Digital government: creating the social media game plan.

• Author: Stern, Spencer
• Position: Cover story

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It's a new world--a digital world. The days of public hearings and physical petitions being submitted to demonstrate the general public's concerns are rapidly fading, being replaced by new citizen engagement tools. These social media outlets are no longer a luxury for the public sector, especially at a time when government is front and center of so many significant issues--and the size of an organization or community is irrelevant, as people are just as busy consuming information in small towns as they are in large urban areas.

There are still government leaders, both elected and appointed, who view the entire subject of social marketing as something government doesn't have to deal with. However, the idea that social media is a fad that leaders can simply wait out is risky. Social currency has always been vital to the credibility of government, and with the explosion of social media devices, governments need to accelerate their timetables for adopting and implementing contemporary strategies and tactics.

Public finances are more highly scrutinized than ever before. This gives government finance professionals a tremendous opportunity, in the spirit of transparency and accountability, to communicate via social media. Ask yourself how well your organization has aligned its communication efforts with what its constituents want to know and how they want to be informed. Some members of your community will find the budgeting process riveting, and others are watching for the newly issued bond statement.

Simply posting undifferentiated information to your agency's Facebook and Twitter accounts is becoming outdated. Governments at all levels need to move past this stage and use social media as a way to interact with the community. One way to start is by posting a question to residents and employees on your Facebook page asking what type of information would they like to see provided there. This acts as a 21st century focus group providing real-time input. This input needs to be balanced with additional research, however, because some users hide behind anonymity to make controversial comments or voice inflammatory opinions.

The increasingly widespread use of social media provides governments with a compelling opportunity for building community with its constituents, although there's much more work involved than just creating a Facebook page or a Twitter account and posting something to it occasionally. The effort pays off, though, and progressive governments nationwide are using social media outlets to enlist their citizens in a collective journey toward good government.

Millard Fuller, founder of Habitat for Humanity, said, "It's easier to act your way into a new way of thinking than to think your way into a new way of acting." Government is good at thinking, but after a certain point, doing studies and preparing and revising policies can grind things to a halt. You need to move forward.

CREATING THE GAMEPLAN

Jurisdictions are turning to social media applications for four main reasons:

1. Financial challenges are forcing organizations to reduce costs, improve service delivery efficiencies, and optimize existing resources.

2. Providing multiple channels allows constituents to choose how they will interact with their jurisdictions.

3. Making records available to constituents enhances transparency and compliance--although at the same time, organizations must ensure the security and privacy of the data collected.

4. Taking of advantage of new technologies can deliver measurable results.

   Pursuing a social media strategy requires an inclusive plan that spans the entire organization. Jurisdictions that take a scattered, isolated approach fail in meeting their objectives because they lack executive support, funding, compliance with acceptable use standards, and/or integration with incumbent technologies and systems. Developing social media applications is often easier than actually deploying them because the employees on the development team are typically well versed in using the technologies. The challenge is giving them the guidance and support to get them going, and ensuring that a system of checks and balances is in place before content is released via social media outlets.

   The following game plan presents a suggested approach for launching, or in some cases, re-launching your social media strategy--it is never too late for smart planning. Keep in mind that if you start with...