Digital Communications Best Practices

1. Digital Communications Best
Practices
January 24th, 2013
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2. Webinar Information
Thursday, January 24th 1:00 pm EST Presenter: Jennifer Kaplan
Dial In: Toll: +1 (909) 259-0025 Product Marketing Manager, GovDelivery, Inc.
Access Code: 184-925-151
Tweet comments @GovDelivery or
#GovD13
Questions:
Jennifer.Kaplan@govdelivery.com
@jenniferkaplan
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3. Achieving your mission….
Mission:
Maximize direct
connections with the
public through digital
communications
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4. Do More with Less
Avoidable Contact
Online Transactions
GovDelivery Overview
Channel Shift
Using Multi-Channel Communication in an Avoidable Contact
Strategy
August 2012
Dave Worsell
Focus on Shift
Director, Government Solutions
dave.worsell@govdelivery.com
www.twitter.com/dworsell
0207 993 5595 / 07500 902 516
www.govdelivery.co.uk
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Picture by David Bleasdale (Flickr)

5. So many channels…
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6. If Facebook was a country...
Population: 1 billion
It would be the world’s 3rd largest country
Bigger than North and South America combined
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7. If Twitter was a country...
Population: 200 million
It would be bigger than Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan
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8. If Email was a country. . .
It Covers Continents
It would be an empire: 3.2 Billion users
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9. Channels overlap, but vary in reach and purpose…
Social Media Email
• Engage with information • Reach broadest audience through
• Socialize information with top channel (90%+ of online time
friends, get spent reading or sending email)
recommendations • Disseminate info to personal
• Work together to solve destination
problems • Benefit from archive and content
flexibility
SMS/Text/Mobile • Use channel accepted / preferred for
institutional communication
• Send/receive geo-specific
info • Easily share with friends and family
• Reach immediately
• Connect in personal space
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10. Digital Communication Best Practices
• Build a real and permanent audience
• Quickly and easily inform the public
• Reach across multiple channels
• Streamline and Personalize
• Allow citizen/stakeholder to choose the information
they want to receive and how often
• Automate and deliver communications across preferred channels
• Analyze and Engage
• Track results and interest over time
• Drive mission critical value for your organization through increased
communications
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11. Best Practices to Maximize Communications
Effectiveness
Reach More People
Dramatically increase the number of
people you reach directly
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12. #1 lesson good public sector communicators learn from private and non-
profit sectors:
More stakeholders = More value
Value increases dramatically when transition is made from having some
outreach functionality, to having a clear strategy to maximize outreach and
direct connections.
“The value of an email address to a knowledgeable marketer is $118”
Stan Rapp, former CEO McCann Relationship Marketing
“Online revenue per usable email address for a non-profit is $3.36 – $27.56””
Convio Benchmarking Study
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13. Simple math…
500,000 Subscribers
20% Open = 100,000 Read Your Message
5% Take Action = 5,000 Extra Flu Shots
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14. 14
Emergency
Environment
Business
The problem...
Photo by LEAFLET. License: CC-BY-SA 3.0"
Health
Public Safety
Public Works
Parks & Rec

15. Tip #1
Make it easy to sign up!
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16. Need not navigation...
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17. Offer a channel preference
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18. Make It personal, breadth of topics
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19. Know your audience...
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20. Keep being relevant!
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21. Items you could offer…
• Trash/recycling collection dates • Bus timetables
• Transit/transportation service • License regulations
disruption • Adult Health/Social Care
• Parking permits • Crime Statistics/Updates
• Waste and Recycling reminders • Housing information
• School snow closures • Property tax reminders
• Severe weather alerts • Scores on the Doors
• Education news • Emergency communications
• Sports center opening hours • City Council Member updates
• Youth events and activities • Council news and PR
• Library information • Newsletters / Campaigns
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22. Tip #2
Promote, promote, promote!
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23. Best Practices – Sign Up
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24. Best Practices – Sign Up
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25. Best Practices – Sign Up
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26. Best Practices – Sign Up
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27. Best Practices – Sign Up (Most Successful)
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28. Best Practices – Sign Up
Allow your subscribers to promote your communications
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29. Best Practices – Share
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30. Best Practices – Share
Step 1: You send an Email,
RSS update or Tweet
Step 2: GovDelivery automatically
updates widgets (inc. syndicated Step 3: Through sharing your
content from other sources) widgets your audience can help
you dramatically increase your
reach
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31. Best Practices to Maximize Communications
Efficiency
Automate Complex Communications
Streamline communication across email,
SMS, social media and other channels
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32. Tip #3
Assess
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33. 33
Emergency
Environment
Business
The problem...
Photo by LEAFLET. License: CC-BY-SA 3.0"
Health
Public Safety
Public Works
Parks & Rec

34. What are the back office systems?
• Customer contact (CRM)
• Parks and Rec and booking systems
• Library management systems
• Benefit systems
• Health care systems
• Public safety
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35. Tip #4
Automate
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36. Automate, Integrate and Save
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37. How can you automate?
Update to Subscribers simultaneously
Ways to Automate via multiple channels
Email
ESP monitors website(s) for
changes
Wireless/SMS
Content
Generated in Key ESP retrieves RSS from RSS
Topic Areas website
Widget
(e.g. News, Press ESP monitors social media channels
Releases, Jobs, for changes and posts Social Media
Garbage,
Transportation,
School Closures,
Crime, Housing, …) Send Information to ESP via
Web Service API Information Made Available for Easy Reposting
to Social Media
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38. Best Practices – APIs and Apps
Internal Revenue Service
• iPhone and Android App
• Acquire subscribers to
Tax Tips Topic
• Subscriber API
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39. Best Practices – Public Safety Integration
City of Fullerton, CA
• Subscriber API
• iWatch Alert Updates
• Police Department
• Address match to
district topic
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40. Best Practices - Transit
• Fully integrated digital
communications functionality
into their own applications
• Automatically send real-time
updates for delays/changes
• APIs = Instant Communication
and No HUMAN Interaction
• 2 Way SMS
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41. Best Practices – CRM Integration
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42. Best Practices to Maximize Communications
Engagement
Create Mission Value
Drive users to the online and offline
activities that create the most value for
the public and for our clients
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43. Simple Math…
500,000 Subscribers
20% Open = 100,000 Read your message
5% Take Action = 5,000 Extra Flu Shots
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44. Tip #5
Harness the Data
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45. Take control of your data
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46. Success Metrics for Digital Communication
Qualitative
• What is your organization’s mission and does increasing public
outreach support it?
• What feedback are you receiving from key stakeholders on how they
use the information you send?
• Is the information you are providing of value to the citizen from a
transparency standpoint?
Quantitative
• Are you building an audience you can reach effectively?
• Number of people signed up to receive your direct communications
• Number of critical topics on which you can reach people
• Are your messages effective?
• % of users reacting to content you send
• Click-throughs, opens, comments, votes, etc.
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47. Measure results, share, analyze, repeat!
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48. Gather information for relevant targeting
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49. Gather information for personalization
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50. Tip #6
Engage
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51. Newsletters, announcements, invites
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52. Increase fans and followers
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53. Ask for feedback
I love the CDC e-mails!!!!!!!!!!
I don't have to hunt for information. It comes automatically to me. I am
confident that I am aware of the latest information. Continue with this
process. It is great!
-R.N. Manager, Occupational Health
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54. Best Practices – email drives engagement
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55. Best Practices – email drives engagement
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56. How Government Maximizes Connections
Effectiveness – Reach More People
Dramatically increase the number of people you reach
directly
Efficiency – Automate Complex Communications
Streamline communication across email, SMS, social media
and other channels
Engagement – Create Mission Value
Drive users to the online and offline activities that
create the most value for the public and for our clients
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57. Proven
550 government entities use GovDelivery to
send over 4 billion messages to over 35 million
citizens each year.
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58. Questions?
Jennifer Kaplan
Product Marketing Manager
Jennifer.Kaplan@govdelivery.com
651-379-6213
Download our best practices guide at http://bit.ly/GDDCMGuide
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