Episode 46 - Social Media and Government, Keeping Citizens Engaged

The UK Government was the 10th most influential website in 2021 demonstrating the role that government plays in citizens’ daily digital habits.

There is no doubt the pandemic parachuted government’s and their agencies into the social media spotlight, but how do you approach social media and digital comms as a government entity – whether national, federal, local government or a public sector body?

In this episode we are going to find out. 

Coming up in episode 46: 

• > What we can learn from the UK Government experience in 2021
• > 10 social media best practices for government in 2022 
• > I speak to Maria Walsh who shares her approach to social media as member of the European Parliament

Joanne’s Column: What we can learn from the UK Government experience in 2021

The UK Government placed 10th in the top 20 websites visited by citizens in 2021. The report by IPSOS MRBI published in Press Gazette illustrates the value and importance of public sector and government communications.

Meanwhile in the US the Internal Revenue Service website irs.gov was the 37th most visited website in the world in 2021, and coming in at 38th place is The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the US’ medical research agency and part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

This is yet another reminder that government agencies are indeed influential communicators in the Digital Age and you have both a right and a responsibility to be a single source of truth. 

But it is up to you to win that attention from the public with sound digital communications strategies and tactics such as search engine optimisation, content marketing, social media marketing, email marketing and pay-per-click advertising.

Consulting: 10 social media best practices for government in 2022

Do you want your government agency to excel online this year? Well, here are 10 social media best practices that you can implement that will also support your web presence. 

#1 The Master Plan – results without a plan equals a hope strategy. Write your 12-month social media plan and be intentional with your efforts, they will more likely pay off.

#2 The Team – you need to have yourself or your team set up for success, with an agreed process of social media implementation. We have mastered our own plan and social media feels seamless within our own small team. You don’t need to have a big team to be successful on social media.

#3 The Content Plan – Scope out your content plan in three parts 

• Evergreen – your most viewed content / asked questions 
• Operational – what’s happening this year in your agency i.e. projects, campaigns, policy 
• Trending – what people are talking about that relates to the now

This will then help you map your action and work plans for the year. 

#4 The Process – create Standard Operating Procedures for your social media execution. This will save days of wasted effort and help with consistency. 

#5 The Tools – the tech will help streamline and save time so investigate the tools that can help you do your work.

#6 Content Creation – plan ahead and set aside one day per month to create the long-form content which will see you through the next four weeks. Line up your subject matter experts and then on a weekly basis, repurpose and post on social media. 

#7 Engagement is Key – don’t post and go, spend time engaging with your community, answering questions and surfacing new ideas for content from the public’s feedback. 

#8 Measure and Move – understanding your performance by looking at the data will provide valuable insights into what is working, what could be improved and what needs to be side-lined. 

#9 Iterate and Learn – don’t be afraid to change your plan based on what is working and what is not, that’s a sign of a greater social media marketer. 

#10 Produce Case Studies – turn your most successful social media campaigns into case studies and share them with us and we will share them with your peers all over the world. Or join us on this podcast to talk about your social media success.

Interview with Maria Walsh

In this week’s show I am joined by Maria Walsh, Member of the European Parliament (MEP). Maria is a member of the Fine Gael Party in Ireland and is from Co. Mayo. She spends much of her time in Brussels and Strasbourg the Headquarters of the European Parliament. 

In our conversation on engaging citizens online, Maria shares how she uses social media for political communications, citizen conversation and online campaigns.

Follow Maria on Instagram @MariaWalshEU 

More about Maria Walsh

Maria Walsh was elected as a Member of the European Parliament for the Midlands–North-West constituency at the 2019 European Parliament elections. She is the youngest Irish MEP in the European Parliament.

Maria was born in Boston, USA, but the village of Shrule, Co. Mayo has been home for her since 1994. She graduated from Griffith College Dublin with a B.A. in Journalism and Visual Media in 2009 and went on to a career in television production and creative management, working in Dublin, New York and Philadelphia.

In the European Parliament, Maria is a full member of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL), and the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT). She is also a substitute member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE). She is also the only Irish EPP representative on the Delegation for relations with the United States and the Delegation for relations with the African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States.

Furthermore, Maria is Vice-Chair of the LGBTI Rights Intergroup in the European Parliament, which advocates for equality in the EU and monitors Member States’ legislative initiatives. She consistently advocates for equality, inclusion and diversity within her policy and legislation work.

As a Co-Chair on both the Mental Health Alliance and the Coalition of Mental Health and Wellbeing Intergroups in the Parliament, Maria is dedicated to raising the cross-sectional impacts of mental health throughout her policywork. With her work on these two Mental Health Intergroups, Maria is leading the call for an EU Year of Good Mental Health to ensure that we are prepared for the oncoming mental health crisis which will follow the pandemic.

In 2014, Maria was crowned the International Rose of Tralee, at the festival of the same name that celebrates young women of Irish heritage. As the first openly gay Rose of Tralee in 2014, she used her platform to advocate for a positive vote in the Marriage Equality referendum in 2015. Up until July 2019, Maria served as a member of the Irish Reserve Defence Force in the First Armoured Cavalry Squadron, based in the Curragh Co. Kildare.

Resources

A Digital PR Strategy for Public Sector

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Thank You for Listening!

Thank you for tuning into episode #46 to find out The Joe Rogan Effect That Will Impact Public Sector Comms in 2022.  If you are a regular listener, please rate and review our show.

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