Why my passion for public service drives public sector marketing results | Ep 77

Hello and welcome to Season 5 of the award-winning Public Sector Marketing Show! 👋 🎙️

After publishing the second edition and audiobook for Public Sector Marketing Pro I decided to take a content marketing break.

But I’m back with renewed creativity and energy and some behind the scenes news since I last spoke to you on this podcast in December 2022.

I share my interview from the audiobook launch with Kieran O’Malley about why I choose to serve you and what drives my inspiration for public sector marketing.

There are a few personal and professional tales in there, so stay tuned!

And do you like our new audio branding? Shoutout to our voice-over artist Stephen Daly, you might recognise his voice from Today FM.

Each weekly episode will be released on Wednesdays on YouTube and your favourite podcast platforms. With snippets shared across our social media platforms. I’m delighted to be back and I hope you stick with me for Season 5!

Coming up in episode #77:

• ✍️ Column: Welcome back public sector pros, but where have I been?
• 💬 Consulting: Public service is the ‘why’ of your marketing, lean into it without fear
• 🎙️ Interview: Kieran O’Malley interviews me at the launch of the Public Sector Marketing Pro audiobook and asks some interesting questions

Column | Welcome back public sector pros, but where have I been?

Welcome back public sector pros, but where have I been?

I wrote about this on LinkedIn recently, and it got a big response. Read my post here.

But here’s what I learned from taking a content marketing break.

• 1️⃣ Writing requires you to have your mojo!
• 2️⃣ Writing requires space and solitude.
• 3️⃣ I know when I am inspired to write and so I don’t force my writing. When I’m in flow my writing flows beautifully.
• 4️⃣ It’s ok to take a break.

But sometimes you need to prioritise when you are at capacity.

Prioritising is one of my four Ps.

• 🗓️ Planning
• 🎯 Prioritising
• ✍️ Practicing
• ⏰ Not Procrastinating

So why did I quit the podcast for 8 months?

I needed a break. And I wanted to focus on business growth, not necessarily more work, but how we do our work. This is the piece that often gets side-lined and deprioritised but at the beginning of this year, I knew it was time to reorient, if I wanted to get to the next step.

So that meant looking at our team, our processes, our product and our priorities.

Now public sector marketing pros, you might say that what I have been doing has nothing to do with public sector marketing. But it does. Often, I hear that there is no time, no capacity, no way to changing work practices. But in reality, the truth is that it’s not a priority.

Take a look at what transformation you want drive forward, and then prioritise it, potentially in favour of other tactics, and remember it’s only temporary and you are looking at the bigger picture.

Consulting | Public service is the ‘why’ of your marketing, lean into it without fear

This week I had my interview for the Network Ireland Established Business Woman of the Year Awards in Dublin. After winning the Galway heat, it was time to bring my business vision to business leaders in Dublin. So, it got me thinking. What makes ‘your work and those you work with so important, distinct, deserving?

And it goes back to the Mission of Public Sector Marketing Institute.

‘To elevate the standard of public sector digital communications in the public interest, one digital message at a time.’

We all have skin in the game, we are all citizens that need and deserve open and transparent government. The shift to the Digital Age shines a light on that public demand and any agency recoiling from that responsibility will be called out by the citizen voice online. It is not an US V THEM situation, it’s your responsibility.

So today I’m suggesting that when you make public service the ‘why’ of your marketing you will soar. I’m asking you to lean into this online without fear.

Public sector marketing is a discipline that puts the citizen at the centre. This requires you to:

• ✅ Have a policy and culture of open communication
• ✅ Leverage social media as a listening tool, that means reading the comments and accepting critique, valid or not
• ✅ Embrace digital channels that are used by target groups, so upskill in the public interest
• ✅ Employ a mindset of life-long learning because once we catch up, we are already behind

Thank You for Listening!

Thank you for tuning into episode 77.  If you are a regular listener, please rate and review our show.

Don’t forget to get in touch with your questions. I love hearing from my listeners, don’t be a social media stranger. Contact me at @JSTweetsDigital

If you would like to be a guest on the show, please get in touch. Email info@publicsectormarketingpros.com.

If you haven't already, please subscribe to The Public Sector Marketing Show or your preferred podcast platform.