Item 14 - Austin Water Public Information Office Communications Overview — original pdf

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Communications Overview Communications Overview Amy Petri, Public Information Office Division Manager Water & Wastewater Commission | November 12, 2025 Agenda  Considerations and Drivers  Toolbox and Tactics  Recent Initiatives and Outcome 2 Good communication is the bridge between confusion and clarity. Nat Turner The competition for attention 4 Considerations and Drivers  Audience: What are people interested in? What do they want to know?  Messenger: Who does the audience trust and believe?  Timing: What else is happening that might shape our message or impact the outcome?  Adaptability: How can the message evolve based on new information or circumstances?  Measures of success: How do we know if the communications worked? 5 Communications Toolbox  Photography  Video  Brochures  Flyers  Reports  Web Site  My ATX Water customer portal  Speak Up Austin  Newsletters  Employees 6 Communications Tactics  Outreach and Engagement  CIP Outreach (~40 on-going projects at any given time)  Newsletters  Informational meetings  Dedicated web pages  Community Events  44 events  7,200 customers  Public Input and Open Houses  Rate Adjustments  Water Forward Plan Updates  Aquifer Storage & Delivery  Social Media  Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube 7 Communications Tactics  Media Relations  Press Releases & Events  13 releases in 2025 (so far)  Walnut Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion and Improvements  Media Response (104 interviews or statements provided to inquiries this year)  Emergency Communications  8 PIO staff are part of Incident Management Team  Regular scenario training  Template development and translations  Customer Impacts  Planned and unplanned outages  Regulatory Reporting and Notifications 8 Communications Tactics  Advertising & Marketing  Annual contracts:  Value  Prime spots (guaranteed)  Seasonal emphasis  English and Spanish outlets  Extras and bonus ads  TV, Radio, Print and Digital outlets  Streaming services  Talk show appearances  Web and social  Paid content  Apps  Seasonal messaging 9 Recent New Initiative My ATX Water Portal Communications  Advanced metering replacements completed this summer  Potential move to Drought Stage 3  Pilot campaigns (May – September):  Increase portal registrations – “Register Now” campaign  Encourage saving water with Home Water Reports  Reduce off-schedule automatic irrigation 10 My ATX Water Portal Communications “Register Now” Campaign  2 email messages, 1 text message reminder sent  Outcome: ~1,600 new registrations, 250 unsubscribes  Overall registrations increased from 22% to 24% in 4 months  “Register Now” messages incorporated into other communications had better results  31% percent of Home Water Report recipients have registered compared to 24% overall  In industry comparisons, Austin Water’s registration rate is high for portals that do not incorporate billing and payments 11 My ATX Water Portal Communications Home Water Reports  Offers average household water use benchmarks for comparison  Some constraints on customized messaging  Email distribution = ~175,000 out of ~250,000 accounts  Four reports sent to date  Open rates of >70%  Significant source of increased portal registrations  Feedback has been mostly positive and appreciative 12 My ATX Water Portal Campaign Reducing Off-Schedule Automatic Irrigation  3-part campaign providing tips to improve irrigation efficiency: 1. Know your watering day 2. Video showing how to program your controller 3. Request an irrigation check-up Open rates were high, but click throughs were low – little feedback or comments  Post rain event reminders – “Turn off your irrigation system”:  Emails sent to all automatic irrigators within 24 hours of significant rain events  High open rates (60% or higher)  Positive feedback overall – gratitude for the reminder 13 My ATX Water Portal Campaign Key Takeaways and Next Steps:  Shifting from advertising and calls-to-action solely focused on registration  Include in Home Water Reports going forward  Explore opportunity for an incentive to register  Continue using the portal to provide notifications based on current conditions (rain events, changes in watering schedules)  Consider other opportunities to engage with irrigators to promote best practices  Is this the right platform?  Are there better messengers?  Is the timing right? 14 Recent New Initiative TV Conservation Campaigns  Messages driven by potential move to Drought Stage 3  Know your watering day  Monitor water use with the My ATX Water portal  Water saving tips  Leak detection tips  Conservation rebates and incentives  Ran from April – September  Multiple touchpoints: TV spots, streaming, mobile apps, social  Bilingual messaging  Assets produced by Austin Water 15 TV Conservation Campaign Outcomes:  11,193,290 impressions  Web site traffic increase  Pivot in messaging after July floods 16 Questions? Austin Water | November 12, 2025