A new resource, launched at the Public Sector Communications Academy last week, is designed to help local gov communications people better engage with local business.
56% of the sole contact your local businesses have is with just one part of your council.
56%. Who is it? Well it’s not Communications Teams, it’s not Customer Services and it’s not elected members.
It’s your regulatory colleagues.
There is so much more to this area of work that just sending out a press release when a rogue local trader is caught and fined by Trading Standards.
For example, do you know what the excellent Primary Authority initiative is? No, I wasn’t fully aware either.
In fact when I reflect back on my 11 years leading local government comms teams I realise that I did very little with business customers, almost all of my focus was on residents. And that’s missing a trick.
From talking to other comms colleagues I was not alone.
So to address this a new toolkit has been created, as a part of an initiative called Talking Business which has been launched by the Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO). This work is in its infancy and is being developed in conjunction with local government comms people and comms2point0.
This is very much the beginning of the project and BRDO are keen to engage with you to see where and how the new toolkit can be further developed to provide help in telling positive local stories and to better engage with local businesses.
If you are not engaging much with your local businesses the resource will give you help and tips on how to do more with this important audience.
And if you are already doing great things with your local business then BRDO would like to hear from you to find out more and promote your good practice to others across the sector.
This good practice will be collected and showcased at a special event to be announced in the new year.
So take a look at the toolkit and get following BRDO to find out more about the support they can offer you in this important area of work.
About BRDO
The Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO) is working towards a regulatory environment in which businesses have the confidence to invest and grow and citizens and communities are properly protected. BRDO is part of the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills.
Do give them a follow…
On Twitter @BRDOregulation
On LinkedIn Better Regulation
Darren Caveney is co-creator and creative communications consultant at comms2point0
