Centralizing communications in Fredrick County

Frederick County, Maryland manages a vast jurisdiction of 660 square miles with over 300,000 residents. Despite its size, the County faced a critical operational hurdle: it struggled to consistently represent its brand or effectively engage residents in key decisions.

The "pain point" was structural. Communications professionals were siloed within their specific departments, operating without unifying brand guidelines or shared processes. This lack of coordination resulted in a disjointed approach, where the County spoke with many voices rather than one. The risk was a dilution of public trust and an inability to drive coherent community messaging across such a large and diverse region.

Raftelis conducted a comprehensive communications audit of the County’s communications department, encompassing all communications activities, and then developed a strategic communications and engagement plan for the more than 20 County communicators to follow. To assess the County’s communications efforts, Raftelis conducted a comprehensive seven-point evaluation, including a situational analysis, branding audit and analysis, influencer interviews, community focus groups, staff and leadership focus groups, surveys, and additional assessments. We benchmarked the County’s communications function against three similarly sized and composed counties. A findings and recommendations report was furnished along with a strategic communications plan. 

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A key finding was that the decentralized structure of the communications team contributed to vast inconsistencies in service and branding. Another issue was the lack of brand guidelines or adherence to industry best practices. Two important recommendations were to restructure the team under a centralized department and to develop a cohesive brand and style guide for the County. 

Following the delivery of the assessment report and strategic communications plan, the County has implemented new policies, procedures, and guidelines. These changes include the introduction of a new brand and style guide for all County agencies to follow, ensuring consistency and coherence in communications and engagement across the entire jurisdiction. The County is still assessing additional changes and phasing in new policies to help improve its communications and engagement efforts. This ongoing process aims to unify the County's voice and foster stronger connections with its residents, ensuring that Frederick County speaks as one cohesive entity.