According to GovGirl, aka Kristy Fifelski, new media director of e.Republic, government staff needs to connect with their citizens in way that makes their work appear cool and relevant. The perfect way to do that is to use social media. GovGirl says stop reporting on dull City Council resolutions as your lead, and instead use creative social media approaches to get the word out on your programs and projects.
Fifelski made these points at the GovTech Bay Area Digital Government Summit in Foster City before a crowd of government agency employees. Her overarching motivation is to convince government agencies present their work as "cool" in order to engage users and attract young people to the important business of public service.
So, how does one take a staid government agency and make its work appear cool? Fifelski referred to a study that says there’s four traits that make you cool, of which the last three are usable by government agencies: 1. Contrarians who are "against the man" are cool. 2. Very friendly people are cool. 3. People who are really competent at their jobs are cool. 4. People who do good things for society (socially responsible) are cool. (Think Bono.) In approaching the public, she suggests government agencies adopt a friendly, competent tone, and describe its programs and work in a way that shows the agency is socially responsible and doing good things for its community.
GovGirl delivered five tips for success:
Tip 1: Simplify Your Language.
The first way to be uncool is to use "government speak" — which is where agency public relations departments fall victim to the legal department and speak in prose make things sound overcomplicated, dense and uninteresting. Why say "Parties should be informed that the referring closing date of this action is deemed to be the last day of the week" when you should just say, "The deadline is Friday."
By being clear, agencies communicate in a way that is more relevant and understandable to their citizens, says Fifelski.
Tip 2: Revisit Social Media Use
Perhaps your agency put up a Facebook page, opened a Twitter account, checked off the boxes that this task was done, and then let them languish with boring content. To be effective, engage your citizens through social media before an urgent situation arises where you really need to communicate important things with your constituents. The most popular social media platforms are Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn, but Fifelski said don’t overlook smaller platforms. Services like Pinterest, Google Hangout, or Instagram may serve certain types of agency needs. For example a police station used Pinterest to post mug shots of the most wanted criminals, photos of missing persons, and photos of lost dogs.
Use humor. The Seattle police department posted a tweet that said, "Brief disturbance earlier at 5th & Jackson between superheroes and clowns. Everything’s under control. #SeaMayDay". By showing a sense of humor, the police department grew their local following when it went viral.
Tip 3: Use What’s Trending
If you can capitalize on what’s trending, sometimes this can make you equally cool. First, you have to figure out what is trendy and ride the wave of that popularity by connecting it to your work. She gave an example last year of the most popular YouTube video of all time, Gangnam Style, which enjoyed over a billion views. NASA taped a well done parody of the music video called "NASA Johnson Style". Fifelski said it was very well done because the clever lyrics described the agency’s space work, it used real astronauts and workers, and it was funny. http://youtu.be/2Sar5WT76kE
Don’t have a budget to do a polished parody video? GovGirl showed a second example of a low budget video called "Pay Me Maybe" shot by San Francisco City Attorney’s office interns with a handheld video camera and volunteers. It was a parody of the popular summer tune "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen. The parody video called attention to a toll free hotline to apply for restitution if you were the victim of a payday loan scam in San Francisco. The video was taped on a shoestring budget and went viral with almost 21,000 views. http://youtu.be/gHhf8YYCdhA
Be creative. Fifelski noted that the Grumpy Cat Internet meme trend was hijacked by the Social Security Administration to encourage online registration for retirement benefits. But the prize must go to the Center for Disease Control Office of Public Health Preparedness. The CDC prepared a blog asking citizens to engage in "Zombie Apocalypse Preparedness". The CDC cashed in on the zombie trend in movies and advised citizens to make an emergency kit, make a plan and be prepared. blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2011/05/preparedness-101-zombie-apocalypse/
Tip 4: It’s Never Too Late to Reinvent Yourself.
Even if your agency has a dull or stodgy image, Fifelski said it’s never too late to reinvent yourself via social media. As an example, public libraries have moved from being repositories of books to community technology centers and places to download digital e-books. Some librarians have embraced live chat to talk to patrons wherever they are.
Tip 5: Find Your Own Style
Most importantly, Fifelski recommended that every agency find its own style. Be authentic to yourself and your agency’s history and character. Tell your story. Make an emotional connection to your users about your work.
Encounter resistance from your boss? Couch the project as making your agency relevant to younger generations. Beg to try it once by creating a blog or a low cost video using interns or volunteers. Then prove the return on investment on the project comparing data on the old way versus the new way. After all, GovGirl challenged, how do you want your work to be remembered after you are gone? Government work should be cool, because it serves such a critical role in our communities.
Check out Fifelski’s weekly video blog here.
