U.K. Government Edition
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TRENDS TAKING OVER 2014 DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS
IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
TABLE OF CONTENTS Priority 1: Focus on Results..........................................................
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Priority 2: Implement a Multichannel Strategy................................
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Priority 3: Increase Outreach........................................................
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Trend Worth Watching: Mobile Technology..................................
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About GovDelivery ....................................................................
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3 Each year, GovDelivery conducts research to help public sector communicators get a handle on what their peers are doing to improve services by connecting with more people and getting those people to act. This year, we surveyed nearly 100 U.K. & European government communication professionals to help identify the most important trends driving the public sector in 2014. This report covers these top communication trends at the central government and local level. While there were some differences between responses, communicators shared the following top three trends overall: 1. Focus on Results 2. Implement a Multichannel Strategy 3. Increase Outreach
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Priority 1:
Focus on Results The top priority for public sector communicators in 2014 was the commitment to communication results. Communicators are focusing on meeting mission objectives and encouraging their audiences to act. In addition to measuring email metrics, social media “likes” and “shares”, and message engagement rates, communicators are focusing on how campaigns are directly impacting mission goals. They are measuring how digital communication is improving public health, making motorways safe, increasing attendance at local events, and more. It is increasingly important for organisations working toward achieving channel shift to measure the return on organisations’ digital investment through programme results. This focus came to the forefront in our survey results.
SURVEY RESPONDENTS WERE ASKED WHICH OF THESE FIVE OBJECTIVES WERE MOST IMPORTANT FOR THEM IN 2014:
43%
20%
12%
12%
8%
5%
BOOST ENGAGEMENT
MOBILE/ RESPONSIVE DESIGN
BETTER CONTENT
TARGETED/ SEGMENTED MESSAGING
LEVERAGING SOCIAL MEDIA
OTHER
Forty-three percent of survey respondents indicated that increasing stakeholder engagement was their most important objective for communications planning. By aligning communication goals with achieving the organisation’s mission, government communicators are putting the public at the heart of their communications strategy and becoming more results focused in their communication practices. Gone are the days of simply ticking boxes – focusing solely on general newsletters or costly PR campaigns – instead, communicators are defining success by the actions their audience takes upon receiving a message. GovDelivery clients define their success in myriad ways. For example, positive results for Parliament might be ensuring that very targeted, specific information related to legislation is successfully sent to and read by key stakeholders. Success for the Met Office is measured not only by the number
THREE TRENDS TAKING OVER 2014 DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
of residents reached, but also by ensuring people are safer in extreme weather emergencies. By increasing the public’s awareness of extreme weather, residents can plan accordingly. For the Medicines and Health Regulatory Agency (MHRA), success is sharing life-saving medical devices and drug information with pharmacists and thereby increasing public safety. At the local level, counties and cities are measuring the correlation between the reduction of avoidable contact and the increase in the number of people reached through digital communications. Central government communicators are demonstrating a return on their digital investment by measuring engagement rates and the number of people reached with their messages. Organisations are strategically sending messages at certain times of the day to ensure messages are read. For example, some GovDelivery clients have identified tactics that ensure high response rates. One local authority tested response rates continuously, making adjustments along the way and collecting the information for analysis. Upon completing its analysis, the organisation found the highest response rate was when emails were sent Tuesday through Thursday and on Saturdays. The client used this data as a tool to align its communications strategy with residents’ behaviour.
DO YOU PLAN TO DO ANY TESTING OF EMAIL MESSAGING CONTENT? IF SO, WHICH DO YOU PLAN TO TEST?
53%
25% 18% 12%
SUBJECT LINES
8%
CONTENT/ LAYOUT
DAY OF WEEK DEPLOYMENT
5% TIME OF DAY DEPLOYMENT
ALL OF THE ABOVE
NONE
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IS GROWING THE SIZE OF YOUR DIGITAL AUDIENCE A PRIORITY?
78% YES Other government agencies are focusing on cross-promotion of content, enabling social shares, and driving their audience online to reach more people efficiently and economically. As government becomes more service-oriented, it follows that it should be focusing its content on what is of importance to its audience. Every organisation is unique in that it has a clear mission related to public health, public safety, social services, and so on. However, communicators’ most important issues are universal: communicate that mission to the public in a way that encourages them to take action and engage with the organisation. By engaging as many people as possible, government organisations will increase the public’s awareness and empower them to share information. With the right tools, government communicators will be able to measure their results via subscriber rates, engagement rates, increases in web traffic, rate of shared content, and social media follows. By understanding how their audience behaves, communicators are better able to target messaging to influence their activities, thereby increasing the number of people receiving flu shots, helping parents plan their schedule around school closures, and increasing participation at council meetings or community events.
THREE TRENDS TAKING OVER 2014 DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
Priority 2:
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Implement a Multichannel Strategy Just as government communicators are focusing their efforts on demonstrating results, it is important to identify which channels provide the best outcomes. Government communicators in both the public and private sectors recognise the importance of a multi-faceted communications strategy. A Pew internet survey in the U.S. found that among online adults, 92 percent use email, with 61 percent using email on an average day. With rising email saturation and the increased usage of mobile technology and proliferation of social media, communicators know that an effective tactic for reaching and engaging the public is a multichannel approach. By using email, social media and SMS messaging, the public is more likely to receive and act upon messages.
92%
OF ONLINE ADULTS USE EMAIL
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According to our survey results, communicators are focusing their efforts on both email and social media, with over three-quarters of respondents ranking both of these channels at the top of their communications priorities. Of the channels available to them, 57 percent of respondents selected email and 78 percent selected social media as the top two digital communication channels for 2014. Our research and experience indicates that a combined strategy of email, social media, and SMS demonstrate measurable results at the central and local government levels. Although social media was rated higher in the survey by communicators, one cannot overlook the importance of email as the cornerstone of any communications campaign. In the U.K., the number of mobile email users is predicted to grow 28 percent in 2014. Sixty-eight percent of U.K. smartphone owners used their device to check email in the past 30 days. Communicators should be using email as the foundation for their campaigns, complementing their social media efforts to engage their audience. SMS is also becoming a preferred channel for communicators, with over a quarter of those surveyed including it in their organisation’s multi-channel strategy.
WHICH DIGITAL COMMUNICATION CHANNEL WILL YOUR ORGANISATION FOCUS ON IN 2014?
79%
57%
28% 13%
SMS (TEXT MSGS), MMS (MULTIMEDIA/ PICTURE MSGS)
SOCIAL MEDIA
VOICE/PHONE
THREE TRENDS TAKING OVER 2014 DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
Priority 3:
Increase Outreach Innovative communicators know that in order to deliver measurable value, they must increase the size of their audience. But good communicators don’t stop there. They not only strive to achieve greater audience reach, but to also gain an engaged, empowered, and participatory audience. Whether you are attempting to reach fans, followers, customers or constituents, your communication efforts will fall flat without engaged stakeholders who are listening to your messages and ready to take action because of them. According to our survey, 78 percent of respondents indicated that increased outreach was a priority and that growth goals ranged from reaching 1,000 to more than 1 million people. One proven method for increasing subscribers is to cross-promote content across government networks composed of public sector entities. By working collaboratively with other organisations, communicators are able to share news and information across a broader community. The GovDelivery Network is a unique solution that allows government organisations of all sizes to promote their content with other public sector entities. This means that any network partner can gain subscribers visiting more than 60 Local and Central government entities connected to the GovDelivery Network.
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Trend Worth Watching:
Mobile Technology Although not indicated in the survey as one of the top three trends for 2014, considering mobile technology in a multichannel communications strategy is becoming more and more important for communicators to consider. Approximately 94 percent of U.K. adults own or use a mobile phone and 55 percent use social networking. Despite the proliferation of mobile technology, the U.K. government community was split in our survey results on the use of mobile in digital communications. Over 50 percent of respondents plan to implement mobile messaging in communication plans, while the other half felt that mobile strategies were too invasive. SMS ranked first as the most important critical mobile strategy, with 38 percent of survey respondents indicating it was a priority. By making government applications accessible through personal devices, governments can be more responsive to citizen requirements.
94%
OF U.K. ADULTS OWN OR USE A MOBILE PHONE
THREE TRENDS TAKING OVER 2014 DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
Conclusion Government organisations continue to implement innovative communication strategies to reach more people and improve citizen services. The use of digital communications as a default channel is a challenging, but necessary reality for government organisations. Public sector trends for 2014 demonstrate the importance of a results-driven approach and implementing a comprehensive communication strategy to connect with more people. In order for government organisations to achieve these communication goals, it will be imperative that they focus their efforts on collaborating with other organisations, leveraging multichannel technology, and measuring their communication efforts.
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THREE TRENDS TAKING OVER 2014 DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
About GovDelivery GovDelivery enables public sector organisations to connect with more people and get those people to take action. More than 1,000 organisations, from the smallest local authorities to the largest central agencies, trust GovDelivery’s secure, scalable platform to deliver highly impactful communications and achieve meaningful channel shift. In total, GovDelivery connects its clients with more than 60 million people. GovDelivery’s enterprise-class, cloud-based technology allows organisations to meet mission and program goals, resulting in safer communities, happier commuters, healthier families, and better government. GovDelivery is an ICG (Nasdaq: ICGE) company. For more information, visit govdelivery.co.uk.
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