employees.
• Create a Media Relations handout to be included
in the Communications Manual and to be
distributed to key personnel.
Measures:
• Train at least 10 executives and two departments
a year in interview techniques and media
relations.
• Complete Media Relations handout by April
2015.
Measures:
• In FY2016, update the Emergency
Communications Plan.
• In 3rd Quarter FY2015, shoot a training video on
how to handle media relations during a natural
disaster.
• In each fiscal year, provide a training course to
OOC staff and other key City personnel on
emergency communications.
• Rotate OOC staff through the EOC during
emergency to provide cross training opportunities.
GOAL #5: do it together continued
Objective: Internal Communications
Develop ways to effectively communicate with City of Arlington employees.

STRATEGY:
Set a benchmark for all public presentations to internal
stakeholders.
• Create multiple branded templates for Power-
Point presentations to be used by all depart-
ments.
• Review all PowerPoint presentations before they
are made to City Council.
• Train select staff in the creation of meaningful
PowerPoint presentations that are rich in data,
easily understood and visually stimulating.
STRATEGY: Measures:
Update and improve current channels of communication • Create four different, branded PowerPoint
with City of Arlington employees to better inform them presentations by the end of the 3rd Quarter of
of City projects and news. FY2015.
• Conduct a communications survey to measure • Set up internal review process for City Council
the effectiveness of the current communication presentations, to begin in FY2015.
tools, how people gather their information and • Create and deliver presentation training seminar
desires for improvements to communication. in FY2015.
• Provide assistance to Information Technology
Department in the redesign of the City’s portal.
• Hire an internal communications coordinator to
oversee all internal communications.
Measures:
• Create and implement communications survey in
FY2016.
• Participate in Portal redesign, to launch in
FY2016.
• By FY2017, create position job description,
secure funding and hire new internal communi-
cations coordinator.

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59
goal #6: NEVER STOP LEARNING
Improve and hone the work flow, capability, leadership and creativity of each member of the Office of
Communication team through added training, recognition and team building.

“Intellectual growth
should commence at birth
and cease only at death.”
—Albert Einstein, Nobel Prize
Winner, Theoretical Physicist

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Objective: Training
Provide training opportunities in the region, state and nationally for staff to build leadership skills, expand their
network and stay current on communications technology and trends.

STRATEGY:
Diversify the professional training opportunities
provided to staff to ensure a greater base of learning and
experiences.
• Encourage staff to take advantage of outside
leadership training and higher education learning
opportunities annually.
• Ensure staff members are aware of internal
leadership and training opportunities to
STRATEGY:
strengthen their knowledge of city government
Provide the necessary equipment and technical training
and build relationships with colleagues.
for staff to effectively accomplish their jobs.
Measures:
• Provide necessary computer hardware/software
• Send at least three staff members to different
and A/V equipment and editing software to
state and national conferences in FY2015.
develop quality content and improve work flow.
• Graduation from the TCU Communicator
• Purchase two more video “go-bags” and one more
Program in August 2015 for the Marketing
still-camera to increase the number of staff,
Communications Manager.
interns and freelancers who can shoot video and
• Have at least two staff members participate
train them on the usage of this equipment.
in outside training programs like Leadership
• Provide a video photography and editing training
Arlington every year.
for staff and freelancers.
• Have at least five staff members participate in
Measures:
programs like the Arlington Executive Education
• Install AdobePremier on 50% of OOC
Program, Arlington Lunch and Learn Series,
computers by the end of 1st Quarter FY2015.
Purchasing Seminars, the Supervisor Series and
• Equipment purchased by end of 3rd Quarter
other City of Arlington training programs every
FY2015.
year.
• Handout created and distributed by end of 3rd
• Incorporate training requirements into the
Quarter FY2015.
annual reviews of OOC staff.
• Video shooting/editing training course
conducted by end of 3rd Quarter FY2015.

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goal #6: NEVER STOP LEARNING continued
Objective: Recognition
Ensure staff achievements are recognized internally, to the broader organization and to the community when
appropriate.

STRATEGY:
Invest in award submissions for the top projects
completed by the Office of Communication.
• Compete in local, statewide and national
competitions annually to highlight the best
projects from the Office of Communications
• Broaden the submissions to competitions by
including the communications/marketing efforts
of other City of Arlington departments.
Measures:
• Enter TAMIO, 3CMA and other competitions
annually with a goal of winning at least three
awards each year.
• Reach out to strategic departments to start
including their top work in competition
submissions starting in FY 2015 and continuing
annually.
STRATEGY:
Provide internal awards annually and other recognitions
when appropriate for top performing employees.
• Present staff with Management Resources
Awards for outstanding performance.
• Provide recognition in email and in meetings
recognizing staff contributions.
Measures:
• Hand out Management Resources Awards
annually at the 3rd Quarter department meeting.
• Send recognition emails to staff and managers
about outstanding work.

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Objective: Intern Program
Provide internship opportunities to college students to better their education, broaden their understanding of the work
happening in Arlington and provide additional support to the Office of Communication.

STRATEGY:
Work with area universities to recruit up to five interns a
semester to work in marketing, broadcasting and report-
ing for the Office of Communications.
• Update and distribute intern job descriptions to
area universities.
• Attend intern job fairs at area universities.
Measures:
• Provide job description to area universities two
month before each semester.
• Attend job fairs at TCU and UT Arlington
annually.
• Enroll a minimum of three interns a semester in
the program.
 
STRATEGY: Measures:
Provide a robust learning opportunity for the participat- • By April 2015, have five work stations installed
ing interns. and operational in the Media Center.
• Complete the Media Center in the Office of • By April 2015, provide editing capabilities on
Communications to provide multiple work sta- three different platforms, including Adobe
tions and formats for editing video. Premier, AVID and FinalCut Pro and provide
• Provide a mentor program, where the interns are training on how to use them.
assigned to specific staff members to broaden • By August 2015, implement the Intern Mentor
their understanding of communications in in a Program.
real world setting. • Assign all interns work that can be aired on
• Provide opportunities for the interns’ work to MyArlingtonTV, published on ArlingtonTX.com
be utilized in a way that can assist them in their or used in internal and/or external marketing
educational/career goals. campaigns.

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City of Arlington Office of Communication 2015 Strategic Plan