The Challenge

In 2020, Costa Mesa Sanitary District (CMSD) engaged Tripepi Smith to assess the District’s existing communications efforts and develop recommendations for CMSD to strategically enhance its outreach.

As CMSD reviewed the results of the communications assessment, additional needs arose — launching a five-year partnership between the teams to produce effective communications on key topics including organics recycling, proper waste disposal and more.

Our Approach

To complete the communications assessment, Tripepi Smith conducted interviews with key stakeholders and evaluated the District’s current practices against established best practices for local government. Based on these findings, Tripepi Smith compiled recommendations to help CMSD strengthen its communications approach and better utilize its platforms to engage target audiences more effectively.

Building on their existing relationship, CMSD engaged Tripepi Smith to implement several of these recommendations. This included developing a comprehensive style guide, creating branded templates for emails, letters and press releases, delivering tailored social media training and compiling an updated media list.

The teams also launched several awareness campaigns promoting:

  • Flushing only the 3 Ps (pee, poop and toilet paper)
  • Proper disposal of fats, oils and grease
  • Correct use of the Mixed Waste cart
  • Participation in organics recycling efforts

Throughout the project, CMSD and Tripepi Smith met regularly to review deliverables, exchange feedback and align on shared goals. This collaborative approach helped ensure a consistent, professional brand voice across all channels, empowered CMSD’s staff to adopt more effective communication practices in their outreach and raised awareness of the District’s work.

Results

Following these outreach efforts, CMSD conducted an updated customer survey to assess customer awareness and satisfaction. From 2019 to 2023, awareness of CMSD’s Large Item Collection Program rose from 70 percent to 76.7 percent, and awareness of their Door-to-Door HHW Collection Program rose from 17.9 percent to 31.1 percent. Overall, CMSD saw a rise in satisfaction – with the percentage of respondents that approved of the job that CMSD was doing increasing from 72 percent in 2019 to 91.2 percent in 2023.

Our partnership also aided the performance of the District’s digital platforms, which saw significant increases within the first six months of our engagement:

  • 18% increase in followers on Facebook
  • 30% increase in followers on Instagram
  • 6% increase in followers on X
  • 17% increase in followers on YouTube
  • 32% increase in followers on LinkedIn
  • 55% increase in website visits
  • 85% increase in service requests (phone, app, email, website)

Together, these results demonstrate a meaningful improvement in both satisfaction and engagement, driven by the District’s strategic communications initiatives.