Clean Sweep Publicity
Teresa Gallagher
Hello Gang,
Just continuing our conversation about publicizing Clean Sweep. It came to mind because the Trails Committee recently held their annual “Marshmallow March,” spending many hours preparing and then they waited at the trailhead and not one person came. Normally they got lots of people, but not this year. Why? Because the person who used to be responsible for publicizing these things moved to another state and no one else wanted to fill her role. I did my part in posting the event to the trails blog and sent out a blurb to their email list. But no one sent anything to the papers or posted anything on Facebook, which is where they got most of their people in the past.
After we left the last Litter meeting, I couldn’t remember if anyone said they would send something to the papers.
As for social media, each of you with a Facebook account can join one of the Shelton, CT Facebook groups and post something. There are several of these groups. (I recommend joining the groups but adjust the settings so that you don’t see all the posts from everyone because there are too many). About a week ago I posted a photo of dog poo-filled baggies in a pile at the Rec Path trailhead at Pine Lake, and asked for help, explaining the problem we’re having with people torching the trash cans and that’s why there is no can. That post hit a nerve and I got a TON of comments and reactions. And then a new garbage can appeared (which wasn’t my goal. I understood why Parks & Rec didn’t want to keep replacing it).
Post a photo that grabs people’s attention. In my experience, a basic event post is boring for most people and the Facebook algorithms suppress it. But a photo that creates a strong gut reaction from followers will be promoted. It could be negative but there should also be positive posts, like some adorable little kids picking up litter. That’s then the opportunity to segue into that boring thing you actually wanted to tell people. For example, post a picture of a pile of garbage in a specific area that needs help, talk about it briefly, and then end by mentioning that Clean Sweep is coming up, or direct people to the Shelton Clean-Up project. Or post a picture of a crew of people picking up litter. Definitely provide a link to the DontTrashShelton.org website for more info.
Teresa Gallagher
Natural Resources Manager
City of Shelton
54 Hill Street, Shelton, CT 06484