GovDelivery, the leading provider of cloud-based public sector communication solutions, today released three 2013 Digital Communications Reports highlighting communication trends from the federal, state & local, and international public sector. The reports, available as infographics, can be viewed at:
“There were nearly six billion messages sent this year from government organizations to the public they serve,” said Scott Burns, CEO and co-Founder of GovDelivery. “While it’s clear that many government communications were related to health, services, and schools, our report also revealed increased interest and demand for information across a wide range of categories, such as programs and meetings. Reaching more than 60 million people, this scale of government communications underscores the increasingly important role that effective public outreach plays in getting people to act and achieving mission impact.”
Based on data from GovDelivery’s clients, which represent more than 1,000 public sector organizations from around the world, the reports show that 50% more people were connecting with public sector organizations to receive government communications in 2013 than the previous year.
Each report also dives into specific data for federal, state & local, and international public sector organizations, revealing top trends that include:
- The most popular subject line keywords, culled from nearly six billion public sector messages, included health, programs/programmes, reports, meetings, services, schools, and parks. Based on message subject lines that public sector organizations sent in 2013, the most popular keywords used in government-to-public communications in the federal space involved programs, health/health care, meetings, veterans and reminders. International public sector organizations sent messages focused on schools, service and support, programmes, the government, and reports. Similarly, state & local organizations communicated heavily about parks, programs, services, events, and the community.
- The most shared public messages among 60 million recipients focused on taxes and the outdoors. The Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) message letting employers know that they could save on taxes by hiring veterans was the most shared message sent from a federal agency followed by an email from NASA highlighting the Crab Nebula. In the state and local government level, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources sent one of the most shared messages highlighting volunteer opportunities in state parks and forest campgrounds. The most shared message from an international public sector entity was the Driving Standards Agency’s message on vehicle taxes.
- Topics with exponential percentages of growing public interest include health, water conservation and safeguarding children. Public sector organizations offering detailed subscription topics allow the public to sign up only for topics that meet their interests, illustrating the kind of information the public wants from the public sector. In the federal space, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)’s topic on healthy aging saw over 2000% more people signing up to receive messages on that topic. For state and local organizations, the Dallas Water Conservation events from the city of Dallas garnered more than a 5,000% increase in public interest. Among international organizations, Parliament’s topic on an energy efficiency bill saw a more than 2,800% increase in people signing up for information on the proposed legislation.
- Public sector organizations were able to massively grow their online audiences through Networking. Public sector organizations were able to connect with more than 60 million people, 50% more than in 2012. Part of this massive increase was through the GovDelivery Network, a unique solution that enables organizations to cross-promote message topics with other public sector entities. On the federal front, health.mil, the main website for the Military Health System, saw a more than 2,000% increase in new people signing up to receive messages from the organization through the GovDelivery Network. In the state and local sector, the Maine Emergency Management Agency saw a 358% increase in online audience growth from networking. Among international organizations, the United Kingdom Department of Health’s audience grew 409% using the GovDelivery Network.
“Thousands of public sector organizations have recognized how digital communications can directly drive program results and impact mission goals,” said Burns. “Leveraging more than a decade of experience, GovDelivery is in a unique position to enable public sector organizations to connect with more people and get those people to act, from increasing the utilization of online services to driving healthier choices and behavior change to generating broader program awareness and other critical outcomes.”
From small parks to the largest national agencies, more than 1,000 public sector organizations trust GovDelivery’s scalable platform to deliver impactful, highly-secure communications to more than 60 million people around the world. From road closures to health and safety news to local authority service updates, 30,000 new people sign up every day to receive public sector emails, SMS/text messages, and social media updates through GovDelivery. The result is safer communities, happier commuters, healthier families, and better government.
