Wednesday January 26, 2022 comments

Government agencies are responsible for encouraging civic engagement AND managing data securely and using it right.

The email newsletter is a standard, go-to communication channel for public sector entities to share information, ask for feedback, and educate the public. Email marketing for government agencies consists of sending email messages to citizens to disseminate information and encourage civic engagement.

Public sector email marketing can involve the institutions of healthcare, taxes, public schools, municipalities, and other government institutions.

Unlike the business sector, you are seeking to inform and encourage action around civic engagement. For instance, if you’re sending healthcare email marketing, you have to provide value and help patients with their medical experience rather than looking for sales opportunities.

Welcome Email

Your welcome email is the first email your contacts will see after their first interaction with your institution, whether they subscribed to your email list through the university’s website or visited your tax office last week.

These messages are important to confirm your audience’s subscription; it also helps you introduce the services your office provides and encourages them to engage with your institution.

Email Campaigns

Running public sector email campaigns helps you set up the expectations with your constituents, and make the relationship with the public stronger. You have to recognize that the average citizen can feel a little bit tense when interacting with their tax office or bank. A warm welcome email can set the tone of communication and give your readers a feeling of ease regarding your institution.

Often, citizens rely on the public sector to provide them with critical information concerning health and public safety. Keeping your audience informed strengthens the trust the public has toward your office or institution. Informational messages inform the public about something that might be relevant to them or might impact them.

Actually, if computed, media, banners, and ads are considered a larger investment compared to what email marketing offers, especially when you partner with Social Reach.

Email marketing can be one of the most effective tools to encourage civic action and help government agencies achieve their objectives. It’s not only that you’re sending emails that drive the encouragement and actions of the public. Most public sector email examples contain a powerful Call-To-Action button that drives the reader’s action. Your CTA can be as simple as “Learn More” or can be more powerful such as “Register to vote and cause CHANGE.”

New public programs and citizen service emails are messages that aim to announce something new that you may be implementing or offering. Sending announcement emails for the public sector is also useful for sharing important news and current events in the city/state.

Make sure to send your email campaigns strategically and timely; you don’t want the public receiving your emails at 7pm when everyone is busy having dinner or watching TV.

It may seem obvious, but communication must be two-way. As a public service provider, you want to engage with your intended audience, not just broadcast information to them. Since public sector emails are for informing and engaging, and not for selling and advertising, you should be able to make your audience feel that their opinion matters, that you are willing to clarify their confusion, and that their input is valuable. Requesting feedback works both ways. Your audience gets to share their thoughts, and your organization can see what works and what can be improved.

The Perfect Email

To make your feedback email campaign a success, keep your email copy short and provide clear value.

Humans tend to forget a lot of details, whether it's a grocery list item, a deadline, or an important occasion. Sadly, it’s something we all just struggle with. Reminder emails for the public sector have one of the highest impacts on the public’s engagement and opinion rates. Sending reminder emails helps renew the information for your audience and encourage engagement.

The perfect reminder email contains all of the information your audience needs:

• Documents to prepare
• Dates or Deadlines
• Link to FAQ’s
• Location
• Rules and regulations

There are ways to obtain and organize data that will help you segment or categorize your audience and send them personalized emails. This way, you’ll send the right email, to the right person, with the right content. Social Reach understands the value of personalized communication and we can definitely help you on this matter. Your clients are different, why communicate to them all the same way? Your audience will have different needs and preferences.

Why government agencies NEED email marketing

A personalized email example from a public sector organization used in an email campaign could be: a personalized email to 21-35yo singles in the city, inviting them to avail subsidized swab tests so they can travel with less costs and help boost local tourism. Even your simple welcome email, the first email your contacts receive when they subscribe to your services, can be segmented for individuals, families, or Spanish-speaking citizens.

A thank-you email also brings value and can be used by public sector organizations to build a healthier long-term engagement with your audience by showing gratitude for their civic engagement. When expressing thanks, you tend to win your audience’s trust and make them feel that they are always included in your plans. It shows the public how much you care about them.

Today, there are high expectations for clear and concise messaging. Your audiences don’t want to be bogged down with information that is irrelevant to them, and they want to engage with organizations on the platforms they frequent. This necessitates a comprehensive segmentation or personalization strategy, so your messages are tailored to the type of audience you’re addressing.

Partner with Social Reach

With Social Reach, you can apply multiple filters to your email contacts to make sure you send laser-targeted email campaigns according to different reader segments.

Managing successful public sector email marketing relies on secure email software, segmentation, and action-driven copy. Email marketing for the public sector is not just sending the email; it’s making public information accessible everywhere and soothing the concerns of your audience and at Social Reach we understand the importance of that, as both Americans and passionate marketers.

Schedule a discovery call with Social Reach and we will help you be of better service to the public sector through efficient, digital ways.