1. Overview of Communications Activity PMC/IMC_03_Pap… · IMC/03/03 Update on implementation of the Communications Strategy 1 UPDATE ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION

IMC/03/03

Update on implementation of the Communications Strategy

1

UPDATE ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION

STRATEGY - INTERREG VA PROGRAMME

1. Overview of Communications Activity

The following is an overview of communications activity undertaken by the SEUPB, over the

past six months, including the official launch of the INTERREG VA Programme at the start of

the year. To date, this activity has focused on the promotion of funding calls under the new

Programme along with the co-ordination of a series of sectoral workshops to assist potential

beneficiaries.

It is worth noting that the SEUPB has been subject to two separate purdah periods for the NI

Assembly elections (30 March to 5 May 2016) and the referendum on UK membership of the

EU (27 May to 23 June 2016) which has impacted upon the amount of pro-active press

coverage generated by the Body.

Annex 3 includes the SEUPB’s Annual Communications Plan Overview for review and

approval by the Programme Monitoring Committee.

2. New Programme Launch Event

The INTERREG VA Programme was officially launched on 22 Jan 2016 at the Skainos

Centre in East Belfast. The event was attended by over 100 of the SEUPB’s key

stakeholders including Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Investment Keith

Brown, the (then) Irish Minister of Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin TD and

the (then) Northern Ireland Finance Minister Mervyn Storey MLA.

IMC/03/03


2

The Communications Team had commissioned a short film highlighting the impact of

previous INTERREG IVA funding which was played during the launch event – this is

available at the below link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_MrRdtTzNs.

The launch event also attracted a significant level of print and broadcast media attention

from across the Programme’s eligible area including BBC (Scotland), RTÉ and BBC (NI).

3. Promotional Activity – Funding Calls for INTERREG VA

To help ensure the submission of eligible applications to the new INTERREG VA

Programme the Communications Team has undertaken a number of targeted promotional

activities including the;

Creation and insertion of public notification adverts within the Scottish Herald, the

Irish Independent and the Belfast Telegraph (refer to annex 1 for a copy of an advert

placed within the Scottish Herald).

Issuing of funding call focused press releases across the eligible area of the

Programme (within the constraints applied by the NI Assembly election and UK

referendum purdah periods).

Direct mail out to the SEUPB’s database of key stakeholders and potential applicants

(circa 2,600 contacts).

Co-ordination of 5 separate sectoral workshops in Belfast, Londonderry, Inverness

and Dundalk attended by over 150 potential applicants.

Use of the SEUPB’s existing social media channels to promote the opening of all

INTERREG VA funding calls and applicant workshops. (This activity included the

uploading of filmed workshop events onto the SEUPB’s You Tube Channel).

Re-configuration of the SEUPB website to ensure that all relevant information relating

to the new INTERREG VA Programme is as accessible as possible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_MrRdtTzNs

IMC/03/03


3

Attendees at the R&I (Objectives 1.1) funding call at the ‘Playhouse’ theatre in Derry-Londonderry.

4. Media Coverage

Significant levels of coverage have been secured throughout 2016 in relation to projects in

receipt of funding under INTERREG IVA, the official launch of the new INTERREG VA

Programme and the various funding calls which have opened under the Programme. (Refer

to Annex 2 for a sample of the coverage generated).

IMC/03/03


4

5. SEUPB Website

Traffic to the SEUPB website remains high at an average of 2,700 visits per month. The

most visited pages include the new Programme Overview pages, the INTERREG VA

Funding Call timetable and individual funding call information pages. The Communications

Team is currently involved in the development of a new website for the Body. At present it is

reviewing a number of suggested design concepts with its appointed web development

agency. It is anticipated that the webste will be completed by the end of the summer/early

autumn.

6. Social Media Activity

The Communications Team has continued to develop the SEUPB’s social media presence

on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and You Tube, with the following results:

IMC/03/03


5

6.1 Twitter

This is the most popular social media channel used by the SEUPB, which as of 15/06/16 has

1,240 followers.

The above chart relates to the number of ‘impressions’ received by the SEUPB’s twitter

account. ‘Impressions’ are defined as the number of times all of the Body’s followers are

served a Tweet in their timeline or search results. As of May 2016 this reached 48,100

impressions, in comparison to 27,800 recorded in January 2016.

The above chart relates to the number of times SEUPB’s followers ‘Retweeted’ or endorsed

a Tweet posted by the Body. As of May 2016 this reached a total of 93, with an average of

80 ‘Retweets’ per month.

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

Jan-16 Feb-16 Mar-16 Apr-16 May-16

Impressions

0

20

40

60

80

100

120


Retweets

Retweets

IMC/03/03


6

The above chart relates to the number of ‘engagements’ (clicks on a Tweet, Retweets,

replies, follows, likes, links, hashtags, profile photo or Tweet expansion) divided by the

number of ‘impressions’ received by the SEUPB’s Twitter account. In January 2016 this was

recorded at 1.0%, rising to 1.3% in March 2016. Currently the engagement rate stands at

0.9%.

6.2 Facebook

The above chart relates to the total number of likes for the SEUPB’s Facebook page, which

currently stands at 405, in comparison to 324 in January 2016.

0.00%

0.20%

0.40%

0.60%

0.80%

1.00%

1.20%

1.40%


Engagement Rate

Engagement Rate

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

6June- 12June

30May- 5

June

23May- 29May

16May- 22May

9May- 15May

2May- 8

May

25Apr -

1May

18Apr -

24Apr

11Apr -

17Apr

4Apr -

10Apr

28Mar- 3Apr

21Mar- 27Mar

14Mar- 20Mar

7Mar- 13Mar

29Feb- 6

Mar

22Feb- 28Feb

15Feb- 21Feb

8Feb- 14Feb

1Feb- 7Feb

25Jan -31Jan

18Jan -24Jan

11Jan -17Jan

4Jan -10Jan

Total Page Likes

Total Page Likes

IMC/03/03


7

The above chart relates to the weekly engagement rate of the SEUPB’s Facebook page.

Engagement is defined as the % of people who saw a post and shared, clicked or

commented on it. The engagement rate stands at 3.4% as of 12 June 2016.

6.3 SEUPB You Tube Channel

The above chart relates to the total number of views of all content within the SEUPB’s You

Tube Channel. Current content on the channel includes a number of filmed sectoral

workshops for potential project applicants to the INTERREG VA Programme. The average

0123456789

6June- 12June

30May- 5

June

23May- 29May

16May- 22May

9May- 15May

2May- 8

May

25Apr -

1May

18Apr -

24Apr

11Apr -

17Apr

4Apr -

10Apr

28Mar- 3Apr

21Mar- 27Mar

14Mar- 20Mar

7Mar- 13Mar

29Feb- 6

Mar

22Feb- 28Feb

15Feb- 21Feb

8Feb- 14Feb

1Feb- 7Feb

25Jan -31Jan

18Jan -24Jan

11Jan -17Jan

4Jan -10Jan

Engagement Rate

Engagement Rate

0

50

100

150

200

250


Views

Views

IMC/03/03


8

number of monthly views from January to May stands at 123. Additional content will be

uploaded when newly funded projects become active.

6.4 Linkedin

This chart relates to the engagement rate as defined by how people react to SEUPB updates

in terms of comments, likes, clicks or shares. (Please note that no activity was available for

March 2016). The engagement rate for May 2016 stands at 7.46%.

6.5 SEUPB Social media analysis

Twitter is the best performing social media channel used by the SEUPB, followed by

Facebook and Linkedin. The SEUPB’s You Tube channel requires more filmed content but

this will available as soon as INTERREG VA projects become operational. In order for the

SEUPB to further develop its social media presence fresh, relevant content must be

uploaded on a daily basis.

It is the intention of the Communications Team to encourage all newly funded projects to

become active on social media. This will create a network of social media partners and a

reservoir of content that can be used to help promote the impact that EU funding is having

across the Programme’s eligible area.

0.00%

1.00%

2.00%

3.00%

4.00%

5.00%

6.00%

7.00%

8.00%


Engagement

Engagement

IMC/03/03


9

7. Corporate Publications – Your EU

The spring edition of Your EU has been published and has been circulated to the SEUPB’s

key stakeholders contact list. It is also available on-line at www.seupb.eu

http://www.seupb.eu/

IMC/03/03


10

Annex 1

Promotional Activity – Funding Calls for INTERREG VA

Public notice advert in the Scottish Herald for the R&I (Health and life Sciences) funding call under INETRREG VA.

IMC/03/03


11

Annex 2

Sample of Media Coverage Generated

Launch Event Coverage - BBC (Scotland)

IMC/03/03


12

Launch event coverage - BBC (NI)

IMC/03/03


13

Launch Event Coverage – News Letter

IMC/03/03


14

Launch Event Coverage – Daily Mirror

IMC/03/03


15

Launch Event Coverage – Irish Independent (online)

IMC/03/03


16

INTERREG IVA Programme coverage – Drogheda Viaduct project

IMC/03/03


17

Example of funding call coverage for Environment theme of INTERREG VA – BBC (NI)

IMC/03/03


18

Annex 3 – Annual Communications Plan Overview (2016) for INTERREG VA

Activity Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4

Programme Launch Event X

Your EU Magazine X X X

euroPA (e-mail marketing) X X

Media Relations – including funding call announcements X X X X

Placement of public notifications ref new funding calls X

Communication Workshops (for new Programme

beneficiaries)

X

Co-ordination of Sectoral Workshops for potential

Programme applicants

X X

Development of new Website X X X

Media Briefings on INTERREG VA X X

Development of marketing collateral for INTERREG VA X X

Social Media Activity X X X X

Staff newsletter (internal communications) X X X X

IMC/03/03


19

Create Information and Publicity Guidance for New

Programming Period

X

Media monitoring and evaluation X X X X

Programme INTERREG VA

Year 2016

Specific

Communication

Objectives

Co-ordinate an official launch event of the new INTERREG VA Programme which attracts attendance from each of the

SEUPB’s target audience groups and generates positive coverage within print and broadcast media outlets across eligible area.

Inform over 500 potential beneficiaries of the eligibility criteria, funding calls, new programme rules and guidance.

Create a new corporate website for the SEUPB which attracts over 3,000 page impressions within its first full month of

operation.

Increase the SEUPB’s combined social media presence in terms of engagement on all of its existing channels (Twitter,

Facebook, LinkedIn and You Tube).

Target Audiences Priority 1

Regional Government; Local Government and Associated Bodies;

the EU; Beneficiaries of previous programmes; Citizens;

Academic and Research Institutions; Potential Beneficiaries and

the Media.

Priority 2

Political (Northern Ireland / Ireland); Business and Business

Institutions.

Quarter 1 (Jan-Mar) Quarter 2 (Apr-Jun)

IMC/03/03


20

Proposed

calendar of

activity

Co-ordinate official launch of the new INTERREG VA

programme.

Create new marketing collateral to include information

leaflets, nomadic stands and branded merchandise etc for

the new INTERREG VA Programme.

Co-ordinate a series of sectoral specific new Programme

application development workshops across eligible area.

New website development.

Media relations activity to help generate eligible

Programme applications and publicise the sectoral

workshops for Programme applicants.

Continue social media activity to raise profile of new

INTERREG VA Programme.

Media monitoring and evaluation.

Produce internal staff e-zine.

Co-ordinate a series of sector specific new Programme

application development workshops across eligible area.


programmes.

Draft Annual Report for 2015.

Create first 2016 edition of euroPA e-zine.

Co-ordinate a series of media briefings on the INTERREG

VA Programme.

New Website development.

Media relations activity to help generate eligible

Programme applications and publicise the sectoral

workshops for Programme applicants.



Produce Winter/Spring edition of Your EU! Magazine.

IMC/03/03


21

Quarter 3 (Jul-Sep)

New website development.

Media relations activity – i.e. new funding

announcements.


programmes.

Produce summer edition of Your EU! Magazine.



Quarter 4 (Oct-Dec)

Launch new corporate website for the SEUPB.

Media relations activity – i.e. new funding announcements.


programmes.

Create second 2016 edition of euroPA e-zine.


Co-ordinate a series of media briefings on the INTERREG

VA Programme.


Co-ordinate communication workshops for new

Programme beneficiaries.

Documents

1. Overview of Communications Activity PMC/IMC_03_Pap… · IMC/03/03 Update on implementation of the Communications Strategy 1 UPDATE ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION