How governments are using digital communications for richer engagement

Government agencies are adopting new digital tools to engage with communities, address the digital divide, and build trust

Over the past two decades, advances in social media, AI, and other digital technologies have revolutionised the ways in which government agencies can communicate with and gather feedback from the communities they serve. However, while some government agencies have made great strides in adopting these new digital communication tools, others have lagged.

For example, only 26% of global government leaders have deployed natural language processing tools such as chatbots, according to Deloitte’s “State of AI Survey.” Development and deployment costs, insufficient infrastructure, unclear benefits, and cultural inertia have limited many agencies’ ability to employ the full spectrum of engagement tools now available.

Now, as they enter the third year of the pandemic, many government agencies are recognising the need to embrace new digital tools and platforms to develop more targeted and inclusive engagement with communities. At the same time, they are trying to ensure that this shift doesn’t leave out disadvantaged groups already struggling to keep up in an increasingly digital world.

To meet these challenges, government marketing leaders can consider how forward-thinking global agencies are using digital technologies to inform, gather input from, and build trust in communities.

Connecting with Communities

The most basic type of government communication is giving the public useful information on topics of concern, from school performance to COVID-19 testing sites. Such data can help residents better understand issues and consider possible solutions. But often this information can be difficult to understand, effectively excluding those without the background needed to interpret it.

To tackle this issue, some cities have experimented with community data dialogues to share information with residents in easy, digestible formats. For example, the city of Cleveland launched Data Days Cleveland, an annual event to encourage citizen participation in open data forums.

Engagement also includes gathering input from community members. During the pandemic, many government agencies used volunteer programs to support their efforts. At the start of COVID-19, for instance, the United Kingdom’s National Health Service issued a call for volunteers to deliver food and medicine, drive people to appointments, and make phone calls to ease patients’ sense of isolation. Within hours, more than 500,000 volunteers signed up.

While digital technologies allow government communicators to reach wider audiences, building trust requires a deep understanding of human needs in order to tailor effective communications. For Messengers for Health, an outreach program on the Crow reservation in Montana, the key to building trust is meeting people where they are – geographically, digitally, and emotionally. The organisation’s trained “messengers” work in their own communities, where they’re known and trusted. From producing social media posts about COVID-19 prevention in the Crow language to paying for a community member’s travel to cancer treatment, the messengers offer a human connection to help build trust.

Learning From Communities

Government organisations need data to understand community issues and preferences. During the pandemic, some agencies used digital participation platforms to gather information usually obtained from face-to-face encounters such as town halls.

For example, the city of Rueil-Malmaison, France, used a participatory platform during the pandemic to provide information and coordinate volunteer efforts. Local businesses used the platform to offer information on online delivery options, while citizens shared ideas on child activities and organised online events.

Digital platforms also allow governments to tap into citizen expertise by crowdsourcing ideas – from identifying vulnerabilities in military computer networks to helping the US Library of Congress decide which of its resources should be digitised. At a broader level, the United States government has launched CitisenScience.gov, a portal intended to improve public participation in the acceleration of innovation.

Designing for Inclusive Engagement

As they evaluate how to deploy technologies and techniques for inclusive engagement, government leaders can consider the following strategies:

• Understand the nuances of both online and offline engagement; both should complement each other effectively.

• Know the audience’s demographic and behavioural attributes in order to customise communications and engagement methods.

• Find ways to allow constituents to communicate with government agencies and one another, which can help build dialogue and improve public participation in decision-making.

• Use locally trusted individuals to provide information about critical government programs.

• Seek input from as many constituents as possible to help make more balanced decisions.

Government agencies have more ways than ever to engage with communities – from social media and online town halls to chatbots and virtual assistants. As they consider how to use these tools to inform, gather input, and build trust, leaders should strive to understand the information needs and preferences of their audiences and ensure digital access for all communities.

“To meet these challenges, government marketing leaders can consider how forward-thinking global agencies are using digital technologies to inform, gather input from, and build trust in communities.”