Every level of government, in order to make themselves more accessible to the public, are going on the Internet. But having a website isn’t enough anymore, nor is it interactive enough for many visitors. So governments are offering up new online features in order to keep up with the popularity of social media and other web marketing tactics. In fact, many websites are linked to Facebook and Twitter. Others are being revamped by a social media agency that comprehends how to best attract visitors.
However, there are some problems with e-government pages. There are the obvious ones, like website design and how social media will be used by the government. But there’s also the matter that many people in government are ignorant to social media strategies. When they hear the word “Re-tweet”, they usually have no idea what you are talking about. However, all of the problems can be easily solved by using the expertise of a social media agency.
And every social media agency worth its salt is starting to take advantage of this growing clamor for social media. In fact, many are popping up that are strictly for cultivating social media for government use. One such example is Digital Gov Group, in Reno, Nevada, that helps city, county, and state level governments establish proper social media use and policy. The big appeal for using a social media agency like this one is they can help set up communications channels, which are especially important in times of crisis (such as natural disasters).
However, there are those states that have chosen to avoid using a social media agency whenever possible. Utah is one example. According to Utah CIO Steve Fletcher, if social media policies are made in-house, than those who helped to make and then abide by them will understand them better. Also, with Facebook and Twitter accounts being free, they just don’t see the point of spending the money on a social media agency. The argument I make is that, although these sites are free, updating an account can become time consuming. For governments who wish to spend time on other things than having employees flounder in social media, using a social media agency is a great way to train staff until they have the skills to use the pages.
Overall, social media is a great tool to use. Governments are starting to see this, and are on their way to implementing social media to reach out to the public. However, for those that don’t have the resources or the people to meet the demand for this level of interaction, hiring a social media agency can be a great start or a useful way to have others handle the social media while you use your staff to handle other official matters.
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