1. Best Practices
Promoting your online channels
Amish Patel Natalie Fedie
Client Development Consultant Director of Client Services
amish.patel@govdelivery.com natalie.fedie@govdelivery.com
@amish_patel06 / @GovDeliveryUK @nfedie / @GovDelivery
01293 763543 651-757-4139
www.govdelivery.co.uk
2. The benefits of digital communication are
obvious....
• Lower costs
• Avoidable contact
• Instant access to up to date information
• Easier to transact
• Convenience
• Mutually beneficial
2
17. Top 10 tips...
•Promotion as important as developing channels
•Promote online and offline
•Take every available opportunity to engage
•React quickly to events
•Explain the benefits of engaging with you
18. Top 10 tips...
•Brand the service (and give it a meaningful name)
•Integrate digital with offline channels
•Provide support for multiple digital channels
•Produce a promotion plan and review it monthly
•Don’t stop promoting
20. Questions...
For more information on GovDelivery or advice on promotion of
online services:
Amish Patel
Client Development Consultant
Email: Amish.Patel@govdelivery.com
Twitter: @amish_patel06 / @GovDeliveryUK
Natalie Fedie
Director of Client Services
Email: Natalie.Fedie@govdelivery.com
Twitter: @nfedie/ @GovDelivery
Connect:
www.govdelivery.co.uk
Notas do Editor
Who am I?Why am I here?Not to talk about GovDelivery, share some of our experience...
We all know the benefits that channel shift brings and how important it is to communicate digitally: Lowers costs (for you and the public) – reduced print and distribution costsA reduction in avoidable contact – i.e. A local authority customer calling about a missed bin collection or a visit to a drop in centre because of a lack of online infoYour audience have easy and instant access to information which is timelyFaster and easier to transact – paying council tax online or booking leisure facilities or renewing your driving licenseConvenience. Making use of channels that your customers are already using – ties in closely with the recent findings from the LGiU survey.Both parties generally benefit from digital communications – customers are happier as they can access information and transact using more convenient channels and organisations benefit financially with less resource required to manage channels and more time to focus on other tasks
People need to be aware of what you are doing online and what they can get out of engaging with you using these fantastic new online channels and digital services. If driving channel shift, increasing website usage and reducing avoidable customer contact is a priority you need to ensure that you are focusing as muchAttention to promoting and marketing your channels and online services as you do in developing new channels. As has been mentioned before anything you do on your online channels is completely irrelevant unless you have an audience.So the aim of this session is for us to give you some insight into our observations of successful channel promotion and share some examples of organisations using some great techniques to market and promote their online channelsand leave you with some tips that can help you.Our aim and hope is that you take away at least one thing that can help your organisation engage with more people...A common misconception – the more you have, the better your doing But Are people really using them? Monitor the quality of your audience. Regularly check who is following you or subscribing to your services.Fleeting, transient interactions. Website visits are not a true measure of engagementEngagement is delivered by a direct connection with a member of the public – a message which has been read and clicked or actioned“The single biggest failure in delivering avoidable contact and large stakeholder engagement is not promoting and marketing your online channels.If people don’t know what you are offering and where it is, how do you expect them to use your lower cost and more efficient channels?
Most importantly...Ensure contact centre agents mention the council website to callers...Ensure they capture email and telephone numbers in the CRM...Integration.Put in on your answer phone message and automated calling systems
Homepage integration is vitally important.Don’t hide it!!!Give it a Brand – “Alert Me”, “DSA Direct”, “Dartford Direct”Increases sign-ups.Don’t use “Sign up to our newsletters…” that is so boring…Top tipsVisible (above the fold)Make it Relevant, keep it relevant.Easy to use
Homepage integration is vitally important.Don’t hide it!!!Give it a Brand – “Alert Me”, “DSA Direct”, “Dartford Direct”Increases sign-ups.Don’t use “Sign up to our newsletters…” that is so boring…Top tipsVisible (above the fold)Make it Relevant, keep it relevant.Easy to use
Why should people sign-up to your information if they don’t know what they are going to get?Modern marketing is all about Benefits not services or functionality. This is no different.Hereford is good…but could be even better if sign-up was also placed in line with the text.Bottom – It’s a marmite moment…”I love it and hate it in equal measure”…So close to perfection.
NorfolkSimpleCleanEasy to sign-up (social login)Top tipsMake it easyYou don’t need lots of informationYou’ll get second chances to request more informationPrivacy policy…scaring people off.Ask yourself … “What’s more important a “direct connection” or “some limited demographic information”
Let other people host your information…Use widgets…
DSA – Getting it right…All emails carry a footer that promotes channels…Big, boldRespects the brandExplains whyLet your audience promote it to….Share, Add this, …..
Events present a massive opportunity to engageLarge increases in website trafficLeverage these events to build engagementSnowSchool strikesVolcanic ashSwine FluEmergencies