Social Media
Strategy
Author:Jo Menzies, Communications Officer, Public Health Wales
Date:16 April 2012 / Version:0i
Publication/ Distribution:
- Communications Team Document Database
- Public Health Wales intranet for consultation
Review Date:
May 2013.
Purpose and Summary of Document:
The purpose of this strategy is to describe Public Health Wales’ approach to the use of social media.
It identifies and addresses the many issues raised by social media. It then sets out a vision for the use of social media by Public Health Wales and describes three phases of an approach to achieve that vision.
The document also includes actions, procedures and guidance for taking forward the strategy.
Work Plan reference: Communications Team Work Plan 2010/11
Date: 16 April 2012 / Version: 0i / Page: 1 of 32
Public Health Wales / Social Media Strategy
Contents
1Introduction
2Defining social media
3Issues
3.1Communications landscape
3.2Use of social media in Wales
3.3Expectation
3.4Control
3.5Timeliness
3.6Transparency
3.7Engagement
3.8Personal
3.9Continuous
3.10Bilingual
3.11Geography
3.12Productivity
3.13New technology challenges
3.14IT access
3.15IT security
3.16Resource
3.17Policy implications
4Vision
5Aims
6Strategy
6.1Phase One: Corporate presence
6.2Phase Two: Service/Team/staff presence
6.3Phase Three: Open to all
7Costs
8Roles and responsibilities
9Monitoring
9.1Out of hours monitoring
10Evaluation
10.1Quantitative evaluation
10.2Qualitative evaluation
10.3Evaluation and monitoring tools
11Action plan
12Bibliography
Appendix 1: Public Health Wales use of social media (as of 3 January 2012)
Appendix 2: Features of social media sites
Appendix 3: Process for establishing a team/project specific social media presence
Appendix 4: Social media GUIDANCE
Appendix 5: Social media topics – Green, Amber, Red
1Introduction
Public Health Wales’ purpose isto give people power to protect and improve health and wellbeing and reduce inequities. It does this by informing, advising and speaking up for them.
The organisation’s ambition is to achieve a healthier, happier and fairer Wales.
In order to achieve this ambition, Public Health Wales is committed to providing information and advice to stakeholders, the public and the media.
Public Health Wales has a Corporate Communications Strategy (April 2010) which sets out how communications will be used to provide such information and advice.
Services, programmes and teams within Public Health Wales have, or should have, communications strategies to meet their own needs and to communicate with the audiences relevant to them.
Each communications strategy sets out the communications tools appropriate for the achievement of its aims.
The Public Health Wales approach to communicating with the public on health improvement issues is currently under review.
To date, the organisation’s digital experience has primarily focused on its website, a collection of satellite sites, and a few forays into social media. For a list of social media use by Public Health Wales see Appendix 1.
This strategy describes how social media should be used as part of existing communications strategies or built into future communications strategies.
2Defining social media
For the purpose of this document, social media is defined as, “online tools that people use to share content, profiles, opinions, insights, experiences, perspectives and media itself, thus facilitating conversations and interaction online between groups of people” (Welsh Government Social Media Policy, 1 March 2011).
These tools include blogs, message boards, podcasts, micro blogs, bookmarks, networks, and vlogs. There are no clear boundaries between these different application types. They are often interconnected. For example, Facebook offers photo sharing as well as social networking, bookmarking and private messaging (at the time of writing).
A few prominent examples of social media tools include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Wikipedia, Flickr, LinkedIn, MySpace and Google+. Features of prominent social media sites are outlined in Appendix 2.
3Issues
The development and use of social media raises many issues which this strategy seeks to address.
3.1Communications landscape
The communications landscape is constantly changing but, in line with technological development, it is changing faster than ever before.
Social media is just the latest in a line of changes encompassing the printing press, telephones, radio, television, fax, email, the internet, smart phones, tablets, PCs, texting, instant messaging. Social media has the ability to interact and interconnect with all of these.
With each development, communication has become faster and information has become more accessible.
New developments have only rarely led to the demise of previous means of communication rather than a way of further interconnecting, e.g. the use of QR codes in print media which can be scanned with a smart phone or tablet to launch a website with more information than available on the printed page.
Communicating in person, face to face, will always be enormously important and powerful. Even this has now been enabled across thousands of miles via smart phones, tablets and PCs with the likes of Apple’s “Facetime” and Skype.
The balance between communication channels, however, does change. The web has reduced the amount of printed paper. Social media is reducing the amount of email.
Despite changes in the balance of communication channels, the overall amount of communication is increasing. This presents challenges for organisations and individuals.
Within the wider field of communication, the media landscape is also changing. Newspaper circulation is under pressure. Rolling news channels are competing to fill 24 hours worth of news. Community media are expanding. Web media are blurring the distinctions between newspapers, magazines and broadcasters.
It is against this backdrop that social media continues to grow.
Social media is changing the way people and organisations communicate in the private, public and third sectors, and in everyday life. It provides an opportunity to listen and engage with huge numbers of people on a level, at a speed and in ways that have not previously been possible.
3.2Use of social media in Wales
A study by Beaufort Research into social media usage in Wales was conducted from March to June 2011. This comprised two quantitative omnibus surveys with 2,029 respondents and ten in-depth qualitative interviews. Respondents were from a mix of age, social class, gender and location.
The study found that around 70 per cent of Welsh adults use the internet and it is accessed primarily through a PC/laptop at home. However, internet access through a smart phone is increasing fast.
Between March and June 2011, almost half of all adults in Wales said they had used a social media site in the previous six months. Social media usage was lowest among older people and those with a disability or long term illness.
Facebook proved to be the most popular social media site, with 41 per cent of adults in Wales using it in the previous six months. Thirty eight per cent of adults in Wales used YouTube and 12 per cent used Twitter in the previous six months.
Social classes D and E were reported to be the heaviest users of social media sites.
Young people are the heaviest users of social media sites in Wales. Seventy two per cent of women use social media compared to 64 per cent of men.
Three quarters of 16 to 34 year olds who use social media, used it at least once a day. This contrasts to almost 60 per cent of 35 to 54 year olds and almost half of those aged 55 years and over.
The majority of people (77 per cent) use social media for socialising and keeping in touch. Only 12 per cent of respondents used social media to seek information or news. This included seeking information on charities/causes of interest, politics, sport and reviews. Many respondents in the in-depth interviews reported that they did not see the point in government or public sector organisations using social media. They did not see a good reason to interact with these public agency sites.
Welsh speakers were asked for their views on how social media influences the Welsh language. Views were mixed with some viewing it as a threat due to “mangled grammar”, the rise of Welsh ‘text speak’ and felt that it was easier to just use English. Others felt it gave them a good excuse to use Welsh and access other Welsh speakers.
This analysis of social media use should inform any decision to develop a social media presence. For example, if the primary audience is older people or people with a disability or long term illness, social media should not be the primary means of communicating.
The primary reason most people use social media is not for seeking information. Creativity is therefore required if social media tools are to be used to raise awareness or give information to the public.
The public do use social media to express opinions. So it has potential for public engagement.
Furthermore, the extensive use of social media by journalists, the mainstream media and by organisations in the public, private and third sectors means that it is an important and effective channel for communicating with them.
3.3Expectation
The popularity of social media is a fact. Conversations about Public Health Wales and public health issues are happening now. Many staff are already involved in these conversations in a personal capacity.
Today’s digital audience expects the organisation’s involvement and the only way to influence – positively or negatively – the outcome of those conversations is to be involved.
3.4Control
The vast access to, and use of, social media channels mean that nearly everyone has the ability to have their say about whatever they are interested in whatever words they choose.
It is therefore not possible to control messaging. Even if Public Health Wales wanted to control messaging, it is just not possible. What is therefore more important is to generate trust in the Public Health Wales brand and to support staff and others to understand its ambition, purpose and values. A workforce which is genuinely and intuitively supportive of the organisation will speak as one.
3.5Timeliness
One of the reasons for the success of social media is its immediacy. Like ‘real’ conversations, social media conversations are fast paced and two-way. However, this presents a challenge to ensuring accuracy and an understanding of context.
The immediacy of some social media tools such as Twitter means it should be a useful tool to communicate vital advice and information during outbreaks and incidents.
Public Health Wales seeks to be a responsive organisation. Social media provides a platform to be responsive.The speed with which social media can communicate information and opinions means that brands can be damaged within hours. Issues can blow up and change public opinion in the same timeframe.
Public Health Wales needs the capacity and capability to respond and engage in the same timeframe if it is to ensure that good public health advice is not undermined and that its reputation is not damaged unfairly.
3.6Transparency
Public Health Wales is committed to being an open organisation. It is a fundamental corporate value. The public sector is expected to be more transparent, accountable and engaging than ever before.
Public Health Wales is a trusted authority on public health issues. A social media presence will help the organisation to develop a more transparent approach to its work. This in turn will improve relationships with stakeholders and help them to understand the scope of public health.
However, an active social media presence will increase the likelihood of closer public scrutiny and the possibility of negative (and positive) comments made about the organisation. It therefore needs monitoring.
3.7Engagement
Social media gives people a far greater role in not only reading and disseminating information, but also in sharing and creating content for others to engage in.
Social media engagement provides a means for the organisation to listen to what stakeholders and the public are saying about its services and public health issues. It provides a unique opportunity to follow others and engage with them directly. This dialogue can improve the ongoing development of its services. It is in tune with the organisational commitment to be professional, persuasive, responsive and reflective.
However, conversations may also take place which were not anticipated or do not fit in with the organisation’s agenda. For example, if using social media during an outbreak of measles, it is possible that posts alleging links to autism could occur. During outbreaks, rumours and misinformation can spread quickly. Social media tools should therefore also be used to correct any inaccuracies and reinforce public health advice, while maintaining a dialogue with followers/friends/fans.
3.8Personal
Social media was developed to be social. It is therefore more effective if personal. A personal interaction is more likely to be engaging thana corporate one.
Organisations communicate best through their staff and the same applies with the use of social media. However, even if communicating corporately, the tone of voice and personal style are important considerations.
3.9Continuous
Public Health Wales has had some ad hoc social media presence (see Appendix 1).In a number of these cases it has not been used continuously.
If not used on an ongoing basis, there is a risk of damage to the reputation of the organisation/division/programme. It could give the impression that work is not being progressed or that Public Health Wales is not truly engaging.
3.10Bilingual
Public Health Wales is committed to communicating with the public in English and Welsh equally.
The Welsh Language Board guidelines for best practice advise that organisations should have separate English and Welsh language accounts rather than using one account bilingually. The two feeds should be updated simultaneously.
A certain degree of forward planning is therefore necessary to ensure simultaneous bilingual posts are possible if staff themselves cannot work bilingually.
However, in some situations, a time delay between the English and Welsh may be unavoidable, for example if an outbreak develops out of hours and social media is used.
Conversations should be allowed to develop in the friend/follower’s language of choice. However, if a conversation is developing in more depth or more quickly in one language, the other language account should signpost to that conversation.
3.11Geography
The ability of social media to identify people geographically means that networks based on geographical location can be developed through social media sites. This provides potential for community development and community health improvement initiatives.
Such networks require local skills and are less likely to benefit from the creation of corporate social media accounts.
3.12Productivity
Arguments against employees using social media tend to focus on the potential impact on productivity. However, an organisation which values and trusts its staff focuses on their responsibilities, the achievement of their objectives and delivery of agreed work plans.
3.13New technology challenges
For the many staff who already use social media in their personal lives, it is an easy and intuitive means of communication. Such staff would need little training in how to use the media.
For a significant number of staff, social media is an alien and untried technology. Some are fearful of it. Others are uncomfortable with it. Some are sceptical of its value. For these staff, learning and training is important.
3.14IT access
At present, access to most social media sites is routinely blocked on Public Health Wales IT equipment, including mobile phones. This block can be lifted with the approval of the employee’s line manager and Head of Informatics if she/he needs access social media sites as part of their work.
Engagement using social media sites will require more exemptions for more staff or a change in the access policy by Public Health Wales.
Bandwidth is already a problem for some staff accessing the internet. Access to social media sites can be frustratingly slow. If more staff are given access to social media sites the bandwidth will need to increase to meet demand. This is a wider NHS Wales issue.
The value of smart phones in accessing the internet and in using social media will also present challenges to Public Health Wales IT resources as more staff need them to engage on social media.
3.15IT security
Like any other internet based service, all social media accounts are subject to hacking. As a Category 1 responder in emergency situations, the Government Digital Service has pledged to verify all Twitter feeds for Public Health Wales.
3.16Resource
Consistent, responsive and authoritative engagement with social media requires time and commitment. Although much of this can be built into existing roles, the time proper engagement takes should not be underestimated.
Appropriate staff should be identified and trained to communicate on behalf of Public Health Wales using social media. The process for establishing a specific team/project social media presence should address the identification of the resource needed (see Appendix 3).
3.17Policy implications
The NHS Wales Informatics Service has produced an awareness note for staff outlining the ways in which the dignity and privacy of individuals is maintained when using social media. This is available in the NHS Wales e-Governance Manual.
Some organisations have developed new policies specifically on the use of social media, especially focusing on issues such as patient confidentiality, and bullying and harassment. However, information governance and good human resource principles and practice are already covered by existing Public Health Wales policies. They should therefore encompass social media in their scope. A specific social media policy is thereforenot needed.
4Vision
Acknowledging the risks but given the opportunities discussed in section 3 above, Public Health Wales should adopt the following vision for the use of social media:
Public Health Wales embraces the use of social media as a powerful way for all of its staff to take forward its communications and public engagement strategies.
5Aims
The aims of this strategy are to support the achievement of the aims of the Public Health Wales Corporate Communications Strategy. These are to: