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Being Authentic on Social Media

And how to be authentic even when people don’t like you and technology tempts you to go synthetic.

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In early September, 400 public information officers, communications directors, and other marketing and communications professionals gathered in San Antonio, Texas, for the annual City-County Communications and Marketing Association (3CMA) conference.

During this event, I compared notes on key information with a number of people, including Kristi Wyatt, pictured at left, who is the director of Intergovernmental Communications for San Marcos, Texas. Wyatt, who also is one of our GovTech Social Ambassadors, had three takeaways from 3CMA:

1. When citizen groups go rogue, it’s worth trying to engage them.

Often, and especially in the midst of a crisis, groups of citizens will come together with their own efforts to address the situation.

While their intentions might be good, there is significant risk of these groups adding to the confusion, spreading misinformation and perhaps putting themselves in danger. Conventional wisdom might be to ignore them, but some cities have actually had success in engaging these citizen groups. After all, emergency response groups need all the help they can get, and there are many private citizens with skills that can be leveraged during an emergency. 

Social media tools, including the social media archiving and analytics technology that San Marcos utilized during its own crisis situations in 2015, can help identify those key influencers by evaluating their own social media presence.

2. New tools are emerging to better amplify your social message

One of the most important reasons to participate on social media is that your audience and the general public can amplify your message.

Like everything else online, however, your social media posts are competing for attention. In a session on “social media must-haves,” the city of Hurst, Texas, shared its success with a tool known as Thunderclap. Thunderclap allows you to sign up a group of promoters to publish an important message across social media channels at the same exact time to all of their followers. It’s a very effective way to launch a campaign or get a big idea out to the masses — and it’s free!

3. The future of social requires a balance between automation and authenticity

With tools and technology come automation. We are increasingly encountering automation at home and on our mobile devices through technology such as Siri and Alexa. We’re also starting to see the rise of Chatbots. But while automation is good for efficiency and consistency, there is another important component of social media we need to balance: authenticity.

Do you have social media tips and tricks to share? Or are you looking to learn from others? Join us at the GovTech Social Unconference in Denver on October 6 and 7. Tickets are free, but space is limited, so register now!