There’s no question that the launch of WhatsApp Channels is a huge shift on the public sector comms radar.
WhatsApp is used in the UK by around 80 per cent of people aged between 18 and 64, according to Ofcom. That’s as close as you can get to a universal soc ial app.
The platform also chimes with the trend away from shouty public squares to quieter walled gardens where groups of people can chat.
But how to use this new channel?
In the early weeks of WhatsApp Channels it became clear that text on images was the way forward for tactics.
But how about the big picture?
Using WhatsApp Channels strategically
The big strategic picture is how to use them as an organisation. One channel to rule them all? Or multiple? In many ways we’re repeating the head scratching of the early years of social media. Should we have just one Facebook channel for everything? Or should there be multiple channels?
For me, one channel with multiple audiences never really works. I’m always reminded of the council I worked with in quite a tourist-friendly area. They recruited loads of German tourists to follow their page in the summer. Then in the autumn they drove them away with dog mess messaging. If you live in Hannover, this is not the messaging that you signed up for.
But multiple channels only works when there are audiences and a willingness to create content.
The Daily Mail approach of multiple channels
As WhatsApp Channels use begins to solidify an interesting use is emerging. The Daily Mail.
Daily Mail has 265,000 followers on WhatsApp for the Match of the Day highlights package of a broad spread of content.
But also…
Daily Mail I’m A Celebrity 19,000
Daily Mail Royals 17,000
Daily Mail Australia 3,000
Daily Mail US Sport 18,000
Daily Mail Strictly News 5,000
Daily Mail Politics 6,000
Daily Mail Mr Beast News 12,000
Daily Mail Harry Styles News 7,000
Daily Mail Best Shopping 6,000
Daily Mail Kate Middleton News 6,000
Daily Mail Black Friday Deals 3,000
Daily Mail Kardashians News 3.8 million
Daily Mail Netflix News 39,000
Daily Mail Britney Spears News 11,000
Daily Mail Taylor Swift 303,000
Daily Mail Bravo TV 13,000
Daily Mail Australia MAFS 7,000
Daily Mail Australia Cricket 3,000
Daily Mail Australia Politics 1,000
Daily Mail Jake and Logan 5,000
Daily Mail Ukraine – Russia War 26,000
So, multi-channel approach sees the Daily Mail with 20 channels with more than 200,000 followers between them, one of 300,000 and one of 3.8 million. That’s serious numbers.
It also makes sense. If the Ukraine war is your bag you may not be wanting the Kardashians. If you’re all about Harry Styles you may not be so keen on Australian cricket. That’s fine. Back in the days of print you simply opened the paper up on the back page for sport or the gossip pages for celeb news. I think we forget this sometimes and think people will wear an everything channel. I’m not so convinced they will.
How a public sector organisation can use it
Now, you could be looking at that list and be thinking that you’re not a purveyor of celeb gossip and you’d be right. But the 1,100 services that local government does has multiple audiences, for example.
So, would there be an audience for events? And a separate one for families? Or for parks and countryside? Or news? Or emergency planning?
This cuts to the heart of the insoluble public sector issue. They have lots of things to tell people the thing is people don’t want to hear it all.
I can certainly see this working with emergency planning with partners, Councillors and community leaders signed-up for a specific public-facing emergency channel. In an emergency, they can all be useful players in getting the warning and informing message out, for example.
The Daily Mail approach shows that multiple WhatsApp Channels can be used for multiple audiences.
I’m looking forward to seeing who will experiment with this approach in the public sector.