Content is Key
A change in social media strategy helps Mountain View PD build new
bridges with the community
By Lieutenant Chris Hsiung
A solid argument could be made that the Mountain
View Police Department serves a community
comprising many of the world’s most tech-savvy and
connected citizens. The city’s population of 75,000+
residents almost doubles each weekday as commuters
from all over the Bay Area arrive here for jobs at
various high-tech companies that include Google,
LinkedIn, Symantec, VeriSign, Microsoft, and a host
of startups.
In 2012, MVPD decided to take advantage of social
media’s reach and potential to more effectively, and
regularly, communicate with the community. Up
until then, the department had relied on a traditional
community communications model, where social
media was an extension of the Press Information
Officer’s office. The main content sent through the
department’s Facebook, Twitter and Google+ pages
were press releases and occasional community
announcements. In this model, information was
being pushed to the public, leaving little opportunity
for a meaningful two-way engagement with the
community.
In the fall of 2012, MVPD changed its social media
strategy to focus on providing rich, photo-centric
content for the community. The result was a dramatic
increase in followers across all social media channels
and an outpouring of support and appreciation
from the community. The data and metrics are very
compelling. In the first six months alone, the new social
media strategy has increased MVPD’s followership at
remarkable rates: Google+, 58%; Twitter, 44%’ and
Facebook, 331%. Even more compelling are the
positive feedback, comments and support we hear
from the public and how they appreciate learning
more about the department and being notified about
breaking public safety inciden