SOCIAL MEDIA
Social Media for the government: a practical approach
Social media tools are new channels that government communicators may be able to use as they reach out to and engage particular audiences in Canada and around the world. They include Facebook, Twitter and
Blogs.
What makes these channels so powerful is that the people who use them aren’t just consumers of media, they are also producers. They can take your message and pass it along to others in their social network, dramatically increasing the reach of your messages.
Here are Delta Media’s three top tips to reference when considering the use of social media tools:
Make your documents social media friendly
Make it easy for visitors to your website to interact with and share your news and information. Consider including the following social media buttons and tools in your next website information posting:
Buttons
- Email a friend – allow people to email content from your site directly to people in their network.
- Bookmark – automatically adds the webpage information to a person’s favourite web listings.
- Really Simple Syndication (RSS) – allows people to easily track your activities by receiving any updates you post to your website.
- Permalink – provide a search-engine and user-friendly permanent URL for ease of copying, bookmarking and accurate referencing for visitors.
- Social media icons – include links to your organization’s social media pages (e.g. Facebook, Twitter).
Tools
- Multi-media content – link people to your promotional videos, relevant Blogs, online forums related to the topic.
- Comments section – include a link to a forum where readers can share feedback and post comments about information, include a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) button the comments so others can keep updates about the conversation surrounding the topic.
Consider this example, In 2009, White Ribbon Campaign (WRC) / Le Centre ontarien de prévention des agressions (COPA) partnered to secure funding from the Ontario Government for an Internet-based, social media awareness campaign that would encourage, empower, support and inspire men to mentor the boys (age 8-14) in their lives and teach them the skills to create and benefit from healthy and equal relationships with women. We made extensive use of various social media tools, such as Facebook, Twitter and Blogs and interconnected the online groups. Delta Media also created a “chicklet” that can be used (on Facebook pages or emails) by those wishing to show their support of the campaign.
The campaign culminated with a special presentation by the Honourable Deb Matthews, Ontario’s Minister Responsible for Women’s Issues and has been endorsed by Brian Vallée, author of The War on Women. Traffic to the site increases daily, the interactive message board is popular with visitors and contributors and bloggers have written extensively about the timeliness and usefulness of both sites. Visit www.itstartswithyou.ca and www.commenceavectoi.ca.
Use Social Media to build community and rich content
In a way, social networks are the new editorial page, rich with opinions and ideas. The greater goal is to build a community through engagement. Blogging, Tweeting — it’s about building a network around issues that matter to the community. Her Excellency Michaëlle Jean has a Blog in both official languages (www.citizenvoices.gg.ca) that provides citizens with the ability to interact and converse with her. The Blog engages members with multi-media such as posts, hyperlinks, forums and videos. Her readers stay connected and updated about her opinions, news, initiatives and events as they relate to her role as the Governor General of Canada.
Use Social Media to combat misinformation
By participating in social media conversations, government departments can gain intelligence about how their information is being received or not received. Use social media to disseminate links to news releases, reports and informative websites and promotional videos. Monitor online conversations and respond to posts by providing links to credible, useful and accurate information. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) began using Twitter as a crisis communications tool to broadcast information about the Influenza H1N1 virus (Swine Flu) to Canadians when the pandemic outbreak occurred in late 2009. They currently have an online community of 1,812 followers. Follow PHAC on Twitter: twitter.com/phac_gc/ and twitter.com/aspc_gc/.
Karen Bennett is a Senior Consultant with Delta Media who is
a new and traditional media MarComm specialist.
Karen@deltamedia.ca
