You’re probably tired of hearing that your organisation must do more with less. It’s been that way for too long and cutting public sector teams to the absolute bone is debilitating and unsustainable. Something… scrap that, LOTS OF THINGS, have to drop off the menu because eventually services simply cannot be delivered without seriously compromising their integrity.
So what about doing more with more?
“More?”
Yes. More actual money.
Many cash-strapped organisations are taking matters into their own hands and generating income either directly through the communications team “selling its wares”, or via other teams within an organisation who are empowered to be more profitable thanks to strategic comms support.
There are 12 case study examples of different strategies for saving and generating money in a new whitepaper, Income Targets: Comms Entrepreneurs, Income Warriors and Three Paths Forward. We researched and produced this resource with the talented lads at comms2point0. We promise it’s worth your time.
Comms people, digital tools and tactics are playing a big role in improving organisations’ financial health, and there are a number of different approaches being adopted across all levels of the sector. Some see it as the rise of entrepreneurialism in the public sector, some call it a matter of survival, but for all, it is affirmation that public sector organisations need strategic and creative support from communications if they are to have a chance of realising their programmes’ potential [commercial or otherwise for that matter].
Being able to engage more of the right audience and convert them to action is essential. For example, greater participation in an arts workshop run by a council, or a sports event that becomes so popular it attracts a sponsor and is an important income stream for the foreseeable future (Caerphilly County Council).
It’s no surprise to see that the communications team is often the driving force behind the success of these new initiatives. Whether it’s helping to breathe new life into local touristic offerings, or setting up entirely new paid-for services and building a captive audience and compelling content marketing strategy around them, comms packs a punch. Not least because there are so many creative and talented people working in the profession, but also because aligning your comms efforts with strategic objectives is a no-brainer for time- and resource-poor teams; it provides clarity, motivation, a greater sense of worth, and, trackable impacts.
To help more public sector teams give legs to their commercial ideas, Granicus is hosting two free learning events over the next couple of months.
Whether you’re just starting to explore how your team could better contribute to balancing the books or you’re looking for more innovative ways to bring in new income to your organisation, we’d love to see you at these events:
Thursday 23 November | 2 – 3pm GMT
In this 1-hour webinar you’ll hear from marketing and commercial managers working in the sector whose teams’ operations align with programmes which aim to achieve financial outcomes. Perhaps email advertising is an untapped revenue stream for your organisation? We’ll also discuss the opportunity to monetise your email bulletins by growing your digital subscriber base, segmenting audiences and delivering targeted communications with trackable engagement rates.
Register for the webinar here >
2) Free event: Public Sector Digital Engagement Day (Glasgow)
Wednesday 6 December | 11am – 4pm | The Lighthouse, Glasgow
At this free event for anyone working in the public sector, you’ll have a chance to discover how organisations are using communications teams (people, skills, tools and channels) to underpin a range of income-generation and cost-saving corporate strategies, including major channel shift programmes.
The event will also provide an opportunity to debate other challenges in Scottish comms and how teams are adapting to meet citizens’ evolving needs and expectations. You will be able to share your own experiences and network with professionals from across Scotland and the wider UK. We hope you can join us!
