Results from the recent 2024 Early Bird Reader Engagement Survey show that the daily employee newsletter continues to be a valued source of information for Metropolitan State University of Denver employees and that the publication still has ample room to grow. Responses to the anonymous, confidential survey will help the editorial staff better meet employees’ information needs and make improvements to content, design and delivery methods.
“MSU Denver’s internal-communications strategy aims to keep employees engaged and informed, while recognizing the contributions that faculty and staff members make to our mission everyday,” said John Arnold, senior director of Communications. “The survey results gave us important insights into who we are reaching, who we are not, and how we can improve the way we deliver information.”
Survey findings
In total, 89 employees participated in the survey, down from 186 respondents when the survey was conducted in 2022. This year’s respondents included:
- Staff, administrator or classified: 68
- Faculty members: 17
- Student employees: 3
- Other: 1
Of these, 33% have worked at MSU Denver for 10 or more years; 16% more have been with the University for six or more years; and another 19% reported they have been employed with the University for three or more years.
- Respondents gave high marks on trust, giving the Early Bird a score of 8 on a 1-10 scale, with 10 being the highest level of trust.
- Nearly 84% of respondents are daily Early Bird readers, and another 13% open two or three emails weekly.
- 69% of respondents prefer daily communication; 19% prefer two or three per week; 12% prefer weekly.
- 80% of respondents read one or two stories per edition; 10% read three or four stories.
Website remains an area of opportunity
Despite the University’s 2022 website overhaul, which included a redesign of the Early Bird webpage, employee awareness of the dedicated Early Bird webpage remains low. Just 4% of respondents visit msudenver.edu/earlybird daily, while 34% visit a few times a month and 38% report that they have never visited the site.
“This data reaffirmed our need to build out a more robust Early Bird website – a true online news platform that stands out and offers improved functionality and a better user experience,” Arnold said, noting that a 2022 internal communications assessment also revealed that employees don’t always know where to go for important University news and information.
As a result of employee feedback, University Communications and Marketing is on track to unveil a new Early Bird site later this summer, along with a new and improved Faculty and Staff Hub.
“These two new platforms will allow employees to more easily get the University information they need and want, when they want it,” Arnold said. “Not only that, employees will find engaging stories, photos and videos that help them do their jobs, while celebrating the great work faculty and staff members across the University do everyday.”
Watch for more updates and communications as the fall semester approaches.
Early Bird continues to improve submission process
Additionally, the Early Bird will continue to educate readers on the submission process, which changed slightly this year. When asked “Do you know how to submit a story idea to the Early Bird?” 52% of respondents said “yes” while 30% said no and 18% were unsure of the process.
Employees and students can submit their story ideas (as well as other communication- and marketing-related requests) by visiting the University Communications and Marketing webpage and clicking the Request/Consultation Form button or go directly to the Request/Consultation page to see support options.
The process now includes an automated response to reassure employees that their submission has been received, and the staff aims to respond to all requests within three business days.
Next steps
Based on this data, the Early Bird editorial team will continue to increase faculty and student-employee engagement efforts, starting by connecting with new employees earlier in their MSU Denver journey and developing more specialized editions for student employees.
As respondents showed keen interest in more department profiles, program-focused articles and student/employee success stories, readers can anticipate celebratory pieces highlighting employee and student accomplishments in the fall semester.
Additionally, the Early Bird will continue to refine its email template and formatting to ensure that all recipients are able to easily and consistently access photos and information.
