#SMWGovernanceDay is underway and one of the first sessions was Connecting Communities, Governments and and People. For those not able to attend, here are seven tips from Facebook on how government agencies and officials can use the network effectively to connect with citizens.
1. Have a strategy – before you jump on Facebook, make sure you have a clear objective of why you’re on the network and what you want to accomplish
2. Have clear policies – inform your audience about guidelines for comment moderation, emergency response and live Q&A’s
3. Do as much as you can in-house – Beware of over-using social media experts and app developers to manage your social media presence
4. Remember that Facebook is a ‘people’ strategy, not a PR strategy – people log on Facebook to connect with friends and see new and information. This means in addition to posting information about government, post photos of yourself with family and friends in your ‘off’ time.
5. Use the various tools that verified pages have to offer – Tools such as live Q&A’s aid in talking directly to your community
6. Be creative with your content – for example, instead of posting a link to your agency’s press release, publish the statement directly on Facebook to reduce the extra step of citizens clicking on a link to get to your message.
7. Use your insights to learn what people want – Check the Insights tab on your page to see what posts and issues resonate with your audience
What are your strategies for connecting with your community on social media? Share any tips that work for you.