Digital Outreach in Human Services
Did you know that 7 out of every 10 Americans use social media? Because of this high saturation, which only continues to rise, it stands to reason that digital outreach is a critical communication tool no matter what your message is or where it originates. Digital outreach is not only effective for eCommerce sites or businesses that produce products. The human services field can benefit immensely as well and for a number of fundamental reasons.
· Builds Sincere Client Engagement
Whether you choose email marketing, search engine marketing, social media marketing, or all three, digital outreach is proven to increase client engagement. This is because digital outreach is a much more authentic and personalized approach to connecting with people. In human services, it is a way for you to target your specific audience, deliver a creative and positive presence, and form real, lasting relationships with people you need to reach and who need your services.
· Rank Higher in SERPs
For people to engage with your services, they need to be able to find you. Where you appear in search results is a critical element of successful digital outreach. With careful content design, you can rank higher in search engine results. These, in turn, will drive more people to your messages, your website, and your online activities. In a nutshell, you can do this by being mindful of SEO strategies within your content. A successful campaign will increase overall awareness and drive more clicks to your site through social media channels. This higher website traffic will help you become more reputable within the Google algorithm. From there, your organic traffic will increase outside of your digital outreach efforts, making it a double bonus. In other words, the more you are recognized through the Google algorithm, the more traffic that will be directed to your services.
· Cultivates Trust Quickly
In human services, trust is a vital part of the relationships you are building. Because cultivating and keeping trust is so essential for good public service, digital outreach done in the right way can engage with people in a way that will cultivate trust. Overall, creating engaging content to humanize yourself in the eyes of your audience is a powerful way to start a dialogue with the people you serve. Steering away from government-speak and legal jargon, and focusing on being clear, understandable and interactive with digital outreach can all help you reach a higher level of trust.
· Supports Program Awareness and Access
Effective digital outreach can increase awareness of the services you offer, help people understand how to access those services, and encourage people do so in a positive and supportive way. The trust you develop, the clarity of services, the ease of access and the quality interactions will change the way people approach your services. Coming into programs with a more positive start, with an understanding of what’s needed and expected, and an understanding of what supportive services can be accessed will help families achieve desired outcomes. Digital marketing isn’t a magic wand but it will help you in the early interactions with those you serve, and start in a positive and meaningful way toward addressing their needs and the needs of families and children throughout your community.
Final Thoughts – Leverage Digital Outreach for Future Success
Every single human services program relies on a trusted relationship and positive interactions to be most effective. We often hear leaders in our community talk about meeting people where they are. Well, we know where they are… they are online. One of our greatest challenges is making people aware of the services we can provide at their most vulnerable moments. Perhaps second to that would be the need for clear and accurate communication once they do access our services. With an effective digital outreach strategy and online presence, we can address both of these critical issues and not only meet people where they are but also maintain positive interactions with them throughout their time engaged in our programs and services.
If you are interested in learning more about how you can create an effective digital outreach strategy or would like to utilize these tools for a specific campaign, please contact us, and we’d be happy to help.
Resources
https://mytasker.com/blog/benefits-of-digital-marketing/
https://caffeinerobot.com/outreach-marketing-benefits/
https://supersonicit.digital/content-marketing/outreach-digital-pr/
https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/advantages-and-disadvantages-digital-marketing