Communicating in a connected world

Kevin NelliesHead of Online Communications : International Energy Agencywww.iea.orgTwitter: @iea_oecdFacebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalEnergyAgency

What are we going to talk about:•Communicating with audiences in the 21st century•Look at the new IEA website (launch summer)•Writing for the Web

(I know that you know) Web 2.0 means

Why Social Media

That’s where everybody is

The social web in BIG numbers

• YouTube to serve 700 billion YouTube video views in 12 months• Facebook 518 million users• Twitter 200 million users

80% of UK online population visit social networking sites

The challenge:

“The boundaries of Government and public sector organisations are under assault by new patterns of communication regardless of howthe individual technology pieces change”

Social media provides an architecture for participation not just a new channel for more of the same

Communications old style

• messages “pushed”

• press releases, reports etc

• one-way communication

• no feedback or dialogue

Press Release Old Style

Communication Today

• engaging with clients and the public

• two-way – feedback & listening

Press Release New Style

Markets are Conversations

But for government/public services & knowledge organisations to be effective they must be as well

Understand who you are trying to reach

Develop clear goals and objectives

Set some social media policies

Integrating Social Media

• doesn’t “replace” your communications strategy

• but also not add-on or “bauble”

• social media should be integrated into strategy

• part of strategy DNA

Choose your tools carefully

As there are lots of tools

To Connect we need good stories

But don’t forget

10 Top Tips

#1: Use a blog to tell your story

Treat your blog like the digital printing press that it is. Use text, photos and videos to tell stories of the impact you’re having on the community or the world. Make it personal, make it real, link it into you website and other social media streams.

#2: Make sure your stories/press releases are shareable

Use tools like the retweet button, Facebook like button, and Share This to allow your visitors to quickly share your story with their networks.

#3: Make it easy to subscribe to your stories

Make your RSS feed impossible to miss by putting it “above the fold” and highlighting it.

Subscribe to our news feed

#4: Use video to tell your story

Informal videos can be incredibly persuasive in selling your messages

#5 Create a Facebook Group for your cause

get involved with the half-billion–plus people currently using Facebook

#6 Post photos or videos on Facebook and “tag” staff, volunteers or contacts

This will draw attention to their good work and spread your message to their friends. Use this strategy judiciously.

#7: Use Facebook Events and LinkedIn Events to spread the word

These powerful social networks allow you to promote your events for free and make it easy for people to share events with friends and colleagues.

#8a: Use Twitter

• aggregate press releases

• use Twitter stream as live “message center”

• Tweet to engage with followers with links

• Twitter lists to follow journalists & bloggers

#8b: Start conversations around twitter hashtags

If your audience is active on Twitter, start a conversation around a hashtag to get people talking,

#9: Improve conversations and collaboration with a wiki

By using a free or inexpensive wiki, colleagues can be kept up-to-date on changes and work collaboratively from remote spots.

10# Put your presentations online with SlideShare

If your organisation puts on presentations to raise awareness then make that work go further by posting your slides to SlideShare, the “YouTube of presentations.”

Save time by cross posting

Breaking down the doorsocial media isn’t just external

Organisational dependency on hierarchy

• Letting their people work socially rather than assume in advance that none of it is of any use to you

• Making resources go further by encouraging employees to embrace and develop their personal brands

So organisations should think about doing this

I nearly forgot to achieve this we need to start thinking in terms more of these...instead of our traditional communications roles

What’s the return on ignoring this?

Key Points Summary

ointegrate social media into your strategy

ocross-promote platforms to build traffic and aggregate

oengage with your target audiences

omeasure results to fine-tune your strategy

Life’s a Beta

Keeping trying new ideas, keeping improving, don’t be afraid of mistakes

So let’s make sure we are not still partying like it’s 1999

And that we are communicating for this century

And in the end

Why not follow us on twitter @iea_oecd

The love you take is equal to the love you make