Parks Department ranks among best for social media program

In a recent study, the City of San Bernardino Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Department came in 14th in the nation for its engagement with residents on social media. The study, conducted by Next Practice Partners, 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 and 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.

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 in which followers responded to agency posts. The City ranked number three in the nation for its interactions on both Facebook and Instagram.

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.

To read the full report, go to: https://www.benextpractice.com/pdf/npp-2022-social-media-engagement-rankings.pdf