Social Media to Reach Ratepayers

At the recent Local Government Public Relations Association Conference, Deakin University lecturer Ross Monaghan offered insights into how Australian councils can use social media to reach residents.

Monaghan argued social media provided local governments with valuable, yet largely unexploited, communication opportunities given it:

• Is fast and cost effective (around $5000 should get an organisation set up to produce video, blogs, podcasts, wikis and other media)
• Allows councils to directly engage people 24/7 in a more appealing way than plain text communications
• Is becoming increasingly important as more people move on-line

But Monaghan pointed out it will not be all plain sailing for councils:

• Many CEOs did not support or understand social media and some feared using it meant "losing control" of their information. As if they ever had control once information left council chambers.
• PR staff sometimes lack skills to make best use of the new tools
• IT departments are often not supportive
• Access and equity issues come into play when not everyone has computers

He recommended local governments watch what others are doing in the social media space, experiment and gradually integrate the new media into their outreach efforts.

Are Newspapers Dying?

Predictions about the death of newspapers are premature according to Peter Christopher, Editor in Chief of Fairfax Community Newspapers in New South Wales.

Speaking at the recent Local Government Public Relations Association Conference in Sydney, Christopher put up a spirited defence of the role community newspapers play in Australia.

He argued that as economies become more globalised, communities are becoming “hyper-local”. Increasingly Australians are reaching out through community newspapers, events and even hyper- local blogs to connect with and understand the immediate world around us.

So the nature of news has not changed: we still want information on local events and issues. But the way that news is being delivered is certainly changing and the pace of distributing news has moved newspapers from marathon to sprint mode. This means the demand for content is insatiable and as Christopher colourfully put it, “the beast needs feeding”.

The practice for Australian newspapers to integrate print and on-line and use text, video and photography to cover important issues, is now firmly established. We are noticing this more and more and in one recent project we spent more time with on-line editors from major newspapers than with journalists working on print stories.

The pace of delivery and the demand for newspapers to have multi-media platforms will continue to grow. According to the 2008 edition of the Newsroom Barometer, an annual survey of more than 700 editors and senior news executives from 120 countries:

• 86% believe integrated print and online newsrooms will become the norm


• 83% believe journalists will be expected to be able to produce content for all media within five years


• 44% believe on-line will be the most common platform for reading news in the future, compared with 41% last year. 31% cited print (down from 35% last year), 12% mobile and 7% e-paper


• 35% said training journalists in new media was the number one priority for investing in editorial quality

The implication for communicators is clear.

The journalist's job is getting tougher and that means ours will too. To maximize the chances of getting our issues and causes published, we must be ready to package up and present journalists with video, stills images and audio opportunities before they even ask.

Planning an Event

Recently we came across the NSW Government Event Starter Guide.

It might be a good reference tool for planning your next event.

Word Of Mouth Marketing: Slow to Catch on in Australia

Everyone wants people talking positively about their product, program, issue or cause.

Yet amazingly few Australian organisations deliberately set out to include word of mouth marketing in their communications mix.

That’s surprising. Because word of mouth – receiving information from a trusted source – is the strongest form of marketing. We are more inclined to listen to family, friends or workmates when they urge us to do something, rather than be influenced by glossy brochures, slick advertising or sophisticated sales techniques.

Given the cynicism surrounding mass media and high powered advertising, there is renewed interest in word of mouth marketing which, let’s face it, has been around since caveman days.

We are now seeing an upsurge of interest in the US with the notable example being the work of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association. But there does not seem to be as much buzz on word of mouth in Australia – apart from discussions on social media which too often focus on technology and forget the people using it. A 2005 PRIA article by Jonathan Carson lamented this situation and frankly I don't see much has changed since then.

Which is a shame because the effectiveness of a successful word of mouth marketing program lies in its simplicity. Word of mouth works when there are three fundamental elements present:

• A good product or service. People will only pass on information about a product or service to others if they have confidence in it. Word of mouth will reward good behaviour with referrals but will always punish poor performance.

• People who can help spread your word. Sometimes called key influencers, connectors or champions, these are people who will share your information with others in their networks - if they are convinced of the integrity of your offer. Key steps in this type of marketing are identifying these key influencers, getting them on board, giving them pass on tools that make it easy for them to spread your information and then acknowledging their efforts when they help your cause.

• Simple information. Word of mouth needs simple but memorable stories to succeed in conversation networks. Complex or bureaucratic language may look good on paper but it’s unlikely to work when people are sharing information face to face.

Word of mouth marketing is credible, cheap and fast which makes it an attractive option for big and small organisations. But marketers and others need to plan for it rather than just wishing for it.

Social Media Updates

We recently came across three good articles on who’s using social media and how:

• Stats on the growing power of social media
• How non-profits are using social networking to raise money and awareness
• Being strategic with social media