Learning from Better Connected 2014 Wednesday 14 th May by Aurelia Moreaux Marketing and Communications Officer and Mischa Brown Website and Information Officer Digital Engagement in Local Government

What it’s all about History of social media and digital engagement at Braintree District Council How we use social media A few campaign examples How we use our website What the future holds Q&A’s

Brief history Braintree District Council – 147,000 residents Created social media presence Increased followers using a variety of campaigns 19 different social media accounts - over 18,000 followers (largest amongst the districts and boroughs in Essex proportionally) Customers expect to access all services using a method and time that suits them

How we engage our customers INCREASE INTERACTION and FULL ENGAGEMENT with our customers Stimulate interest Facilitate interaction Drive participation Personal connection

‘Don’t be a Tosser’ campaign Results: Social media enhanced the campaign 250 people read story on Green Heart FB wall in one hour Council online poll said over 2,000 would report car litter offenders Local paper ran a poll- 65% said not offensive 450 Tosser reports and still counting Nationally recognised car litter campaign

The power of social media Stamp Out Poo Tell Us Who dog fouling campaign Julie “Where is the form to report someone who allowed their dog to foul and then moved on like he didn’t hear me shouting at my 2yr to come away from the dog poo??” July 15, 2013 Julie “ Wow, would like to confirm this really works. I sent the form at 10:30 and at 3.30pm this afternoon the man was identified and spoken to. Obviously he denied it, but I don’t care- I hope the shame alone will stop him from ignoring poo in the future…” July 16, 2013 The ‘army of eyes’ just got bigger and District wide!

Braintree District Council Website Our website has to… Have an integrated approach across all customer channels Be transactional Be up to date, accurate and Informative To help us…. Monthly customer statistical reports Web group meetings Customer feedback/ Socitm report

Results… Customer alerts 1 star to a 3 star website (in 2 years) A culture of continually looking at improvements Braintree District Council Website

Crisis management Christmas refuse vehicles breakdown – affecting 37% bin collections How did we manage this? Alert message on our website linking to affected areas webpage. Social media activity Text message to our customers Customer advisors signposted customers to our website Result: 55% more customers to this section of the website. Credit : Essex Chronicle newspaper

Never standing still… Live Chat Where I Live facility Improving online payment facilities Responsive design Continued feedback on our digital channels Targeted campaigns Separate Customer Service social media account Continued promotion of our social media The digital world never stands still and is always progressing

Thank you for listening Q& As Follow Facebook ‘Braintree District Council’ Telephone: