The document details the importance of effective outreach for successful government programs, emphasizing that without public awareness, initiatives struggle to make an impact. It discusses findings from a survey of public-sector professionals on their perceptions and challenges regarding outreach, highlighting the significance of a solid communication strategy, with email being the primary outreach tool. The report concludes that while many agencies recognize the value of engagement, they often face resource constraints and a disconnect in execution, suggesting proactive approaches to improve outreach efforts.

1. BUILDING
POWERFUL
OUTREACH
E x E c u t i v E R E s E a R c h B R i E f

2. 2 Executive Research Brief

3. 1Building Powerful Outreach
Engagement
101
You’ve done the research. You’ve gotten lead-
ership buy-in. Your government program is set to
start helping people. But if nobody knows about it,
your program will never make a difference. It’s like
if a public health department had prepared thou-
sands of flu shots — but no patients showed up to
get them.
For a government program to be truly success-
ful, for a project to have made a difference, for
an initiative to create change, it first has to have
an effect. And that can’t happen
without effective outreach.
Government engagement
and communications have
transformed over the last
10 years. Now email mar-
keting, social media and
text messaging are the tools
of the trade. And in order to
have an impact, you need
significant outreach and en-
gagement. But more often
than not, engagement and
outreach are not baked into
government planning – and
they suffer as a result.
“There are very few
programs where having
stakeholder engagement
isn’t part of a program’s
success,” said Scott Burns,
GovDelivery’s chief executive
officer and co-founder. “If you’re
hoping to engage stakeholders or the public, you
need to think of your outreach and communications
strategy as a critical part of your program’s launch
or implementation. There are not many things in
this world that work well with the ‘if you build it and
they will come’ strategy.”
In our latest GovLoop report, we look at why out-
reach is often secondary to creating engaging com-
munications that can drive stakeholder action and
measuring a program’s success.
Specifically, this report highlights:
Analysis from a GovLoop survey of nearly 400
public-sector professionals.
Scott Burns’ three-part process for creating a
communications strategy.
Why email reigns as king of outreach.
How to rise above resource challenges.
Five insider tips for implementing a successful
outreach strategy.
Government communications and the future of
engagement.
“In technology, we often say that there are more good
-
ence is often that companies launch products without
a strategy for generating customers. Programs are the
same way. There are probably more well-intentioned
programs than successful programs, and a solid, mea-
surable communications strategy is frequently the
missing ingredient.”
A B R I E F I N T R O D U C T I O N

4. 2 Executive Research Brief
– Scott Burns, GovDelivery CEO & Co-founder

5. 3Building Powerful Outreach
Survey
Overview
In order to get a clearer picture of what engage-
ment looks like right now in the public sector, Gov-
Loop, in partnership with GovDelivery, conducted a
survey of 390 public-sector professionals.
The survey included responses from state, local,
federal and international public-sector employees.
(See Figure 1, page 4.)
felt communications and outreach were to a program’s
success. (See Figure 2, page 5.) Then we examined how
much their agency was willing to invest to make the en-
gagement happen. (See Figure 3, page 5.)
More than 70 percent of respondents said their agency
was willing to invest in outreach, but when asked to de-
scribe their organization’s actual initiatives, they were
less enthusiastic.
said Jay Kosluchar of Fridley, Minn.
“We have a strong reliance on
newsletters, and print ad-
vertising is still the core.”
Agency budget constraints
often force people to con-
tinue with what has proven
risks on new initiatives.
Most participants cited
budgeting issues as the
main challenge facing their
digital outreach initiatives.
“We are operating on a very
tight shoestring budget,” said a U.S. Geological Survey
designated outreach person. Basically, we rob Peter,
Paul and Mary to make outreach work.”
GovDelivery’s Burns wasn’t surprised by this separa-
tion. “Historically, many programs have treated com-
munication as a side note, and the current disconnect
is the leftover impact of these old bad habits,” he said.
“I’m not surprised to hear there’s a disconnect be-
tween creating an outreach plan and implementing,
The survey also revealed a sense that the communi-
cations government tries to send aren’t always clear
and easy for consumers to understand. “We try to
communicate clearly, but we don’t
always speak the same language
as the general public,” a public
health specialist said.
Some agencies have taken a
step to help bridge the com-
munications divide. “We
to develop a program to
better communicate with
our constituents,” said a
from Helena, Mont.
But having a clear mes-
sage is only half of the
battle. Another struggle
is maintaining a consis-
tent message and brand
with scattered outreach.
A P E E K I N T O G O V E R N M E N T
C O M M U N I C A T I O N S

6. 4 Executive Research Brief
“Our program does intensive outreach, but it is not
really coordinated very well,” said Jeleen Brisco, an
avian specialist at the Agriculture Department. “So
a lot of problems.”
More than three-quarters of survey respondents said
outreach should be considered when drafting a new
program. Responses included:
Although 75 percent of respondents said outreach
should be considered when implementing programs,
many said they themselves did not participate in any
engagement or communications with the public.
“I think communication is important, but only our
handle outreach,” said one survey respondent from
the Treasury Department.
“Will it be part of everyone’s job to be able to create a
newsletter or draft a press release or produce a video?”
Burns asked. “Probably not. But private-sector compa-
nies like Amazon and Apple have taught every single
employee that he or she is an extension of the brand of
their company, and part of that requires communica-
tions and outreach.”
Outreach is only half of the equation. Measuring results
is also essential for engagement success, but for many
government organizations, metrics and analytics pose
another major challenge. Several survey respondents
said they wanted more metrics but were unsure how to
incorporate analytics into the project plans.
“Metrics are poorly understood and are not a top con-
from Oregon said.
Others used more informal metrics to chart success,
such as attendance at events, media coverage, refer-
rals and feedback from constituents.
Others have a more tangible way to prove success.
Guam’s procurement specialist, Anne Camacho, said
submit proposals, bids [and] price quotes to ensure
maximum practicable competition and best value – if
that [increases], we have been successful in our out-
reach,” Camacho said.
About a fourth of respondents considered “growing
their reach” to be their top communications priority.
(See Figure 4, page 5.) Burns agreed.
“Programs need participants, whether that isv 100
people or 100,000,” he said. “A program’s success is
about generating results on a scale that matters: more
more people being aware of how to stop bullying, more
people avoiding fraud traps. People are at the center of
programs, so connecting with more people and getting
them to take an action is critical.”
Lastly, our survey asked how government organiza-
tions were getting the word out about a new program
or feature. (See Figure 5, page 5.) Not surprisingly,
email was the No. 1 method.
In a recent research report, eConsultancy noted that
“Email is a component of virtually any integrated cam-
moved, content needs distribution or an event is on
the horizon.”
• “Absolutely! Individuals have to be empowered, and pre-
paredness has to start with individuals.”
•
along the way so the program can be created with the
users in mind.”
• “I use the thirds rule to set up and run programs: one-
management/tracking, one-third stakeholder manage-
ment and communications.”
• -
ence? What do they need to hear and how do they need
to hear it?’”
• “We are mandated to create public reports every quarter
on how the foster care system is functioning.”
• “I developed a veterans email list that allows me to reach
out to about 1,250 veterans.”
What level of government do you
work for?
Local: 34%
Federal: 32%
State: 21%
Other: 9%
Industry: 4%
FIGURE 1

7. 5Building Powerful Outreach
How important is comminication and outreach
to the success of a program?
FIGURE 2
Is my agency willing to invest resources to get
more people aware and engaged in our agency’s
government program?
Yes: 70%
No: 30%
FIGURE 3
Whichofthefollowingareprioritiesinyouroutreachactivities?
Reaching large amounts of stakeholders: 25%
Complying with regulations 18%
Internal guidance: 18%
Crafting a compelling message: 14%
Matching the medium to the message: 10%
FIGURE 4
What methods do you use to get the word out about your
government program?
Email: 82%
Press Release: 75%
Social Media: 69%
Magazine Advertising: 32%
Internet Advertising: 32%
PSA: 30%
TV Commercials: 13%
SMS: 12%0
20
40
60
80
100
FIGURE 5

8. 6 Executive Research Brief
A B R I E F C A S E S T U D Y
Email Reigns as King of
Outreach
More than 80 percent of our survey respondents
said their primary outreach method was email.
“Email is really the foundation of how people com-
municate online and the channel with the greatest
return on investment across the public and private
sectors,” Burns said.
Overall, email is the most widely used digital chan-
nel and the one that is most accessible for profes-
sional and official communications. “What’s even
better is that other channels, like social media, do
much better for programs if the programs promote
them through email,” he said. “The reality is you
can’t create a Facebook account or a YouTube ac-
count without an email address.”
The U.S. Department of Education demonstrates
the success of its outreach and communications
strategy with more than 250,000 email subscrib-
ers and a 52% engagement rate. They have been
able to parlay their success with email marketing to
other channels like Twitter and Facebook.
Futhermore, every year roughly 20 million prospec-
tive college students fill out the Free Application
for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. “When stu-
dents get frustrated with the FAFSA process, they
tweet about it,” said Nicole Callahan, new-media
analyst for Federal Student Aid at Education. “We
want to know when they’re frustrated. We want to
pull feedback straight from the consumer’s mouth.
Facebook is a good source to reach out to parents.
You just have to cater to your audience.”
Email is the rock for engagement and the platform
within which the core of communication messaging is
set – and it needs to be a priority in your communica-
tion’s plans.
Creating a
Communications
Strategy
So what does a successful communications strat-
egy look like? For one federal communicator regis-
tration numbers are important, but making sure the
public is informed is paramount to success. “If the
community feels their concerns have been heard
and taken into consideration during the course of
the agency’s activities, if the community feels they
have a voice in the process, then outreach is a suc-
cess,” he said. “We measure that by asking com-
munity members and leaders if we’re fulfilling that
mission in their opinion.”
GovDelivery’s Burns agreed. He’s developed a
three-part strategy to help create a robust engage-
ment culture:
Priorities + Buy-in + Audience
=
Communications Success
“People are at the center of programs, so connecting
with more people and getting them to take action is
critical,” Burns said. “You can’t forget that.”
A T H R E E - P A R T P R O C E S S
Set priorities:
your program is trying to achieve.”
Get buy-in:
“You need to get some level of agreement
within your organization on those objectives.”
Find the audience:
“Examine how and where reaching more
people will impact your program, and
determine who you want to reach and how
you can reach them. Knowing the audience
for your program is critical in developing a
communications strategy.”

9. 7Building Powerful Outreach
Rise Above the
Resources Challenge
A Q U I C K H O W - T O
GovDelivery was cited in The
Washington Post as the Afford-
able Care Act’s secret weapon for
driving traffic to HealthCare.gov.
But not all programs are as mas-
sive or as visible as that one. Our
survey found that although most
government agencies want to
implement an outreach strategy,
they are stifled by a lack of time
and resources. So how can agen-
cies implement an outreach plan
despite the obstacles?
“First, program managers need to
set clear objectives up front and
make sure that the right amount
of funding is allocated to out-
reach,” said Burns. “Otherwise, the
program is going to face problems
over time. A program that is poorly
used and poorly understood does
not always last.”
Second, the outreach strategy
should use existing tools and
audiences at the agency that
align with program objectives.
“FEMA, for example, reaches
over 1 million people with email
and SMS messaging by con-
necting their digital proper-
ties (FEMA.gov and Ready.gov)
with our platform,” Burns said.
“When they sought to build an
online component to their na-
tional preparedness community
(http://community.fema.gov),
they leveraged FEMA’s existing
online audience to drive com-
munity participation and adop-
tion rather than starting from
scratch.”
Finally, the program should
divide its communication strat-
egy between building audience
and generating action. “Building
audience is about maximizing
the number of people that can be
reached through digital channels
by growing your email and text
messaging database and social
media following, where appropri-
ate,” Burns said.
“One way we’ve seen programs
build their audience dramatically is
by working with other agencies to
cross-promote sign-up options so
someone visiting the [Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention’s]
website can sign up to FEMA’s
Ready program at the same time,”
continued Burns. “Then, programs
can use that large online audience
to generate actions that help meet
objectives, whether that’s showing
up at an event, applying for a grant
or adopting healthier behavior.”
This dual focus on connecting with
more people and getting people
to take action helped increase
FEMA’s national preparedness
community’s nationwide reach
from approximately 6,000 people
to more than 40,000 members
and has led to measurable impact
in the form of member-hosted
preparedness events across the
country that have engaged more
than 1.4 million people.
The Small Business Administration
has empowered economic growth and
job creation by :
Increasing total number of email
subscribers to 1.3 million.
Increasing number of small
businesses taking entry-lev-
el courses by 255% and
visits to targeted resources
by 72%.
USA.gov has provided trusted, timely
and valuable government information
to a larger audience by:
Doubling the ability to proactively
provide resources by adding
244,000 new subscribers in 6
months.
Increasing engagement of messag-
ing with a 66% increase in total
opens and 156% increase in total
clicks in 6 months.
USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service
has increased awareness of healthier
school lunches by:
Increasing the total number of
parents and providers receiving
information about healthier food
options by 143% in 6 months.
Expanding reach beyond FNS
through other key government
stakeholders, reaching 500,000
additional stakeholders.

10. 8 Executive Research Brief
Government outreach has under-
gone a tremendous transforma-
tion in the past 10 years. “There
has been a massive transition
from communications as a public
into communications as a strate-
gic asset to change behavior and
support program objectives on a
massive scale,” said Burns. “Gov-
ernment is increasingly using com-
munication to have a critical and
measureable impact in areas that
matter greatly, and that is exciting.”
Government is at a crossroads.
Today, communication tools are
leading the government into
the future, helping modern-
ize and transform how govern-
ment agencies connect with the
public. By adopting these tools
and strategies, you will put your
agency on the path toward more
adoptions, efficiency and effec-
tiveness and re-energize your
organization by transforming the
way you engage with the public.
• -
formation updates on your agen-
cy’s homepage. But don’t have
the sign-up option only there.
You should have sign-up boxes
on every page that has compel-
ling information and on pages
• Implement an overlay on your
homepage. The overlay will dark-
en your homepage, but it high-
lights the ability to sign up for
content from your organization.
GovDelivery has seen public sec-
tor organizations increase their
outreach by more than 500 per-
cent using overlays.
• Find a collaborator. Find entities
that have similar programs or
mission goals and work together
to promote one another’s con-
tent and information. If your pro-
gram is focused on bullying, then
work with an education organiza-
tion or department to promote
your content.
• Craft a message that is relevant
to your audience. When draft-
ing a message consider whom
you are trying to reach, what you
want to inform them about and
what you want them to do with
the data.
• Use a single platform that can
track goals to coordinate multi-
channel engagement tools. Give
all internal stakeholders access
to the platform, and utilize roles
and permissions to drive consis-
tent, cohesive messaging.
5 Tips for Implementing a
Successful Outreach Strategy
Government Communications
& the Future of Engagement
A F E W P O I N T E R S
A Q U I C K S U M M A R Y
marking and communications. We
do the best we can with what we
have, but if we had more resources
we could and should do more. Our
goal is to show people that we can
enhance their lives and the com-
munity by providing exceptional
experiences.”
– GovLoop Survey Participant
Successful engagement is not
just clicks and likes. “Success is
about getting a large number
of people to engage with the
program in a way that sup-
ports the program’s objectives,”
Burns said. “If you’re trying to
get people to comply with laws,
how many are reading the most
recent regulations and dem-
onstrating comprehension or
improved behavior? If you are
promoting flu shots, can you
demonstrate where outreach
supports that goal?”
To help you make successful pro-
grams, Burns has outlined five
easy insider tips for creating a
robust engagement strategy:

11. 9Building Powerful Outreach
About GovLoop
GovLoop’s mission is to “connect government to im-
prove government.” We aim to inspire public sector
professionals by serving as the knowledge network for
government. GovLoop connects more than 100,000
members, fostering cross-government collaboration,
solving common problems and advancing government
careers. GovLoop is headquartered in Washington D.C.
with a team of dedicated professionals who share a
commitment to connect and improve government.
For more information about this report, please reach
out to Emily Jarvis, GovLoop Online Editor on twitter:
@emichellejarvis or via email: emily@govloop.com.
GovLoop
1101 15th St NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 407-7421 Fax: (202) 407-7501
www.govloop.com
Twitter: @GovLoop
About GovDelivery
GovDelivery enables public sector organizations to
connect with more people and get those people to
take action.
More than 1,000 organizations, from the smallest
local parks to the largest national agencies, trust
GovDelivery’s secure, scalable, cloud-based plat-
form to deliver highly impactful communications.
In total, GovDelivery connects its clients with more
than 60 million people.
GovDelivery’s enterprise-class technology allows
organizations to transform their communications
to meet mission and program goals, resulting in
safer communities, happier commuters, healthier
families, and better government.
Additional GovDelivery solutions allow public sector
organizations to deliver emergency notifications,
enhance online transactions, build online collab-
orative communities, and track customer requests.
For more on GovDelivery,
visit govdelivery.com

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