Woking Borough Council. External Communications Strategy Draft

Transcription

1 Woking Borough Council External Communications Strategy Draft

2 Contents 1.0..Introduction 2.0..Our vision and priorities 3.0..Our communications aim 4.0..The strategy in content 5.0..Our External Communications Strategy 6.0..Who are our stakeholders? 7.0..What do we communicate? 8.0..How do we communicate? 8.1.Printed Communications 8.2.Media relations 8.3.Digital communications Evaluation 10.0.What next?

3 1.0 Introduction Woking Borough Council provides a wide range of services to over 100,000 residents and more than 3,000 small, medium and international-sized businesses. Clear, informative, accurate and timely communications are essential to convey and deliver the Council s vision, strategic priorities, promote mutual understanding and, ultimately, serve the local community. Through successful communication, the Council is able to deliver the services that are important to its residents and businesses, whilst developing and enhancing good working relationships with partners in the public and voluntary sectors. This strategy outlines how the Council is going to manage its communications activities and headline recommendations over the next three years and will help ensure that communication between the Council and its stakeholders is appropriate. 2.0 Our vision and priorities The Council's vision is 'towards tomorrow today'. In essence this means: achieving our goals and looking to improve a forward-thinking attitude and innovative practices building on what is good today planning and working for the future. To help use resources in the most effective way, the Council has to set four key Council-wide priorities: decent and affordable housing economic development the environment health and well-being.

4 3.0 Our communications aim The aim of the External Communications Strategy is to communicate clearly, openly, accurately and regularly with residents, businesses and partners to promote mutual understanding and provide a better service to the people of Woking Borough. 4.0 The strategy in context Research shows that the better informed people are about their council services, the more satisfied they feel. Therefore, good communications can lead to more effective services, a better reputation and stronger relationships. Paragraph 4 of the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity 2011 (available for download from says Publicity by local authorities should: be lawful be cost-effective be objective be even-handed be appropriate have regard to equality and diversity be issued with care during periods of heightened sensitivity. 5.0 Our External Communications Strategy The purpose of the External Communications Strategy is to maintain accessible, targeted and relevant two-way channels of communication in order to deliver the Council s strategic priorities and uphold its reputation and profile within the Borough, regionally and nationally. A successful strategy will enable the Council to: better inform Woking residents about the services and service standards they can expect maintain a culture of two-way communication with all residents and stakeholders

5 increase the take-up of Council services, especially by those people who need them most listen to and act on residents concerns wherever possible raise awareness of its vision and priorities address negative or potentially damaging information about the Council, or third party managed services support Council staff in their roles as ambassadors for the organisation promote the Council as an employer of choice keep abreast of technological developments and adopt them where appropriate promote respect and trust between the Council and its stakeholders promote the achievements, attractions and profile of Woking (both as a Borough and Council) locally, regionally and nationally. Through communications activities the Council aims to: communicate in a cost effective and sustainable way reach residents and stakeholders through their preferred communications channels with interesting and accessible information raise awareness of Council services in order to maximise access to them maintain a strong and consistent identity. The Council is committed to making communications activities: two-way relevant, engaging and appropriate for their target audience easily available, in different formats where appropriate easily understood by all sectors of the community consistent honest and accountable timely. 6.0 Who are our stakeholders? A stakeholder is a person, target group or organisation that can affect or be affected by an organisation s actions, objectives or policies. Stakeholders have varying needs and different stakeholders are entitled to different considerations.

6 The Council s stakeholders include: residents of Woking Borough people and organisations who use our services Woking Borough Council staff Borough businesses and their staff community and voluntary groups local organisations visitors to Woking Borough Borough and County Councillors our neighbouring local authorities Surrey County Council and other statutory organisations. 7.0 What do we communicate? The Council engages and consults with various stakeholder groups about news, events, services and facilities: what services the Council provides where and how to access these services changes to these services how the Council works who are local Councillors and their role where and how the Council can help and support stakeholders where to go if the Council can t help how stakeholders are or can become involved with the Council s services the Council s policies Council events and activities how stakeholders can influence Council policies, plans and activities how to contact Council Officers and Councillors how to provide feedback and opinions on different Council policies, decisions and activities who the Council s partners are and how they can work together the Council s role in the wider community the Council s successes.

7 8.0 How do we communicate? The Council have a range of spoken, published and digital methods of communication that promote two-way dialogue. 8.1 Printed communications Leaflets, brochures, posters and flyers The Council produces a variety of corporate and service-led professionally designed and printed materials including leaflets, brochures, posters, direct mail and flyers which adhere to the corporate style guidelines and are tailored to suit the needs of the audience. Distribution is coordinated by the relevant service area utilising the Council s free communication channels such as our network of Borough boards and other sites. The Woking Magazine A 32-page full colour magazine produced and delivered to all residents and businesses in the Borough three times a year (spring, summer and winter). It features a variety of Council-based news, community initiatives, major events and services offered by voluntary groups and other agencies to the people of Woking. There are on average six pages of advertising per issue, which raises between 3,000 to 5,000 per issue. Distribution is via Royal Mail Walk Sort service to 41,000 households plus 5,000 copies delivered via mailing lists and information points around the Borough. Recommendation: Whilst the magazine has evolved since it was previously redesigned, a review of the current magazine s design and content is long overdue to ensure it continues to be relevant to residents and advertisers. Woking News and Mail (incorporating Public Notices) For a monthly fee, the Council receives a monthly double-page spread and all Public Notices in the Woking News and Mail. The spread features Council-related news, both Borough and County, community initiatives, major events and service-specific advertising. Whilst the Council creates the copy, the newspaper retains full editorial control. Recommendation: The Council continues this arrangement and renew its annual contract with the Woking News and Mail.

8 Advertising The Council uses traditional print-based advertising in publications as part of its marketing communications mix to reach its audiences. Due to the relatively high cost of print advertising, and a reduction of budgets, advertising is used economically for key activities or events such as Borough elections. Banners and other large format printing For major campaigns, such as Celebrate Woking and the Woking Food and Drink Festival, the Council uses a variety of banners and large format print advertising. Whilst individually these materials can be expensive and involve professional installation, they are located at key footfall points and offer a cost effective way of promoting messages. Such materials include: lamppost banners, shopping centre floor stickers, fire station banners and Peacock Shopping Centre atrium banner. 8.2 Media relations The Council provides a proactive and reactive media liaison service. This operates during normal working hours and, in addition, during important out of hours events, such as elections, council-led events and at times of crisis. Locally, the Borough is served by two newspapers (Woking Advertiser and Woking News and Mail) and two regional radio stations (BBC Surrey and Eagle Radio). The Council also liaises with a number of internet-based stations including Radio Woking. Both BBC and ITV regional TV stations (London and south) cover the Woking area, however, engaging with them is difficult due to our location too far north for southern TV and conversely too southern for London regional TV. Media relations proactive Proactively, the Marketing Communications Team work with the Corporate Management Group (CMG), senior managers and key service leads to identify positive news stories and issues which could escalate to negative news stories. All proactive news is sent to a media list (including local and regional media, councillors,

9 residents associations and key officers), published on our corporate website and promoted via relevant social media and supporting services. Media relations reactive Officers are required to direct all media enquiries to the Marketing Communications Team to ensure a consistent and measured approach. The team will work with individual officers to provide a written response where appropriate before liaising with the relevant Portfolio Holder and/or Leader of the Council. The Marketing Communications Team should be the first point of contact for all journalists (local, regional, national or specialist) wanting to know more about the Council s business and chasing a story. Press releases The Council issues on average 130 press releases per year to get important messages and news stories across to the Council s key stakeholders. These are primarily targeted at a local audience (residents, media outlets, businesses and/or community groups), with a small percentage targeted at technical/trade press journalists. The Marketing Communications Team coordinates all press releases and works hard to be as proactive as possible. Potential press releases are sourced from the Council s Forward Plan and liaising with officers and senior managers. All press releases include a quote from the relevant Portfolio Holder or Leader of the Council. Media and online monitoring coverage The Council manually monitors local press coverage on a weekly basis. Cuttings are taken and kept for future reference. Where possible, radio/tv interviews are recorded or obtained from the media provider. All responses are logged. Previously these were held on an electronic media enquiry system, Newsflash. The system is no longer supported by the Council and is currently in the process of sourcing an alternative system that meets its requirements now and in the future.

10 With the proliferation of instant online news coverage, it has become more and more difficult to stay abreast of potential coverage, especially in a society where over twothirds of people own a smartphone capable of viewing video, images or listening to audio soundbites. Recommendation: As the media landscape has changed, the Council must invest in a modern media monitoring system which incorporates both printed and online news to ensure it stays abreast of issues that may arise. Media training Media training is provided by a specialist company. It is available for both key officers and councillors where appropriate. Recommendation: Review our existing provider and incorporate social media into future training requirements. Film liaison The Council aims to respond as positively as possible to requests for assistance from film and TV companies for locations in the Borough/permission to film. The Marketing Communications Team receives requests for assistance/advice and provides followon contacts and advice on potential locations to filmmakers. It works closely with Surrey County Council s film unit and Creative England. 8.3 Digital communications The way that stakeholders consume information is changing thanks to new technologies. The Council s communications need to reflect and keep pace with this revolution, for example: more people in the UK now read news on their PC or personal mobile than in print, while 85% of people get their news from television YouTube has a greater monthly reach among 15 to 34 years olds than terrestrial TV channels over two-thirds of UK adults now own a smartphone. Smartphone ownership is in fact now growing most quickly among the over 55s close to nine out of ten UK adults are able to go online anywhere (often via their smartphone), compared to six in ten UK adults in 2005

11 nearly three quarters (72%) of internet users now have a social media profile, compared to 22% in % of this audience uses social media at least once a day, up from 30% in 2007 the most marked increase in social media usage over the last eight years has been among 35 to 44 year olds, a 68% increase from 12% in 2007 to 80% today. Corporate website The Council s corporate website, is a key communications channel enabling customers to find out more about local services and transact with the Council over a number of different service areas including paying for services and using electronic forms to apply and request services. Originally created in 1996 and updated in 2008, it regularly receives around 80,000 unique visitors a month. A network of Web Publishers within each department has responsibility for maintaining and developing their service area. However, it appears that existing publishers have little time to spend updating the site and see it as a lower priority than their main role. The outcome is the site can display out-of-date or irrelevant information. In recent years there has been a drive to channel shift customers to self-serve using online services. There are, however, a number of services that are either not available online or have both manual and online versions. The structure and navigation of the site also makes it difficult for customers to find and use the online services available and there is no version of the content that renders on a smartphone or tablet. This discourages customers to transact online which in turn requires the need for more face-to-face or telephone interactions. Recommendation: The corporate website is reviewed and redeveloped to ensure the site meets the Council s requirements now and in the future where possible including a responsive design suitable for most devices and enable customers to self-serve. Other Council managed websites As well as the corporate website, the Council manages a number of stakeholderspecific web or microsites. These include: - businesses and entrepreneurs - community and voluntary groups

12 - specialist events and activities - information about the annual festival - specific information about the Core Strategy and associated planning policies - supports the Council s Best Bar None licensed premises awards campaign specific information about TEDxWoking events. Social media As the statistics previously outlined highlight, social media cannot be ignored and is fast becoming the communications channel of choice for customers. It offers a free, fast and efficient two-way channel to communicate with our customers. The Council has embraced the use of social media and currently has the following corporate social media profiles: Twitter (@wokingcouncil) Followers: 5,500 (Feb 16) The Council posts short news-worthy updates and messages relating to events, activities, campaigns and services. It also retweet messages from relevant partners and stakeholders. Currently the profile is monitored daily by the Marketing Communications Team and one Customers Services Officer who deals with incoming messages. These range from reporting incidents of fly-tipping and missed bin collections to signposting to specific Borough and County services. The Marketing Communications Team and other officers manage other event/sector-related

13 @WbcHealth The Marketing Communications Team subscribes to Hootsuite Pro, an international social media management tool. This monitors all social media accounts and allows the team and other authorised users to pre-schedule content and respond to any interactions. Facebook ( Likes (followers): 1,200 (Feb 16) Like Twitter, the Council post interesting and news-worthy messages relating to events, activities, campaigns and general Council news and services. The nature of the platform means it is more suitable than Twitter for longer term campaigns and events, and is better equipped to manage engagement with interested followers. The page is monitored daily by the Marketing Communications Team. A recent pilot (Oct 15 to Jan 16) demonstrated that Facebook advertising is effective at engaging with targeted audiences and is inexpensive. The results of this trial has created a solid platform of genuine followers with an interest in the Borough/Council and it provides us with opportunities to create ongoing engagement about our services and events direct to followers smartphones, tablets and/or desktop devices. YouTube The Council uses YouTube to host short films commissioned by professional film production companies. Where appropriate, films are embedded within the corporate website and other Council-managed websites. Whilst expensive to commission film production companies, with more and more people accessing film content through their mobile devices, this is a growth area and alternative, cheaper options, such as procuring in-house facilities should be investigated as an additional channel of communication. Recommendation: Investigate the use of short films to promote Council services to engage with a new, younger audience.

14 Streelife Whilst the Council don t have an official profile on Streetlife, the Marketing Communications Team monitors it daily and engages with users on Councilrelated issues where appropriate. Recommendation: Create a Social Media Policy and protocol for users which outlines how the Council manages interactions via social media, who is responsible for responding and how it can grow its interaction with residents and stakeholders. E-communications Contacting interested stakeholders via offers the Council an efficient and effective way to communicate directly about information relevant to them. The Council uses an management system called Sign-up To which allows it to send consistently branded s directly to recipients inboxes. The software enables the Council to analyse data, such as open and click through rates, and provides clear evaluation statistics for each campaign. It also ensures the Council meets relevant data protection and direct marketing legislation. The software is managed and operated by the Marketing Communications and Business Liaison teams. Recommendation: The Council to develop a system whereby residents and stakeholders can sign-up to receive information electronically. Other Council departments use and hold various contact lists on an ad-hoc basis. The management of contact lists should be aggregated into one place. Sign-up To allows multiple users, therefore, individual teams could still manage their own contact lists and schedule their e-communications, yet meet our corporate guidelines. Recommendation: Centrally manage all Council ecommunications. Eagle Radio Community Hub podcasts To complement its digital communications, the Council sponsors the Eagle Radio Community Hub podcasts. Liaising with the Marketing Communications Team, Eagle Radio s Community Hub team identify and conduct studio interviews with elected

15 members, officers and members of the local community are edited and posted on Eagle Radio s website ( These files are known as podcasts and can be played or downloaded from the site. The podcasts are promoted via Eagle Radio and the Council s corporate Twitter feeds. The partnership provides us with an alternative channel of communication to add to its marketing mix. It also offers officers who might not necessarily have any formal media training the opportunity to experience a professional studio and interview conditions within a safe environment. All interviews are pre-recorded and edited before posted on the website. 8.4 Displays and exhibitions Eye-catching display material supports key messages that the Council needs to get across about its service and initiatives in a variety of locations. Displays are also a useful way to provide simple information to large numbers of people at consultation events or on roadshows. The team sources external suppliers for large format displays for special events/launches. The Marketing Communications Team is also responsible for a branded roadshow vehicle which is used at key events and specific campaigns. 9.0 Evaluation The Council regularly monitors communications activities in order to gauge their success. Where appropriate, the Council will adapt its methods and messages to ensure that it continues to meet its objectives. The Council is currently limited when evaluating online activity. The introduction of a media monitoring system would greatly improve its ability to not only monitor but evaluate our online activity. Recommendation: Review existing evaluation techniques and incorporate new technologies.

16 10.0 What next? Once the External Communications Strategy is adopted by Council, a detailed action plan will develop the headline recommendations within six months and ensure they are met on deadline.