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Consultant outlines West Des Moines communications work: brand guide, website and measurement
Summary
Marketing Department 360 consultant Jana Reeker told the council the city has centralized brand guidance, improved cross‑department affinity groups and seen increased web and engagement metrics; she said her two‑year contract is up for renewal in April.
Marketing consultant Jana Reeker updated the West Des Moines City Council on Feb. 17 about ongoing communications work, including rollout of a brand guide, digital platform improvements and new measurement tools.
Reeker, who represents a firm identified in the meeting as Marketing Department 360, said the city’s communications program is decentralized and that the brand guide was developed to create consistency across departmental channels. She described four quarterly “affinity groups” — community enrichment, public safety, infrastructure and support services — intended to coordinate messages to common audiences.
On digital platforms, Reeker said the city website (Granicus platform) contains more than 20,000 pages and that the team is working with IT to archive or update outdated content and to use Google Analytics to measure performance. She reported a 53% increase in “engaged sessions” and a 51% increase in page views year over year on the GoWestDesMoines.com site and said event interactions were up 14%.
Reeker described targeted communications projects, including postcards sent in Valley Junction to reduce parking violations through education rather than enforcement, the Citizens Access Portal to track city projects online, and GoWestDesMoines.com as a tool for CED to showcase ongoing projects.
She listed contract commitments to “provide enhanced internal and external communication services,” and told the council her two‑year contract will come up for renewal in April. Council members thanked Reeker and city staff for progress on coordination and measurement; several noted continued work to make services accessible online and to further integrate communications with IT systems.
Council members asked for clarification on who performs day‑to‑day communications work; Reeker described her role as supplemental to the city’s internal communications staff and said her team focuses on planning, risk identification and specialized project implementation.
Reeker said the communications team also plans a “noticing manual,” a scoring rubric to prioritize communications and identify risks, and a toolkit for staff to use across channels.
Council members expressed support for continuing the coordination work and for evaluating the contract renewal in April.
