5 tips to communicate the value of transit to different audiences

Transit has many audiences, board members, elected officials, riders, non-riders, business owners, the list goes on. It’s a challenge to effectively communicate to all of these audiences to gain their support. How do you convince different stakeholders to support your plans and ride transit? What messages are right? How do you choose what tactics will work with each audience?

At the 2017 Remix Conference, we brought together three experts to discuss what methods work for them to better communicate the value of transit to different audiences. Here’s the top takeaways from Belinda Woodiel-Brill, Director of Communications and Service Development at KAT BUS in Knoxville, TN, Kelvin Miller, General Manager of the M in Montgomery Alabama, and Leslie Caceda, Transportation Technologist at the Atlanta Regional Commission:

Paul Supawanich, Belinda Woodiel-Brill, Kelvin Miller, and Leslie Caceda discuss how public transit agencies can effectively convey the value of their service to different audiences.

1. Market to each audience. You don’t necessarily need to invest major resources in a big marketing campaign. In fact, a one-size fits all approach may be the wrong one. Some audiences care about environmental benefits, others economic development, and some want to hear about transportation options.
2. Meet your audience where they are. The after work public meeting is not going to reach 99 percent of your audience. Instead go to breweries, coffee shops, universities, workplaces. Have an online presence. People aren’t going to come to you, you have to go to them.
3. Create partnerships. Find partners that are “more popular than transit” like a hip business district that has a ton of media followers. The M in Montgomery, Alabama partners with different agencies, like human services, whose clients ride the bus. The partnership makes it easier to inform potential riders and receive feedback.
4. You might not be your best messenger. When Knoxville undertook a system redesign, the agency brought together a subcommittee of board members who were a part of every step of the process. Together they hashed out concerns and made improvements as they moved through the planning stages. When the final design went to the board for a vote, the board sub-committee presented the plan to their peers — and it passed in seconds.
5. Start with the front line. Who interacts with your customers everyday? The operators. They’re your best marketers. Empower them to understand the value they contribute to making the system a comfortable, safe, friendly atmosphere that works best for riders.

You can catch the full panel discussion here!