If email isn’t part of your communications strategy then now is the time to factor it in. The Local Government Association have drawn-up some excellent guidance right here - and we've contributed.
Emails may have been around for a long time but this technology is seeing a revival among council communicators across the country. And it’s easy to see why. With budget pressures and demands on local services continuing to rise, communications budgets are being stretched – so savvy comms professionals are turning their hands to this cost-effective tool.
There’s a strong business case for using email: research from GovDelivery shows that email is a useful way to increase your online audience, reduce call volumes and increase online transactions. So if email isn’t currently part of your wider communications strategy, then it is definitely time to re-think this.
One key area to consider in your email strategy is your different audiences. Your local residents will all have different interests, so you need to tailor your content. Give people the option to subscribe to the topics they’re interested in, whether it’s leisure and libraries, to school news to road works. Targeted messages will increase open rates and click-through rates, as individuals will subscribe to the topics they are interested in reading about.
The LGA has teamed up with comms2point0 and GovDelivery to provide a central place for council communicators to access information on all things email. From top tips for implementing an email system and how to measure its success, to case studies of councils which are effectively using this tool, we’ve created a resource to show you the best practice in how to communicate with members of the public via email. There is also a terminology guide and tips on writing engaging email content.
The resource on emails here, which sits under the existing Digital Councils section of the LGA website, has launched.
We’re looking to hear from communications staff about their council’s use of email to help inform the resource and ensure it is useful. Please complete our short survey.
David Holdstock is director of communications for the Local Government Association.
