With a new decade quickly approaching, it’s time to reflect on our community engagement strategies and think about how these trends will change in the upcoming year. Last year was all about building trust with your community, but in 2020 people will expect even more!

1. Authentic online experiences that reflect the user’s values

It’s not enough to use an engagement platform just to check a box. People see right through this so this year, it will important to create an authentic online experience that reflects the values of your community. If you take the time to understand your stakeholder’s values and look at things from their perspective you will be more successful in creating a digital engagement platform that they can relate to.

2. User loyalty

User loyalty is majorly based on quality content within an interactive community. Users are spending longer times on websites that they trust and often revisiting them often. Now is the time to use this traction to create a space where your community can come to whenever they need to give feedback on various projects and find out what’s happening in their community.

3.  Diverse Content

We must turn our attention to the fact that not everyone wants to use the same digital engagement tools. We need to provide them with a diverse experience where stakeholders can choose from multiple ways to give feedback. This means having a few different tools on your platform such as an interactive map, ideas wall, discussion forum, and survey. Providing options for giving feedback will increase your participation rates as stakeholders will appreciate the authentic experience.

4.  Building a valuable community

Don’t think of a digital engagement platform as a one-off engagement tool. Utilize your platform as a space that residents can constantly visit to see what projects and events are happening around them. In 2020, people expect to be able to have their say, so why not make them feel justified by giving them a platform where they can always visit to give feedback and participate.

5. Creativity is Key

It’s easy to get an engagement platform, but it’s not so easy to direct people to the site. It’s essential to be creative when you promote your platform. It’s not enough to place a link on your website and expect residents to find it on their own.  You have to get creative whether it’s social media ads, sending out mailers or using your platform at in-person consultations. People are already on a time crunch most of the time anyway, so you must find a way to make your platform intriguing and relevant enough to keep your community interested.

Let’s make 2020 the year of participation! We want to engage with the public as much as they want to be able to have their say. So get creative and consistently communicate with your residents to keep them involved and engaged over time.