This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Going Forward
Public agencies can benefit from bringing a more conscious marketing approach and mindset to their mission, problem solving, and outcomes. In the following chapters, you will explore these major marketing activities more systematically. They are illustrated with vivid examples of public agency effectiveness, efficiency, innovativeness, and responsiveness. You will read inspirational and informative stories of responsive public service leaders and how they are using marketing thinking to contribute to meeting agency goals for
- Increasing revenues
- Increasing service utilization
- Increasing purchases of products
- Increasing compliance with laws
- Improving public health and safety
- Increasing citizen behaviors to protect the environment
- Decreasing costs for service delivery
- Improving customer satisfaction
- Engendering citizen support
The good news is that chances are, some public agency somewhere in the world has solved some problems you are facing by using marketing principles and tools.
In the end you should be convinced that marketing is not the same as advertising, sales, or communications and doesn’t have to feel like manipulation. It is these skills and more. It involves a customer (citizen-centered) approach, one that will help address citizen complaints, alter their perceptions, and improve your performance. It is a disciplined approach, requiring you to develop a formal plan by conducting a situational analysis, setting goals, segmenting the market, conducting marketing research, positioning your brand, choosing a strategic blend of marketing tools, and establishing an evaluation, budget, and implementation plan. And you’ll learn how to develop a compelling one.
Government can move from being low-tech and low-touch to being high-tech and high-touch and thereby deliver more value for the taxpayer dollar. We believe that government can deliver more quality, speed, efficiency, convenience, and fairness to its citizens. We greatly respect the wishes of public servants to perform professionally in their jobs. This book makes a contribution to the marketing skill set and citizen sensitivities of public servants and thereby to the common good.