Everyone has heard jokes and criticism targeted at local government/ local councils…We all love to comment on their incompetence in some way or another.
But that’s not to say they are all bad, I am sure most do a fantastic job at providing the services everyday that we so often take for granted.
But how many times have you heard your local council or local government announce themselves as being progressive? Only to deliver a non-responsive website or use Facebook as a promotional platform.
If a council is to truly represent the local people then they must engage with the local people. This does not mean that the local newspaper should be your primary communication vehicle. Things have changed and I would like to throw some ideas out there for our local councils and local governments.
I should note that I have not included a responsive website or separate mobile website as it should be expected.
Further Reading: Check out my SEO audit of three Melbourne local government websites.
Mobile Application
The importance of mobile can no longer be refuted. But creating a mobile application is one strategy that would have some experts divided.
I believe a mobile app would be a valuable addition.
The application could include a local business directory providing one central app that locals could turn to for local business information. It could utilise developing geo-location technology to further the utility benefit for the local people. Take iBeacons for instance, the local government could have iBeacons set-up around their municipality, delivering messages to those with the app installed on their smartphones.
Really, this is a no-brainer for local government. Facebook is perhaps the perfect social networking tool in this instance. Facebook is of course all about creating an online community.
A council Facebook page should include a services and contacts page, events, discussion page and perhaps a photos page for the community to get involved. It should be seen as a great opportunity to get feedback from the community, bounce ideas, even use it as a customer service tool. It can be interesting as well, get local business involved and run competitions and provide discounts and promotions.
Throw some of that local newspaper advertising budget behind boosting posts targeted at people within your municipality.
Twitter provides a local council with the unprecedented ability to deliver real-time messaging to its constituents. Think about the role it played back in 2011 during the Queensland floods (#qldfloods). Not that you would be waiting for such a disaster but it is a good example of being able to communicate effectively and establish goodwill with the community.
E-Newsletter
All councils now have an email newsletter, which is great. But more of them need to invest in creating a responsive template. If you look at your email numbers I am confident you will see at least a 40% open rate on mobile devices - Don’t make us pinch and zoom!
Foursquare Listings
This is an inclusion that would have many raising their eyebrows. No-one is going to check-in to the local council offices are they? Of course not. But most councils have community facilities such as pools, netball centres, gyms,etc that they need to increase patronage. Why not then claim the venues and encourage check-ins, with the eventual aim of running specials to increase attendance. If I owned the facility I would be doing it, then why ignore it just because it is a council facility?
Online News Services
Councils often receive more than enough press coverage in local newspapers, be it good or bad. But does an article in the local newspaper constitute a successful PR campaign for local government? Probably and perhaps this is part of the problem. Online news services are fantastic. Why not have the local government communications department submit releases to the services. You might just gain some larger metropolitan coverage drive further benefit. PR Log is a free media release service, whilst other paid services include PR Newswire.
Monitor Conversations
Smart businesses monitor online conversations around their brand. Given our discontent for our community beauracracy, then I would suggest it is imperative, albeit a great opportunity. Websites such as Social Mention are fantastic to generate reports on conversations made on Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, etc. Google Alerts will also deliver emails to you detailing wider news coverage.
This is certainly not going to be an immediate winner but one that is worth exploring as it may work for some local government areas. Create a council (company) profile on LinkedIn and have senior management generate individual profiles and connect with the company. Now start a group for local business. It will hopefully produce a networking tool to encourage business development and help local business network.
Retargeting
Business is jumping on search and display retargeting at a rapid pace. It also presents a fantastic opportunity for local governments.
Retargeting is the practice of serving banner advertisements to people who have recently visited your site or specific pages within the site.
Imagine if every visitor to the business-related pages on the council website were all served an advertisement for an upcoming business networking event for the next 30 days. Perhaps visitors to the arts category of the council business directory could be served advertisements for an upcoming event. The opportunities are endless.
This is all not just a case of build it and they will come, you now need to integrate your communications, promote your new online tools on your website and on printed material being delivered to the homes.
It is a whole new world out there for business, not just marketing but customer service and general community engagement. Surely a local government that can better engage with its constituents would be a more effective government? If representatives of any local government/council happen to be reading this post, I hope you take some action to ensure you can back up those innovative claims. Do yourself a favour and hire a consultant.
Of course, there are always exceptions and I would love to hear from local government that have moved their communications into a digital world. Please leave a comment and a brief chat about what you’re doing for your community.