Is the future of public sector communications with residents, offline, online, or both? â Part 1

Part 1 of a 2-part blog on print and online communication from local and county councils

In recent years, public spending cuts have forced local and county councils to review their communications strategy to residents.

The door to door distribution of a council magazine or newspaper for many years formed the cornerstone of local authority strategies, but in recent years such activity has been the focus of budget cuts.

Numerous councils have reduced the frequency of publication, others have reduced the size – commonly from tabloid to A4, some now print smaller pagination. But some councils have dispensed with printed versions altogether, relying on residents to visit their websites to read the publications they still painstakingly produce – but how do residents know when a new edition is available?

Just how many residents “regularly” visit their councils’ websites for local news about leisure activities, refuse collection date changes or updates, events such as firework displays or shows at theatres, street lighting issues, transport news and the myriad of information residents will be interested in?

Methodology

The DMA Door Drop Committee commissioned research in November 2013 to determine the difference in opinions between consumers and local/county council marketers. A six-question online survey was sent to 1000+ consumers via Toluna QuickSurveys.

The survey was also sent, with the help of The Letterbox Consultancy to 800+ marketers based in local and county councils, which achieved a 13.25% response rate – 106 completed responses.

Marketers were requested to identify what they thought consumers’ answers would be to questions about marketing communications from local/county councils.

Matching the two data sets, it’s possible to determine the differences between local/county council marketers’ assumptions about consumer attitudes and actual consumer responses.

Are consumers happy to receive communication from local and county councils?

- Overall, 73% consumers said they would welcome marketing communication from local and county councils, in comparison to the 88% predicted by marketers.

- But interestingly, whilst 61.43% of young adults (18-34) are less likely to welcome communication from local and county councils, 78% of those aged 35 and above do welcome communications.

How frequent should communication from local and county councils be?

- 57% of consumers would like to receive communication monthly (35%), or once every three months (22%), in comparison to the marketers’ prediction of 79%.

- 11% of consumers say they would never want to hear from their local/county council, in comparison to the marketer’s prediction of 1%.

- On average, these figures say that 8 in 10 people welcome contact from their local/county councils, with the greatest preference being for monthly or quarterly contact.

Council magazines online or in print?

If your council magazine or newspaper was available to READ ONLINE, how likely is it that you would read it?

If your council magazine or newspaper was available to you in PRINT FORM, how likely is it that you would read it?

- 71% of consumers are more likely to read council magazines in print (marketers 83%) in comparison to just 51% (marketers 47%) who are likely to read online.

- 30% of consumers are ‘unlikely’ to read communications from local/county councils online, in comparison to just 13% if the same communication was sent out in print form.

Read part two of this blog.

By guest bloggers from the DMA Door Drop Committee