Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook (2012)

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Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 153 Appendix C Supplemental Playbook Material C-1: Sample Audience Segmentation Analysis C-2: Stakeholder Interview Guide C-3: Communication Strategy Self-Assessment

154 Appendix C-1: Sample Audience Segmentation Analysis C-1: Sample Audience Segmentation Analysis

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 155 Audience Segment Characteristics Elected Officials Statewide elected officials – governor is really only statewide official interested in transportation Conservative political views Motivation for action: balance budget; create jobs Words that resonate: job creation, economic development Trusted sources of info: cabinet secretaries, political advisors Most effective delivery: advocates, especially contractor industry regarding job preservation Perception of preservation/maintenance: something DOTs should do but not a top priority for investment Congressional Delegation Conservative political views Motivation for action: issue tied to state’s economy; constituent requests Words that resonate: job creation, economic development Trusted source of info: longtime supporters Most effective delivery: advocates, especially contractor industry regarding job preservation Perception of preservation/maintenance: something state DOTs should manage State legislators Conservative political views Motivation for action: cut state spending; balance budget Words that resonate: shrinking or “right-sizing” government Trusted source of info: constituents Most effective delivery: constituents Perception of preservation/maintenance: something DOTs should do but not a top priority for investment Progressive political views Motivation for action: job creation and maintaining social safety net Words that resonate: job creation, economic development, investment

156 Appendix C-1: Sample Audience Segmentation Analysis Trusted source of info: constituents Most effective delivery: advocates, especially contractor industry regarding job preservation Perception of preservation/maintenance: investment that can help sustain jobs State legislators Urban/suburban Motivation for action: economic development Words that resonate: job creation, economic development, economic incentives Trusted source of info: constituents, esp Chambers of Commerce and business community Most effective delivery: advocates, especially from business community Perception of preservation/ maintenance: squeaky wheel. As long as constituents/commuters aren’t complaining, then it must be ok. Rural Motivation for action: sustainability/ survival of local communities Words that resonate: economic development, support the rural lifestyle Trusted source of info: longtime supporters and local elected officials Most effective delivery: info exchange at monthly ‘eggs and issues’ breakfasts Perception of preservation/maintenance: critical that bridges be preserved so that crops can be taken to market during harvest City and County Elected Officials (Determined there Urban/suburban Motivation for action: sustainability / survival of local communities Words that resonate: economic development, support the rural lifestyle

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 157 isn’t enough difference to separate city and county officials) Trusted source of info: longtime supporters and local elected officials Most effective delivery: info exchange at monthly eggs and issues breakfasts Perception of preservation/maintenance: critical that bridges be preserved so that crops can be taken to market during harvest Rural Motivation for action: sustainability / survival of local communities Words that resonate: economic development, support the rural lifestyle Trusted source of info: longtime supporters and local elected officials Most effective delivery: info exchange at monthly ‘eggs and issues’ breakfasts Perception of preservation/maintenance: critical that bridges be preserved so that crops can be taken to market during harvest  

158 Appendix C-2: Stakeholder Interview Guide C-2: Stakeholder Interview Guide

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 159 Appendix B-4: Stakeholder Interview Guide Introductory Remarks  Introduce yourself, explain purpose of call or visit  Explain or define the highway/bridge system to which your questions apply (in other words, interviewees might confuse a highway which is the state’s responsibility with a local road so you need to clarify that up front)  Assure interviewee that comments will be kept confidential  Ask for contact information Questions 1. How would you rate the condition of the state’s highways and bridges in terms of smoothness? 2. Have you experienced or do you know anyone who has had any problems due to the condition or smoothness of the State’s highways and bridges? If so, please explain 3. Compare the need to preserve highways with other transportation needs like improving congestion or creating new access to businesses or communities. Ask the interviewee to rate those issues as more or less important or having more or less need than congestion. Ask why the interviewee holds those opinions. 4. Compared to other investment issues in the State (e.g., education, health care, economic initiatives) how does transportation rank? Ask why the interviewee holds those opinions. Communication Questions 1. In general, how do you get most of your information? a. Newspaper b. Trade or association sources c. From the DOT d. Television e. Colleagues f. Peers/friends/word of mouth g. Social media channels h. Other 2. Which source do you trust the most? Interviewing stakeholders is the most flexible method of market research. It can often provide valuable information about stakeholder opinions and it removes the group influence that can sometimes exist in focus group settings. This form of market research provides a great opportunity for in-depth questioning and allows for a better understanding of stakeholder opinions. When conducting stakeholder interviews, a script should be used to ensure consistency across conversations and interviewers. What follows is an example of such a script.

160 Appendix C-2: Stakeholder Interview Guide 3. In general, how do you get most of your information about transportation issues? i. Newspaper j. Trade or association sources k. From the DOT l. Television m. Colleagues n. Word of mouth o. Social media channels p. Other 4. What do you think would be the most effective way to receive transportation information? a. Newspaper b. Trade or association sources c. From the DOT d. Television e. Colleagues f. Word of mouth g. Social media channels h. other 5. Test words that you identified as likely to resonate as well as actions you identified would likely motivate. Other insights 1. What, if anything, worries you about highway preservation in the State? 2. What do you think are the benefits of maintaining highways and bridges in good – but not great – condition? 3. What words of advice do you have for the DOT to help us better communicate the need to preserve highways and bridges? 4. Who else would you recommend we interview?

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 161 C-3: Communication Strategy Self-Assessment

162 Appendix C-3: Communication Strategy Self-Assessment A ‘self assessment’ means collection and analysis of communication performance data with the ultimate objective of strengthening communication practices. In this Appendix, a three-tiered set of self-assessment practices is presented that state DOTs can choose among to help establish rigorous methods for evaluating the outputs and outcomes of their efforts to communicate the value of pavement maintenance and preservation. The three assessment tiers are intended to guide DOTs toward establishing ‘basic,’ ‘intermediate,’ or ‘expert’ levels of competency in communications self- assessment; depending on their current level of expertise. Just as engineers check the quality of construction materials and measure the performance of pavement condition, so too must communication practitioners check that communication strategies and tactics are having their intended effect. Some DOTs are beginning to collect data on the performance of their communications initiatives. Widespread reliance among DOTs on a common set of communications- focused assessment measures, however, lags behind other areas in transportation such as pavement, congestion and safety, where performance is routinely tracked and analyzed. At present, DOTs’ performance communication metrics are mostly used to track: 1) provision of ongoing traveler information, such as road closures, construction zones, or congested conditions; or 2) execution of campaign-style efforts that are limited by time or space to promote specific behaviors, such as seat belt use, construction zone safety, or impaired driving. Metrics used to measure these focus areas provide foundational techniques for measuring progress on communicating about more abstract and ongoing statewide issues such as mobility, sustainability, or the value of preservation. As shown in Figure C-3-1, a well-structured self-assessment process should naturally feed into the ‘research, create, evaluate, and refine’ pattern that characterizes an effective, market research-driven communications initiative. In particular, good self assessment practices help practitioners use primary research techniques - interviews, statistically valid surveys or focus groups - to determine whether their communications strategies and tactics are appropriately influencing stakeholders’ interest in, or understanding of important preservation issues; and if not, how they must work to decide how to revise or refine their communication tactics. Perhaps there is no more valuable advice on the cycle of research, create, evaluate and refine than from David Ogilvy, “the father of modern advertising” according to many, who famously said “never stop testing and your advertising will never stop improving.”

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 163 Fi ure C-3-1: ‘Research, Create, Evaluate, Refine’ Process for Communications One word of warning – no amount of assessment can correct for a failure to align communication practices with agency-wide priorities. For example, saying that preservation is a top priority, but burying information about highway conditions in a hard-to-find part of your agency’s website is incongruent – the stated priority is not supported by the communication approach. Criteria for Communication Assessment Thinking about several ‘big picture’ questions helps bring clarity to the kinds of assessment tools communicators and executives within DOTs must pursue: Message Penetration? How many stakeholders and/or citizens are preservation messages reaching? How many of those are targeted audiences? Message Reach and Clarity? What preservation messages are being received and are recipients grasping the relevant concepts? Message Reception? Reception measures whether messages are received in positive, neutral or negative ways. Message Speed? Is the preservation message being received in a timely manner and how fast is the message propagating? Message Coordination and Leveraging? Are different communication approaches and messages (e.g., pavement condition is deteriorating, additional funding is needed to maintain the highway system, rough roads cost businesses and commuters a lot of money) well coordinated and working symbiotically? g

164 Appendix C-3: Communication Strategy Self-Assessment  Message Cost? Are the costs of preservation communications in line with expectations of DOT executives and defendable to the public and legislators? Principles for Selecting Communications Assessment Tools Establishing performance metrics for communications often threatens to become an overwhelming task. Several broad principles are useful to keep in mind when selecting specific assessment metrics and tools:  Set Clear Objectives - Set clear communication objectives for preservation communication, such as increasing the frequency with which preservation funding is mentioned as a good use of tax dollars, or increasing the share of stakeholders who think preservation should be the top priority of the DOT;  Decide Where to Focus Assessment – Set clear expectations about which media channels to monitor such as broadcast, print, online media outlets; Face book, Twitter, YouTube, etc.  Decide What to Focus Assessment On – Set clear expectations about what will be monitored, such as news articles, blog posts, comments on the DOT website, Tweets, etc.  Prioritize – What is most important to your DOT and your key messages or initiatives? This is an often overlooked stage of the assessment which can result in frustration for the champions of various transportation issues and causes.  Match Monitoring Tools to Delivery Mechanisms - Select monitoring tools that match your communication delivery mechanisms. Three-Tier Communication Assessment Approach Much like performance measurement in other areas of transportation, our Team observes that the metrics DOTs use to assess communication impacts typically progress over time:  ‘Measuring Outputs’ Stage – This early stage is characterized by a focus on measurement of outputs. Examples of communication outputs might include the number of times the word “preservation” is mentioned in a newspaper each year, the number of appearances DOT spokespeople make and mention preservation as an issue, or the number of times visitors to a DOT’s website click on preservation information links.  ‘Measuring Message Reception’ Stage – At this mid-level stage, practitioners do more than just raw counting, by shifting to an increased focus on measurement of the quality of message reception. As an example, measures could include whether preservation issues are tracked in a positive or negative light in media stories.

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 165 ‘Measuring Behavior’ Stage – As measurement reaches a mature stage, practitioners shift from indirect tracking of messages to tracking changes in customers’ opinions, attitudes or behaviors. Based on the step-wise progression that characterizes DOTs’ use of communication self assessment tools, in this memo we identify and review the traditional and social media assessment tools and techniques that are most relevant to state DOTs and how they fit within a ‘basic,’ ‘intermediate,’ or ‘advanced’ level assessment paradigm, as shown in Figure C-3-2. Figure C-3-2: Three Tiers of Communication Assessment Basic-Level Communications Assessment - Our basic-level assessment recommendations are likely to apply to DOTs with limited staff or resources, or those who are taking some initial steps in preservation communication. DOTs operating at a basic-level, for example, are likely to provide most preservation messages through one- way communications such as press releases and website updates, or they may have just launched Twitter and Face book accounts to expand their reach. At the basic-level, DOTs are likely more focused on measurement of outputs rather than outcomes, but are learning the importance of evolving in order to track and measure. Basic-level communication evaluation techniques include: Number of Impressions for Media Placements - Identify the news outlets (print, broadcast or online) where key messages or information appear. Research the number of listeners, viewers or subscribers to get an estimated count of impressions. Continuous Monitoring of Coverage - Monitor the amount of coverage generated and received (the total volume of articles that have at least one subject mention). Whenever possible, track whether coverage was due to proactive outreach or reactive statements. Subscribe to Google Alerts to receive news “as it happens” based on specific, searchable terms related to campaigns, issues, or DOT officials’ names. Tally Number of Mentions - How many times is your organization mentioned or are your key messages included? Is each reference positive, negative or neutral?

166 Appendix C-3: Communication Strategy Self-Assessment  Informal Audience Surveys - Conduct surveys to assess if your audience is receiving the information they need, or if there are ways to improve. For example, the Minnesota Department of Transportation includes a link on their website inviting users to participate in a brief survey that asks “How can we improve?” and “Did you find the information you were looking for?”  Begin Tracking Social Media - Initial steps for assessing social media efforts could include: o Track the number of followers for your Twitter handle and monitor the change; o Track the number of Facebook ‘likes’ your DOT maintains and monitor the change; o Track the number of positive @ mentions or re-Tweets your handle receives; o Monitor followers for their level of interaction and engagement; and o Monitor online conversations to determine where your DOT might provide value. Intermediate-Level Communications Assessment - At the intermediate level, DOTs are likely leveraging communication content in a variety of ways, through traditional and new media including press releases, website updates, Facebook and Twitter pages and are deliberately working toward an integrated approach. The assessment focus for intermediate level DOTs shifts toward measurement of outcomes versus outputs. In addition to including various basic-level communication evaluation techniques, intermediate evaluation techniques include:  Rating Reception of Media Placements - In addition to counting the number of media placements generated by outreach efforts, assess whether the placement was positive, negative or neutral. For example, Missouri Department of Transportation rates all media coverage of the agency according to whether it is positive or negative. By graphing the number and types of media placements, it can quickly assess the overall reception of coverage received. To take it a step further, a DOT could also count the number and types of key messages in those placements. For example, if an article references a project underway, does it also include the key messages regarding the particular campaign or issue?  Intermediate-Level Tracking of Social Media - Similar to traditional media, at the intermediate-level, measurement of social media efforts is also focused more on the Intermediate-Level Assessment Example: Missouri Department of Transportation recently announced new “Gator Getter” equipment that clears debris from highway lanes while moving between 45-50 mph, thereby reducing the need for workers to stop or block traffic to pick up debris. Local ABC affiliate KMBC featured the equipment in a news story. Evaluation of the story could include: 1) a tally of the number of times MoDOT is mentioned in the piece, 2) a tally of the number of times MoDOT is mentioned in a positive, neutral, or negative way. If MoDOT was referenced once in a neutral way (i.e. in a list of state DOTs), twice in a negative way (a negative reference to funding, delays, etc.), and three times in a positive way, we would assess the piece overall as being positive for the organization. In addition, an opportunity for message correction could be found in the negative references.

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 167 quality of outcomes. In addition to including various basic-level communication evaluation techniques, intermediate evaluation techniques include: o Analyzing information collected from Facebook & Twitter accounts by creating a database with fields for tracking: ‘Likes,’ ‘Re-tweets,’ ‘Mentions,’ direct messages, increases/decreases in ‘followers,’ and ‘Comments;’ o Monitoring positive, negative, and neutral feedback from social media channels; o Tracking the types and tones of ‘Re-Tweets’ and graphing the timing and level of activity; and o Evaluating which topics or types of content are most often ‘Re-Tweeted’ or ‘Liked.’ Are your followers ‘Re-Tweeting’ to serve as a content provider with helpful updates to their colleagues, and as such look to be “first to know” on campaigns or issues? And, o Use free monitoring tools or paid subscriptions for basic analytic services. Advanced-Level Communications Assessment – Advanced-level communications assessment usually occurs in DOTs that have a larger staff or greater financial resources dedicated to communications and that are integrating multiple messages with the explicit goal of generating a positive shift in stakeholders’ opinions or support. While advanced-level assessment approaches may exceed the funding or capacity of most DOTs, they are worth keeping in this framework as an end-goal for the state of assessment practices. In addition to including various basic- and intermediate- level communication evaluation techniques, advanced evaluation techniques include:  Performance Goals – Performance goals are an important element of self- assessment. To the extent possible, goals are quantitative and measurement is to be holistic, incorporating changes in awareness among key stakeholders, comprehension, attitude, and behavior.  Measure Outcomes - Outcomes include shifts of awareness, comprehension, attitude and behavior regarding the need for or support of preservation. Direct customer research is often required to measure these effects, including: o Conducting informal focus groups by convening groups of stakeholders to discuss their current and previous perceptions and attitudes toward preservation, assess the effectivenesss of specific messages and delivery mechanisms, and test new messages. More traditional, formal focus groups can be conducted by objective, third parties such as consultants with DOT staff observing the focus group Advanced-Level Assessment Example – Washington State DOT prepares an annual communications report that provides an overall picture of efforts throughout the year, and evaluates ways in which to better integrate efforts and use across multiple platforms. The report includes the number of news releases distributed – segmented by region; photos from press conferences throughout the year; web site traffic totals and comparison to previous year activity; constituent correspondence; results from an online survey distributed to e-mail subscribers; and tracking of total number of Tweets sent – and the increase of Twitter followers, as well as Blog posts and topic.

168 Appendix C-3: Communication Strategy Self-Assessment interaction from behind mirrors. However, that level of research and cost is probably not warranted for refining preservation messages. o Conducting telephone or mail surveys. Many DOTs conduct periodic customer satisfaction surveys which are usually statistically valid at the state and regional level. A cost effective way to gather data about the effectiveness of your preservation communication effort is to piggyback with existing survey work by including a few questions about preservation. o A quick and cost-effective way to gather data about your communication efforts is to use online survey tools such as “Survey Monkey” or “Zoomerang” to distribute survey questions to targeted participant lists. Surveys can be conducted before and after specific messaging efforts to gauge how audiences are responding/reacting. o Conducting interviews with a small group of targeted contacts – though more time consuming than broader assessment tools - can provide more in-depth discussion and honest dialogue. Not only do interviews allow you to assess the effectiveness of your preservation messages, the interaction allows you to assess shifts in support for or interest in preservation as well as an opportunity to strengthen relationships with key stakeholders. The personal touch matters.  Measurement of Social media - Media content analysis should be supplemented by Web and search analytics. Evaluating quality and quantity is critical, just as it is with conventional media. Measurement must focus on “conversation” and “communities,” not just “coverage.” Pitfalls to Avoid  Don’t assume any one measurement means you’re being effective. Measure multiple attributes of your campaign.  Don’t be afraid of negative feedback. Put it into action and make improvements whenever possible.  Give it time: Social media in particular is attractive because of its immediacy. Yet, it’s easy to be discouraged when your campaign doesn’t take off or return immediate results. Be patient – and be persistent.  Allocate budget: Though DOTs are scrutinized for spending, it’s important to evaluate your communication effectiveness so that you can demonstrate value.  Don’t let your ego get in the way: Be prepared to give an honest assessment of what went wrong if your campaign isn’t successful. Was the timing off? Did you need to further grow your base of followers before promoting a key message?  Make sure you’re on the right platform: Look for where your advocates are actively engaged. Do they prefer updates via Facebook, YouTube videos or Twitter? Where are they most receptive?

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 169  Keep an open mind: Once you have set your metrics and given it the appropriate attention and amount of time, don’t be discouraged if your goals aren’t met immediately. Social media especially is unique, and once a message is out there you have little control. Perhaps your followers didn’t increase, but the level of engagement of your existing followers did. That is still a success, and there are a wide variety of indicators with social media.