Agenda item

Contact Officer, telephone number and email:

Joe Ferrari

Communications and PR Manager

01603 516040

Joe.ferrari@north-norfolk.gov.uk

The CM introduced the report and informed Members that the draft strategy sought to build on and replace the strategy agreed in 2017. He added that the proposals within sought to achieve a number of objectives which included increasing the audience and reach of the Council’s various communications platforms, modernising the content of communications, and improving the Council’s communications with external media outlets. Furthermore, the strategy would also look to constructively review internal communications, improve communications coverage of Council meetings, and provide more effective support for Members and Officers. Finally, the CM stated that the strategy also outlined efforts to maintain the current high standard of Covid Communications, and would also seek to improve the Council’s graphic design capabilities that were currently being outsourced.

Questions and Discussion

   i.          Cllr W Fredericks stated that there had already been an evident improvement in the use and content of the Council’s social media, and asked whether it would be possible to use paid posts for greater reach. The CM replied that there was space within the Communications budget for this and the Team were looking at promoting some specific posts. He added that the costs were relatively low, and this could therefore be used to increase reach and subsequently grow the Council’s online audience.

  ii.          Cllr L Withington stated that she felt that Members had a large role in promoting the Council, but this did not appear to be emphasized, and asked for greater Member involvement in the strategy. She added that it would be useful for training to be provided to facilitate this approach, and questioned whether the social media targets outlined in the strategy were too low. The CM replied that the targets were reasonable based on the existing numbers, and would require 40-50% growth each year. He added that the current combined reach was approximately 10k-12k from a population of approximately 110k. It was noted that the main way to build social media channels was to deliver more interesting content, and whilst the Council was restricted in the variety of content it could produce, video content and infographics would be crucial to building the Council’s following. On Members’ involvement in the strategy, the CM stated that he had recommended that a review of the existing media policy take place, to highlight and encourage positive use of social media for Members. He added that he would be happy to reinforce this within the strategy, in order to help Members promote the Council.

iii.          Cllr C Cushing questioned whether an in-house graphic designer could offer the same level of service as an external provider, and suggested that the latter may have greater resource. The CM replied that since losing the last in-house graphic designer, the Council had used various external suppliers at significant cost. He added that using multiple agencies also presented the risk of a lack of consistency in approach, as well as delays in communicating and agreeing designs. Finally, it was noted that external agencies would be unlikely to provide an out of hours service without significant additional cost, and on balance, it was deemed that an internal post would be preferential.

iv.          Cllr N Housden stated that the number of interactions with posts on the Council’s social media platforms was very limited, and asked how this would be improved. He then asked whether any means of generating income for the Council had been considered. The CM replied that the interaction with posts was lower than desired, and this would be a significant challenge for the Team. He added that a number of measures, which included improving the quality of content would be taken to address this. In terms of generating revenue via the Council’s channels, the CM stated that it was not a primary concern of the strategy, and that at present, the low traffic meant that this would not provide significant income. Cllr N Housden said that he had googled Splash and noted that the most recent article appeared to be almost a year old, and suggested that the Council’s website needed to be updated more frequently as a key element of the strategy. The CM replied that there had been more recent updates published on the Council’s website, and stated that he would look into why the article had been listed as the most recent post.

 v.          The CE referred to points made regarding the role of Members in promoting the Council, and stated that it was important that Members were able to help promote objective corporate messages. On dated posts, it was noted that the impact of Covid had placed significant demand on the Team, which would be resolved in due course.

vi.          The Chairman noted that a review of the media policy would require discussion at the Constitution Working Party. He then asked whether the CM was satisfied that he had the resource to meet the aims of the strategy, and whether there would be any performance measures put in place. The CM replied that he was confident in his Team’s ability to achieve objectives outlined, and suggested that the employment of a graphic designer would take the Team a step further. In regards to performance monitoring, it was stated that social media was the easiest way to monitor traffic and reach, though work could also be done to monitor use and interactions with the Council’s website. The CM added that he would continue to report back on what the strategy had achieved, and noted that whilst social media was not the sole focus of the Council, digital interaction was generally seen as the ‘future’ for communications, which meant that it had to remain a primary feature of the strategy.

vii.          Cllr N Housden asked that consideration be given to achieving a revenue stream from the Council’s channels. The CE stated that he would take this forward as an action for consideration.

viii.          Cllr W Fredericks noted that there had been an increase in residents using the next door platform, and asked whether the CM could consider using the platform as a means to further promote the Council’s messages.

ix.          It was proposed by Cllr G Mancini-Boyle and seconded by Cllr W Fredericks to commend the draft strategy to Cabinet for approval.

RESOLVED

1.     To commend the draft strategy to Cabinet for approval.

ACTIONS

1.     For SLT to consider the potential for the Council to create advertising revenue.

2.     For the Communications Manager to consider utilising the ‘Next Door’ app to promote the Council’s communications