1. Social Media: Pros & Cons for
Public Agencies
Presented by Heather Pharo
Public Relations & Communications
Coordinator

2. Why Pros & Cons?
It’s easy to find people who will talk about the pros of
social media…
…usually they work for marketing and PR agencies that
want your money!
We want to talk honestly about our experiences.

3. Why Pros & Cons?
• Social media is still in its infancy – we’re all still figuring it out
• One-size-fits-all approach to social media doesn’t work;
what’s good for a consumer brand may not work for
transit, what works for a large agency might not work for a
small agency
• Social media blurs lines between Public Relations/Marketing
and Customer Service

4. Why Pros & Cons?
We jumped into the social media game in June 2009
when we joined Twitter.
We didn’t have a plan – we joined because it was clear
we could reach people in a new way.
It’s made some things easier…others more challenging.

5. Why Pros & Cons?
This presentation will focus on Twitter, but these
lessons apply to any kind of social media…

6. Our Social Media Use
• Twitter: @PGHtransit
• YouTube: PGHtransit
• Flickr: PGHtransitphotos
• Facebook.com/connectcardpgh
• Transitpgh.blogspot.com

7. Our Social Media Use
Public Relations department created Twitter account in June
2009. Only a few months later…
• Pittsburgh hosts G-20 Summit (Sept. 2009)
• Snowmageddon hits! (Feb. 2010)
…unprecedented, rapidly shifting events that demanded a novel
communications strategy.

8. Snowmageddon & Its Aftermath
• @emac1214 68D back on regular routing.
• Wabash HOV remains closed. 52 T line still out of service. All other T
service has resumed serving Wood St and Steel Plaza stations.
• We have updated our service list w/ changes to
51A, 51C, 53F, 54C, 68D, 84A: http://bit.ly/awZuLh
• @yayalaura As far as I know this is the case. We do have some updates
coming shortly - not sure that any T changes will be among them.
• @emac1214 Here's the 68D details: no Brinton Manors or Towers; using
Yost to Ardmore, then to regular route at Grandview and Bessemer.
• @PoetyK Yes, we're planning to run 78E on normal route. It's possible it
may change (like if there's more snow) but for now that's the plan.
• Heading out using Port Authority? Here's everything you need to
know, including which routes are in service: http://bit.ly/awZuLh

9. Snowmageddon & Its Aftermath
We gained a lot of goodwill from our Twitter use during
Snowmageddon.
• “Most Skillful Use of Social Media by a Public Agency” –
Pittsburgh City Paper’s Best of 2010
• Additional mentions in the City Paper, Post-Gazette and local
blogs

10. Snowmageddon & Its Aftermath
Tweeting nearly 24/7 is not sustainable!
After Snowmageddon, we needed to manage expectations:
• Set Twitter “business hours” (inspired by TriMet and others)
• “Let’s Talk Twitter” blog post – explaining the
who, what, where, when, why and how of @PGHtransit

11. Know Your Limitations
2009
• 3-person PR staff
• 1 primary Twitter staffer
• No real-time information
• Customer Service phone
hours: 6am-7pm M-F, 8am-
4:30pm weekends/holidays
• No mobile website
2013
• 2-person PR staff
• 1 primary Twitter staffer
• No real-time information
• Customer Service phone
hours: 6am-7pm M-F, 8am-
4:30pm weekends/holidays
• Mobile website

12. Know Your Limitations
“Victims of our own success”: Even with layoffs and hiring
freezes, your social media following will continue to grow!
Focus on what you can realistically handle and what’s most
useful to your audience. For us, that’s:
• Twitter
• Facebook pages focused on specific projects
• Comments disabled on YouTube, Flickr
• Tried comments on TransitBlog – ultimately decided to scrap

13. Staffing, Staffing, Staffing!
Transit Cooperative Research Program Synthesis 99 – Use of
Social Media in Public Transportation (2012):
86% of responding agencies* reported that marketing and
communications staff generated content for social media.
*34 transit agencies in US and Canada, including Port Authority
of Allegheny County

14. Staffing, Staffing, Staffing!
Are interns the answer?
…it’s tempting to throw social media to the interns (they’re
young, probably tech-savvy)...
…but think about the learning curve.
In our experience, interns are best suited to marketing
campaigns.

15. Staffing, Staffing, Staffing!
Outside marketing firms are not the solution:
• Cost may be scrutinized
• Starting from scratch with building a following
• Familiarity with agency workings
• Authenticity!

16. Staffing, Staffing, Staffing!
Why not Customer Service?
• Twitter interactions overlap with CS, but a significant
amount go beyond basic service issues
• They’ve also had to do more with less – recently took
on duties related to new smart card system

17. Staffing, Staffing, Staffing!
Pros
• Breadth and depth of
knowledge on agency issues
• Proactive, advance-notice
information
• Enhanced relationships with
local media
• Easy tie-ins with marketing
Cons
• Less traffic information than
Customer Service
• No rush-hour staffing
• Need to balance with other
work duties
There are pros and cons to the PR approach:

18. The Takeaway
There’s more we’d like to be able to do on Twitter, but we believe our
service does have value as-is:
• 8,000+ followers, typically adding 150-200 each month
– Customer Service receives 2,500-3,500 phone calls on average day
• Clearinghouse for all kinds of inquiries – refer and direct people to
resources and information sources
• Reach people where they already are
• Planned technological enhancements should reduce demand for
service info

19. The Takeaway
• Manage expectations and draw
clear, consistent boundaries
• Pull back the curtain – be honest about who
staffs your accounts and their limitations
• Use social media activity to demonstrate need
for enhancements in other areas