Public sector marketing is an essential way governments and organisations around the world work to reach and help improve the lives of their citizens. Now, however, people see businesses as the most competent group to solve global issues — even more than governments and nonprofits, a recent report by Deloitte found. When working to reach the public sector, it’s important that governments and organisations pro-actively engage with citizens, as well as use modern digital marketing strategies in order to most effectively target the public with meaningful messaging.
The importance of getting the public involved
Strategy meetings typically focus on either approving or rejecting a single proposal — different viewpoints or approaches are often unwanted. In turn, only a single option is considered and potentially implemented, which may not resonate with public hearts and minds. Organisations therefore need to ensure they consider a plethora of diverse ideas and opinions to best serve the public. In fact, getting the public involved in policy themselves is a key way to do this. For example, India’s MyGov online platform encourages the public to share their own ideas, feedback, and concerns about policy points ranging from health, the environment, and girls education. With almost 8 million citizens having participated, the program’s been a wild success. For example, one suggestion advised turning rural post offices into banks in order to increase financial inclusion. By 2017, banking areas had been opened in 25,000 post offices across the country. By opening up debate and putting the public at the heart of policy suggestions, effective outcomes can better be implemented.
Go digital
Digital marketing can be an effective way for governments to reach the public, while also being cost-effective. In fact, 42 percent of visits to government websites in 2019 were made on mobile phones or tablets. As such, digital and social media marketing provides governments with a highly effective method of reaching a wider audience. In comparison to traditional marketing methods (including, print and TV), digital marketing is also much cheaper while providing more bang for your buck results-wise. In particular, digital and social media marketing also enables select messages to target citizens based on their geographic area, something known as geo-targeting. Geo-targeting is an ideal method for both neighbourhood councils and government departments to reach relevant regional target markets. For example, waste reduction and management is a priority for governments currently across the world. In fact, in the United States, the government aims to reduce waste by 50 percent by 2030. Fortunately, geo-targeting can be used to target local communities advertising local services to help recycle household items. For instance, local schemes like eCycling give citizens a way to recycle old electronics safely or potentially reuse them in the community.
Public sector marketing is a key way governments and organisations around the world bring their messaging to the wider public. By protectively engaging with the public and employing smart digital marketing strategies, you can better ensure your marketing campaigns are a success.
