By Ryan Kopperud, Content Editor
Over 1000 public sector organizations use GovDelivery’s digital communications platform to build a massive online audience and reach targeted groups with the right information at the right time. It’s our pleasure to profile one of the newest organizations to join that list: the San Francisco Planning Department. They are now part of an already extensive network of government organizations who partner with GovDelivery to streamline how they communicate with key stakeholders and the public.
The San Francisco Planning Department saw a need for a tool to offer external communications in a digital format, and allow the general public to be notified of the department’s work and project updates. In an effort to be more transparent, San Francisco residents are now able to subscribe to topics of interest by email and text message alerts. Public Hearing agendas, long-range planning project updates, changes to legislations, and upcoming community events are just a few examples of the information that the Planning Department is now offering through GovDelivery.
In order to offer the public a user-friendly way to receive the most relevant and targeted information, the Planning Department offers planning project updates by neighborhood. If a subscriber doesn’t know their neighborhood, the built-in map on the subscription page allows them to quickly identify and subscribe to information relevant to the area where they live, work and play.
In addition, the Planning Department uses GovDelivery Page Watch automation, where they’re able to automatically distribute updates to subscribers regarding calendar events, news releases and more when new content is posted to their website.
With the prevalence of GovDelivery clients in the San Francisco bay area, the San Francisco Planning Department is also excited to begin using the GovDelivery Network, bringing them subscribers from other GovDelivery clients in the Northern California region, including the City of Oakland, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), the City of Berkeley, Alameda County and more. The GovDelivery Network allows organizations to dramatically grow their outreach by displaying relevant information from other organizations to subscribers who sign-up for information from their organization. As organizations reciprocate this process, everyone benefits from subscriber growth by introducing subscribers to information they may not know is available to them.
The San Francisco Planning Department is also leveraging their website as a portal to attract visitors and convert them to subscribers of their digital information. By doing this, they can stay in touch with their stakeholders and offer valuable information ongoing. On each page where visitors can see updated content on the website, the Planning Department offers a direct sign-up box with an attention-grabbing subscribe button.
At GovDelivery, we’re always excited to welcome new clients from all levels of government, who find unique ways to use our software to better serve their communities. A hearty welcome to the San Francisco Planning Department from everyone at here GovDelivery!