Kane County Connects Wins Award For ‘Exemplary’ Audience Engagement
We mentioned a few weeks ago that Kane County Connects newsletter had some great numbers in our December reader survey.
Not to go all Sally Field on you, but those results signaled that “you like us; you really like us.” (I know, the actual quote is, “I can’t deny the fact that you like me, right now, you like me!” But that didn’t work in the previous sentence.)
Among the results from the 658 responses were:
- How Often Read: 84% read “always” / “frequently”
- Satisfaction: 87% “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied”; Less than 1% “somewhat” or “very dissatisfied”
- Relevance: 90% said content is “relevant” or “somewhat relevant”; only 2% said “somewhat irrelevant” or “very irrelevant”
So we must be doing something right.
More evidence showed up this week, when we received notice from Constant Contact, the software service that fuels the KC Connects daily and weekly newsletters (as well as the myriad newsletters published by Kane County departments), congratulating us for being named a “2014 Constant Contact All-Star Winner!”
“You demonstrated exemplary engagement with your audience,” the email said. “You set the standard of excellence. We are thrilled to present you with the All Star Award for 2014!”
I know, I know, right now you’re saying to yourself, “Why should I give a [FILL IN THE EXPLETIVE OF YOUR CHOICE … FEEL FREE TO ADD AN ADJECTIVE.]”
First, it’s not all hype, and the results are measurable.
Every year, the bar to “All Star” status gets higher and higher. Only 10 percent of Constant Contact customers receive it. The stats are based on
- High average open and click-through rates
- Low bounce rates
- Regular communication with your audience
- Frequent and effective use of web sign-up tools, Facebook, a variety of social media and links
Second, I think it builds trust in and underlines the quality of the Kane County digital outreach initiative —a service we work very hard to bring you each day.
Third (and lastly, I promise) you’ve made a time-and-attention investment by reading and subscribing to Kane County Connects, so there’s a certain satisfaction in knowing you’re contributing to the success of a good, solid (and supremely inexpensive as far as your tax dollars go) government service.
Sure, I know that the nice folks at Constant Contact are blowing a little smoke and simply trying to keep their good customers happy, but I also have to agree with —and echo — the sentiment of their message:
“We’re proud that more and more customers have unlocked the success formula to building better relationships with their audience!”
Rick Nagel
Outreach Coordinator
Feb. 6, 2015
