By Marie Magers, Communications Manager/PIO | City of West Jordan
I have never considered myself a “data person.” Full honesty: math has never been my thing. But digging into analytics has completely changed how I approach messaging and how city leaders trust the work we do.
The good news? You don’t have to be a genius to understand data. Modern programs make the numbers easy to translate. Once you start paying attention, you realize analytics are less about math and more about people. They show you what residents care about, what confuses them, and what you can get ahead of before they even reach out.
Social Media and City Newsletter: Follow the Engagement:
Every month, I look at what’s working on our social channels and our newsletter (we send two a month). The posts that get clicks, shares, and reactions? That’s what residents really care about. The posts that don’t? They tell us how to tweak the messaging next time.
If you’re already looking at engagement metrics, here’s the next step: compare them with your newsletter clicks, website traffic, and even call trends. Patters start to emerge, and suddenly you’re not just seeing what resident like, you’re seeing what they need from you.
Web Views & Calls: Real-Time Resident Signals:
Our website and call data are just as important. A spike in page views, or questions popping up in our WJ Info Hub (our Teams chat where call takers across the city share what they’re hearing or questions they are getting) – usually means it’s time to push messaging sooner, more clearly, or maybe in a different format.
Case in point: seasonal cans (our city’s former green waste program). If Info Hub starts getting questions earlier than usual, we know it’s time to start messaging sooner. That’s not guesswork – it’s evidence.
Why This Works for Any Team:
Small Team: analytics give you focus and confidence. You know what to prioritize and can back it up. Large Team: analytics help everyone row in the same direction and keep messaging consistent.
Here’s the part that can get overlooked: it’s the connection between the data sources that really has an impact. Together, social engagement, newsletter clicks, website hits, and calls paint a clearer picture than any single metric alone.
Final Thought:
Using analytics isn’t about numbers, it’s about building trust. It helps us communicate smarter, act proactively, and show our leaders (and residents) that we have the proof to back up our decisions.
The numbers don’t lie. And when we follow them, across channels and across teams, our messaging does exactly what it’s supposed to do.
Utah PIO Association 