InTransition #148: A government gone digital, with Dana Berchman

Originally nicknamed the ‘Hay Capital of the World’, the City of Gilbert is now a leading example of what it means for a government to go digital. Wanting to engage their residents, they struck gold finding one crucial aspect of their demographic – the average age of Gilbert is 32. Why is that important? Well, because they’re young and digitally aware.

Dana Berchman, Chief Digital Officer for the City of Gilbert, attributes this one factor to the success of Gilbert’s digital transition. Understanding where her audience was lead to using resources in a more efficient, measurable way and increased government transparency.

The City of Gilbert now boasts over 25 channels across all major platforms and over the last five years has even reached viral success. By giving her residents the ability to directly contact their government for news and updates has been a major success and an example of effective government communications.

Listen to David and Dana go into great detail of how the City of Gilbert turned into a digital hub known throughout North America.

Discussed in this podcast:

• The demographics of Gilbert and how it pushed for digital reform
• Building a digital roadmap – “Willing to try, willing to fail”
• The importance of transparency and accountability in government and how social media helps
• Drawing inspiration from New York City and their digital presence
• How storytelling strengthened Gilbert’s community
• A local governments responsibility to its residents

Read Case Study: The City of Gilbert.

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