Transportation professionals joined CTS’s LinkedIn network by the hundreds throughout fiscal year 2023, driving the number of followers above 1,250. On LinkedIn since early 2021, CTS began the fiscal year in July 2022 with around 300 followers.
“As a social media tool for professional development, LinkedIn is a great match for CTS,” said Associate Director Gina Baas. “It’s an ideal platform for us to provide transportation professionals with connections to our career-enhancing training, events, webinars, and research.”
CTS staff worked to ramp up the posting schedule and began sharing stories and events related to programs it administers and supports, such as the Minnesota Local Technical Assistance Program, Minnesota Shared Mobility Collaborative, and Airport Technical Assistance Program. Posts were viewed more than 255,000 times throughout the year.
“Our followers represent people at all career stages from across the transportation industry and beyond,” said Digital Communications Manager Christine Anderson. “Their engagement with our work—and interest in sharing our posts with their own networks—has helped us reach an even larger audience.”
Interest in CTS’s Future of Mobility articles, webinars, and videos was also a growth driver. In the series, researchers and experts across the country reflect on critical current transportation topics ranging from advanced air mobility to rural transportation, from automated vehicles to accessibility and equity for users.
Most of the professionals in CTS’s network are based in the Twin Cities, but transportation industry and policy centers such as Washington, DC; New York City; Houston; Los Angeles; Detroit; and Chicago are also heavily represented. Altogether, followers span more than 100 locales, including dozens of international metropolitan areas.
—John Siqveland, CTS communications director