Manhattan Beach Calls on Tripepi Smith During COVID-19
As the coronavirus surged throughout the U.S., staff and Council at the City of Manhattan Beach knew they needed to be able to get critical information out at a moment’s notice. In March 2020, the City called on Team Tripepi Smith to join forces and ensure it didn’t miss a beat.
Senior Business Analyst Emily Mason collaborated with the City’s communications team, creating content primarily for its social media sites. In her writing, Emily covered topics such as COVID-19 guidelines, parking enforcement changes, rent relief and suggestions for celebrating Earth Week from home. She also coordinated a digital placement to spread the news that closed beaches were reopening after nearly two months of being closed. This Facebook and Instagram placement reached more than 18,000 people and engaged more than 4,700 (Manhattan Beach has 35,500+ residents). Junior Business Analyst Molly Lockwood also chipped in, pulling and analyzing the City’s social media stats for insights on performance.
Business Analyst Skylar Hunter lent a helping hand early on, optimizing the City’s COVID-19 portal on their Vision (Granicus) website. The City’s coronavirus website soon became a template for many of Tripepi Smith’s clients because of how easy it was to navigate while still containing resources from all levels of government, from the City up to the Centers for Disease Control.
“We sought Tripepi Smith’s assistance because we knew they could help us get things done quickly. The team has a reputation for helping cities and towns excel at communications,” said George Gabriel, senior management analyst for Manhattan Beach. “In recent months, they have proven they’re capable of adapting to dynamic situations and changing needs better than most. Because of that flexibility, we’ve exceeded our expectations of what we thought we could accomplish with getting critical information to our residents in a timely manner.”
Emily also contributed to the City’s efforts to address L.A. County’s June riots and protests, and provided other general messaging advice.
“As we began our work Manhattan Beach, we hit the ground running and it quickly became clear how much the City valued clear and transparent communications and its relationship with community members,” said Emily. “In the face of some challenging topics, George and his team continually emphasized their desire to both unite and encourage residents to stay positive despite physical distancing and other guidelines.”
Tripepi Smith is currently working with several clients including the City of Culver City, the City of Santa Paula, the City of Hawaiian Gardens, the City of Duarte, the City of La Canada Flintridge, and the City of Grover Beach on their COVID-19 communications efforts.
About Manhattan Beach
The City of Manhattan Beach is a laid-back beach community in the southern region of Los Angeles County (South Bay). On the coast of the Pacific Ocean, the City borders El Segundo and Hermosa Beach. The community attracts millions of visitors each year for its temperate beaches, including the popular Strand bike path and Manhattan beach pier, and its vibrant social scene.
About Tripepi Smith
Tripepi Smith is an Orange County-based marketing, technology and public affairs firm that serves for-profit, nonprofit and public agencies. Its unique mix of marketing and technology prowess provides a competitive advantage to agencies seeking to leverage the internet to achieve their communication goals. The firm provides full content creation services, including: ghost writing, collateral development, photography, video production, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, email marketing campaigns and website design and execution. Tripepi Smith clients include: City of American Canyon, City of Culver City, City of Cupertino, City of Daly City, City of Duarte, City of El Cerrito, City of Indian Wells, City of La Cañada Flintridge, City of Lakeport, City of Lake Forest, City of Paramount,City of Rolling Hills Estates, City of Santa Ana, City of Santa Cruz, City of Tracy, City of Yuba City, Cal Choice, California Joint Powers Insurance Authority, Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Rowland Water District, Valley Water Company, California Contract Cities Association, California City Management Foundation, Institute for Local Government, League of California Cities, Renne Public Law Group, Bob Hall & Associates and Climatec Energy Services.