Communications

President Obama delivered his second State of the Union address last Tuesday. While the speech was interesting for its political implications, I was drawn to the use of a variety of digital tools and social media services. The White House extended the occasion of a single televised speech with a series of follow-up events aimed at connecting the president and other members of the administration directly with the American people.

According to CNN, “such access to top policymakers […] is generally unheard of and reflects the administration’s desire to ensure its messages reach the country, particularly younger Americans who are a core constituency.”

The outreach wasn’t just digital and social but a combination of online and off-line engagement. Many of the online events were held in a room with a live audience. The day after the speech, President Obama went on the road to visit wind and solar energy companies to demonstrate his commitment to clean energy. And the White House team catered to the usual press needs and delivered on other traditional tactics.

It was a whole week of diverse communications activities surrounding and supporting the actual speech. But as part of an integrated communications approach, the team followed its desired youth audience to the online places they are familiar with and use every day. It combined a number of online ideas and internal experts to bring “people a little closer to decisions that get made in Washington” as Press Secretary Robert Gibbs put it.

So what did the White House communications and new media teams do? Here are some of their ideas for content delivery and engagement:

• Online Streaming: In addition to the television broadcast, the speech was streamed live on the White House website and on its Facebook page (where I watched it)
• YouTube Interview: In the days leading up to the speech, Americans were able to use YouTube to submit questions to the President. According to the White House, they received 40,000 questions, and then millions of people voted on which questions should be answered by President Obama. He gave his first interview after the speech by answering these questions in a video that was posted to YouTube and the White House website
• Social Panel: Immediately after the speech, a panel of senior white house directors was ready to answer questions posed by Americans live via Twitter, Facebook and a form on the White House website; I watched part of that session over the official White House mobile application for the iPhone, which includes a news feed and a live video function; it also available on YouTube
• Twitter Q&A: On Wednesday, White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer answered questions in a live Twitter session
• Conference Call: On Wednesday evening, senior White House staff planned to hold a conference call to discuss “issues that matter most to young Americans”; young people interested in participating were able to RSVP through a web form
• Policy Discussion via Facebook: On Thursday, live roundtables were held by “policy experts” where people could submit questions in advance or live on Facebook while it was broadcast online
• Blog Exclusive: Americans were encouraged to pose questions for vice president Biden through a Yahoo.com politics blog, which he then answered in video interviews with a Yahoo staff reporter
• Behind the Scenes Video: A number of Americans were selected to sit with the First Lady in her viewing box during the State of the Union speech. Guests were shown in a behind the scenes video and an interactive feature
• Embracing Reactions: On its blog, the White House selected and published reactions to President Obama’s speech
• Word Cloud: The blog team posted a word cloud for the State of the Union Speech created by social media service Wordle

Was it successful? Other than the numbers provided as part of the presidential YouTube interview, I have not seen any stats. The increasing digital and social media integration seems to reflect the American government’s desire to find more ways of communicating directly to citizens while decreasing the reliance on traditional interpretive filters of journalists and pundits.

As much as it is true that social media success is fueled by the willingness of organizations to embrace a certain lack of control, online activities around the State of the Union address were held based on the terms set by the White House communications team. They responded to critical voices but were selective in their engagement.

Social media usage in the public sector will continue to grow as more government organizations are gaining experience in sharing information and listening to citizens through the use of digital technology. As exciting as it is too see what’s possible today, it is important to keep in mind that behind the public layer of social media engagement, there needs to be change to the internal “state of mind,” so that social media is embedded into the organization, and not simply an add-on. Getting there is a step by step process with a considerable investment in time and resources, including people and platforms, so that the organization can develop the confidence required to embrace change.

The White House already has years of experience in social media implementation and integration. The execution of the State of the Union address was just the latest visible iteration of this evolution.

Having recently switched from the private sector to the public sector, I am interested in perspectives on how governments can use social media to improve information sharing and dialogue with citizens. I asked Lee de Lang, partner at video production company Flashframe Digital Media, three related questions.

1) Have you seen an example of social media integration in the public sector that you really liked?

Lee: My partner Mike and I have been impressed with a couple of programs we’ve been exposed to through our client work. One recent project that really stands out is the City of Ottawa’s launch of their green bin program in 2009. The campaign was designed by High Road Communications, who subcontracted us to shoot and edit a series of YouTube videos to help educate Ottawa residents about what should (and should not) go into their new green bins. To this day, the City continues to stay connected with Ottawa residents via their website as well as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. I remember being very impressed with that campaign, and it was so much fun to play a small part in it (especially because we got to rock out with Ottawa-based band Loudlove and play music-video directors for a day).

As far as my personal experience with public institutions, I can’t say that I’ve seen any really compelling social media programs here in Toronto; however, during the recent municipal election I did rely mostly on Twitter for my election news and I followed the tweets of several candidates; I have to say, I felt more engaged and interested in a local election than ever before.

2) What is the “one thing” you think government could do better using social media, digital communications or web technology?

Lee: Oh that’s easy: more online video! Kidding.

No actually, I think that in recent years governments at all levels have made pretty good strides towards offering more information and services online. Moving forward, if governments want to build relationships and trust with their constituents, they should focus more on engaging and dialoguing with people via two-way communication channels like blogs, live chats, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

And at the risk of blatantly plugging our product, I of course believe that when it comes to telling your story online in an engaging and entertaining way, video has to be part of the mix. Create a YouTube channel, embed video on your website, send video links by email. Video is more accessible and cost-effective than ever so it’s a whole new world of possibilities.

Also, I see an increasing demand among consumers for ways to connect and do business via mobile phones, and there is no reason why this shouldn’t apply to the public sector. The day that I can pay my parking ticket by scanning the barcode with my iPhone will be the day that I pay that ticket on time – and I actually think I won’t mind it that much, ‘cause that would be just so cool.

3) How has social media helped you in your professional life and do you have any tips or tricks to share?

Lee: As producers of online video content, social media surrounds everything we do at Flashframe Digital Media; our work lives on YouTube, websites and blogs, and travels via Facebook and Twitter. For our clients, we know that social media is beneficial in to helping them monitor and measure consumer preferences and behaviour, and for building lasting relationships between consumers and brands.

As for tips or tricks: I try to do most of my online socializing through my mobile phone. Engaging online can become a huge time-suck if you’re not careful but with my iPhone apps like (Facebook and TweetDeck for iPhone) I can carve out time to read tweets or check out a friend’s Facebook page during slower moments, like when I’m standing in line for a latte or waiting for video footage to render. It’s not just about multitasking; I also find it also helps me limit my social-media screen time.

Lee de Lang is a partner at Flashframe Digital Media, a Toronto-based video production company specializing in viral and internet video for social media campaigns. Flashframe was recently named to the PROFIT HOT 50 list for 2010. Lee can be contacted at www.flashframedigital.com.

[Disclosure: I’ve worked with Lee on video projects during my time at High Road but not on the example he mentions.]