This year Lake Forest has extended our social media efforts. Under Department head Brett Channing and with the help of Jonathan Voltzke and Skyler Hunter, the city has taken social engagement to new heights.
Followers and engagement has increased over the past several months on all of the city’s social media platforms, especially on Facebook and NextDoor.
Engagement, or the amount of likes, reactions, comments, and shares a post can earn is important when analyzing social media success. These stats demonstrate how many residents are viewing and interacting with our posts. Since the beginning of July, the City’s Facebook posts averaged over 2,400 people reached, with the highest number of organic reaches being 6,300 from the Mayor’s Minute video about cat hoarding. That post also generated more than 1,000 clicks and other reactions.
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The City also saw a rise in engagement on the General Plan Update and Fourth of July posts, with just one of them receiving 4,487 reaches, 62 likes, 13 comments and 16 shares. Additionally, recent posts about the nearby wildfires received significant engagement, meaning that residents are choosing the City’s social media to provide local news and updates on emergency situations.
Compared to other cities of similar population or slightly higher, Lake Forest’s Facebook page receives significantly higher engagement per week. At an average of 524 reactions, comments, and shares a week, on a per capita basis Lake Forest (6.2 per 1,000) has more than twice the amount of Westminster (2.9), Tustin (2.4) and Newport Beach (1.1). Due to the extra emphasis staff has put into Social Media outreach, the City’s number of Facebook page followers and likes has grown by approximately 50% over the past six months.
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On NextDoor, the City averaged over 2,900 impressions since the beginning of the year. One post that earned over 4,500 impressions and 13 comments featured the expanding Farmers Market. NextDoor is an important social media channel for the City because it specifically targets Lake Forest residents.
The City averages over 1,000 impressions a day on Twitter, with an average engagement rate of 1.9 percent. The City also has seen an increase in 500 followers on Twitter since the beginning of January.
Finally, the City’s Instagram account has seen over a 50 percent rise in followers over the last few months. Instagram typically attracts a younger user, and the City will continue to use this platform to post important news and events. Staff will continue to use social media as a place for the community to learn about the City and provide updates to the City Council as necessary.
As Mayor, I have been pushing for more social media presence by the City. Keeping people engaged and informed is essential if democracy is to flourish. Special interests try to control government, whether it is at the federal, state or local level, and special interests rarely concern themselves with the quality of life in the City. By engaging people, keeping them informed, and involving them in the process, we can keep democracy alive.
In addition to our social media presence, the City also live broadcasts our City Council meetings and important seminars and workshops and we are the only City in the U.S. that allows people to participate using Facebook Live.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Jim Gardner is on the City Council for Lake Forest where he serves as Mayor. You can check him out on LinkedIn and/or Facebook and you can share your thoughts about the City at Lake Forest Town Square on Facebook. His comments are not meant to reflect official City Policy.
Dr. Gardner has office hours every Tuesday from 4 pm to 6 pm at the City Hall. In addition, he holds a town hall meeting every quarter. The next meeting will be Oct 18 at 7 pm at the Lake 1 Clubhouse (Ridge Route).
