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Planning communications campaigns in today’s digital and social media landscapeA discussion paper by at800
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ContentsExecutive Summary ................................................................................................................................................................. 04
Section 1 The changing landscape of integrated communications and the role of social media ............................................................................................................ 06
A. Current media context
B. Implications for communications campaigns
C. Planning communications campaigns in today’s media landscape
Section 2 General principles for communicating using social media ....................................10
A. Social media platforms
B. Facebook pages
C. Twitter
D. Blogs
E. Online forums
F. Getting started – how to set up social accounts and pages
Section 3 Case study: at800’s approach – social media as part of an integrated communications strategy ...........................................................................................17
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About at800at800 is the consumer brand of Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited (DMSL), which runs a UK wide programme resolving TV disruption caused by the rollout of the 4G mobile network. We are an independent organisation funded by the UK mobile operators who bought licenses to operate 4G mobile services at 800 MHz, namely EE, Telefónica UK (O2), Three and Vodafone.
To carry out our work, at800 uses a number of channels, including social media, to communicate important public information messages to the public.
We hope those involved in communicating public information will find our experiences using social media, outlined in this discussion paper, valuable. We would therefore welcome any comments and/or feedback on its contents.
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Executive SummaryThis is a discussion paper from at800 exploring how social media, also referred to as ‘social’, can be used in public information campaigns, as part of an integrated communications approach.
This paper is divided into three parts:
Section 1 considers how the communications landscape is changing, and the general case for using social media alongside other methods to promote public information messages.
Section 2 covers best practice and principles for using social media and includes basic advice on how to set up social media accounts.
Section 3 is a case study based on at800’s experience of using social media.
The paper is intended to provide those involved in public information campaigns with answers to two basic questions: why use social media? And, how can social media be used effectively? In the summer of 2015 at800’s social media work was shortlisted for a CorpComms magazine Digi Award for 2015, in the ‘Best Use of Digital Media in Customer Services’ category.
Why use social media?Digital and social media bring a number of benefits to communications campaigns. They offer campaigns a ready, accessible, and relatively low cost way to:
• Target groups of people with shared characteristics, such as where they live, common interests, age, sex – and combinations thereof
• Identify and engage key influencers with a particularly strong ‘reach’ into the target audience. People are increasingly desensitised to communications from brands or organisations, so having an independent third party communicate a message on their behalf can increase its impact
• Generate engagement and conversations, instead of the one-way, one-to-many communication offered by traditional media channels. This builds credibility and clarity through the ability to respond directly to people’s opinions and questions
• Generate qualitative and quantitative data and feedback about what works well, allowing organisations to improve how they communicate
• Enable a range of engaging content, such as images and video, to be communicated and shared, helping to spread the message further.
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How can social media be used effectively?Every campaign is unique. The particular objectives and audiences involved will shape how different media channels should be used as part of an integrated strategy. The starting point when planning any campaign should be:
1. What is our objective?
2. Which audiences do we need to reach?
3. What do we need to do to reach them?
It is only once these aspects are clear that different channels and engagement tactics should be considered. Before this point, there is no reason to assume a campaign must involve any particular channel or channels, including digital and social media.
However, if it’s decided that social media is suitable for a campaign, then it’s important to:
• Be open, human and interactive. Social media platforms and conversations are by nature more personal and conversational in tone than traditional media. Campaigns using social media need to adopt a tone of voice that fits in with the organisation and the channels being used. On social media, people will ask questions, voice complaints and share their concerns. So campaigns using social media need to be ready to respond to people’s comments in a timely manner
• Use social media as part of an integrated communications strategy. Today’s media landscape is incredibly complex and diverse. Audiences are consuming, and have access to, a huge range of media. Because of this proliferation, campaigns must use as many channels as necessary to reach their audiences, and communicate and reinforce their messages
• Carefully plan the phasing of social media activity, in relation to other media. Depending on the particular attributes of a campaign and its target audiences, it may be necessary to time social media activity before or after other communications. This can be used to, for example, target specific audience groups or amplify a campaign’s message
• Use social media to link to further information. Social media updates, such as a Facebook post or a 140-character tweet, are often short in length. The most valuable digital content therefore often includes links to other relevant and engaging digital content, such as a blog, video or FAQ
• Develop content that is usable over more than one channel. Repurposing relevant content across multiple channels reduces the time and effort needed to create new material. It enables a campaign to publish high-quality content at a faster rate, and provides for consistent and focused messaging over a longer period
• Create content that is ‘shareable’. The most effective social content is interesting, and presented in a simple format that can be easily passed on via social media channels. It should be engaging and interesting enough for people to want to share it with others.
• Target specific audiences. Like any other form of communication, social media activity is most effective when it targets specific audiences. This can be done through the use of subject-specific ‘hashtags’ (#, see p12 for more on this) or by targeting the online forums where groups with shared interests congregate (e.g. people living in the same area, people with the same professional background).
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Section 1 The changing landscape of integrated communications and the role of social mediaA. Current media contextToday’s media landscape is incredibly complex, crowded and diverse. Recent years have seen an incredible proliferation of media sources, driven by developments in technology.
In less than a generation, we have moved from a situation where a handful of daily newspapers and just three terrestrial broadcasters were able to command mass audiences; to one where consumers have access to a range of digital media on their mobile devices. These media sources include websites, blogs, wikis,1 streaming services and social networks.
Because audiences are much more fragmented, communications campaigns need to work that much harder, and use a wider variety of media channels, to ensure their messages get through.
This change can be illustrated by comparing newspaper industry circulation figures with internet and social media use.
Readership for British national newspapers, as estimated by the National Readership Survey, fell by an average of more than 8% between September 2013 and September 2014.2 This trend has been ongoing for a number of years, and applies equally to the major UK daily newspapers and the top 75 regional daily and Sunday newspapers. The latter saw their readership decline by more than 13% during the first half of 2014.3
At the same time, internet use has been steadily increasing. 82%4 of the UK adult population is now online. People increasingly use devices such as laptops and mobiles to connect to the internet for a variety of purposes, from buying products and services to downloading music and watching video.
1 A website is a single web page, or set of related web pages served from the same online domain. They are documents written in plain text interspersed with formatting instructions that web browsers can interpret and display. A blog (short for weblog) is a discussion or informational website written by one or more authors. Blogs consist of discrete entries (“posts”) which are displayed in reverse chronological order. They are generally interactive and enable anyone with a web connection to create their own content and comment on others’ posts. A wiki is typically a web application that allows collaborative modification, extension, or deletion of its content and structure. The encyclopaedia project Wikipedia is the most popular wiki on the public web in terms of page views.2 ABCs: National daily newspaper circulation, September 2014, The Guardian, 5 October 2014, http://www.theguardian.com/media/table/2014/oct/10/abcs-national-newspapers 3 UK regional dailies/Sundays lose print sales at 13.5 per cent year on year with Newsquest biggest fallers, Press Gazette, 27 August 2014, http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/uk-dailies-loses-sales-135-cent-year-year-price-rises-make-newsquest-titles-biggest-fallers4 The Communications Market Report 2014, Ofcom, August 2014, http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/market-data-research/market-data/communications-market-reports/cmr14/
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Source: Ofcom Communications Market Report 2014
This growing use of the internet can be seen across all age groups and demographics. However, the young, and the more affluent, use the internet the most.
Source: Ofcom research, data as at Q1 2014. Base: All adults aged 16+
Despite this, 12% of the UK population still does not have internet access at home, and this is not expected to change over the next year. This shows the importance of using multiple communication channels and face-to-face activity to engage these harder-to-reach audiences.
Pro
port
ion
of a
dult
s (%
)
Internet
Q1 20
05
Q1 20
06
Q1 20
07
Q1 20
08
Q1 20
09
Q1 20
10
Q1 20
11
Q1 20
12
Q1 20
13
Q1 20
140
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Total Broadband
Internet on mobile
Pro
port
ion
of a
dult
s (%
)
UK
16-2
4
25-3
4
35-5
4
55-6
4
65-7
475
+ AB C1 C2 DEMale
Female
100
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Household internet access: 2005 to 2014
Household internet access by age, socio-economic group and gender: 2014
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With the growth in internet use, and emergence of so-called ‘web 2.0’ applications over the past decade, social networking has become one of the most popular online activities. ‘Web 2.0’ refers to services such as social networking sites which enable people to collaborate, create and share information digitally.
AnyGeneral surfing/browsing
Sending and receiving emailPurchasing goods/services
BankingUsing social networking sites
TV/Video viewingInstant messaging
Finding/downloading info for workWatching short video clipsFinding health information
Playing gamesDownloading music
Using local council/Government websitesFinding/downloading info for college
Trading/auctionsUploading/adding content to internet
Listening to radioStreaming audio services
0 20 40
Used in the past week
60 80 100 120
Used less often
Source: Ofcom research, Q1 2014. Base: all adults aged 16+ who use the internet
Facebook remains by far the most popular social networking site in the UK, with a user base of 35.1 million in March 2014. Facebook’s audience is roughly three times larger than its nearest rival, Twitter, which has 11.9 million users. Facebook’s UK user base grew 6.4% between March 2013 and March 2014, while Twitter’s increased by 4.2%.
Claimed use of the internet for selected activities
March 2013
March 2014
0
Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn Google+ Myspace FriendsReunited
Group
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
Source: Ofcom Communications Market Report 2014
Digital audience of social networking websites: March 2013 and 2014 (millions)
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B. Implications for communications campaignsThese changes in media consumption are having a huge effect on communications and marketing campaigns. Because the media is so much more diverse, and audiences are consuming a wider variety of content, campaigns have to be active and coordinated across multiple media platforms. They are no longer just targeting traditional media, such as print and broadcast, but also newer forms of communication such as social networks.
Research shows the growing importance of using social media in communications campaigns. According to Hubspot, 92% of marketers claimed that social media marketing was important for their business in 2014, with 80% indicating their efforts increased traffic to their websites.5
This is because people are increasingly using the internet to find information and research products and services. And they are also being influenced by reviews from others who post comments online:
• 77% of UK shoppers consult reviews before buying online6
• 52% say friends’ product recommendations were influential (compared to 24% who claim to be swayed by advertising)
• 9% have bought a product or service recommended by a contact on a social media site (compared to 7% who made a purchase after seeing an online ad).7
This trend is also affecting journalists and their work. Many journalists routinely use social media to both gather news and distribute content,8 creating another reason for campaigns to include digital and social elements.
C. Planning communications campaigns in today’s media landscapeDespite the growing influence of social and digital media, it’s important to remember that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach for using them, or any other communications channel, in communications campaigns.
Every campaign is unique. Its objectives and audiences will shape how the different media channels should be used as part of an integrated strategy.
Until objectives are clarified, target audiences identified and the most relevant channels and engagement tactics have been considered, there should be no assumption that a campaign must involve any specific channel or channels, including digital and social.
But given the many channels available to audiences, and the proliferation of media outlets, campaigns must use as many channels as necessary to reach their audiences in order to communicate and reinforce their messages
5 16 stats that prove social media isn’t just a fad, Hubspot, 6 June 2014, http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/social-media-roi-stats 6 77% of UK shoppers consult reviews before buying online: report, Econsultancy, 26 February 2014, http://econsultancy.com/ blog/64406-77-of-uk-shoppers-consult-reviews-before-buying-online-report/7 SocialLife4 – UK social media usage trends – July 2014, http://www.slideshare.net/IanSmith22/sociallife4-uk-social-media-usage-trends-aprilmay-2014 8 Social media newsgathering, BBC Academy of Journalism, http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/journalism/skills/social-media/article/art20130702112133515
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Section 2
General principles for communicating using social mediaWhere social and digital media are to be used however, campaign planners need to realise that these channels are different. What makes for compelling content is not the same as for traditional media platforms.
Social content might be as short as a Facebook post or a 140-character tweet, but it must still be focused, personable, accessible and written with the end-reader in mind. It must be relevant and engaging, while projecting the tone and style for which the organisation or brand that is sharing it wants to be known.
The most valuable digital content links to further information, which may come in many forms. It may be a blog, video or section of your website, such as an FAQ.
Ideally, content should be usable over more than one channel. For example, an article from a newsletter could serve as advance content for an organisation’s email subscribers. A week later, it might be published on the organisation’s blog, or shared on an external blog as a guest post. Interesting excerpts could also be used as social media status updates. The facts could be woven into a visual format, such as an infographic. An interview based on the article could be recorded with the author and released on YouTube.
Repurposing relevant content in this way reduces the time and effort needed to create new materials. It enables an organisation to publish high-quality content at a faster rate, and provides focused messages for longer periods.
Not every piece of content will work on every channel. But each one should be created with one question in mind: how many different ways can some or all of it be used to connect with our target audience, and expand the reach of our campaign? This will ensure the message remains consistent, and reaches and connects with the right people.
Content also needs to be ‘shareable’. It must be interesting, and presented in a simple format that can be easily passed on via social media sites (keeping in mind the different formats required for each digital channel). Pictures and video work well on most social channels. For Facebook and Twitter, copy should be concise, and images should be relevant. If you need to say more, share content on the organisation’s blog. To drive visitors to your website, use links and host other relevant content.
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Public services should only use social media platforms if they want to engage in an ongoing dialogue with the public about their work. On social media, people will ask questions, voice complaints and share their concerns. Social media should only be embraced when organisations are ready to be open and speak with a human voice.
Depending on the organisation, it may be necessary to integrate social media communications with customer support. Tools such as Conversocial, Hootsuite or Sprinklr allow large organisational teams from different departments, like support and communications, to coordinate and collaborate on responses to social media queries.
A. Social media platformsThe two main social platforms for sharing content publicly are Facebook and Twitter. Most public and consumer-facing organisations have Facebook pages and Twitter feeds. Many others also have a presence on YouTube for sharing video, Instagram for stylised photos and short video clips, and Flickr and Tumblr for photos and images.
As Facebook and Twitter remain the most popular platforms in the UK, this paper will focus on these two platforms. However, some of the general principles for using them effectively are transferable to other emerging, social media platforms. An awareness of the platforms most used by the audiences you wish to reach is an important part of any communications strategy.
B. Facebook pagesA Facebook page can be searched for online and accessed by Facebook account holders. It is a suitable platform for organisations to share a variety of content, including text, images and video, and can drive traffic to the organisation’s website. Facebook offers its own advice on how to make the most of its ‘pages’ feature.9
Example Facebook page: at800
9 https://www.facebook.com/help/405494409496261/
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A key advantage of using Facebook is that people using the network can share an organisation’s posts with their friends, ‘like’ content and tag friends in posts. This allows organisations to increase the size of the audience seeing their messages.
Advertising on Facebook
Facebook requires people to provide certain profile information when signing up to the site. This means that adverts can be targeted at users by important demographics, such as region, age, gender, education and interests. Adverts can also link back to an organisation’s Facebook page or website, helping to drive visitors. Promoted posts and newsfeed adverts allow people to share comments and discuss issues.
Accurately targeting messages in this way helps avoid wasting advertising budget. It also avoids frustrating and alienating people to whom the message isn’t relevant. Facebook states that most online advertising only reaches 38% of its intended audience, but Facebook’s ads reach 89%.10
C. TwitterFrom the Arab Spring and G20 riots to the launch of the latest iPhone, news now often breaks on Twitter. Given its timely nature, Twitter can be used to monitor discussions about specific issues in particular geographic areas. For example, an organisation can set up a search query for terms related to a certain service or issue in a certain area, then use free tools like TweetDeck to watch what’s happening in real time.
Twitter can also be used to increase awareness of an organisation’s products or services. A tactic organisations can employ is to follow and tweet to influential local community Twitter accounts. This allows the organisation to target them with information that they can quickly and easily retweet – or share with their own network. Asking these audiences to retweet is vital: tweets should always include “Pls RT,” “share” or “please retweet” (character limits permitting).
What’s more, aligning the timing of regional Twitter outreach and traditional PR releases helps to ensure a timely, integrated and consistent message.
Influential Twitter accounts may be managed by local community groups, charitable organisations, local newspapers, radio stations, MPs or well-known personalities. On a local level, these can be found simply by using Twitter’s free search function to look for place names. Generally speaking, an organisation should never tweet at, or start a conversation with, another Twitter account if they don’t intend to continue. Engaging in a two-way dialogue is vital in building community relationships, especially online.
When tweeting about regional issues, topic-related ‘hashtags’ (#) can be used to increase reach – for example, #Barnsley or #health. This can be helpful to audiences looking for local or topic specific updates.
Twitter activity complements other parts of the communications mix. Tweets can link to websites, news stories and other social content, driving further engagement and awareness. Twitter’s ‘best practices’ page is a useful resource.11
10 https://www.facebook.com/business/products/ads11 https://biz.twitter.com/en-gb/best-practices
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Promoted and pinned tweets
Promoted tweets are ordinary tweets purchased by advertisers who want to reach a wider group of users or to spark engagement from their existing users. Similar to Facebook ads, these allow users to be targeted based on gender, interests and location. They can also be targeted in real time, for example referring to TV programmes as they’re being broadcast. Pinned tweets, meanwhile, are not constrained by time and always appear at the top of an organisation’s profile, enabling key messages to be communicated.
Different types of content can be advertised on Twitter, including video, images and links to an organisation’s website or blog. A useful feature for some organisations may be Twitter’s ‘lead generation’ product, which allows them to collect email addresses directly through a Twitter advert. This could be used to encourage people to sign up to a newsletter, or ask to receive more information about a specific topic.
Here is an example provided by Twitter, showing how this works for a coffee shop:Source: https://blog.twitter.com/2013/capture-user-interest-with-the-lead-generation-card
D. BlogsBlogs are a useful way for organisations to communicate with their audiences when they need to share timely, more conversational content that’s too long for Facebook or Twitter.
Blogs can be used to communicate a wide range of information, and should be written in the organisation’s established tone of voice.
Content from blogs can be shared on social media channels, allowing an organisation to expand on social posts, which are short by nature. This can also help drive visitors to the organisation’s website and blog. This can be done by drafting a social media update summarising the content in an engaging way, along with a link to the blog entry. This will encourage readers to click from the social post to the blog to find out more.
Social feeds, apps and plug-ins
Social platforms offer apps and plug-ins that can be set up to run small windows on other websites, known as social feeds. These can be used to display activity taking place on an organisation’s social media platforms.
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Social feeds offer visitors to an organisation’s website an option to follow its social network accounts, and provide further opportunities for people to see key messages, and engage with organisations via their profiles.
Example of a Twitter feed on at800’s websiteThis screen grab shows at800’s Twitter feed, which is embedded on its blog page.
Source: www.at800.tv/blog
E. Online forumsOnline forums are subject specific discussion areas on websites. Members can post discussions and read and respond to posts by other forum members. A forum can be focussed on nearly any subject, but common examples include groups of residents living in a specific area, people working in the same profession, or those with shared interests and hobbies. This often leads to a sense of online community developing between forum members.
Forums are sometimes called message boards, discussion groups, bulletin boards, or web forums. They usually allow all members to make posts and start new topics. However, before a prospective member joins a group and makes posts to others, he or she is usually required to register.
The prospective member must usually agree to follow certain online rules, sometimes called ‘netiquette’, such as to respect other members. When a member is approved by the administrator or moderator, the member usually chooses his or her own user name and password. An avatar, or photograph or picture, supplied by the member might appear under the member’s user name in each post.
The separate conversations in a forum are called threads, and they are made up of member-written posts. Members can usually edit their own posts, start new topics, post in their choice of threads, and edit their profile. A profile usually lists optional information about each forum member, such as their location and interests.
An Internet forum administrator may also participate in the forum. An administrator can usually modify threads as well as move or delete threads if necessary. Moderators often help the administrator and monitor and guide the discussion to make sure the forum rules are being followed.
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F. Getting started – how to set up social accounts and pagesSetting up social media accounts is a quick and easy process. The platforms provide simple instructions on their homepages.
Facebook homepage
Source: www.facebook.com
Follow the ‘Create a page’ link at the bottom right of Facebook’s homepage, below the green ‘Create an account’ button.
Facebook ‘Create a Page’ page
Source: Facebook
Select your type of organisation from the category drop down menu. Then enter its name, and click ‘Get started’ to begin uploading information about your organisation and pictures to the page. Make sure that you include your preferred contact information and links to your website.
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Simply click the yellow ‘Sign up for Twitter’ button, and enter your email address and password. You can then upload a page and profile photograph, and details about the organisation. You’re now ready to begin tweeting, sharing 140-character posts, links and images with other users. Again, in your profile description, you should include a link to your website.
Twitter homepage
Source: Twitter
Security
As best practice, set up all social media accounts with an email address created for use solely with those accounts – for example “[email protected]” rather than an individual’s email account.
Make a note of who has access to this email account, who knows the passwords to your social channels, and who is the administrator of your Facebook page. When employees leave or agencies change, remove them as Facebook administrators, and change your social passwords immediately – including that of the email account connected to your social channels.
If for some reason a social channel is connected to an employee’s email address, and that person leaves, change the linked address before deleting their email account. Instructions on how to do this are provided on the platforms’ websites.
Always use unique passwords. For tips on creating secure passwords, see the instructions produced by the Government’s Cyber Streetwise campaign.12
12 https://www.cyberstreetwise.com/
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Section 3
Case study: at800’s approach – social media as part of an integrated communications strategyIntroductionat800 is an organisation with a relatively simple role: ‘to make sure viewers can still watch Freeview when 4G signals at 800 MHz are activated in their area’. It is independent, funded by and represents the UK mobile operators who bought licenses to operate 4G mobile services at 800 MHz, namely EE, Telefónica UK (O2), Three and Vodafone.
But while its purpose is straightforward, its communications requirements are complex. at800 must convey a technical issue to large numbers of people, in a way that’s engaging and easy to understand. At the same time, it must avoid alarming people unnecessarily about losing their TV service. It needs to reach those more likely to be affected with a reassuring message, at the relevant time.
To do this, at800 uses a mix of traditional and digital communications, all of which are carefully coordinated and integrated. The aim is to ensure that the most appropriate methods are used to reach viewers who may experience Freeview disruption caused by 4G.
Social media is a key ingredient in at800’s communications mix. With internet use increasing among all age groups and demographics, it helps ensure the organisation reaches a diverse but relevant range of audiences.
at800 has found that integrating social and traditional media outreach not only increases awareness of a message, it also improves the prospects of generating coverage on other media channels.
at800’s multi-channel approachA number of different activities are used to communicate at800’s messages:
• Direct mail – Homes at risk of experiencing disruption to their Freeview service are identified and sent postcards in advance of 4G mast activation in their area. The cards explain the potential for TV reception problems, and ask viewers to contact at800 if they experience disruption
• PR – In areas where 4G at 800 MHz services will be launching, at800’s communications team engages with local newspapers and radio stations, encouraging them to report on the issue and announce at800’s free service
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• Stakeholder engagement – Viewers experiencing disruption may ask other people or organisations for support. So at800 works with a range of stakeholders to help get its message out. These include:
• Local community groups and charities working with vulnerable residents
• Local housing associations working with those living in social housing and communal properties
• Elected representatives including local councillors, MPs and members of the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Social media at the heart of at800’s communicationsThe main components of at800’s social media communications programme are:
Publishing content
at800 publishes a variety of content on its Facebook page, Twitter feed and blog, to keep audiences informed and engaged.
To do this, at800’s communications team creates content to educate viewers about potential 4G disruption – for example, advice-based pieces on ‘what to do to prepare for 4G at 800 MHz activation’. But it also creates content about TV viewing figures and hot topics such as popular TV programmes – the type of content that people are sharing and talking about on social media.
While the former is the most important message, the latter keeps lines of communication open, ensuring that people who have engaged with at800 in the past continue to opt in to receiving information.
The majority of the organisation’s social posts also link to the official at800 website. This helps to drive traffic, raise awareness of at800’s role, and provide access to further information and support.
Facebook posts and Tweets are kept short and simple, and all link to further information or at800’s contact page. Research has shown that tweets with fewer than 100 characters are 17% more engaging.13
13 http://www.exacttarget.com/blog/social-media-best-practices-for-brand-engagement/
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Examples of posts on at800’s Facebook page
Facebook ads
at800 runs Facebook adverts targeting the geographic areas where Freeview disruption is likely. The ads are targeted by postcode at Facebook users living in specific towns, to remind them about the postcard they may have received. They appear on the timelines of Facebook users in the targeted area.
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Example at800 Facebook advert
Source: Facebook
The message contained in the ads aims to raise awareness of the potential issue, and advise viewers of at800’s existence and service. Ads always link back to the relevant page on the at800 website.
As well as being highly targeted, Facebook ads allow viewers to engage directly with at800, by posting a comment if they experience disruption. This ensures that support can be provided directly to the individual.
People can also share the ads, as well as advice and links on their own or friends’ social pages. They can also tag friends in comments, expanding the audience seeing at800’s messaging.
at800 has found that many people use Twitter to keep up with local community news. As a result, at800’s communications team engages with influential local community Twitter accounts ahead of mast activations. The team tweets information that can quickly and easily be retweeted to raise awareness of 4G at 800 MHz in their areas.
Influencers can include community groups, local newspapers, radio stations and MPs. These are identified by searching for keywords related to the community via Twitter’s search tool.
Place-name hashtags are included to extend reach. This complements regional mailings, as it helps drive targeted community awareness. See more about the timings of communications overleaf.
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at800’s Twitter page
Source: Twitter
Blog content
Regularly updating the at800 blog, which is hosted on the organisation’s website, is a useful way to keep online and social content fresh. It also ensures that the website appears active and current.
Content from the blog is also adapted and shared on social media channels to help drive traffic. at800’s communications team makes sure that content communicates key messages around resolving 4G disruption, and that it’s also topical and interesting.
at800’s blog page
Source: www.at800.tv
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Customer service integration
at800 has found that social media is a valuable viewer support tool. As a result, at800’s social activity is integrated with its customer support. Using Conversocial, a social media CRM tool, the customer support and communications teams are able to seamlessly coordinate responses to viewers.
A bank of pre-written responses to common queries helps improve response times. This is an essential part of at800’s social strategy. It allows the organisation to respond promptly to individuals with very specific information about their area, and about issues they may be experiencing. And it means that the customer service team can include social media interactions in individuals’ contact record, to create a complete history of their engagement with the organisation. This is vital when evaluating processes, and working to improve the satisfaction of the viewers that contact at800.
Hyper local activity
at800 also monitors online forums for conversations about topics related to its business e.g. Freeview TV disruption. When forum members appear concerned about potential 4G-related disruption and unsure about where to get assistance, at800 will respond to the conversation and signpost forum members towards at800’s contact centre. at800 will also share information to clarify points of discussion that are inaccurate. This activity is purely reactive, and focussed on viewers. To ensure the activity remains proportionate and focussed, at800 only engages with viewers and not engineers or other technical audiences, and does not proactively intervene in forums where there are no discussions of TV reception related issues.
Timing of activities
The order and timing of the deployment of content is key to the effectiveness of at800’s communications.
The first step at800 takes is to send postcards to households that may experience problems with their Freeview service from 4G at 800 MHz.
Once these cards have been mailed, at800 begins communicating with key local influencers who can help amplify its message. This involves emailing local politicians, who residents may contact with concerns about their Freeview service. at800 informs them about its role and the imminent activation of 4G at 800 MHz in their area, asking them to pass its details to constituents who may be affected.
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at800 then further raises local awareness over Twitter with a three-step process:
1. Local interest Twitter accounts are identified via a Twitter search – in particular, accounts that share information about their area. For example, local journalists, public figures and officials and media outlets: Harrogate Today, Bideford People, What’s on #Shrewsbury? etc.
2. These accounts are followed by @at800tv
3. The accounts are then tweeted with a request to share an at800 YouTube video with their followers (see right for an example of an at800 tweet to local influencers).
There are two reasons for phasing the communications activity in this way:
1. To generate awareness of the disruption issue in the local communities where postcards have been mailed
2. To raise awareness and credibility of the at800 brand among journalists, media and local authority outlets that will be contacted during other PR and PA activity.
at800’s PR team then contacts journalists by telephone one or two days after the Twitter outreach, to ‘sell-in’ news releases and offer interviews with at800 spokespeople.
Facebook advertising is activated shortly after the Twitter campaign, to further increase awareness and reach. Adverts can be run for extended amounts of time if necessary, to increase opportunities to be seen in the areas being targeted.
A powerful advantage of the Facebook adverts is their ability to target specific cities, towns and villages. This is particularly useful for an organisation like at800, which needs to communicate issues or offer services specific to local areas.
Facebook advertising is also very affordable. at800 estimates that it costs the organisation less than a penny to reach each person. In small areas with only a few thousand people, it may be cost effective to target the entire town or village with adverts. But for larger regions with hundreds of thousands of people, targets can be defined more narrowly. at800 can focus on people who ‘like’ or express interest in Freeview programmes or channels. Reaching out to exactly the right people helps get the most from the communications budget.
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Summary: integrated communications for maximum impactat800 began its programme in March 2013. Since that time, there has been widespread local and regional coverage of the issue:
• 618 pieces of traditional media coverage in regional print and broadcast media and specialist trade publications
• Media coverage secured in 80% of regions targeted over the past twelve months
• An average of two pieces of media coverage per region targeted over the past 12 months
• 1,600+ viewers directly assisted via Facebook
• 8,800+ interactions on Twitter.
at800’s communications team constantly reviews and adapts its strategy and tactics, to ensure it supports the organisation’s operations as effectively as possible. The social element of its campaigns is crucial to generating coverage and maintaining awareness in target areas, its effectiveness has been recognised with at800 being nominated for ‘Best Use of Digital Media in Customer Services’ at the CorpComms magazine Digi Awards for 2015, in the ‘Best Use of Digital Media in Customer Services’ category. Going forward, social outreach will continue to play a significant role in the communications mix used by the organisation.
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Notes:
If you have any questions about this discussion paper, please contact:
Joe SharpHead of [email protected] +44 7966 084 189
Digital Mobile Spectrum LimitedRegistered Address: 83 Baker Street, London, W1U 6AG | Registration Number: 8247385The at800 brand is a trademark of Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited (DMSL). DMSL has been formed by and represents the UK mobile operators with 800 MHz spectrum – EE, Telefónica UK (O2), Three and Vodafone.
