Betony KellyHead of Digital Outreach@betonykelly

“Hello people of the internet. This is the government speaking”

Challenging the idea of media engagement and influencers

New tools, new audiences, more impact

http://releasd.com/ece0

(old) staff, new skills

Digitally native content and approaches

“But I know this area well - I’ve worked in it for years”

Business is GREAT campaign

(started November 2013):

The GREAT Britain campaign is a partnership

between private enterprise and Government to

highlight support for businesses aspiring to

succeed and to encourage entrepreneurial

spirit.

● Analysed the most popular business

content on the gov.uk site

● Conducted focus groups with businesses

at various life stages

● Hired an experienced editor of a business

website and gave him editorial control

over the content

● Experimenting with different content and

distribution methods

“But our Dept isn’t leading?”

“But we’ve written a press release?”

Draft Consumer Bill of Rights (June 2013):

● Measures to enhance consumer rights

and make them easier to understand

● streamline overlapping and complicated

areas from eight pieces of legislation into

one consumer Bill

● get some money back after one failed

repair of faulty goods (or one faulty

replacement) incl. digital services

● demand that substandard services are

redone or failing that get a price reduction

A new, integrated approach:

● Included online media & bloggers to

media briefing and private event

● Identified where the messages weren’t

landing

“But we’ve spoken to the industry bodies?”

“But it’s embargoed until Boxing Day?”

● Reached more than 6.4 million people

with space weather information just

through Twitter. This was worldwide,

including Australia, the US, Canada, Hong

Kong, India and Pakistan

● Respected scientists and influential

commentators shared and created

content - Dr Lucie Green, Roger Highfield,

Jo Brodie, John Burn-Murdoch and Alice

Bell

● Solar flare video, 15 original blog posts,

BBC blog content used at least 23 times

● When the BBC’s popular stargazing

project began on Jan 7 the team

contacted them and the BBC account

shared the BIS messages again

What we’ve learnt from our work

● Learn the emotional drivers for sharing content and contributing

● Don’t dismiss niche audiences● Invest in your spokespeople & relationships● Personal intros through personal channels● If you’ve nothing to add, just be useful● Join in with other people’s discussions - Top

Gear (400x increase in traffic to automotive strategy docs)

Five things you can do today

Choose one of your Dept priorities:● where and how are people talking online?● review media distribution lists - is it all print

and broadcast?● what content works for this group - what do

they share/where do they go?● identify a policy or comms ambassador and

help them get online● join an online forum, listen, participate, test

Betony KellyHead of Digital Outreach@betonykelly

Thank you