PREPARED BY:
Communications Department
DATE:
September 21, 2023
SUBJECT:
May 15, 2023 – June 14, 2023, Communications Update
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE:
Provide regular marketing and communication updates to the Board of Health.
| SOURCE | July 15 - August 14 | June 15 - July 14 | DIFFERENCE |
|---|---|---|---|
| News Releases, Media Advisories and Statements, or Notices Issued | 8 | 5 | 3 |
| Media Requests Received | 25 | 22 | 3 |
| Wechu.org pageviews | 90,097 | 86,896 | 3,201 |
| YouTube Channel Subscribers | 1,731 | 1,729 | 2 |
| Email Subscribers | 7,419 | 7,438 | -19 |
| Emails Distributed | 10 | 7 | 3 |
| Facebook Fans | 19,097 | 19,069 | 28 |
| Facebook Posts | 65 | 58 | 7 |
| Twitter Followers | 8,691 | 8,697 | -6 |
| Twitter Posts | 66 | 59 | 7 |
| Instagram Followers | 1,555 | 1,539 | 16 |
| Instagram Posts | 31 | 31 | - |
| LinkedIn Followers | 1,511 | 1,456 | 55 |
| LinkedIn Posts | 17 | 17 | - |
| Media Exposure | 99 | 57 | 42 |
Data Notes can be provided upon request
Media Exposure Overview Graph
Notes: Between May 15 – June 14, we experienced one large peak, and four small peaks in media exposure:
Friday May 19 – At the Board of Health meeting the night before, three presentations were given, including a SafePoint update, a new mental health training program, and water testing programs. A total of 26 news stories were released based off the information shared.
May 28 – 30 – We issued a news release announcing the official start of the beach water testing, following incorrect dates reported by the media. Additionally, Dr. Aloosh participated in five media interviews as an introduction to the position. A total of 15 stories were released in this date range on these topics.
Friday June 2 – The media were invited to an active tick dragging event to announce the start of the surveillance program. This resulted in 11 stories.
Thursday June 8 – Environment Canada issued a Special Air Quality Statement for our region due to smoke from wildfires, and we issued a media statement regarding the topic. Eight news stories featured this topic.
Wednesday June 14 – We issued the first set of beach water testing results, resulting in 8 stories.
Website Overview Graph
Notes: During the timeframe of May 14 – June 15, we saw similar website traffic as the previous period of April 14 – May 15. There was a small uptick on June 8, corresponding with the media statement regarding the wildfires and air quality (the statement and the webpage ranked second and third, respectively, in page views that day).
Social Media Overview Graph
Note: Overall, our social media followers / fans remained consistent over the month.
DISCUSSION
Communications Department worked closely with the Environmental Health Department to announce the start of the active tick surveillance program which will ast throughout the summer and early Fall months. Two members of the Communications team attended the event on Friday, June 2, 2023 to assist with the media, and capture photos and videos of the activity.
A media advisory was released inviting the media to an event at the Ojibway Nature Centre, of which three different media outlets attended. Additionally, a news release was issued, which included tips to help prevent tick bites. The email sent to our General Subscribers list had an open rate of 54%.
A social media post went out on Monday, June 5 which included a short video of a Public Health Inspector dragging for ticks. The video received 571 views on Facebook, 992 views on Twitter, and nearly 400 views on Instagram.