This document outlines 10 ways that a digital communication strategy can support open government. It discusses using tools like email, social media, and mobile to build audiences, engage citizens, personalize content, inform and collaborate both within and outside of government. It provides examples of integrating channels and measuring success through both qualitative and quantitative metrics like audience size, message effectiveness, and how communication supports agency missions and open government goals.

1. 10 Ways Your Digital Communication Strategy can
Support Open Government
Contact me:
Scott Burns
CEO & co-Founder, GovDelivery, Inc.
scott.burns@govdelivery.com
866-276-5583 Ext 303 651-726-7303
GovLoop: http://www.govloop.com/profile/ScottBurns
Twitter: http://twitter.com/smburns
Blog: www.reachthepublic.com
www.govdelivery.com
March 2010

2. Open Government Goals
 Transparency
– Work openly
– Get information into the public domain
– Disseminate effectively
 Participation
– Make participation possible
– Make it happen on a relevant scale
 Collaboration
– Within your agency
– With other agencies
– Outside government
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3. Are we fighting a fire? Or, building a
foundation?
Photo Credit: NOAA
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4. Effective Digital Communication
Supports Effective Open Government
Get the Word Out.
 Build a real and permanent audience
– For open data
– For engagement tools
– For reaching across one/any/all channels
 Engage
– Reach more people faster
– Deliver information at the relevant time directly to citizen/stakeholder
 Personalize
– Get information to people that they want and need
– Track results and interest over time
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5. Channels overlap, but vary in reach and
purpose…
 Social Media
– Engage with information
– Socialize information with friends– get
recommendations
– Work together to solve problems
 SMS/Text/Mobile
– Send/receive geo-specific info
– Reach immediately
– Connect in personal space
 Email
– Reach broadest audience through top channel
(80%+ of online time)
– Disseminate info to personal destination
– Benefit from archive and content flexibility
– Use channel accepted / preferred for
institutional communication
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6. …so does outreach
Examples
Improve govt acquisitions
Collaborate Collaborate on social media policy
(many to many)
Develop new applications
ENGAGEMENT
Submit pic & location of pothole
Connect/Consult Provide feedback on policy
(one to one)
Request data sets
Learn of blog entry on distracted driving
Receive link to new video on
middle class task force
Inform Find out my bus islate
(one to many)
Receive new H1N1 Guidelines
Find out wage rules updated by DOL
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7. Success Metrics for Digital Communication
 Qualitative
– What is agency mission and does increasing outreach support it?
– What is feedback 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 through each channel
• 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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8. Idea 1: Drive Usage of Current Tools to Build Audience
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9. Idea 1: Drive Usage of Current Tools to Build Audience
Whatever the channel, choice matters
From: Updates from Agency X To: Updates on H1N1
Seek engagement
From: Click here to comment To: EPA Question of the Week
More ideas for improving metrics: http://tinyurl.com/govd1
Offer choice w/o taking on more work: http://tinyurl.com/gdautomate
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10. Idea 2: Build Audience for Open Government Efforts
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11. Idea 2: Build Audience for Open Government Efforts
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12. Idea 3: Match Channel to Objective
Inform
Connect/
Consult
Collaborate • Personal importance or mass
outreach?
• Geographic?
• Urgency?
• Public / private?
Low High • Ongoing or transient?
• Right base of “subscribers”
“followers” “friends”?
Likelihood of being best channel
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13. Idea 4: Integrate and Cross Promote Channels
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14. Idea 4: Integrate and Cross Promote Channels
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15. Idea 4: Integrate and Cross Promote Channels
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16. Idea 4: Integrate and Cross Promote Channels
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17. Integrating Social Media With Email /
Wireless Subscriptions
From CDC
Step 1: Offer Social Media Content as Subscription Option
through GovDelivery (be sure to link subscription option to
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®
RSS feed on Social Media Website)
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18. Social Media Integration Overview
Step 2: Publish Step 3: RSS feeds created, GovDelivery picks
to either Social up change and sends email to your subscribers
Media sites or – OR – GovDelivery sends email to subscribers
GovDelivery and simultaneously posts to social media sites
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19. Social Media Integration Overview
Email Generated from Email Generated from Parliament
Parliament YouTube Channel Flickr Account
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20. Idea 5: Ask Users What They Want
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!
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®
-R.N. Manager, Occupational Health
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21. Idea 5: Ask Users What They Want
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22. Idea 5: Ask Users What They Want
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23. Idea 6: In Addition to Shared Missions, Use Free
Tools to Find the Right Collaboration Partners
Useful links: www.quantcast.com & www.alexa.com
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24. Idea 7: Collaborate to Build Your Audience
 Within signup process for digital subscriptions
 In social media channels
 In outbound communications
– Emails
– Tweets
– Wireless messages
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25. Idea 7: Collaborate to Build Your Audience
Example: FDA Email Topic Sign-Up
1 Click on Get email updates link on Enforcement 3 Signed up to info. of interest
Reports page
4 Shown other options
2 Enter email address (password optional)
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26. Idea 7: Collaborate to Build Your Audience
Example: Many Federal Agencies Collaborate to Build Audience
Cross Agency Collaboration at a New Level
• Example shown here: FDA promotes content
from HHS, NIH, CDC, CMS and USDA FSIS.
• Agencies using GovDelivery can collaborate with
any of the >300 government entities on the
GovDelivery
• Collaboration can occur within your department
or with other related agencies
• Agencies not using GovDelivery can promote
each other within emails and other digital
communication channels
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27. Idea 7: Collaborate to Build Your Audience
Results: Collaboration Drives Better Outreach
Average New Email Subscribers per Day
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27 Source: GovDelivery subscription growth comparing weekdays before and after use of the collaboration network.

28. Idea 8: Ad-Hoc Collaboration– who are you trying
to reach and who is reaching them already?
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29. Idea 9: Collaborate within Government
to Improve Government
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30. Idea 10: Track Success Openly & Effectively
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31. Idea 10: Track Success Openly & Effectively--
Digital Communication Metrics for OGD
Transparency Participation Collaboration
# of Topics # Citizens % users that # of Dept. offices # of external
Offered Subscribed Subscriptions Messages open / click collaborating on outreach
(12/31/09) (12/31/09) per Citizen Sent (’09) messages outreach partners Key partners
FCIC, Business.gov,
Treasury 295 870,454 7.9 176.9M N/A 8+ 6
ATF, SEC
DNI,
Navy, CDC, NWS,
DHS 354 696,420 10.7 180.6M 61% 9 10+
DOJ, State
NLRB, PBGC,
DOL 1,493 593,010 49.7 39.5M 66% 10+ 15+
Business.gov
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32. Idea 10: Track Success Openly & Effectively--
Still More Digital Communication Metrics for OGD
Department of Labor Department of Homeland Security
 Email Subscribers: 593K  Email Subscribers: 696K
 Email opens and clicks  Email opens and clicks in 2009
– 8.1M trackable views of – 10M+ trackable views of
content delivered by email content delivered by email
– 2M+ link clicks from messages – 2.3M+ link clicks from
sent messages sent
 Twitter followers for DOL  Twitter Followership
– DOL: 5,484 – FEMAinFocus: 10,456
– Disability.gov: 5,432 – TSA Blog: 6,176
– GovBenefits: 4,798  Facebook Fans
 Facebook Fans – FEMA: 7,238
– DOL: 1,245
What matters most to agency mission
and to OGD objectives?
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33. Recap:
10 Ways Your Digital Communication
Strategy can Support Open Government
 Idea 1: Drive Usage of Current Tools to Build Audience
 Idea 2: Build Audience for Open Government Efforts
 Idea 3: Match Channel to Objective
 Idea 4: Integrate and Cross Promote Channels
 Idea 5: Ask Users What They Want
 Idea 6: Use Free Tools to Find the Right Collaboration Partners
 Idea 7: Collaborate to Build Your Audience
 Idea 8: Embrace Ad-Hoc Collaboration
 Idea 9: Collaborate within Government to Improve Government
 Idea 10: Track Success Openly & Effectively
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34. Questions?
Contact me:
Scott Burns
CEO & co-Founder, GovDelivery, Inc.
scott.burns@govdelivery.com
866-276-5583 Ext 303 651-726-7303
GovLoop: http://www.govloop.com/profile/ScottBurns
Twitter: http://twitter.com/smburns
Blog: www.reachthepublic.com
www.govdelivery.com