City leaders know how important it is to get as many residents as possible to complete their 2020 Census surveys. Afterall, the results will determine the allocation of billions of dollars of federal funding. This important funding will provide for hospitals, roads, nursing homes, school lunches, safety programs, and more. Below are some tips on how you can promote the 2020 Census to your community, regardless of your budget.
Small budget:
Cities and towns with small budgets should lean heavily on their organic channels, namely their social media accounts to promote the 2020 Census. Publish organic posts regularly about the importance of completing the Census survey, and what community-specific programs could be impacted by the federal funding. Leverage online community forums, such as Facebook groups, by posting a digital flyer for members to review. Bonus Tip: Check out how many residents comprise your total following. If it’s not that many, you may want to spend $50 a month to run a Likes campaign targeting locals to increase your resident follower base.
Medium budget:
If you have a bigger budget to allocate to Census marketing, consider writing a blog post or article about how quick and easy the Census is to complete and how your community could be shaped by the funding. Share the link to the blog post on your social channels, and then boost the post to reach more of your followers. If your communications department has not already invested in a larger e-mail marketing plan, check out your options on MailChimp or Constant Contact to reach residents.
Large budget:
Municipalities with the ability to spend more of their budget on digital marketing should consider adding video production into the mix. In addition to the ideas above, you could virtually host a “2020 Census How To” Zoom session or produce short videos as part of a series. Topics may include: “How to complete the 2020 Census,” “How will the Census impact you?” and “How could your community benefit from federal funding?” Share the videos across your social channels, e-mail marketing, and your website.
Important Note:
Be cautious about running Census ads on Facebook. There are some new ad guidelines in place that consider 2020 Census ads to be politically motivated. If an ad falls into the category of “Ads About Social Issues, Elections, or Politics,” as a Census ad does, your municipality’s website must have a “.gov” address.
To view the full Facebook guidelines for these types of ads, visit: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/1838453822893854