Understanding govDelivery

Purpose of govDelivery

govDelivery acts as a cloud-based communication hub. It helps government groups connect with constituents in various ways. It's a service that automatically sends information using:

• Email: Send newsletters, updates, and announcements right to people's email boxes.
• Text messages: Send quick messages to phones.
• RSS feeds: Let people subscribe to updates using special news readers.
• Social media: Share information on places like Facebook and Twitter.

govDelivery's main goals are:

• Engage Citizens: Supports Iowans in staying updated on government programs, events, and key news.
• Make Programs Known: Helps more people learn about your agency's programs and services.
• Make Communication Easier: Gives you one place to manage and send out information in different ways.

govDelivery makes it simple for people to get updates from your agency how they want – by email or text. Since it's part of the Communications Cloud, local and federal governments can share state information. This helps reach even more people. The Communications Cloud helps Iowans manage all their government subscriptions in one place. This makes it easy to find and sign up for updates from different state agencies. 

When to use govDelivery

govDelivery is a helpful tool for lots of different communication needs. 

Here are some good times to use it:

• Sending Newsletters: Use ready-made newsletter designs to regularly share updates, news, and helpful information with people who subscribe. This is a great way to keep people in the loop.
• Sending Press Releases: Quickly send out press releases to news places and interested people. This makes sure important announcements get out fast.
• Promoting Events: Tell people about upcoming events, workshops, and meetings to get more people to come. govDelivery can send reminders too.
• Sending Emergency Alerts: Send important alerts and notifications about emergencies, closures, or other urgent situations. Text messages work really well for this.
• Sharing Program Updates: Tell people about changes to programs, services, or rules. This keeps everyone informed.
• Sending Targeted Messages: Send special messages to different groups of people based on what they like or where they live. This makes the messages more interesting to them.  

Elements of govDelivery 

Benefits of using govDelivery

GovDelivery helps Iowa agencies connect with residents. It encourages more participation and raises awareness of key programs and services.

• How it Helps Iowans: The Communications Cloud helps Iowans manage subscriptions easily. It also offers new ways to receive updates from the State.
• How it Helps Agencies: govDelivery shows which topics and messages work best. It lets you send personal messages. You can invite more people to events. Plus, you’ll receive better feedback. The Communications Cloud cleans email lists and manages bounced emails. This saves your staff time.

A/B testing with Communications Cloud

Do you want to improve your open rate on messages? You can improve your open rate with the right subject title for your message. For example, would more people open the message if the subject was “Continuing Education Revisions for May Board Meeting” instead of “Board Meeting Agenda”?” To find out which subject has a better open rate you can leverage A/B testing. 

To send two messages with different subjects to a small group of subscribers, follow these steps:

1. Choose your subscribers.
2. Write the first message with its subject.
3. Send the first message.
4. Create the second message with a different subject.
5. Send the second message.

Make sure both messages reach your chosen subscribers.

Check the sent report after sending the messages. See which one had a better open rate. Then, send that message to your remaining subscribers. Testing just a hundred interactions can quickly show what works and what doesn’t.

Simple A/B testing is available with our existing licensing for the govDelivery Communications Cloud. Granicus also offers additional licensing options for more robust A/B testing if you need more options.

Administrator instructions

Login link for govDelivery - https://admin.govdelivery.com

DOM DoIT created govDelivery Administrator Instructions which provides information on how to create a bulletin, add topics, and access support and training.

New Administrators may want to review these resources:

1. govDelivery support articles
2. Knowledge Center videos
3. AdministratorTraining