9
O P I N I O N
Inform and involve as many community members as possible to gain support and ensure project success. Gaining greater public engagement
G aining support from stakeholders, elected/appointed officials, and the public is foundational to a project’s success. Guided by a public participation plan, outreach and engagement strategies range from traditional methods (such as Public Information Open Houses) to digital-focused tools (such as email marketing) to innovative techniques (such as text message surveys). Ultimately, the goal is to inform and involve as many community members as possible – spanning diverse age groups, nationalities, and income levels – to facilitate conversations.
Sasha Ugi
❚ ❚ Website. Websites work 24/7 as an advocate for your project to inform, promote, and engage – so you don’t have to. Whether utilizing a dedicated page on an existing website or developing a new micro-site, webpages are an ideal way to keep project information current and comprehensive for around-the-clock public access. ❚ ❚ Media outreach. Positive earned media, which can be gained by outreach to local and industry media outlets, increases your chances of getting your project in front of the public eye. To start, generate a media list of local and/or relevant
That’s why we’re sharing popular outreach methods so you can determine the best uses of your time and budget, and get the most bang-for- your-buck. Plus, we’ve added a few of our favorite ideas, best practices, and resources along the way. To get started, we recommend focusing on the three Es – educating, engaging, and envisioning. Let’s take them one at a time: 1)Educating. Establishing a reliable and trusted resource for sharing project information is key to consistently educating the public about goals, concepts, engagement opportunities, and progress. A few of our go-to methods to help gain traction include:
See SASHA UGI, page 10
THE ZWEIG LETTER NOVEMBER 8, 2021, ISSUE 1416
Made with FlippingBook Annual report