Strategy and communication IT Platform Managers’ Training Barcelona, 10 April 2013 Oriol Barba | Alfons Segura

2 IT Platform Managers’ Training Communication and Strategy: two topics that walk together The USUDS IT Platform is not a new channel, but an instrument for the integration of all existing channels Communication to extend the bases of the consensus and agreement Communication to put the city in the global world INSIDE THE CITY:OUTSIDE THE CITY: Communication to attract donors and ensure the viability of the strategy

3 IT Platform Managers’ Training Inside the city: communication oriented to the consensus (in the analysis) and the agreement (in the action) Generating “city patriotism” Adding up sectors, institutions and persons to the strategic development of the city To orient the particular efforts of each actor to the attainment of convergent objectives To build a shared vision of the city

4 IT Platform Managers’ Training Outside the city: Communication to put the city in the global world (in the mind of the decision-makers) “How do we want them to see us?” Coherence between the general objective (mission - vision) and the set of strategies and projects Constructing a transversal message addressed to a universal target

5 IT Platform Managers’ Training Outside the city: Economic feasibility of the strategy Focalized in key issues and projects Image of professionalism, coherence and clarity of objectives Constructing several (but coherent) messages for each target public

6 IT Platform Managers’ Training Don’t forget: communication must be on line…….. and off line OFF LINE COMMUNCATION Presence in the media Meetings (workshops, consultative and steering committees…) Flyers, brochures Assignments of scientific documents and papers (…) The information must be oriented towards the themes of interest of the strategy, not about the plan it self Presence in social networks Blog / Newsletter On-line and direct contact whit target public Global diffusion through social networks of stakeholders and partners (…) ON LINE COMMUNCATION

7 IT Platform Managers’ Training Presence in social networks requires to build an “2.0 Strategy” To take the maximum benefit of social networks: -Speaking and…. -Listening Orientated to pick up and maintain the maximum possible number of persons informed about the strategic plan and their objectives Generalist information about activities, events, deliveries… Possible forums or public debates but… be careful! Most focalized and professional information Tags utilization Analyze the possibility (and opportunity) of several accounts (issues, targets…) Debates are spontaneous: take the opportunity Information about the strategic issues, not about “the strategy” Information about the relevant events in the city, not only the events of the plan Focused on projects and accomplishments No debates, but collaborations of stakeholders and partners are welcome

8 IT Platform Managers’ Training The role of the Platform in communicating the strategy: the city page The city page has been conceived as a “hub” to integrate the different communication elements related to the Strategy. It is fed mostly “automatically” with other areas of the Platform: agenda, past events, documents, RSS, … When a given web content is empty, it just does not appear in the website. The city page is a webpage for the city which can give it more or less importance in accordance to the whole city communication strategy.

9 IT Platform Managers’ Training The role of the Platform in communicating the strategy: the city page (I) City presentation Latest news and documents related to the Strategy Best practices of the city Integration of social networks Upocoming events Past events Other documents

10 IT Platform Managers’ Training The role of the Platform in communicating the strategy: the city page (II) Best practices of the city Other interesting projects of the city Other documents RSS Videos

11 IT Platform Managers’ Training The importance of a communication strategy Communication is not a banal matter: build an communicational strategy (at least, think about it…) Not everything serves for everything: Every target public requires its message, each message requires its channel, each channel arrives to a different target public What wants to communicate To whom you want to communicate How wants to communicate it When wants to communicate it

Oriol Barba Alfons Segura ÀREA METROPOLITANA DE BARCELONA (BARCELONA-SPAIN) FUNDACIÓN CIEDES (MÁLAGA-SPAIN) MUNICIPALITÉ DE SFAX (SFAX-TUNISIE) URBAN COMMUNITY OF AL FAYHAA (TRIPOLI-LEBANON) LARNAKA MUNICIPALITY (LARNAKA-CYPRUS) MUNICIPALITÉ DE SOUSSE (SOUSSE-TUNISIE) SAIDA MUNICIPALITY (SAIDA-LEBANON) Associated partners: This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of USUDS Network and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.