Santa Margarita Water District Benefits from TSA Report
Santa Margarita Water District (SMWD) has a demonstrated commitment to public engagement and transparency, and recently the District turned to Tripepi Smith and Associates to sharpen their Internet-focused efforts and evolve their platforms to the new realities of online communications.
Tripepi Smith worked over this past summer with District staff to assess SMWD’s Internet presence, looking at social media activity, District website functionality, search engine optimization and electronic newsletter communication. While SMWD uses all of these online platforms, Tripepi Smith was able to offer concrete recommendations on how to improve outreach and functionality across the different platforms as well as identify unique ways to target audiences specifically within the District. Since completion of the assessment, SMWD staff have taken steps to increase their social media content generation and engagement efforts resulting in a significant uptick in followers.
SMWD Director of External Affairs Jim Leach commented on the assessment, “Since we have received the Internet Communications Assessment from Tripepi Smith we have taken proactive steps to increase our online following and connect with residents about the severe drought and associated conservation efforts. We will soon review the website recommendations and determine the prudent steps we can take to improve that platform, too. Tripepi Smith’s assessment clearly identified areas we can improve on and provided a strong roadmap for the our team. They were helpful and very easy to work with.”
“SMWD is light years ahead of many water districts in terms of Internet communications, but you only get that way by seeking constant improvement. SMWD does not want to just be good, they want to be great,” said Ryder Todd Smith, president of Tripepi Smith and Associates. “Tripepi Smith was able to provide valuable metrics and insights to help to give District staff an idea of where their efforts stood relative to their peers.”
SMWD serves over 155,000 customers in Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, and the unincorporated areas of Coto de Caza, Las Flores, Ladera Ranch and Talega. The District is a water importer from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. With several reservoirs, the District has a strong eye towards sustainability of the system. The District is divided into eight improvement districts that are all funded by their own bonds, ensuring current rate payers do not pay for infrastructure associated with new development.
Tripepi Smith is a marketing, technology and public affairs firm located in Orange County, CA. Its clients include for-profit, non-profit and public agencies throughout the state of California. The company’s unique mix of marketing prowess and technology chops provides a competitive advantage for businesses and organizations seeking to convert the Internet from a threat to an opportunity. 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: Rowland Water, Mathis Group, California City Management Foundation,California Utility Executive Management Association, Olympic Staffing Services, Big Independent Cities Excess Pool, Independent Cities Finance Authority, City of La Cañada Flintridge, City of Livermore, City of Placentia and Michaelson, Connor and Boul.