Marketing to Women: What Every Brand Needs to Know, By LeapFrog Interactive
social-media-report-2015-final
1. ? December 2015
a review of social media usage
in uk local government
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WHATSAPPENING IN
#LOCALGOVSOCIALMEDIA?
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2. whatsappening in #localgov social media? 2
introduction 2015 state of play our top 20 what’s next ? 7 top tips conclusion
INTRODUCTION
88%
With local authorities
anticipating further
significant cuts over
the coming Parliament,
‘innovation’ and ‘efficiency’
are more than just buzzwords
for councils. They are
essential.
Over the four years BDO has run the
Social Media Survey, we have seen
councils turn to social media as a
tool to improve the quality and cost-
effectiveness of services.
Each year we have tailored our report
to respond to what councils need from
social media. Our first report helped local
authorities get set up on social media. Our
second report provided guidance on risk
management and suggested how councils
could measure return on investment. Last
year, our “Direct Message” report outlined
how social media has brought the council
and the citizen closer together and how
councils have overcome barriers related to
risk management and are starting to measure
a return on investment for social media
usage.
2012: From
Housing and Litter to
Facebook and Twitter
2013:
Following the Trends
2014:
Direct Message
introduction
social media 2015:
the state of play
our top 20 social media
leaders in local government
what’s next?
our seven top tips
conclusion
about bdo
contents
2
3
5
10
11
13
14
2015 marks the fourth year of the BDO Local
Government Social Media Survey. This year’s
survey is forward looking.
Social media use is now commonplace
amongst councils and, as last year’s report
shows, local authorities are starting to
overcome some of the early challenges faced.
Yet social media is a fast moving world and
councils have to move with it.
Therefore this
year’s report
focuses on
future social
media trends
and how councils
can be more
effective and
inventive on their
social media
platforms by learning from existing best
practice.
Overall there are three key findings from this
year’s survey. This report looks at each one in
turn:
• Councils are more committed than ever to
using social media. It is encouraging to see
that an increasing number of senior leaders
have bought into using social media.
• Councils need to learn from existing best
practice. We’ve profiled the Top 20 Social
Media Leaders in Local Government to
provide a benchmark for the sector and
supplemented this with best practice
examples from at home and abroad and
our seven top-tips on how to improve your
social media content.
• Councils can still be bolder in embracing
new social media channels. We’ve
identified channels which we feel have the
greatest potential and how councils can
use them to deliver efficient and effective
services.
We’re always keen to get feedback on our
reports and share our findings further.
If you’d like to discuss anything from this
year’s report or share examples of social
media best practice from your own authority
please get in touch at @BDOLocalGov or
use the hashtag #WhatsApp_eningBDO.
updating your status
#litter2twitter
from housing and litter
bdo local government
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to facebook and twitter
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how social media is
bridging the gap between
#localgov and citizens
DIRECT
MESSAGE
?
WHATSAPPENING IN
#LOCALGOVSOCIALMEDIA?
of adults are now
accessing the
internet, with social
media accounting
for over half of all
internet usage
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3. whatsappening in #localgov social media? 3
introduction 2015 state of play our top 20 what’s next ? 7 top tips conclusion
Q
THE STATE OF PLAY
social media 2015
2015 bdo local government social media survey Social media is constantly evolving and so is
the way local authorities are using it:
• Appetite for social media in local
authorities has continued to grow
• Senior leadership’s approach towards
social media impacts how organisations
use it
• There is generally a high level of buy-in
from senior leaders for social media
• Councils continue to associate financial
savings with social media use
• Councils are still focused on a small
number of ‘traditional’ social media
platforms.
appetite for social media in local
authorities has continued to grow
Over 74% of councils believe there is a
moderately or extremely high appetite
within their organisations to maintain a
strong social media presence, an increase
of 7% from last year. This suggests that
local authorities see social media as crucial
in maintaining high levels of customer
engagement and in utilising more cost-
effective channels of communication.
Is your organisation active on any of the
following platforms?
twitter
account
haveahavea
instagram
account
havea
facebook
account
havea
youtube
account
100%
77%
yes yes
71%
38%
90%
68%
senior leadership’s approach towards social media impacts how
organisations use it: Over 74% of this year’s respondents suggested that the approach
taken by senior leadership towards social media had a significant impact upon how their
organisation uses it. Our Top 20 Social Media Leaders in Local Government feature shows how
some Council Leaders and Chief Executives are blazing a trail for their oragnisations to follow.
This reinforces our research which indicates that the engagement of senior leadership on social
media platforms can encourage members within their organisation to utilise social media more.
senior leaders in local government
buy into social media: 61% of
respondents to the survey stated that there
was a moderately or extremely high level
of buy-in from senior leadership for social
media.
This is encouraging because local authorities
feel senior leadership support for social
media influences the way an organisation
uses it (see above).
councils continue to associate
financial savings with social media
use: Over 71% of respondents to the survey
thought that there were financial savings
associated with the use of social media.
Whilst only 10% of respondents could give
an estimate of how much money was saved,
councils are confident in giving examples of
where they believe social media has helped
them reduce their costs.
in 2015in 2014
30%
in 2015
7%
in 2014
Q
2015 bdo local government social media survey
Has your organisation identified any
financial benefits from using social
media?
“extremely high”
“extremely high”
QHow much appetite is there within your
organisation to develop/maintain a
strong social media presence?
2015 bdo local government social media survey
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4. whatsappening in #localgov social media? 4
introduction 2015 state of play our top 20 what’s next ? 7 top tips conclusion
using social media to manage a
recruitment drive
cambridgeshire fire and
rescue service started a social
media campaign to encourage
more women to become
firefighters. The first stage was
advertising a ‘have a go’ day in a
boosted post and paid-for advert
on Facebook. They used case
studies, an in-house produced
video, more targeted boosted
posts and messages.
A previous more ‘traditional’
recruitment drive had attracted
17 women and produced one
full time firefighter. Using social
media raised attendance to 38
women and led to six full time
firefighters.
This is a clear example of the
impact a sustained presence on
social media can have.
using different forms of social media
brisbane city council is a great
example of how different forms of
social media can be used by a local
government organisation.
Its overarching Digital Innovation
Strategy governs all the Council’s digital
assets including social media.
Included within this strategy is a social
media plan, which informs the content
that is disseminated on each platform.
The Council is particularly adept at
utilising alternative social media
platforms.
For example, the Council wanted to
increase awareness of areas of civic
pride in Brisbane, as it felt there was not
enough of a widespread knowledge of
Brisbane’s cultural sites. As a result the
Council began a campaign on Instagram
named ‘Views of Brisbane’ to try and
increase cultural awareness and local
sentiment
for areas of
interest in
Brisbane.
Brisbane City Council has:
over 106,000 likes on Facebook,
around 66,000 followers on Twitter
over 6,500 followers on Instagram.
THE STATE OF PLAY
social media 2015
councils are still focused on a
small number of ‘traditional’ social
media platforms
The only social media platform which has
seen a dramatic increase in usage this year is
Instagram.
Otherwise, respondents are still using a
similar range of platforms as before, with
Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Flickr being
the most popular. Our research this year
has shown that there are several alternative
social media platforms which could help
councils spread their messages and increase
citizen engagement.
This indicates there is still some room for
local authorities to diversify the way they
disseminate information.
2014 2015
100% 100%
90%
83%
50%
54%
68%
90%
20%
38%
improved engagement with customers
using streetlife
suffolk county council
joined Streetlife in June 2014
and have linked their customer
service agents directly on to this
platform to answer questions and
provide useful links to people.
This approach has allowed them
to enable local champions to be
empowered to take positive action
to get some changes they want to
see in their local environments.
best practice examples
Q
2015 bdo local government social media survey
Is your organisation active on
any of the following platforms?
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5. THE RANKING PROCESS
whatsappening in #localgov social media? 5
introduction 2015 state of play our top 20 what’s next ? 7 top tips conclusion
OUR TOP 20
social media leaders in local government
Our 2015 survey highlights the importance senior leadership has on how social media is used within
organisations and its growing maturity as a platform. This means there is a huge opportunity for councils
to learn from best practice use of social media, and particularly – as organisational leaders shape the
agenda – what the best local government leaders are doing.
Our Top 20 Social Media Leaders in
Local Government, which is new to
this year’s report, highlights who
those leaders are and provides a
benchmark for other organisations
to learn from.
methodology
To produce our Top 20 list we followed a
three stage methodology:
Step One: We researched the Twitter
accounts for every Chief Executive, Council
Leader and Elected Mayor. The 50 accounts
with the most followers went through to
the next stage. Twitter was used as a proxy
because our survey has consistently shown
that it is the social media platform most used
by local authorities
Step Two: The top 50 entered into our BDO
social media score calculator. This score
of each person was based on a weighted
average scoring method covering their
engagement across Twitter, Facebook and
alternative forms of media (Blog, LinkedIn,
YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Vine,
WhatsApp, Pinterest).
The scoring method weighted Twitter at
60%, Facebook 20% and alternative forms
of social media at 20% due to the perceived
level of local government engagement on
each platform. Criteria for Twitter included
followers, average retweets per tweet,
replies, and tweets per month. We looked
at the number of page likes, average likes
per post and average shares per post on
Facebook. On alternative platforms we
looked at how many platforms each user is
on, how often they use it and accumulative
followers (or subscribers).
Step Three: BDO agreed the final order of
our top 20 based on qualitative analysis of
each leader’s social media content, including
individuality; agenda setting; reputation
management; reach, innovation; reception;
engagement; and successful blend of
personal & professional.
headline findings
The Top 20 Social Media Leaders in Local
Government includes Chief Executives,
Council Leaders and Elected Mayors:
• The Top 10 included four Council
Leaders, three Chief Executives and
three directly-elected Mayors.
• Council Leaders made up 70% of
the Top 20. However, there was no
Conservative representation.
• There were only two women in
the Top 10, and five in the top 20,
potentially reflecting a wider lack
of diversity in local government
leadership.
• No County Council features in the
Top 20. This perhaps suggests that
County Councils are less likely to have
a distinct ‘brand’ when compared
to Councils focused on more
concentrated urban areas.
• Whilst our Top 20 were high-scorers
relative to their peers, there was
relatively little engagement with
newer forms of social media such
as WhatsApp or Instagram. The lack
of activity on alternative platforms
suggests that there is a gap in the way
leaders could innovatively deliver their
message and are limiting their access
to constituents.
Research their Twitter accounts
for No. of followers
800+ UK Chief Executives,
Council Leaders and Mayors
Rank based on ‘BDO social media
score’ - a weighted average scoring
method based on Twitter, Facebook and
alternative forms of social media
top 50
Panel judgement based on social media
content and BDO social media score
top 20
top 10
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WHATSAPPENING
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IA?
Data correct as of 19th October 2015
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6. whatsappening in #localgov social media? 6
introduction 2015 state of play our top 20 what’s next ? 7 top tips conclusion
?
WHATSAPPENING
IN
#LOCALGOVSOCIALMED
IA?
george ferguson
35,000
5.13
4
n/a
elected mayor
bristol city council
George
reaches over
170,000 users,
and 92% of
his tweets are
retweeted suggesting people
like what he say to say. His
tweets show a good mix of
personality and engagement.
He has also proven his
knack at agenda setting
through initiatives such as
the #Ask100RC (Resilient
Cities), and the effective use
of hashtags. He also has a
YouTube channel.
Twitter
followers
Avg. retweets
per tweet
Facebook
page likes
No. of social
media platforms
Strengths: Agenda setting,
innovation, engagement
joe anderson
20,900
8.57
3
n/a
elected mayor
liverpool city council
With 20,900
followers,
and 140,000
Twitter users
reached, Joe
is effective
at getting
his message across to large
numbers of people.
84% of his tweets – which
combine humour and focus
on key issues in Liverpool -
are retweeted.
Twitter
followers
Avg. retweets
per tweet
Facebook
page likes
No. of social
media platforms
Strengths: Individuality,
engagement
mark rogers
5,628
1.71
3
n/a
chief executive
birmingham city council
Mark promotes all things
good about Birmingham, and
also recognises engagement
with his followers on social
media is key - 70% of his
tweets are retweets, and
87% of his tweets are
retweeted by his 5000+
followers. On joining the
Council and launching his
blog, Mark was commended
for its human touch and his
willingness to engage with
the City.
Twitter
followers
Avg. retweets
per tweet
Facebook
page likes
No. of social
media platforms
Strengths: Balance of
personal and professional
OUR TOP 20
social media leaders in local government
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introduction 2015 state of play our top 20 what’s next ? 7 top tips conclusion
jim mcmahon obe
4,696
2.80
4
300
council leader oldham
metropolitan borough council
A rising star
in the Labour
Party, Jim is
also gaining
prominence
on social media. On Twitter
he reaches 129,000 users,
and 75% of his tweets
are retweeted. His blog,
promoted effectively
through Twitter, is also
smartly designed. Jim
supported Oldham Council’s
initiative to live-stream
council meetings with an
accompanying Twitter Q&A
- watch this space.
Twitter
followers
Avg. retweets
per tweet
Facebook
page likes
No. of social
media platforms
Strengths: Engagement,
innovation
tony lloyd
5,435
1.63
3
1,642
interim mayor greater
manchester combined authority
Current
interim-
Mayor of
the Greater Manchester
Combined Authority
(and Police and Crime
Commissioner for
Manchester) Tony has strong
presence on Twitter, and
the 3rd highest Facebook
page likes - indeed he
performed most strongly
in the Facebook section of
the analysis. He reaches a
massive 386,000 twitter
users, and 85% of his tweets
are retweeted.
Twitter
followers
Avg. retweets
per tweet
Facebook
page likes
No. of social
media platforms
Strengths: Reach,
engagement
tudor evans
7,137
1.12
3
414
coucil leader
plymouth city council
A good presence on both
Twitter and Facebook
demonstrate Tudor’s social
media savvy - backed up
by his love for selfies.He
reaches 94,000 users, with
strong engagement, and a
humourous streak.
Twitter
followers
Avg. retweets
per tweet
Facebook
page likes
No. of social
media platforms
Strengths: Individuality,
reception, engagement
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OUR TOP 20
social media leaders in local government
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introduction 2015 state of play our top 20 what’s next ? 7 top tips conclusion
julian bell
3,763
1.56
2
2,449
council leader
london borough of ealing
Julian’s impressive presence
on Facebook gets him on to
the list. He also uses Twitter
well, promoting sucesses
in Ealing as well as mixing
personal and professional
content effectively.
60% of his tweets, which
reach 50,000 users, are
retweeted.
Twitter
followers
Avg. retweets
per tweet
Facebook
page likes
No. of social
media platforms
Strengths: Mix of personal
and professional
tom riordan
12,200
1.72
2
n/a
chief executive
leeds city council
Tom has
12,200
followers
on Twitter, and reaches
128,000 users. 70% of his
posts are retweeted showing
that people like the content
he puts on social media. His
tweets mix promoting Leeds,
various Council initiatives,
and humour showing his
effective social media voice.
His Q&A with a young
professional business group,
Yorkshire Mafia Young Guns,
initiated through social
media, was lauded.
Twitter
followers
Avg. retweets
per tweet
Facebook
page likes
No. of social
media platforms
Strengths: Individuality,
agenda setting
sarah hayward
4,662
1.23
4
204
coucil leader
london borough of camden
Sarah has an impressive
presence across Facebook,
Twitter, and her personal
blog, and she links the three
channels effectively. She
replies to 37% of tweets
directed at her, showing a
willingness to engage. Her
recent blog post on Housing
in Camden, and tweets on
the refugee crisis, shows that
she understands social media
is a useful and effective
agenda-setting tool.
Twitter
followers
Avg. retweets
per tweet
Facebook
page likes
No. of social
media platforms
Strengths: Engagement,
agenda setting
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WHATSAPPENING
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OUR TOP 20
social media leaders in local government
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9. whatsappening in #localgov social media? 9
introduction 2015 state of play our top 20 what’s next ? 7 top tips conclusion
THE ‘NEXT 10’... the rest of the top 20 social media leaders in local government
jo miller
4,822
1.50
2
n/a
chief executive doncaster
metropolitan borough council
sharon taylor
council leader
stevenage borough
council
peter john
council leader
london borough of
southwark
nick forbes
council leader
newcastle city
council
richard watts
council leader
london borough of
islington
dorothy thornhill
council leader /mayor
watford borough
council
muhammed butt
council leader
london borough of
brent
warren morgan
council leader
brighton & hove city
council
donna jones
council leader
portsmouth city
council
sir richard leese
council leader
manchester city
council
ian stewart
council leader /
elected mayor
salford city council
Whilst Jo only uses Twitter,
she manages to reach
an impressive 140,000
users, and has over 4,800
followers.
Jo’s hashtags focus on
Doncaster, showing an
appreciation of her role
and a willingness to use
social media to promote
Doncaster.
Twitter
followers
Avg. retweets
per tweet
Facebook
page likes
No. of social
media platforms
Strengths: Reach, reputation
management
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WHATSAPPENING
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OUR TOP 20
social media leaders in local government
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introduction 2015 state of play our top 20 what’s next ? 7 top tips conclusion
Active council accounts vs. social media accounts BDO staff are actually using
WHAT’S NEXT?
for local government social media usage
This year’s report has already shown that
councils are starting to make use of social
media platforms other than Facebook
and Twitter – which have dominated in
each year we have run this survey. There
are more social media platforms to choose
from than ever. To make best use of social
media, councils need to reflect the platforms
used by their users. Our internal survey of
BDO staff showed that councils are missing
opportunities to engage on particular
platforms.
instagram
38% of councils who responded to
our survey use Instagram. Instagram
is a great way of sharing photos or
videos, and these can be disseminated
on other platforms such as Facebook
and Twitter too. It is a great tool for
connecting with younger people, as
46% of Instagram users are under the
age of 24.
Given that Instagram is almost entirely
focused on visual contents, having
an eye-catching picture or one with a
distinct message is critical.
snapchat
Snapchat is a great tool to make
people aware of what is going on in
their community. Snapchat content
can be uploaded in a series of photos
or short videos for set amount of time.
It can be ideal for posting pictures of
local events or promoting these types
of events further. 19% of our internal
survey respondents use Snapchat and
it is an app which is likely to grow
even more with the increase in mobile
access to 4G networks.
whatsapp
Our internal survey at BDO has shown
that 68% of respondents use WhatsApp
messenger on their phones – in fact people
are more likely to use it than Twitter -
however only 2% of local authorities who
responded to our survey are actively using
WhatsApp.
This shows there is a huge opportunity for
councils to use WhatsApp to connect with
citizens. WhatsApp could be an alternative
way of holding live Q&A sessions and
providing any emergency updates regarding
public services.
Twitter Flickr LinkedIn WhatsApp Snapchat
But how can councils make best use of
alternative platforms such as Instagram and
WhatsApp?
In this section we
share some ideas
based on our
survey results and
knowledge of best
practice.
Councils
active
Councils
active
Councils
active
Councils
active
Councils
active
BDO
usage
BDO
usage
BDO
usage
BDO
usage
BDO
usage
100%
54% 54%
2% 0%
40%
81%
68%
19%3%
Only 35% ofrespondents use
alternative social
media to reinforce a
social mediastrategy.
interestingl
yalternative...
28% of councils
started using
Instagram in the last
year, and 11%
intend to start
using it
interestinglya
lternative...
WhatsApp 68%
is more popular
popular with
BDO staff than
Twitter 40%
interestinglya
lternative...
westminster city council
uses its Instagram account to
showcase some famous landmarks
in the Council and interesting
events going on.
blackburn and darwen council
became the first Local Authority in the
UK to use Snapchat in May 2014. The
tool was used to remind people to vote
for the Local and European Elections.
The Snapchat account has also been
used to share information and updates
around events at King George’s Hall,
Darwen Library Theatre and the
borough’s parks and leisure venues.
shropshire council has a
WhatsApp a councillor program
whereby residents can ask questions
to their local councillors or just make
general enquiries.
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11. whatsappening in #localgov social media? 11
introduction 2015 state of play our top 20 what’s next ? 7 top tips conclusion
7 TOP TIPS
for local government social media usage
This year we have seen
some fantastic examples
of councils and senior
figures using social
media well. It isn’t an
exact science and so it is
virtually impossible to
have a ‘perfect’ online
presence.
However after four
years running the Local
Government Social Media
survey we want to share
our seven top tips for
improving your
social media
presence.
integrate your
platforms
go
mobile
have a
strategy
all work
and no play...
1 4
5
3
2
Integrating your social media platform
means users can access your different
accounts with minimal effort.
Given that 65% of people connect to the
internet using their mobile phone, it is likely
that this will be done on the move and so
making access as easy as possible is a definite
plus-point. Why not post a picture from
Instagram on Twitter? Share a blog post on
Facebook? Put a YouTube video of a Q&A
session on Streetlife?
By publishing content from different
platforms you are making people aware that
they exist and more likely to follow them. • 65% of internet usage
is through mobile phones
• 95% of Twitter users
own a smartphone
• 99% of Instagram users
own a smartphone
Tailoring your content to a mobile
audience is one the best ways of ensuring
people keep up-to-date with your posts.
Councils using social media should follow
a social media strategy.
A good strategy will set what your authority
wants to get from using social media, secure
buy-in to those aims from across your
organisation (including senior leadership),
identify any necessary investment
requirements, and set clear KPIs for how you
will measure success.
Currently only 43% of councils have a social
media strategy, which suggests that there is
room for improvement in this regard.
Lighten things up! Using an informal tone
keeps people interested.
Whether it is wording some of your posts
more personally or taking the odd selfie - as
long as the content is relevant then there will
be more of a response online.
Only 43%
of councils have
a Social Media
Strategy
interesting...
make it
easy
A Socitm survey revealed that 89% of
councils advertise their social media
accounts on their website, but only 33%
did this on their contact details page.
Make sure that all your accounts are
displayed in one, logical place. The easier it is,
the more likely it is people will take note and
follow.
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introduction 2015 state of play our top 20 what’s next ? 7 top tips conclusion
7 TOP TIPS
for local government social media usage
stay
focused6 7
A scatter-gun approach risks not having an
effective online presence.
It is better to only commit to platforms
where you can sustain regular and high
quality content. One way of choosing which
platforms to use is focusing on the platforms
your users are on. Social media isn’t very
social if it is a one-way conversation.
For example, most respondents said
they were active on Flickr, but did not
believe it ranked in the top three most
popular platforms for their citizens. Our
internal survey also shows that only 3% of
respondents were active on Flickr. Therefore
Flickr is one potential platform which
councils could scale back use of.
updating citizens on the latest weather news in
harsh conditions somerset county council
somerset county council created
an account on Twitter @SomersetGritter
in order to update customers about the
weather and if any safety precautions
would be taken as a result. This ensured
customers were well informed and could
plan their journeys in good time as a
result.
social media campaign – in the depot
torfaen county borough
council wanted to enhance the
reputation of its public services during
bad weather.
It began its ‘In the Depot’ campaign
to share informal but crucial messages
into its social media content. It
had measurable goals which would
constitute success, and the outputs
from the campaign gained recognition
on a national scale.
Its outcomes included:
• 97% of people being better informed
about council activities during the
snow
• 17,200 positive comments, praising
Torfaen Council
• In the Depot video and its key
messages received 32,938 ‘likes’ and
34,947 ‘shares’
• Facebook followers rising by 65% to
over 5000.
key campaign objectives
• To weave key ‘sticky’ messages from our
winter maintenance strategy into a funny,
creative, informative video that would
be shared at least 500 times and achieve
3000 views
• For Torfaen’s social media community to
feel well informed about the disruption
caused by the winter weather
• To showcase the work of local
government gritters during the snow with
five pieces of local media coverage and
three pieces of national media coverage
• To increase positive perception of local
government by encouraging 1000
positive/supportive online comments
from citizens
• To increase Torfaen’s social media
influence and reach by increasing our
Facebook following by 20%
• To have a positive influence on online
mentions about Torfaen during the snow
increasing customer engagement
through live q&as on social media
isle of wight council
isle of wight council
have held live Question and
Answer sessions on Facebook on
major matters such as budget
consultations. This has allowed
citizens to directly ask questions
to senior officers or councillors on
relevant topics which affect them,
which has been extremely well-
received.
best practice examples
engage with
your audience
This year’s survey has shown that there
are some great examples of councils
engaging with their citizens – such as
the Isle of Wight’s Facebook Question
and Answer sessions or Suffolk County
Council’s use of Streetlife.
Posting individual questions on social media,
holding regular polls and surveys are other
ways of getting users involved.
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13. whatsappening in #localgov social media? 13
introduction 2015 state of play our top 20 what’s next ? 7 top tips conclusion
CONCLUSION
social media 2015
It is clear that social media is now core business for local
authorities. The question now is where do councils go from here?
This year’s survey suggested two potential answers.
There is also scope to diversify
the range of social media
platforms that councils are
using – to embrace newer
platforms such as WhatsApp and Instagram
– particularly as these are the platforms
that their citizens are engaging with. With
social media councils need to go where the
conversation is. We have suggested some
alternative platforms on which councils can
operate to exploit social media opportunities
better and provided some tips on how they
can make their content more engaging for
citizens.
We’ve found that if an
organisation’s leaders support
social media, this gives the rest
of the staff the confidence to
embrace it.
Our Top 20 Local Government Social Media
Leaders profiles those leaders who are doing
this effectively and provides a benchmark for
other councils to aim for.
There is no ‘right’ way to ‘do’ social media,
but we hope our input will help local
authorities build upon their solid foundations
going forward.
We hope you have enjoyed reading this year’s
report, and please don’t hesitate to get in
touch via our Twitter @BDOLocalGov to let
us know what you think or to share any great
examples of social media best practice from
your own authority.
This year has seen a record
number of responses to our
survey and a 97% increase
from last year.
The results from our 2015
survey show that social
media in local government
continues to go from strength
to strength, with councils
continuing to develop a clear
idea of how social media can
lead to savings.
1 2
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introduction 2015 state of play our top 20 what’s next ? 7 top tips conclusion
Edinburgh
Leeds
Cambridge
Ipswich
Norwich
Liverpool Manchester
London
Reading
Guildford Gatwick
Glasgow
Bristol
Birmingham
Nottingham
Leicester
Southampton
Guernsey
ABOUT BDO
bdo in the uk
In the UK BDO has over 3,500 employees in
18 offices. Our local government team has
worked with over 100 local authorities in
recent years. It supports local authorities to
deliver excellent, low cost services to their
residents by focusing on improving local
authorities’ relationships with their customer,
providers and partners.
We specialise in audit and assurance,
commercialisation, business cases,
commissioning & procurement, performance
& improvement, system transformation and
strategy development.
BDO helps local government organisations
establish viable, profitable and sustainable
commercial operations, we use business
cases to help public sector organisations
make decisions that are evidence-based,
affordable, demonstrate value for money
and are ultimately deliverable, and our
commissioning and procurement specialists
design, source and put in place services that
maximise outcomes and value for money.
contact us
If you have any questions, suggestions or
ideas for us to consider please don’t hesitate
to get in touch.
andy mahon
Partner
+44 (0)1132906150
andy.mahon@bdo.co.uk
Find us on social media
Twitter: @BDOLocalGov
BDO local government blog
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comprehensive local knowledge and
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1. Independent research (Mid Market Monitor 2012-15) undertaken by Meridian West
shows BDO has the highest client satisfaction rating among its peers
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15. whatsappening in #localgov social media? 15
introduction 2015 state of play our top 20 what’s next ? 7 top tips conclusion
FURTHER RESOURCES AND REFERENCES
1. Ipsos Mori, Tech Tracker, Q2 2015
2. Public Service Intelligence (quoted in The
Guardian), Social media and the public Sector:
who’s using it?, November 2014
3. Ipsos Mori, Tech Tracker, Q2 2015
4. Ipsos Mori, Tech Tracker, Q2 2015
5. Socitm (quoted in The Guardian), Social media
and the public Sector: who’s using it?, November
2014
top 20 social media leaders in local
government
The cut off point for our analysis was 19th
October.
• Twitonomy: Data range from March 2015
to 19th October 2015.
• Topsy: Last 27 days
• Tweetchup: February 15 onwards
• Tweetreach: Last 3 months
For Facebook, we carried out a manual
analysis – up until 19th October, we sampled
the 10 most recent Facebook posts.
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