Study Purpose

Designed to collect information on member knowledge of and communication experiences with the Retirement System.

What communication mediums are effective for newer members of the System?

Taking Action

The RSD Communications team surveyed members of all five Retirement Systems over a two week period in April. This survey was administered online through our survey tool, Empliant.

Members were notified of the availability of the survey through two e-mail notices.

Survey Response

69.6%

27.5%

.1% .2%1.1%1.6%

Teachers' and State Employees' Retirement System Local Governmental Employees' Retirement SystemConsolidated Judicial Retirement System Legislative Retirement SystemFiremen's and Rescue Squad Workers' Pension Fund I don't know

The Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System compromised majority of the responses by 69.6%. Consolidated Judicial Retirement System had the least amount of representatives with .1% responding to the survey. 1.6% said they did not know which System they were a member of.

Use of RSD Technologies

Daily Once a week Once a month A few times per year

Never

.7% 2.3%

11.8%

64.6%

20.6%

Once a month Once a year A few times per year

Never

11.5%6.9%

56.3%

25.2%

Q: How often to you access the Retirement Systems Web page?

Q: How often to you access ORBIT?

When members were asked about current technologies that RSD utilizes such as the Web site and ORBIT majority responded that they use them seldom, a few times per year.This may be due to the age demographics and years of service.

RSD Communications

6.3%

35.1%

47.8%

8.3%2.5%

Q: I find NC Retirement Systems’ Newsletters effective.

6.2%

45.5%39.6%

6.6%2.2%

Q: I find the Retirement Systems’ Web site effective.

AgreeStronglyAgree

I don’tknow

Disagree Strongly Disagree

When members were asked about current RSD communications such as newsletters and the Web site they expressed more interest in the Web site than printed publications. This proves that members of the younger generation participate and find viral communications more effective than traditional communication.

Views on Blogging

52.8%44.3%

2.9%

Yes No, I'm not interestedNo, I don't know how a blog works

Q: Would you be interested in reading a blog about how other state employees are using their retirement benefits?

Results show that majority of members (n=663) are interested in reading a blog about retirement benefits. And only 2.9% don’t know how a blog works.

Member Use of Social Media

76.8%

21.8% 1.4%

Yes No, I'm not interested No, I don't know how to use it

The vast majority of respondents reported that they use Social Media networks (n=964), only 1.4% don’t know how to use Social Media.

Social Media Networks

Twitter

LinkedIn

YouTube

Facebook

Digg

MySpace

None 12.00%

45.7% Members expressed an astounding use of the Facebook community with YouTube not following far behind with $13.1% using this network.

Retirement & Social Media

• Social Media is defined by Wikipedia as “an umbrella term that defines the various activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos, and audio.”

Other Retirement Systems Utilizing Social Media Tools:

Why Social Media?

Time spent on social networks is growing at 3Xthe overall Internet rate, accounting for about10% of all Internet time.

Nielson, Global Faces and Networked Places, 2009

What We Learned

34.6%

37.5%

17.9%

6.1%4.00%

Strongly Agree Agree I don't knowDisagree Strongly Disagree

37.5% of respondents agree that they would be willing to access more information online and receive fewer printed communication materials in the future.

Based on the results from this communication survey we can conclude that younger members of the Retirement System are heavily involved in Social Media Networking and are interested in receiving retirement information through various online outlets.

RecommendationsThe great thing about integrating social media into our communication plan is its ability to build on RSD’s recent development of metrics for the processes at RSD as well as benchmarking with other Retirement Systems. Social media will allow us to set goals and benchmarks that are easily measurable for a desired time variable (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually.) Besides this, the benefits of social media are endless:– Transparency– Awareness– Build trust – Promote website– Inexpensive– Extend conferences, workshops, webinars– Build relationships– Be part of an ongoing conversation

*To effectively participate in the benefits that social media can offer we must first establish short and long term goals.

Short-term Goals• Listen and understand what is currently being discussed online and in social

media about Retirement Systems market and customers. This includes benchmarking and following other Retirement Systems that are currently partaking in various social media outlets, this will help us to understand the media and what is currently trending.

Monitoring & Buzz-tracking

• After RSD establishes its business aims for social media related to existing aims we will need to decide how to measure these aims. Develop metrics for how we will measure these aims.

Business Aims

• Social media tools available to us and experiment. Try new tools and develop a mix that will coincide with our business aims and our target audience.

Explore

• Begin to develop a social media plan tailored to RSD.

Plan

Long-term Goals• Corporate guidelines/principles for employees when communicating in social

networks.Set Policies• Integrate with the right social media channels that will suit the RSD image, goals

and target audience. Decide whether to build own site (blog, forum, etc.) or use existing site(s).Channels

• Choose a team that will execute the RSD social media plan. Remember-quality will be key when developing a team. Experienced and already established online PR agents or staff members will be of value.Team

• Finalize the development of social media plan and strategize with team how to effectively execute.Strategize

• With the chosen’s team expertise begin to execute and implement RSD social media plan.Implementation

• Metrics and benchmarks change over time therefore it is important to regularly evaluate RSD social media metrics.Reappraisal