Digital and social media can support traditional public affairs activities in several ways: 1) By establishing online presences and distributing content that policymakers and other stakeholders access regularly, such as websites, blogs, and Wikipedia pages. 2) By using social media like Twitter and LinkedIn to potentially connect with targets and build professional relationships and alliances. 3) By monitoring digital channels like blogs, tweets, and online communities to gather intelligence on issues. Public affairs is also expanding to engage a wider range of political actors and appeal to values as well as facts. Digital tools are well-suited for storytelling, mobilization, and grassroots engagement activities. However, resources, attitudes, and policies

1. Digital and social media*
June 2012 @
*Making it work for you in Public Affairs

2. Me
> Steffen Thejll-Moller
> Work at Fleishman-Hillard
> Digital and Public Affairs

3. Five items today
> Supporting traditional PA activities
> Public Affairs +
> 2025
> Concerns and stumbling blocks
> Some other interesting things (if we have time)

4. Public
1. Supporting traditional
Affairs
activities

5. What type of issue?
“We’ve only got an audience of 1,000”
“Only some policy-makers and a few of other
stakeholders care about our issue”
“This issue isn’t on the public radar and
frankly we don’t want it to get there”

6. DOESN’T
MAKE
DIGITAL
IRRELEVANT

7. Fact: 96% of MEPs visit interest group websites*
* Fleishman Hillard’s EP Digital Trends Survey, 2011
Insight: A top-quality, relevant, informative
website is an absolute must-have

8. Fact: 92% of MEPs use a search engine every day
* Fleishman Hillard’s EP Digital Trends Survey, 2011
Insight: Website needs to be made visible to target
audiences in search engines
(note: via search engine marketing)

9. Fact: 80% of MEPs read some form of blog
* Fleishman Hillard’s EP Digital Trends Survey, 2011
Insight: Value may be attained from presenting
one’s material in blog form i.e. frequently
updated, less formal, more personal – or
engaging on other blogs

10. Fact: 78% of MEPs use Wikipedia weekly
* Fleishman Hillard’s EP Digital Trends Survey, 2011
Insight: It is worth reviewing all relevant pages on
Wikipedia to determine if and how to edit

11. Fact: 34% of MEPs are on Twitter
* Fleishman Hillard’s EP Digital Trends Survey, 2011
Insight: Value in assessing how targets are using
Twitter and whether it is a channel with
which to potentially connect with them

12. IN
ADDITION..

13. Fact: MEPs look for simple content that explains
complex issues as much as detailed content
like position papers (96% vs. 95%)*
* Fleishman Hillard’s EP Digital Trends Survey, 2011
Insight: It’s imperative to present an array of
content types from the simple to the
complex

14. Fact: EP ENVI
committee
members’
degree courses
Insight: Target audiences are probably not all
subject-matter experts so different
complexity levels need to be addressed

15. Fact: MEPs, Commission
officials etc. get
bored too sometimes
Insight: Be interesting!

16. IN
PRACTICE?

17. Scope of traditional EU advocacy

18. Digital and
social media
can support each

19. i. Communicating message to
policy makers and influencers

21. 21

25. 25

27. 27

28. ii. Establishing relationships
and building alliances

30. LinkedIn group

31. Dedicated (and private) community

32. Ryan Heath:
We’re looking for
value in social media.
The lobbyists are
always the least vocal

33. iii. Gathering intelligence

35. europatweets.eu

36. netvibes.com

37. Dedicated set-up e.g. Radian6

38. In summary…

39. 1

40. 2. Public Affairs +

41. The constituent consumer
1. What’s in it for me?
2. What matches my values?

42. Values?
Personal safety, health, environmental
protection, personal freedom, well being etc.

43. More political actors
Pressure group upsurge
and the internet activist

44. A new model of influence
Centralised power
Few political actors
Technical arguments
Rational Emotional
Many political actors
Value-based arguments
Diffuse power
Source: Simon Titley

45. Heard at the EP:
“I’m on your side, but my constituents are not”
(nor are the papers and blogs they read)

46. The disciplines…

47. … are converging

48. MEANING
WHAT?

49. A wider context

51. Think (and act) like campaigners

52. No, our work is not too cerebral to be emotional

53. WHERE DOES
DIGITAL FIT IN?

54. a) Exceptional storytelling channel

55. 55

56. One condition:
thinking differently about delivery
Intelligence
gathering & Delivery
analysis

57. Intelligence Intelligence
gathering & Delivery
analysis narrative

58. b) First-rate mobilisation tool

59. 59

60. 3. 2025

61. External environment
Everyone will be like Neelie

62. Internal environment
Social business: organisations will be inherently social

63. 4. Concerns and
stumbling blocks

64. We have no resources

65. We’re a traditional industry

66. We’re afraid of angry people

67. IT (or legal) won’t let us

68. Where do we start?

69. 5. Some other
interesting
things

71. Dell Hell

72. Hank the angry dwarf

73. Closed Newspapers: 2007-2010
73

75. Thanks

76. Updates
>Blog @ steffenmoller.com
>Tweet @ steffenmoller

77. Digital checklist: 7 quick things for starters
> Where do you appear in Google (you and your issue(s))?
> Other organisations like yours? Competitors?
> Now you’ve found them: how are they communicating online?
> Is your organisation/issue(s) Wikipedia page appropriate?
> How many people are visiting your issue Wikipedia page?
> Are people tweeting about you? Who are they and do you care?
> For your issue, do you know the top 5 best blogs & Twitter
feeds?