League or cities

SOCIAL MEDIA BASICS FOR OREGON CITIES

WHAT WE’LL COVER TODAY

• Scope and scale of social media

• Relevant trends

• Social media policies & plans

• Promising practices

• Social media as service

WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA?

• Interactive ….. not authoritative

• Personal ….. not institutional

• “Narrowcast” (through networks) …. not broadcast

SOCIAL MEDIA SCOPE & SCALE

SOC

IAL

TEC

HN

OG

RA

PHIC

S

MILLENNIALS

BABY BOOMERS

“Government engagement is an alien prospect for this [younger] generation. They don’t want to go

to a community meeting… they want to 'plug in'."Steven Hardy, MindMixer

SENIORS ARE IN A SOCIAL CROSSROADS

• Adoption of social media has tripled in the Last four Years.

• Now: 43% of internet users over 65 use social media

TRENDS IN SOCIAL MEDIA • Social media use in cities is growing, despite

tight budgets.

• Cities are using social media to meet core operational goals.

• Cities are actively managing and monitoring social media.

• Fewer than 1% of cities have an employee who exclusively handles social media.

CENTRALIZED SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT• Managed by one central office:

often Mayor’s office or communication department.

• Everything goes through one person or small team.

Benefits:

• Content is high-level, everything is intertwined.

• More cohesive & “on plan.”

• More consistent & accurate.

CENTRALIZED SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT

Drawbacks:

• Less creativity

• Less variety in information

• Less buy-in

• Challenge to get “on the agenda”

DECENTRALIZED SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT• Departments or

agencies manage their own accounts.

Benefits:

• Content is tailored to audiences’ interest

• More diverse content and voices.

DECENTRALIZED SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT

Drawbacks:

• Hard to track

• Less cohesive

• Training intensive

HYBRID MODEL• Profiles and pages are

managed by departments w/ some central oversight.

Benefit:

• Flexible to city's needs

Drawbacks:

• Potentially hard to manage process

• Less standardization

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT

• Create an approval process that works

• Have a meaningful social media

• Identify, equip, trust the gatekeepers

• Build a social media/web team & meet regularly

SOCIAL MEDIA POLICYPERSONAL | PROFESSIONAL | AS THE CITY

YES, YOU NEED A POLICY

• Helps avoid pitfalls

• Should be clear, but flexible

• Outlines approves tools, content, procedures

• Complies with state and federal laws

PUBLIC RECORDS & SOCIAL MEDIA

• Short answer: social media posts are public record.

• Important to understand the State and Federal Laws.

• Work with your attorney on crafting the policy.

CREATING A SOCIAL MEDIA PLAN

Listen first.

What is your city saying?

START AT THE BEGINNING

• Clearly identify your city’s objectives. What do you want to accomplish?

• Carefully assess your resources.

• Determine the strategies to get you there.

• Identify how you’ll measure success.

SOCIAL MEDIA AS A SERVICETHINKING BEYOND MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS.

WHAT ELSE IS SOCIAL MEDIA GOOD FOR?

• Economic Development

• Political Engagement and Policy Feedback

• Emergency Management

- Sarah E. Madison, Wisconsin

“When you ask for feedback, you will get non-related feedback. The pertinent

comments are very valuable and it gives you a perspective on what your

constituents are thinking.”

Questions? !

Kelli Matthews [email protected]

541.868.7975