Power of the Partnership - Part 4: Beyond Flyers
Connecting to and engaging with the people that live, work and play in a neighborhood is one of the most difficult tasks for any community organization. While we would love to knock on each door and formally meet every resident and employee in and around the Near West Side, it is simply impossible to do so. Our neighborhood has a resident population of over 30,000 residents and 29,000 employees, so in order to solve this issue here at Near West Side Partners we have employed a number of different methods of communicating with those who we represent and people who are interested in what is going on with our neighborhood. Some have worked better than others, and we will continue to refine, search and try different channels of communication with the people of the Near West Side. Here are a few of the methods that we have implemented so far:
Keith Stanley meets face-to-face with Merrill Park resident and social media guru, Ryan Bilello after connecting on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Social Media
Social Media is a very inexpensive, quick and direct way to speak to our community stakeholders. NWSP has a Facebook page, YouTube Channel and a Twitter account that are regularly updated with a wide range of events, pictures, videos, news, and articles related to the Near West Side. The use of social media allows us to send things out to our audiences and receive immediate feedback, which is vital to our efforts and understanding the wants and needs of those who we represent. One thing NWSP staff has noticed through their use of social media is that different platforms work better for connecting with certain target populations than others. Many of the Near West Side’s employees, friends and supporters will share, like, comment on or retweet what we have on our social media profiles - but Near West Side residents are less connected to our social media pages. In order to reach our neighborhood residents, we have found that traditional forms of communication work much better.
E-Newsletter
"Keeping up with Keith" is the title of our e-newsletter that allows us to speak directly to NWSP stakeholders via e-mail. Despite being a very dynamic platform with a number of resources and links to articles in each edition, it is limited to the those who voluntarily sign-up and for those with access to a computer. In order to connect with people through our E-Newsletter, we have to have already connected with them at some point. Also, although the E-newsletter can be read on any mobile device, a large percentage of Near West Side residents do not have access to computers or a smart-phone.
Branding
T-shirts, signs and all marketing materials adhere to a brand, which is representative of something larger. In 2015, alongside elected officials and employees from our anchor institutions, NWSP unveiled a new logo and color scheme which helped to establish the Near West Side as a “neighborhood of neighborhoods”. Using the same fonts, color schemes and styles throughout our marketing materials allows us to reinforce the brand of Near West Side Partners and point community stakeholders to our website and other social online media platforms. Now, when people see the brown, teal, turquoise and green neighborhood logo - they know that something good is coming from Near West Side Partners. NWSP’s branding initiative has become a model that other community redevelopment programs are following.
Door Hangers
A surprisingly successful tool for NWSP has been the door hangers that we hang throughout the community. A resident, Trudy Holyst of the ColdSpring Park neighborhood, suggested this during one of our Neighborhood of Neighborhoods (NeON) meetings. The Near West Side has a very large rental population, and we have worked with local landlords to gain access into apartment buildings and duplexes, placing our marketing materials on door hangers. This technique also works with many homeowners as we are able to share events like Movie Night, National Night Out, the Farmer’s Market and our community meetings. Door hangers has been our answer to the lack of resident engagement via social media - because we are placing our message directly on their door.
Yard Signs
Some messages are not as temporary as NWSP’s summer events, and our "Keep It Clean" and "Drive Safe" campaigns needed a platform with staying power. The yard sign campaigns have been incredibly helpful with spreading these important messages not to just local residents but to those who visit the Near West Side. Drive through any of our seven historic neighborhoods, and you are guaranteed to see a sign reminding you to be responsible with your trash, or slow down while driving. Hearing feedback from local residents like Shannon Mattox is what gave us the idea to use signs for the "Drive Safe" campaign, and NWSP will continue to deploy yard signs as a method of speaking to the community.
Phone Calls, Door Knocking and Community Meetings
The traditional methods of community organizing will always be apart of the NWSP outreach strategies. Our staff continues to knock on doors, make phone calls and meet in person with community members at their homes and our offices. On average, NWSP staff and team members sit down with 6-8 businesses a month, 25-50 new residents a quarter and give presentations to hundreds of employees throughout the year.
Have an idea on how we can better connect with you, or the Near West Side? Leave a comment on our social media pages, call us at (414) 933-0640, stop by our offices located at 624 N. 24th St., or or e-mail us at outreach@nearwestsidepartners.org.
