Facebook has released free online tools for local governments to engage with their constituents amend COVID-19.

Local Alerts is a free tool that allows local government, public health agency and first responder Pages to broadcast essential updates to people in their community via Facebook by marking a page post as local alert, which sends out a notification to page followers who live in a community. With four out of five internet users actively engaging on Facebook each month in the US, this is a great tool to reach your communities in emergency situations. Learn more here.

Facebook Local Alerts step-by step guide, click here.

Facebook Live is also a great tool for making personal connections with your constituents. One of the best things about Live is that you can discuss what is happening in real time and engage directly with your followers. Below are resources and best practices for hosting engaging Live videos and Town Halls on Facebook.