A recent survey by International Data Corporation (IDC) reveals that Spain, the UK and France are leading the way among the largest countries in Western Europe in adoption of social media by central and local governments.
The survey highlights that 40% of local government executives and 30% of central government executives indicated that the authority they work for had adopted some form of social media for business purposes.
IDC Government Insights recommends that governments should consider social media for internal collaboration, citizen engagement, and citizen service improvement, thus defining a clear digital strategy that aims to improve quality or reduce cost of service delivery instead of just setting up institutional Facebook or YouTube pages.
It is critical to complement digital strategies with social strategies that align with the needs of the target audience to drive participation.
It says that governments should explore ways to show interest in people (for example, by implicitly recognising individuals through games and related awards) and spot those that need special attention, while making sure that employees, not the institution, are front and centre.
“Governments should not consider social media as just another digital channel to broaden the options for one-to-one interactions between the institution and its constituents,” says Massimiliano Claps, research director, IDC EMEA Government Insights. “Rather, they should consider it a different type of channel where communities of multiple stakeholders come together to satisfy social needs.”