2014: byram township: effectively utilizing social media

Effectively Utilizing a Effectively Utilizing a Government Government

Social Media PresenceSocial Media Presence

We’re social.We’re mobile.

The World has Changed

We’re Social

Percent of online adults who use:• Facebook: 71%

– 1.26 Billion users worldwide– 128 Million visit daily (in the US alone)– Fairly gender neutral

• LinkedIn: 22%– 227+ Million users

• Pinterest: 21%– 70+ Million users– 80% women

• Twitter: 18%– 645 Million users– 243 Million monthly active users

• Instagram: 17%– 150+ Million users

Source: www.expandedramblings.com

We’re Mobile

• Smartphone growth has been in double digit percentages for several years. Anticipate single digit in ‘14.– 55% of US citizens have a smartphone

– 42% of US citizens have a tablet

– 189 Million Facebook users are mobile only

• Tablet growth, year over year, 2012 to 2013 was 87.1%

• Yankee Group predicts 1 billion tablets to ship in 2017.

Source: www.expandedramblings.com and www.pewinternet.org/three-technology-revolutions/

Age Impact

• Gen-X (in 2014, age 38-48)– Best educated: 29% have college degrees– 41+- million

• Millenials (in 2014, age 20-32)– Digital natives: never lived w/o techology– 71+- million

• Gen-X and Millenials don’t read email. They text and chat online.

• Fastest growing demographics– Age 55-64 on Twitter– Age 45-55 on Facebook and Google+

Source: http://www.socialmarketing.org/newsletter/features/generation3.htm

How do you get started?

• Plan

• Implement

• Monitor

General Challenges

– Commenting Policies: • What others can say on your sites

• What you can say and how to say it on your own sites

• What your representatives can / should say on other sites

• See Facebook.com/MorrisCountyNJ for our Commenting Policy

– Terms of Service Agreements

– Copyright Infringement

– Credit Cards / Purchasing

Develop, Draw & Write a Plan• Discuss & Decide

– Where the information will originate– Who may speak for your agency – Which social channels you will use– How many pages to have on Facebook (2)– What will be the process, the flow– What your policies will include – How social media will be marketed– How you will engage visitors– Will you post other than government information– Employee use; Content; Commenting– Archiving (Backupify, Archive Social, Frostbox, & more)

• Start small and build

Add Value

• Content Suggestions– Road Closures– Severe weather alerts– Recreation events including field closures– Pets for adoption with photos– Election information– Reminders: recycling, garbage, tax payments,

utility payments– Bike safety checks, child safety seat checks– Community policing: “while you are away”– Little known township services– Notable residents– Interesting historical information

Publishing Productively

• Use a dashboardSocialMedia.biz 2013 top dashboardshttp://socialmedia.biz/2013/07/11/top-social-media-dashboards-for-small-business/

Hootsuite.com• Free for one user; Pro plan (2 users) $10/mo.

• One-click messaging to multiple channels

• Schedule messages

• Connect to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Flickr and many more social channels and apps

• Hootsuite University for training

The Dashboard: Everything in one place

Monitor your social channels• The public expects to be heard on social media.

• Using a dashboard makes monitoring easy.

• Watch mentions, private messages.

• Social media is not a “push” technology. It’s a conversation.

• Not monitoring your channels is talking at your constituents, not talking with them.

• Respond as quickly as possible. If you’re researching an answer, let people know that.

• People know there’s a real person posting and are quite understanding of silly slips.

• Be honest. Social media is about trust.

Elected Officials• Don’t use personal email for public business.• Township websites, Facebook pages, blogs or

Twitter accounts are for township business. – Post facts not opinions– Do not post links to newspaper articles.

• Facebook profile: for personal activity.• Facebook pages: create one for political activity• Share township posts on your personal profile or

political page.• Share political posts on your personal profile.• DO NOT share political posts on your gov’t page(s)

It all ties back to your profile…

Personal Facebook Profile Carol A Spencer

Facebook page: GoWProNJ

Facebook page: NJ Federation of Rep Women

Facebook page: Bates College Class of ‘74

Facebook page: Candidate Carol A Spencer

Facebook group: Highland Lake PA (closed)

Facebook group: Fenway Dirt Dogs (closed)

Elected Officials

•Why use social mediaBecause citizens live in this space

•Know your audienceCommunicate by age groupBe everywhere: newspaper, web, email,

Facebook, Twitter

•What should be postedAnything going on in town.Anything that adds value to people’s lives

•Plan. Plan. Plan.Design, staff, training, voice, policies

•Implement. Enjoy.

In Summary

Is it worth the work?

The Public’s OpinionThe Public’s Opinion

Contact Information

National Association of Government Web Professionals

Website NAGW.org

Twitter Twitter.com/NAGW

Facebook Facebook.com/NAGW.org

GovLoop Govloop.com/group/NAGW

Email FinanceDirector@NAGW.org

Carol A Spencer

Website About.me/CarolSpencerNJ

Twitter Twitter.com/CarolSpencerNJ

Facebook Facebook.com/CarolSpencerNJ

Flickr Flickr.com/CASpencer15

Email CarolSpencerNJ@gmail.com

About.me About.me/Carol.Spencer

Effectively Utilizing a Effectively Utilizing a Government Government

Social Media PresenceSocial Media Presence

Morris County Social Media Management Policy