PREPARED BY: Communications Department
DATE: June 26, 2025
SUBJECT: April 15 - May 14, 2025 Communications Update
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE:
Provide regular marketing and communication updates to the Board of Health.
| SOURCE | April 15 - May 14 | March 14 - April 14 | DIFFERENCE |
|---|---|---|---|
| News Releases, Media Advisories and Statements, or Notices Issued | 23 | 20 | -3 |
| Media Requests Received | 17 | 19 | -2 |
| Wechu.org pageviews | 109,404 | 162,638 | -53,234 |
| YouTube Channel Subscribers | 1,832 | 1,826 | 6 |
| Email Subscribers | 6,747 | 6,810 | -63 |
| Emails Distributed | 24 | 20 | 4 |
| Facebook Fans | 19,820 | 19,775 | 45 |
| Facebook Posts | 87 | 75 | 12 |
| Twitter Followers | 8,320 | 8,355 | -35 |
| Twitter Posts | 85 | 78 | 7 |
| Instagram Followers | 2,044 | 2,017 | 27 |
| Instagram Posts | 31 | 23 | 8 |
| LinkedIn Followers | 1,910 | 1,890 | 20 |
| LinkedIn Posts | 32 | 26 | 6 |
| Media Exposure | 240 | 197 | 43 |
Data Notes can be provided upon request.
Media Exposure Overview Graph
Notes: From April 15 – May 14, we experienced four main peaks in media exposure, all related to measles.
April 17 – Following a media event, 24 stories were published regarding measles and ways to prevent spreading the disease over the Easter weekend.
April 23, 30 / May 7, 13 – These spikes are related to a provincially-focused news story providing an update on measles cases, including a list of PHUs and their current case counts.
Website Overview Graph
Notes: Darker blue line is current timeframe. From April 15 – May 14, we saw very steady web traffic, but at a lower volume than the previous period. This can possibly be attributed to the fact that public response to measles updates naturally declined.
Social Media Overview Graph
Notes: Lighter blue line is current timeframe. From April 15 – May 14, We saw an increase in followers across all platforms with the exception of Twitter, where we continue to see a gradual decrease in followers.
Discussion – Avian Influenza Social Media Video
The use of short videos (reels) on social media platforms has been available since 2022 but is a novel tool to the WECHU. Videos are a great way to share more information to your followers, in comparison to a regular post with a written caption.
The Communications Department worked with the leadership team and our Medical Officer of Health to produce a video discussing the avian flu, with the plan for this to be the first video in an ongoing series. The avian flu video was 90 seconds long and focused on prevention for the general public including their children and pets.
On Meta (Facebook and Instagram), the video was boosted for 7 days with a budget of $200 plus taxes, which produced the following results:
- Reach – 6,993 (number of accounts that saw the video at least once)
- Impressions – 17,929 (number of times the video was on screen)
- Video Plays – 7,571
- Reactions – 144 (approximately 17% were negative and 83% were positive in nature)
- Comments – 99
- Shares – 33
As the first reel produced and utilized by the WECHU, especially one discussing an infectious disease, these are positive results and are encouraging for the ongoing use of videos to raise awareness on public health topics.