How to Convince Your Government Colleagues to Use Social Media
There are a lot of tech-savvy folks working in the government today. Many use social media in their personal lives and are familiar with the various platforms that are out there. However, many are uncomfortable with the idea of putting it all out there on social media, especially when it comes to their professional lives and projects they’re working on. While there are many rules and regulations about what can be shared publicly and what is confidential, many times the aversion to social media is due to these folks not seeing the value that social media can add to their government program. They often ask themselves, “does anyone actually read this stuff?”
Despite these misgivings, sharing program information with your stakeholders is a great way to keep them informed and foster dialogue—and there’s no better time than now to get your colleagues on board.
The Harris Poll conducted a poll between the end of March through early May and found that 46-51% of U.S. adults are using social media more since the COVID-19 outbreak began. In the most recent survey, taken between May 1-3, 51% of total respondents (60% of those ages 18 to 34, 64% of those ages 35 to 49, and 34% of those ages 65 and up) reported increased usage on various social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
Additionally, Business Insider reported that this year, U.S. adult social network users will spend 7 more minutes per day on social networks than in 2019. With more people on social media and spending longer periods of time on it than ever, it’s important to take advantage of the boosted visibility and utilize social media resources.
Here are four ways you can make the case for using social media as a communications platform in the government:
Share the data. When it comes to social media, there’s a lot of data available. Sharing some of this information with your program managers can open their eyes to the potential communities they can tap into online. For example, by using Twitter’s free analytics tool, you can share a high-level breakdown of who your organization’s followers are, where they’re coming from, what they’re interested in, and who they represent. As a next step, Content Management Systems (CMS) like Hootsuite and SproutSocial offer even more data tracking capabilities, and with customized dashboards through Google Data Studio, you’re well on your way to showing your colleagues the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) that demonstrate the power of your social media. This data may inspire your colleagues to take a leap of faith, knowing that they’re talking to their stakeholders directly.
Acknowledge the risks. The Internet can be a tough crowd. We’ve all seen the angry commenter – you know, the one who WRITES IN ALL CAPS. Or, the “trolls” who insist on focusing on the negative solely to get a rise out of the poor social media manager of the organization. It’s important to acknowledge that these people exist, but remind project managers that they are often the minority. After you post content, show your co-workers the responses, and encourage them to keep in mind the percentage of positive to negative. It will help reinforce that most responses are positive and represent curiosity, not anger. However, in the case that the troll is overly aggressive, it’s important to remind your colleagues to review their organization’s social media comment policies.
Show Examples. There are a number of great examples of social media in the government. You likely have several success stories of your own on your agency’s various platforms. Share these examples with your colleagues and show them how you can use social media to seriously engage with your target audiences. If that doesn’t convince them, introduce them to fellow program managers who have successfully used social media at work. Let these folks champion your cause and demonstrate the value.
Follow up. After you post about a project, share data about the response with the program manager. Showing the positive response from followers can encourage them that there is interest in their work and will, hopefully, lead to future collaboration. Encourage them to contact you if they have a project milestone, and if they seem hesitant, don’t be afraid to check in with them periodically to ask for content ideas.
Getting your colleagues on board can be a challenge, but we’re certain that when you present the facts, you’ll be able to get them excited and ready to approach this medium of communication.
Have you had to convince your colleagues to get social online? Drop a comment and let us know what methods worked best for you!
Founded in 2007, Corner Alliance is a government consulting firm that serves federal clients primarily in the public safety, emergency management and business intelligence spaces. Corner Alliance is a company where your mission matters, driving change in government through stakeholder-centered solutions, innovative ideas and client loyalty.