Effective Communications Channels for Reaching Our Audiences

1. Communications channels and how we use them to reach our audiences Sharon Davies Senior communications officer Corporate Communications Team

2. Why target communications? • We’re all different • We all have our preferences • Targeted communications: more effective

3. How do we know which channels residents prefer? • Identify our audience • Understand how they prefer to receive information • Experience • Residents’ survey • Mosaic • Choose channels accordingly

4. The channels we use to reach residents

5. www.hertsdirect.org • Preferred by: parents, professionals, young and middle age groups. • Evaluation of reach: page hits • A good repository of information – we include web addresses and links on most of our communications. • We monitor the number of unique visitors / page hits, and adapt accordingly.

6. Email alerts • Accessible via Herts Direct • Evaluation: number of people who sign up, feedback

7. Videos • Preferred by: young / mid-age people. • We post our videos on our YouTube page. • Videos also used for training and events. • Mostly signposted via other comms channels • Evaluation: number of views / feedback from target groups

8. Social media • Many Twitter / Facebook accounts • Our team manages the organisation’s corporate Twitter and Facebook presence.

9. Facebook • Preferred by: people aged 16-44 • We use it to engage people on a variety of local issues and campaigns • Often post information on behalf of local charities. • Good for sharing photos and video links. • Two-way conversations • Evaluation – number of ‘likes’ on each story, number of friends, satisfactory outcomes of conversations.

11. Twitter • Preferred by people aged 25-44. • Good for quick / realtime information • Followers include local journalists • Includes links to web pages and videos • 2 way conversations • Evaluation of reach: number and influence of followers, number of retweets.

12. Conversations

13. Horizons • Delivered to every household • Preferred by: all, particularly older residents – but good response from younger people • Extensive and reliable coverage • Important in • Consultation • raising awareness of services

14. Each time we have placed a Horizons ad, we have seen a significant increase in calls to our recruitment line… Following our advert in the summer edition, 16% of all [fostering and adoption] enquiries that month came directly from Horizons. We also saw a significant increase in visitors to our web pages that month. Claire Morgans, Fostering and Adoption We recently used a full page to advertise our independent member vacancies. We had an excellent response and would certainly use this method again. It was cost effective and the team was very helpful. Sally Patient, Hertfordshire Police Authority …WasteAware representatives reported that approximately 20% [of residents] had found out about the IT Takeback events via Horizons and had kept the advert. Linda Whitehead, WasteAware Coordinator We received a very good response to our advertisement, resulting in genuine new business enquiries. We certainly intend to advertise again... Paul D Sargeant, Finance Director, Scimitar Care Homes PLC Horizons - evaluation

15. Our employees • 10,000 people (excluding school staff). Mostly residents. • Most have networks of friends in the county. • Many work directly with clients. • Can act as ambassadors and raise awareness of services.

16. Staff channels • Compass • Team Talk • Managers’ ebulletin • Departmental magazines • Yammer • FM bulletins • ‘News at your convenience’ - toilet door posters • Roadshows / face-to-face events

17. Channel development: what next? • Improving smart-phone and tablet access • Online version of Horizons • Better monitoring of social media • Linking our Twitter feed to our customer call centre

18. Questions?