63 reasons your agency should have a social media presence

It is 46 years since the internet was first developed (ARPA network), 21 years since the development of the first web browser (aptly named WorldWideWeb) and fifteen years since the launch of the first recognisable social network (SixDegrees.com).

Today half our population actively uses Facebook, and over 60 per cent of Australians use some form of social media.

However some in government are still debating whether social media is a valid channel for them to use, or whether it is simply a ‘fad’.

I gave a presentation yesterday at an OPC Web Xchange event on why agencies should use social media an how they could build their social media infrastructure.

As part of my preparation for the event, in about twenty minutes over the weekend, I brainstormed 63 reasons why government agencies should have a social media presence.

Some may not apply to your agency. I may have missed others that do.

However in case you’re struggling to justify using social media in your agency, here’s my 63 reasons to start you off in thinking about which reasons are most important in your situation.

Note that they are listed alphabetically, not by importance.

1. advertise to your audience
2. amplify your other communications
3. attract good staff
4. be approachable and reachable
5. break down silos
6. build awareness of conversations already underway
7. build awareness of services
8. build community resilience
9. build ongoing audience
10. build personal connections
11. build relevance
12. build staff experience ahead of more advanced technologies
13. build website traffic
14. challenge the community to help solve problems
15. collaborate with colleagues across agencies and jurisdictions
16. collaborate with colleagues in your agency
17. consult your audience
18. convene supporters
19. correct misinformation
20. deliver emergency information
21. employ agile policy development methodologies
22. empower the community with information
23. engage stakeholders
24. explain to people what you do
25. find best practice overseas
26. find good staff
27. find good vendors
28. get a heads-up on what will be in traditional media the next day
29. identify community influencers
30. identify fraud
31. identify opinion leaders
32. identify unlawful behaviour
33. improve accountability
34. increase transparency
35. listen to your audience
36. locate experts
37. locate stakeholders
38. maintain engagement between campaigns
39. market research
40. organise events
41. promote events
42. provide consistent answers to questions
43. provide customer service
44. provide information in forms other than text
45. remain effective in a 24/7 media cycle
46. run competitions
47. save money
48. save time
49. seek fast feedback on policy ideas
50. share data
51. share expertise
52. share information with colleagues across agencies and jurisdictions
53. share information with colleagues in your agency
54. share knowledge nationally and globally
55. share media announcements
56. source emergency information
57. streamline processes
58. support your Minister
59. target geographically dispersed groups
60. reach an audience who won’t talk to you face-to-face or by phone
61. reinvent government processes
62. tracking audience sentiment
63. train staff in engagement