In a nationwide study, the City of San Bernardino Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Department was ranked #14 in the nation for its engagement with residents on social media. The study, conducted by Next Practice Partners, a national consulting firm, examined the social media presence of parks departments from the 100 largest cities in the United States.
It is important for our residents to know about the wonderful programs and activities at our parks, senior centers, and community centers, "said San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran. "To be ranked so highly for connecting with our residents is something to be proud of."
The rankings are based on data obtained from the U.S. Census, National Recreation, and Park Association, ETC Institute, agency websites, social media accounts, and social analytics tools. Collectively, it ranked the engagement for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to create an aggregated ranking model for Social Media Engagement.
These agencies and their staff transform lives in their communities and more people need to know that,” said Neelay Bhatt, Founder & CEO of Next Practice Partners.
Cleveland topped the rankings, followed by Kansas City and Cincinnati. Detroit, Boise, Spokane, Minneapolis, Greensboro, and Gilbert rounded out the top ten.
"This ranking justifies the commitment our department has made to a strong marketing program," said Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Director Lydie Gutfeld. "We couldn’t be more enthusiastic about the results."
Among the data points in which San Bernardino scored the highest was the frequency with which followers responded to agency posts. The City ranked number three in the nation for its interactions on both Facebook and Instagram.
"We thrive when we read about the impact we are having from our residents’ social media comments," added Gutfeld. "Our followers are the inspiration for so many of the programs and services we provide."
With a large Spanish-speaking population, all the San Bernardino Parks Department social media posts are written in both English and Spanish. The Department has also increased the use of video posts this past year.
"We have just begun to scratch the surface of telling our story through our social media platforms, continued Gutfeld. "The more we can engage our communities, the stronger our services and programs become."
To follow the City of San Bernardino Parks and Recreation Department on Facebook, go to: https://www.facebook.com/SBCityParksAndRec/
To follow the City of San Bernardino Parks and Recreation Department on Instagram, go to: https://www.instagram.com/sbcityparksandrec/?hl=en
To follow the City of San Bernardino on Facebook, go to: https://www.facebook.com/sbcitygov
To read the full report, go to: https://www.benextpractice.com/pdf/npp-2022-social-media-engagement-rankings.pdf