Description
Digital communication technologies have exploded across the world and have transformed nearly every aspect of the information and media landscape. Organizations are shifting to address implications, manage consequences, and capitalize on opportunities presented by new digital communications platforms, and by the emergence of social media platforms in particular.
Strategies for effective communication
in the new digital media landscape
Authors:
Andrea Mangini
Shane Perlman
Jeffrey Fredrick
Chris Arkenberg
Using digital platforms to reach constituents, engage
community, and tell your stories.
City Council Ad Hoc Committee on Technology presents:
2
1
Digital communication technologies have changed the
game.
Digital communication technologies have exploded across the world and
have transformed nearly every aspect of the information and media
landscape. Organizations are shifting to address implications, manage
consequences, and capitalize on opportunities presented by new digital
communications platforms, and by the emergence of social media platforms
in particular.
Organizations that are responsive, transparent and willing engage in direct
dialog with their constituents and customers on their chosen platforms are
increasingly rewarded in this new landscape. Those that fail to adapt find it
increasingly challenging to get their stories out, manage their brand, and
develop goodwill amongst their constituents.
Civic organizations are especially impacted by this shifting landscape, which
is both technological and social, and need to adapt their communications
practices and outreach strategies alongside complementary IT policies.
The shift to digital communication has changed the way that people expect
to find, share, and discuss information, and has opened whole new models
for engagement and participation. People now expect to be able to receive
and discover up-to-date information instantly online, and expect information
to be live and fresh. People also expect to be able to share, rate and discuss
content, as opposed to simply consuming it. Static websites with
information that rarely changes are rapidly being replaced by dynamic
blogging platforms where new and interesting content is added daily, and
where social sharing and commenting is integral.
Public discourse is increasingly occurring online and in social networks, as
opposed to in town-hall meetings and on op-ed pages. Organizations have
to develop new skills, practices, and policies in order to effectively
communicate, engage, and manage their brand in this new environment.
Because wireless internet, tablet computers, and smart phones have also
become widespread, people now expect to be able to access and share
information on a wide variety of computing devices. Effective
communication strategies take this into account and choose content
platforms that are widely supported on a variety of devices.
There is an overwhelming density and variety of information available online.
Reaching an audience in this environment demands strategic and skillful use
of digital communications and analytics tools, as well as basic investments in
creating compelling stories and content.
2
Although the communication technology landscape can seem complex &
overwhelming, the majority of people are gathering into only a handful of
dominant online networks. These are the new pillars of media, and as
organizations are adapting to this new landscape, they are establishing an
agreed-upon set of standards, workflows, and best practices.
Key Recommendations
» Invest in both staff time and capacity in effective engagement via
digital communication platforms
» Establish clear internal guidelines & engagement policies. Review &
revise quarterly.
» Empower staff to communicate often, enthusiastically and
transparently.
» Establish clear goals and gather relevant metrics to tune the
effectiveness of any communication strategy
» Prioritize the use of digital communication platforms to engage,
educate, and gain insights from your community
» Allow for creativity and experimentation as new platforms emerge
and technologies evolve
3
3
Analysis: Why invest in digital communication now?
The most direct way to engage communities is by going to where they are
gathered. Until very recently this has meant communicating through local
papers, public TV, phone, and by personally inviting members to civic events
such as town-hall meetings. But now the masses have largely moved online,
and are gathering into a handful of dominant social networks and digital
platforms.
Platforms like Facebook, RSS, e-mail newsletters, blogs, Twitter, YouTube,
Google Plus, and Foursquare make it very easy for people to register,
connect, share, collaborate, and create with unprecedented power & reach.
These platforms have built the new tools for engagement, posing both
challenges & incredible opportunities for civic organizations. These empower
the city to establish direct conduits to its constituencies, bypassing
traditional 3rd-party media outlets, just as they empower community
members to speak more loudly and to many more people at once.
According to a Comscore report from June 2011, social media activity
accounts for 1 out of every 6 minutes spent online. Facebook has over 600
million regular users with over 300 million unique visitors every day. It is the
most visited website in the world reaching 50% of web users globally. Twitter
counts over 175 million users sharing over 1 billion tweets per week.
LinkedIn has over 100 million users with 50% in North America. Among
Fortune 500 companies, 71% have Facebook pages, 59% have corporate
accounts on Twitter, and 56% said social media is very important to their
business & marketing strategy.
As of July 2011, 14.7% of websites on the Internet were blogs built on the
Wordpress platform, and 22% of all new websites that come online are
Wordpress blogs. This is significant because it demonstrates that the earlier
model of one-way communication via static websites is giving way to new
models of digital communication and presentation that invite discussion and
dialog.
Like all modern organizations, cities must now build capacity around digital
communication and specifically around social media engagement,
community management, marketing, brand management, content creation,
and storytelling. In effect, the city is expected to socialize more directly with
the community, to do so in ways that are engaging, compelling, authentic,
and strategic.
4
4
Analysis: How can digital communication help cities?
Communication & engagement through social networks benefits the city in
many ways. Reliance upon traditional 3rd-party media outlets to evenly
communicate the achievements and initiatives of the city is significantly
reduced as local newspaper and television journalism has declined, and as
information consumption has fragmented and moved online.
There are great benefits available for civic organizations that embrace the
new digital communication platforms. Operational friction between
departments can be reduced when departments can see the others’ status
updates. Community stakeholders such a business leaders, non-profits,
community organizers, and local resource managers can all gain greater
visibility into city efforts, leading to more opportunities for coordination &
collaboration. There are so many great folks in Santa Cruz that don’t even
know about the person next door who might be critical to their own
endeavors. A civic-led approach to social media can help reveal the inherent
potential of our community.
As more community members are connected to city social accounts,
messaging & notifications have a broader & more immediate reach. For
example, notifications of upcoming street work projects can be targeted to
individuals and businesses in impacted neighborhoods. Likewise, citizens
can be enabled to participate in reporting issues, engaging on important
topics, and contributing expertise and support where the City may lack it.
Digital communication platforms allow the city to listen, analyze, and gather
insights on local sentiment, problems, crime, and inefficiencies. Likewise, the
city can tell its stories directly to its constituency and can motivate citizens
towards events, actions, and common goals.
5
5
Overview: Understanding the Key Tools & Platforms
The digital communication environment can seem complex but there are
really only a few key platforms that need to be addressed.
First, there are the main soci al net work pl atf or ms, then there are the
cont ent publ i shi ng pl atf orms, and finally, the anal yti cs tool s for
digging more deeply into the massive amounts of data generated by digital
communications.
Soci al Network Pl atforms
» Facebook: primarily a social platform.
ohttp://www.copyblogger.com/ultimate-facebook/
ohttp://mashable.com/guidebook/facebook/
» Twi t ter: primarily a links & news sharing platform.
ohttp://mashable.com/guidebook/twitter/
» Googl e Pl us: young, but leveraging Google’s extensive reach. Will
probably emerge as a strong contender and should be watched and
experimented with.
ohttp://mashable.com/2011/07/16/google-plus-guide/
» Li nkedI n: a professional social networking platform. Useful for
engaging businesses, recruiting talent, and accessing local networks
of professionals.
ohttp://learn.linkedin.com/nonprofits/
Content Publ ishing Pl atforms
» YouTube: for video publishing, sharing, rating, & commenting.
o
» Wordpress: for creating blog-based websites, publishing articles
and news.
ohttp://wordpress.org/about/
6
7
6
» Emai l Li st s & Newsl et ters: While not a new concept for most,
email remains a powerful tool for distribution of targeted information.
It is important to differentiate use of email in this way from email as a
direct messaging tool.
Note: Email can be used very effectively without spamming the
community. If the content being emailed is valuable and relevant,
and people have an opportunity to opt-out, then email
communication will be appreciated and is far more effective than
printed newsletters.
What these tool s are NOT for:
» Internal departmental conversation & knowledge sharing
» Internal debate or conflict resolution
There are excellent social-media “style” platforms that have been
built explicitly to handle the private, internal needs of an organization,
such as Yammer & Salesforce Chatter. Don’t make the mistake of
using your public facing communication channels for internal
conversation.
Anal yti cs Tool s
One of the benefits of the Digital Communications landscape is that it is
broadly instrumented to deliver analytics. There are many analytics tools
available, both for free and for fee - but the most important investment is in
setting clear goals up front, so you know what to analyze.
Popular free, off-the-shelf tools for aggregating social media accounts and
doing basic analytics include:
» Seesmic
» Hootsuite
More comprehensive enterprise-scale tools are available, for a price,
including:
» Salesforce
» PageLever
» SocialCast
» Jive
» Offerings from SAP, I BM, Oracl e
8
7
Overview: Tricks of the Trade
Experts in digital communication and social media strategy leverage these
approaches to get the best results from their toolkit of communication
platforms:
» Fr i end & Fol l ow. Use social search tools to find people in the
community, regional experts, affinity groups, etc. “Friend” them on
Facebook & “Follow” them on Twitter. Invite them to join the SC City
group on LinkedIn. “Like” their relevant Facebook posts and
“retweet” relevant Twitter updates. This builds good will and brings
more attention to the SC City social accounts.
» Tweet i ng. Use Twitter to push links, ask questions, and drive
visitors to Facebook, YouTube & city web properties.
» Facebook: Use Facebook to directly engage the community in
surveys & contests. Post fun & interesting pictures, & feature
interviews. The reason you have a Facebook page is that every time
you post on it, you appear in your followers personal news feeds.
» Bl ogs as soci al aggregators: Set up blogs (Wordpress) for long-
form content that automatically pushes links to social networks, uses
Facebook Connect to gather comments, tracks discussion & links
track-backs. Always reply to comments, unless they are abusive.
» Par ti ci pate: Contribute to relevant online news & discussions. For
example, use the SC City Twitter account to add a comment to a
Fast Company article about Next Space. This brings exposure to the
SC City Twitter account and can help gather new followers.
» Draf t on dai l y trends & i ssues: Engage the community around
these interest points. Be a source of valuable news and information
about the community or about news that impacts the
community. Damage control: establish core guidelines for handling
negative feedback, abuse, and runaway narratives. Stick to these
guidelines but review them quarterly for effectiveness.
» Li sten & pay attent i on: monitor for name and mentions, analyze
for sentiment, and understand the difference between average users
& key influencers.
» Embrace mobi l e & l ocati on: social engagement is quickly
moving away from desktop screens and into mobile devices. Learn
how to take advantage of the ability for mobile devices to tie content
to the physical locale of your community.
» Embrace Met ri cs: analytics tools are your friend. Now you can tell
whether or not your messages are being shared, liked, and engaged
with, and can tune your strategy accordingly. You can also know
8
where your site visitors are coming from, what they search on to
locate you, and what they miss that you might have expected them
to find.
» Be a per son. Establish the identity of each public-facing City of
Santa Cruz department as a social media “person”. Be active. Be
engaging. Go to all the online parties, smile, and say “hello”.
Analysis: Building organizational capacity and
priorities around this new landscape.
Effective use of digital communication platforms will require organizational
alignment, shared goals & guidelines, and allocation of resources in order to
appropriately staff support roles & build capacity.
Key Recommendations
» Identify a Chief Communications Officer to maintain the overall
communications and content development strategy and practice.
» For each department, dedicate a staff-level Community
Manager. These roles should be a dotted line to the Chief
Communications Officer.
» Empower and train individuals across organizations to engage in
direct communication on behalf of their departments.
» Review and refine practices and guidelines regularly, both within
communications staff and across related departments, such as IT
and Legal.
» Have some patience - it takes time to build a successful online
presence
9
9
Sample Guidelines for Community Managers, or other
personnel communicating on behalf of the City.
City department heads should collaborate to develop a core set of internal
guidelines & metrics in-line with strategic goals, operational processes,
stakeholder requirements, and legal constraints. Most importantly, define a
clear set of guidelines for how to handle negative feedback, abusive
comments, and fast-moving PR disasters.
Here are a sample set of commonly-accepted guidelines to use as a starting
place:
Engage your Audi ence wi t h Val uabl e Posts
Post fresh and timely content in a similar voice and subject that promotes
dialogue with your audience
Par ti ci pate at Your Level of Experti se
Stick to topics that you can provide thoughtful leadership or input on. If you
are contributing to a topic outside of your expertise make this clear to
readers. Also, don’t hesitate to use your internal network for a suggested
response. If you receive media or legal inquiries, seek assistance. If in doubt,
ask.
Be Transparent and Authent i c
Be open and honest about your City affiliation and the topic that you are
creating content about to keep the experience authentic. Use a legal
disclaimer for blogs. Do not ever impersonate another person or use a false
name (usernames are fine as long as you disclose your identity elsewhere).
Use a humanized voice in a first-person, conversational style while following
the audience’s language and tone.
Pl ay by the Rul es
Abide by the guidelines of the host website. In addition to the terms of
service, each social networking site has certain customs and conventions.
Learn what is appropriate and follow the example of influencers in the
community.
Creat e Content Appropri ate f or Al l but Tai l ored t o the Tar get
Audi ence
Make sure the content is appropriate for all audiences around the world
before posting, while also tailoring the conversation to your target audience.
Some audience members may not speak native English, so simple
sentences help. The definition of “appropriate” differs widely among people,
so post as if everyone you know (and everyone you don’t) reads every word.
10
10
Keep Content Rel evant f or a Vari ety of Contexts
Content contributed to social media sites is public and often cannot be
edited or deleted later. Even if you can delete it later, copies may propagate
through reposting, and links to your original post may show cached
information. Include key information so it makes sense if reposted out of
context.
Li nk Str at egi cal l y
Links can be a valuable part of your post, especially for venues with mobile
implications or character limits like Twitter. Make sure the destination is
relevant and accessible to everyone.
Don’t Del ete Negati ve Feedback
Don’t remove or alter feedback just because it is negative. Deleting negative
comments or feedback creates the appearance that you are
censoring/hiding something and discourages open, authentic dialogue.
Instead, post compelling responses to criticism and consider them as
opportunities for growth.
Fi l ter for Obscene or I nappropri ate Comments
Obscene or inappropriate comments should be removed as quickly as
possible. This includes content that is offensive, denigrating, or completely
out of context. For borderline comments (in context but using profanity, for
example), remove the comment and send the commenter a private message
with the reason. The commenter then has the opportunity to repost within
the guidelines.
Be the Fi rst t o Correct Mi st akes
If you make a mistake, admit it and make a quick and upfront correction.
You are setting an example as an community leader and what you write is
ultimately your responsibility.
Compl y wi t h al l Ci ty Pol i ci es & Legal Requi rements
Avoid commenting on any rumors—do not deny or affirm them. Do not post
material that may infringe the copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual
property of others, or post material that encourages others to do
so. Among other things, you should not post any of the following without
proper consent:
o Images or photograph
o Videos or Music Recordings
o Drawings
o Presentations
o Copy written work of any kind.
Respect Ci t y Pol i ci es, Programs and Peer s
Don’t pass blame to another department for unpopular policies or program
issues. Your goal is community satisfaction but should never be at the cost
of sacrificing the reputation of another group.
11
11
Respect the Communi t y, ot her i nsti tut i ons, and other
Government organi zati ons.
Santa Cruz is embedded in a larger context of public and private
organizations at multiple levels, so saying anything negative about others will
be is perceived as bullying. Such negativity exposes the City to defamation
and libel claims. When you wish to challenge or comment upon the
decisions, policies or positions of people, groups, or institutions, it must be
done with utmost clarity and deference. Refer to a specific and public
reference, and then offer the community the opportunity to discuss. Ask for
opinion. Engage in conversation. Offer the other group the opportunity to
comment, as well. Above all, be factual, never make unsubstantiated
claims, and keep a respectful tone.
12
12
Resources & References
»http://www.howto.gov/
»http://blogs.journalism.co.uk/editors/2011/06/16/comscore-social-
media-accounts-for-one-out-of-every-six-minutes-spent-online-in-
us/
»http://www.tvguide.com/News/Most-Social-NCIS-Idol-
1033024.aspxhttp://www.gartner.com/technology/innovation/enterprise-social-
media.jsp
»http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-
bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/01/20/prweb4987944.DTL
»https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?service=branding&l
tmpl=adplanner&continue=https%3A//www.google.com/adplanner/
»http://mashable.com/2010/12/16/cities-social-media-recession/
»http://www.itworldcanada.com/news/gartner-criticizes-cities-use-of-
social-media-open-data/143281
»http://www.thesocialpenguinblog.com/2011/02/21/social-media-for-
cities-by-todd-liss/
»http://www.cmswire.com/cms/web-engagement/nationbuilder-puts-
community-in-your-crm-011910.php
»http://govfresh.com/category/gov20/gov20-guides/
»http://www.commonsthegame.com/?p=67
»http://mashable.com/2011/01/31/facebook-engagement-policy/
»http://www.slideshare.net/BrandBehavior/community-during-crisis-
what-governments-can-learn-from-the-boulder-communitys-usage-
of-social-media-during-the-boulder-fire-revised
»http://www.linkedin.com/answers/marketing-sales/search-
marketing/MAR_SRC/732557-600199
»http://mashable.com/2011/01/31/facebook-engagement-policy/
»http://www.copyblogger.com/ultimate-facebook/
13
doc_795524945.pdf
Digital communication technologies have exploded across the world and have transformed nearly every aspect of the information and media landscape. Organizations are shifting to address implications, manage consequences, and capitalize on opportunities presented by new digital communications platforms, and by the emergence of social media platforms in particular.
Strategies for effective communication
in the new digital media landscape
Authors:
Andrea Mangini
Shane Perlman
Jeffrey Fredrick
Chris Arkenberg
Using digital platforms to reach constituents, engage
community, and tell your stories.
City Council Ad Hoc Committee on Technology presents:
2
1
Digital communication technologies have changed the
game.
Digital communication technologies have exploded across the world and
have transformed nearly every aspect of the information and media
landscape. Organizations are shifting to address implications, manage
consequences, and capitalize on opportunities presented by new digital
communications platforms, and by the emergence of social media platforms
in particular.
Organizations that are responsive, transparent and willing engage in direct
dialog with their constituents and customers on their chosen platforms are
increasingly rewarded in this new landscape. Those that fail to adapt find it
increasingly challenging to get their stories out, manage their brand, and
develop goodwill amongst their constituents.
Civic organizations are especially impacted by this shifting landscape, which
is both technological and social, and need to adapt their communications
practices and outreach strategies alongside complementary IT policies.
The shift to digital communication has changed the way that people expect
to find, share, and discuss information, and has opened whole new models
for engagement and participation. People now expect to be able to receive
and discover up-to-date information instantly online, and expect information
to be live and fresh. People also expect to be able to share, rate and discuss
content, as opposed to simply consuming it. Static websites with
information that rarely changes are rapidly being replaced by dynamic
blogging platforms where new and interesting content is added daily, and
where social sharing and commenting is integral.
Public discourse is increasingly occurring online and in social networks, as
opposed to in town-hall meetings and on op-ed pages. Organizations have
to develop new skills, practices, and policies in order to effectively
communicate, engage, and manage their brand in this new environment.
Because wireless internet, tablet computers, and smart phones have also
become widespread, people now expect to be able to access and share
information on a wide variety of computing devices. Effective
communication strategies take this into account and choose content
platforms that are widely supported on a variety of devices.
There is an overwhelming density and variety of information available online.
Reaching an audience in this environment demands strategic and skillful use
of digital communications and analytics tools, as well as basic investments in
creating compelling stories and content.
2
Although the communication technology landscape can seem complex &
overwhelming, the majority of people are gathering into only a handful of
dominant online networks. These are the new pillars of media, and as
organizations are adapting to this new landscape, they are establishing an
agreed-upon set of standards, workflows, and best practices.
Key Recommendations
» Invest in both staff time and capacity in effective engagement via
digital communication platforms
» Establish clear internal guidelines & engagement policies. Review &
revise quarterly.
» Empower staff to communicate often, enthusiastically and
transparently.
» Establish clear goals and gather relevant metrics to tune the
effectiveness of any communication strategy
» Prioritize the use of digital communication platforms to engage,
educate, and gain insights from your community
» Allow for creativity and experimentation as new platforms emerge
and technologies evolve
3
3
Analysis: Why invest in digital communication now?
The most direct way to engage communities is by going to where they are
gathered. Until very recently this has meant communicating through local
papers, public TV, phone, and by personally inviting members to civic events
such as town-hall meetings. But now the masses have largely moved online,
and are gathering into a handful of dominant social networks and digital
platforms.
Platforms like Facebook, RSS, e-mail newsletters, blogs, Twitter, YouTube,
Google Plus, and Foursquare make it very easy for people to register,
connect, share, collaborate, and create with unprecedented power & reach.
These platforms have built the new tools for engagement, posing both
challenges & incredible opportunities for civic organizations. These empower
the city to establish direct conduits to its constituencies, bypassing
traditional 3rd-party media outlets, just as they empower community
members to speak more loudly and to many more people at once.
According to a Comscore report from June 2011, social media activity
accounts for 1 out of every 6 minutes spent online. Facebook has over 600
million regular users with over 300 million unique visitors every day. It is the
most visited website in the world reaching 50% of web users globally. Twitter
counts over 175 million users sharing over 1 billion tweets per week.
LinkedIn has over 100 million users with 50% in North America. Among
Fortune 500 companies, 71% have Facebook pages, 59% have corporate
accounts on Twitter, and 56% said social media is very important to their
business & marketing strategy.
As of July 2011, 14.7% of websites on the Internet were blogs built on the
Wordpress platform, and 22% of all new websites that come online are
Wordpress blogs. This is significant because it demonstrates that the earlier
model of one-way communication via static websites is giving way to new
models of digital communication and presentation that invite discussion and
dialog.
Like all modern organizations, cities must now build capacity around digital
communication and specifically around social media engagement,
community management, marketing, brand management, content creation,
and storytelling. In effect, the city is expected to socialize more directly with
the community, to do so in ways that are engaging, compelling, authentic,
and strategic.
4
4
Analysis: How can digital communication help cities?
Communication & engagement through social networks benefits the city in
many ways. Reliance upon traditional 3rd-party media outlets to evenly
communicate the achievements and initiatives of the city is significantly
reduced as local newspaper and television journalism has declined, and as
information consumption has fragmented and moved online.
There are great benefits available for civic organizations that embrace the
new digital communication platforms. Operational friction between
departments can be reduced when departments can see the others’ status
updates. Community stakeholders such a business leaders, non-profits,
community organizers, and local resource managers can all gain greater
visibility into city efforts, leading to more opportunities for coordination &
collaboration. There are so many great folks in Santa Cruz that don’t even
know about the person next door who might be critical to their own
endeavors. A civic-led approach to social media can help reveal the inherent
potential of our community.
As more community members are connected to city social accounts,
messaging & notifications have a broader & more immediate reach. For
example, notifications of upcoming street work projects can be targeted to
individuals and businesses in impacted neighborhoods. Likewise, citizens
can be enabled to participate in reporting issues, engaging on important
topics, and contributing expertise and support where the City may lack it.
Digital communication platforms allow the city to listen, analyze, and gather
insights on local sentiment, problems, crime, and inefficiencies. Likewise, the
city can tell its stories directly to its constituency and can motivate citizens
towards events, actions, and common goals.
5
5
Overview: Understanding the Key Tools & Platforms
The digital communication environment can seem complex but there are
really only a few key platforms that need to be addressed.
First, there are the main soci al net work pl atf or ms, then there are the
cont ent publ i shi ng pl atf orms, and finally, the anal yti cs tool s for
digging more deeply into the massive amounts of data generated by digital
communications.
Soci al Network Pl atforms
» Facebook: primarily a social platform.
ohttp://www.copyblogger.com/ultimate-facebook/
ohttp://mashable.com/guidebook/facebook/
» Twi t ter: primarily a links & news sharing platform.
ohttp://mashable.com/guidebook/twitter/
» Googl e Pl us: young, but leveraging Google’s extensive reach. Will
probably emerge as a strong contender and should be watched and
experimented with.
ohttp://mashable.com/2011/07/16/google-plus-guide/
» Li nkedI n: a professional social networking platform. Useful for
engaging businesses, recruiting talent, and accessing local networks
of professionals.
ohttp://learn.linkedin.com/nonprofits/
Content Publ ishing Pl atforms
» YouTube: for video publishing, sharing, rating, & commenting.
o
» Wordpress: for creating blog-based websites, publishing articles
and news.
ohttp://wordpress.org/about/
6
7
6
» Emai l Li st s & Newsl et ters: While not a new concept for most,
email remains a powerful tool for distribution of targeted information.
It is important to differentiate use of email in this way from email as a
direct messaging tool.
Note: Email can be used very effectively without spamming the
community. If the content being emailed is valuable and relevant,
and people have an opportunity to opt-out, then email
communication will be appreciated and is far more effective than
printed newsletters.
What these tool s are NOT for:
» Internal departmental conversation & knowledge sharing
» Internal debate or conflict resolution
There are excellent social-media “style” platforms that have been
built explicitly to handle the private, internal needs of an organization,
such as Yammer & Salesforce Chatter. Don’t make the mistake of
using your public facing communication channels for internal
conversation.
Anal yti cs Tool s
One of the benefits of the Digital Communications landscape is that it is
broadly instrumented to deliver analytics. There are many analytics tools
available, both for free and for fee - but the most important investment is in
setting clear goals up front, so you know what to analyze.
Popular free, off-the-shelf tools for aggregating social media accounts and
doing basic analytics include:
» Seesmic
» Hootsuite
More comprehensive enterprise-scale tools are available, for a price,
including:
» Salesforce
» PageLever
» SocialCast
» Jive
» Offerings from SAP, I BM, Oracl e
8
7
Overview: Tricks of the Trade
Experts in digital communication and social media strategy leverage these
approaches to get the best results from their toolkit of communication
platforms:
» Fr i end & Fol l ow. Use social search tools to find people in the
community, regional experts, affinity groups, etc. “Friend” them on
Facebook & “Follow” them on Twitter. Invite them to join the SC City
group on LinkedIn. “Like” their relevant Facebook posts and
“retweet” relevant Twitter updates. This builds good will and brings
more attention to the SC City social accounts.
» Tweet i ng. Use Twitter to push links, ask questions, and drive
visitors to Facebook, YouTube & city web properties.
» Facebook: Use Facebook to directly engage the community in
surveys & contests. Post fun & interesting pictures, & feature
interviews. The reason you have a Facebook page is that every time
you post on it, you appear in your followers personal news feeds.
» Bl ogs as soci al aggregators: Set up blogs (Wordpress) for long-
form content that automatically pushes links to social networks, uses
Facebook Connect to gather comments, tracks discussion & links
track-backs. Always reply to comments, unless they are abusive.
» Par ti ci pate: Contribute to relevant online news & discussions. For
example, use the SC City Twitter account to add a comment to a
Fast Company article about Next Space. This brings exposure to the
SC City Twitter account and can help gather new followers.
» Draf t on dai l y trends & i ssues: Engage the community around
these interest points. Be a source of valuable news and information
about the community or about news that impacts the
community. Damage control: establish core guidelines for handling
negative feedback, abuse, and runaway narratives. Stick to these
guidelines but review them quarterly for effectiveness.
» Li sten & pay attent i on: monitor for name and mentions, analyze
for sentiment, and understand the difference between average users
& key influencers.
» Embrace mobi l e & l ocati on: social engagement is quickly
moving away from desktop screens and into mobile devices. Learn
how to take advantage of the ability for mobile devices to tie content
to the physical locale of your community.
» Embrace Met ri cs: analytics tools are your friend. Now you can tell
whether or not your messages are being shared, liked, and engaged
with, and can tune your strategy accordingly. You can also know
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where your site visitors are coming from, what they search on to
locate you, and what they miss that you might have expected them
to find.
» Be a per son. Establish the identity of each public-facing City of
Santa Cruz department as a social media “person”. Be active. Be
engaging. Go to all the online parties, smile, and say “hello”.
Analysis: Building organizational capacity and
priorities around this new landscape.
Effective use of digital communication platforms will require organizational
alignment, shared goals & guidelines, and allocation of resources in order to
appropriately staff support roles & build capacity.
Key Recommendations
» Identify a Chief Communications Officer to maintain the overall
communications and content development strategy and practice.
» For each department, dedicate a staff-level Community
Manager. These roles should be a dotted line to the Chief
Communications Officer.
» Empower and train individuals across organizations to engage in
direct communication on behalf of their departments.
» Review and refine practices and guidelines regularly, both within
communications staff and across related departments, such as IT
and Legal.
» Have some patience - it takes time to build a successful online
presence
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Sample Guidelines for Community Managers, or other
personnel communicating on behalf of the City.
City department heads should collaborate to develop a core set of internal
guidelines & metrics in-line with strategic goals, operational processes,
stakeholder requirements, and legal constraints. Most importantly, define a
clear set of guidelines for how to handle negative feedback, abusive
comments, and fast-moving PR disasters.
Here are a sample set of commonly-accepted guidelines to use as a starting
place:
Engage your Audi ence wi t h Val uabl e Posts
Post fresh and timely content in a similar voice and subject that promotes
dialogue with your audience
Par ti ci pate at Your Level of Experti se
Stick to topics that you can provide thoughtful leadership or input on. If you
are contributing to a topic outside of your expertise make this clear to
readers. Also, don’t hesitate to use your internal network for a suggested
response. If you receive media or legal inquiries, seek assistance. If in doubt,
ask.
Be Transparent and Authent i c
Be open and honest about your City affiliation and the topic that you are
creating content about to keep the experience authentic. Use a legal
disclaimer for blogs. Do not ever impersonate another person or use a false
name (usernames are fine as long as you disclose your identity elsewhere).
Use a humanized voice in a first-person, conversational style while following
the audience’s language and tone.
Pl ay by the Rul es
Abide by the guidelines of the host website. In addition to the terms of
service, each social networking site has certain customs and conventions.
Learn what is appropriate and follow the example of influencers in the
community.
Creat e Content Appropri ate f or Al l but Tai l ored t o the Tar get
Audi ence
Make sure the content is appropriate for all audiences around the world
before posting, while also tailoring the conversation to your target audience.
Some audience members may not speak native English, so simple
sentences help. The definition of “appropriate” differs widely among people,
so post as if everyone you know (and everyone you don’t) reads every word.
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Keep Content Rel evant f or a Vari ety of Contexts
Content contributed to social media sites is public and often cannot be
edited or deleted later. Even if you can delete it later, copies may propagate
through reposting, and links to your original post may show cached
information. Include key information so it makes sense if reposted out of
context.
Li nk Str at egi cal l y
Links can be a valuable part of your post, especially for venues with mobile
implications or character limits like Twitter. Make sure the destination is
relevant and accessible to everyone.
Don’t Del ete Negati ve Feedback
Don’t remove or alter feedback just because it is negative. Deleting negative
comments or feedback creates the appearance that you are
censoring/hiding something and discourages open, authentic dialogue.
Instead, post compelling responses to criticism and consider them as
opportunities for growth.
Fi l ter for Obscene or I nappropri ate Comments
Obscene or inappropriate comments should be removed as quickly as
possible. This includes content that is offensive, denigrating, or completely
out of context. For borderline comments (in context but using profanity, for
example), remove the comment and send the commenter a private message
with the reason. The commenter then has the opportunity to repost within
the guidelines.
Be the Fi rst t o Correct Mi st akes
If you make a mistake, admit it and make a quick and upfront correction.
You are setting an example as an community leader and what you write is
ultimately your responsibility.
Compl y wi t h al l Ci ty Pol i ci es & Legal Requi rements
Avoid commenting on any rumors—do not deny or affirm them. Do not post
material that may infringe the copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual
property of others, or post material that encourages others to do
so. Among other things, you should not post any of the following without
proper consent:
o Images or photograph
o Videos or Music Recordings
o Drawings
o Presentations
o Copy written work of any kind.
Respect Ci t y Pol i ci es, Programs and Peer s
Don’t pass blame to another department for unpopular policies or program
issues. Your goal is community satisfaction but should never be at the cost
of sacrificing the reputation of another group.
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Respect the Communi t y, ot her i nsti tut i ons, and other
Government organi zati ons.
Santa Cruz is embedded in a larger context of public and private
organizations at multiple levels, so saying anything negative about others will
be is perceived as bullying. Such negativity exposes the City to defamation
and libel claims. When you wish to challenge or comment upon the
decisions, policies or positions of people, groups, or institutions, it must be
done with utmost clarity and deference. Refer to a specific and public
reference, and then offer the community the opportunity to discuss. Ask for
opinion. Engage in conversation. Offer the other group the opportunity to
comment, as well. Above all, be factual, never make unsubstantiated
claims, and keep a respectful tone.
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Resources & References
»http://www.howto.gov/
»http://blogs.journalism.co.uk/editors/2011/06/16/comscore-social-
media-accounts-for-one-out-of-every-six-minutes-spent-online-in-
us/
»http://www.tvguide.com/News/Most-Social-NCIS-Idol-
1033024.aspxhttp://www.gartner.com/technology/innovation/enterprise-social-
media.jsp
»http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-
bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/01/20/prweb4987944.DTL
»https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?service=branding&l
tmpl=adplanner&continue=https%3A//www.google.com/adplanner/
»http://mashable.com/2010/12/16/cities-social-media-recession/
»http://www.itworldcanada.com/news/gartner-criticizes-cities-use-of-
social-media-open-data/143281
»http://www.thesocialpenguinblog.com/2011/02/21/social-media-for-
cities-by-todd-liss/
»http://www.cmswire.com/cms/web-engagement/nationbuilder-puts-
community-in-your-crm-011910.php
»http://govfresh.com/category/gov20/gov20-guides/
»http://www.commonsthegame.com/?p=67
»http://mashable.com/2011/01/31/facebook-engagement-policy/
»http://www.slideshare.net/BrandBehavior/community-during-crisis-
what-governments-can-learn-from-the-boulder-communitys-usage-
of-social-media-during-the-boulder-fire-revised
»http://www.linkedin.com/answers/marketing-sales/search-
marketing/MAR_SRC/732557-600199
»http://mashable.com/2011/01/31/facebook-engagement-policy/
»http://www.copyblogger.com/ultimate-facebook/
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