COVID COMMS #30: How people are getting their COVID-19 info should shape your future comms

Yet again, Ofcom should stand up and take a bow.

Quietly the telecoms watchdog have published a 614-page XL spreadsheet of data collected last month on COVID-19 media consumption trends.

Like Bletchley Park operation Ofcom are producing quality intercepts that can give you a headstart if you are communicating advice on the pandemic.

Because I love you very much I’ve read it and I’m blogging it here for you.

It’s fascinating reading.

The majority of all UK adults use social media everyday

Social media consumption in the UK is voracious across all age demographics.

Three times as many over 65s use social media every day compared to those who don’t use it at all.

Just look at the use once a day v don’t use at all data.

Aged 16-24: 96 per cent use social media daily versus one per cent don’t use

Aged 25-34: 93 per cent versus one per cent

Aged 35-44: 87 per cent versus two per cent

Aged 45-54: 76 per cent versus 11 per cent

Aged 55-64: 73 per cent versus two per cent

Aged 65+: 69 per cent versus 20 per cent

UK adults check COVID-19 information daily more the older they are

If you’re over 65 you are checking COVID-19 information more often than any other age group. That’s no surprise. The group most at risk also have the most spare time and watch the most TV. But across all age groups there is an interest whether that’s TV, radio, email, web or social media. Just three per cent of any age group say they’re not interested.

Daily COVID-19 information consumption by age group

Aged 16-24 – 77 per cent

Aged 25-34 – 81 per cent

Aged 35-44 – 85 per cent

Aged 45-54 – 81 per cent

Aged 55-64 – 84 per cent

Aged 65+ – 91 per cent

The near-universal popularity of BBC TV News

Perhaps surprisingly, the most popular channel for getting COVID-19 updates isn’t Facebook, TikTok or Twitter… it’s BBC TV News.

From youngest to oldest, across the UK, BBC News presenters Jane Hill, Fiona Bruce and Huw Edwards are the most influential suppliers of pandemic news.

Surprisingly, the youngest sector, 16 to 24-year-olds, cite BBC TV News as the most regular source of coronavirus updates. Forty per cent of this demographic pointed to this while 77 per cent of over 65s chose BBC TV News.

Only 25 to 34-year-olds ranked BBC TV news in second place with Facebook coming top for them.

Public sector sites are a minority information source

The number of people getting their data from UK Government rises from 11 per cent for the youngest to 15 per cent for over 65s. NHS websites, email and post fares little better with 14 per cent for 25-to-34s being the highest.

Community health services are seen by barely more than eight per cent of any age group.

Radio cuts through to a minority

Commercial radio peaks with 17 per cent of 55 to 64-year-olds with BBC local radio faring best with over 55s with more than a quarter listening.

Non-mainstream media isn’t cutting through

Sites like Breitbart, Russia Today or Skwarkbox with highly partisan slants on events aren’t reaching a wide audience. No more than three per cent of any age group see their content regularly.

Online news sites like Joe and Huffington Post are five times more popular with younger audiences but don’t attract older audiences.

E-mail schmeemail

The largest demographic getting pandemic info from email are over 65s with 13 per cent.

If you’re 16 to 24-year-old…

This demographic is more likely to get their COVID-19 information from BBC TV news more than any other channel. Forty per cent watch the Auntie’s broadcast news.

Friends and family (34 per cent) come second with Facebook third (26 per cent), BBC News online on 25 per cent with Twitter on 24 per cent.

The single lack of one dominant channel makes communicating with this age group more time consuming.

YouTube and news aggregators (both 20 per cent) and Instagram 21 per cent also make up the landscape.

Overall, 16 to 24s have seven ways to find out information which are used by a fifth or more of their number.

News sites like Huffington Post or LadBible reach a combined 17 per cent.

You’ll find this surprising, but this age group are twice as likely to get the low down from traditional media – 75 per cent – than friends and family.

They rank traditional media (45 per cent) and broadcasters (42 per cent) as the most important sources and they’re most likely to see public sector content on than any other pandemic source.

Influencers? Four per cent see COVID-19 content from them.

Snapchat? 12 per cent.

Mind blown?

Totes.

If you’re 25 to 34-year-old…

If you’re late twenties and early thirties, you’ll use social media every day and you’ll see, watch or hear pandemic info every day too.

For this group, Facebook is your channel of choice (39 per cent) outranking BBC TV News (33 per cent) and BBC Online is third on 27 per cent.

Like their younger relatives, traditional media and broadcasters are the most important sources with around 40 per cent rating this group.

If you’re 35 to 44-year-old…

Social media and COVID-19 updates are daily and BBC TV (45 per cent) is where you get most information.

Friends and family and Facebook which both are seen by a third.

Newspapers make an appearance with 25 per cent while traditional media overall is 72 per cent.

Broadcasters and traditional media are the most important sources.

If you’re 45 to 54…

Every day, three quarters use social media daily and four fifths consume pandemic information.

BBC TV News is top with 56 per cent with ITV News on 31 per cent beating Facebook into third place with BBC Online and Radio close behind.

Broadcasters are the most important source.

If you’re 55 to 64…

Almost three quarters use social daily with BBC News 66 per cent the largest source of information far ahead of ITV news on 38 per cent.

Friends and family are third with BBC Online and News close behind.

Yet again, broadcasters are the most important source.

If you’re over 65…

A total of 69 per cent use social media daily and 91 per cent are consuming COVID-19 info daily.

A bumper 77 per cent watch BBC TV. That’s almost double the nearest most popular channel – ITV News- which has 40 per cent.

In third place are newspapers (38 per cent) friends and family (28 per cent) with BBC Radio 4th a point behind.

Overall, there are 15 different ways 10 per cent or more over 65s get COVID-19 information.

Anti-vaxx tops the misinformation charts

More people have seen anti-vaccination content than any other and it is the content most likely to be challenged.

Overall, 46 per cent have seen content claiming anti-vaxx statements are true rather than 23 per cent debunking them. This must be a long-term challenge for public health. There’s no point scientists working on a jab if the info war has been lost.

Almost one in seven would have a jab declared safe by the NHS.

The one piece of misinformation likely to be attacked is the idea that mainstream media are exaggerating the pandemic. That’s outscored by 25 to 47 per cent.

Picture credit: Flickr / Documerica.

While you’re here, I’ve just launched a new online workshop programme ESSENTIAL COMMS SKILLS BOOSTER. I’ve done the research to pin down what comms people need. See more here.

LEARNING LIST: A checklist on what you need to know in case of University accomodation block lockdown

Across the UK there are 130 Universities with two million students.

Chances are, if you have a University in your area you’ll be coming face-to-face with locking down a hall of residence or a block of flats.

In Manchester, two Metropolitan University blocks with 1,700 have been locked-down for two weeks after more than 100 positive tests.

Alun Ireland, Manchester City Council head of comms, in a Zoom chat on the Public Sector Comms Headspace Facebook group ran through the early learning. In Manchester, the episode drew national attention. 

Shots of angry students unable to leave their flats dominated coverage.

So what do you need to know? 

As Alun is one of the good guys he’s keen to share what he learned.

Alun’s halls lockdown check list

Build relationships with partners in peacetime.  If you’re local government this means building bridges with the University ahead of time. It helps makes things go more smoothly.

Expect little notice. The Manchester lockdown came in with only a few hours notice. There will be little time to act so prepare well ahead for the eventuality.

Expect enforcing the lockdown to be difficult. Much of this is appealing to people’s better nature. There’s every chance the police will be telling people they won’t enforce the restrictions as it puts them in a difficult position too – so try to agree your lines in advance. 

Be clear on the decision making. Be clear whose decision the lockdown was and the reasons for it. You will get asked.

You will get targeted by no-win no-fee solicitors. Within 12-hours of the decision being made students were being targeted by solicitors eager to try and win compensation. 

Support the students: with food. If there is a supermarket around the corner that students usually use, talk to their head office to arrange a block booking of delivery slots. If you’re offering to help with food deliveries you need to have this help ready immediately.

Support the students: financially. If there is a package to offer to students be clear on what it is immediately.

Support the students: testing. The lockdown hinges on the eventual testing numbers. You need to work with Public Health England to block book a batch of tests and prepare how to get the results back to people.

Students who have part-time jobs will worry about working. If they stack shelves during term-time they’ll be worried about their job. The good news is that providing a headed letter confirming their status will help protect their jobs and their pay.. They’ll need to know this and where they can get the letter from.

Students’ mental health will be a genuine concern. Many will be away from home for the first time worrying about University life, bills, making friends and their course. This adds a huge extra layer. Work out ahead how you will prepare for this. The support offer will be needed immediately, out of usual hours, and for the duration  

Leaflet the neighbours and businesses. Explain that some students have been asked to take part in a local lockdown and explain why. Also explain that people will still see students on the streets and in the shops. They may not be affected.

Yes, there will be protest signs in the windows. No you won’t like them all. No, there’s not much you can do about them.

And then there are elite athletes. If you have an elite athlete they have a special arrangement that allows them to go about their business unhindered. Be aware of this. 

Thanks to Alun Ireland for sparing the time to take part in the session.

Picture credit: Flickr / Documerica.

CIPR CHANGE: A 23-tweet manifesto and why I’m voting for Peter Holt

Hello, reader. If you’re not a member of the CIPR you may want to scroll past this post.

Normal service will resume.

However, if you are a member of the CIPR you’ll have a vote on who will be President of this institute in 2022.

Can you spare a minute?

I’ve blogged this thread from Peter Holt posted earlier tonight which sets out why there is an urgent need in changing times for pressing change in the CIPR.

There are two good candidates in the race but there’s a number of reasons why I’m voting for Pete. This thread is part of it.

I’d also add that there’s another reason why I’m voting for him.

I first heard the story about Peter Holt 10 years ago and heard the same story repeated from different people in different parts of the UK. Always, the story was about how he got the need to change and encouraged those around him to work out what that change would look like. People looked back fondly. When I met him two years ago I could see the story I heard is true.

Here’s an example.

Over the summer, he was on a Zoom call with a former colleague who was going through difficulty at work. Peter sympathised and patiently talked through the options. It was wise counsel and encouragement generously delivered.

From talking to others this is entirely in character. A generosity of spirit and a determination to see people prosper in the profession he loves.

He’s got my vote.

Do take a read on where the CIPR is and what the answers could be.

LONG READ: It’s time we talked about how Twitter is fading

Social platforms like old soldiers don’t die they just fade away.

We’re at the point where Twitter is fading and I’m not sure if the public sector has realised this.

If you want to talk to your audiences in 2020 you needs to wake-up to this and re-calibrate.

It’s been clear for years, the public sector has become too Twitter-focussed when people have quietly moved elsewhere.

Twitter’s first romance

Twitter has been the public sector platform of choice for a decade. It’s easy to see why. Brief. Concise. Good at breaking news and without the claustrophobic threads of the chatrooms that came before it.

When the penny dropped with me in 2008 with social media it dropped with Twitter first.

Twitter was where public sector people connected and shared ideas. Twitter was a magical garden where early events, ideas and connections were worked out. It allowed a junior person to talk to their senior person without having to go through the PA.

Liz Azyan’s research from 2008 is preserved online. It is a snapshot of where Twitter was in local government. St Helens Council were lauded as the first. Barnet Council had the most followers – 210. Twitter was the answer.

No wonder the public sector set-up Twitter accounts by the dozen.

Twitter’s honeymoon ends

As time went on, Twitter changed. The early hope was it would be a force for good faded.

Early Twitter advocate Steven Fry quit Twitter in 2016. ‘Too many people had peed in the pool,” he wrote in a valedictory on his blog. “Just one turd in a reservoir is enough to persuade one not to drink from it.”

Just this week a far right personality accused a critic of being a paedophile because he disagreed with him.

And Donald Trump.

At its worst, Twitter is a deeply unpleasant place. I’d call it a sewer but sewers are a Victorian invention to take away waste, prevent disease and recycle it so it becomes clean and pure again.

At its best, Twitter remains funny, witty and a place to organise. Just this week, Gay Twitter flooded the #proudboys hashtag with tweets of gay icons to undermine a far right group. There is still the light if you go looking for it.

Twitter has always withstood warnings of its imminent demise. I’m old enough to remember people forecasting it would die when it got rid of twitpic, moved beyond 140 characters and allowed threads.

Twitter remains good at some things.

It’s brilliant for breaking news in its first minutes, taking the temperature of opinion, for reaching journalists, stakeholders and there are communities of PR people and others.

After #commscampstayshome an eminent communicator told me how much he enjoyed the event and that it had pointed out new people to follow on Twitter. I stopped and thought. That’s just it. They’re not on Twitter or if they are they’re not sharing insight ideas and opinion on it in the way we did in the early days.

So, where are the interesting PR conversations?

They still exist but they’re on WhatsApp, LinkedIn or in Facebook groups.

This is fine. This is the evolution of change.

Today, when I want to hear from the newer voices like Lucy Salvage, Sara Hamilton, Cara Marchant, Leanne Hughes, Vicky Happer, Alex Thurley-Ratcliff, Will Lodge, Kate Pratt, Gemma Dawen, Benedict Wallis, Katherine Toms I turn to WhatsApp and Facebook groups.

It’s the same when I turn to more experienced voices like Mandy Pearse, Kerry Sheehan, Thom Burn, Giuseppina Valenza, David Grindlay, Carolyne Mitchell, Peter Holt, Naomi Smith, Abha Thakor, Steven Waddington, Patrick Fletcher, Al Smith, Andy Green, Sarah Waddington, Sarah Pinch, Karl Conner, Stuart Bruce, Ian Curwen, Bridget Aherne or Paul Compton.

The interesting comments those voices aren’t on Twitter so much but closed Facebook groups, WhatsApp chats or LinkedIn. Safer conversations in less public places is where the value is.

People don’t use it so much

Forget the PR bubble.

It’s what the public themselves are doing that’s really changed my ideas about Twitter.

The Ofcom communications market report for 2020 has Twitter in 6th place with 25 million users. Ahead of it are Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Messenger, WhatsApp. Twitter isn’t the favoured platform for any UK age group in the report. Adults think its the 7th best site at protecting children in the UK.

Twitter users spend four minutes a day on the platform lagging behind 43 minutes for YouTube, 30 minutes for Facebook and 18 minutes for Snapchat.

Let’s be clear. Twitter isn’t about to die but it is fading. If you are setting policy and direction as a communicator you need to know this and reflect this in the advice you are giving.

The default request ‘we need a Twitter account’ is as thoughtless as ‘we need a press release’ was back in the day.

You need to think if 20 Twitter accounts across the public sector organisation are the answer when other platforms are barely touched.

You need is to work out where our audience is and go and talk to them there.

If I wanted to reach younger people I’d be thinking YouTube or TikTok because more people from that demographic use those platforms.

Twitter has been an amazing place. So, if you go back far enough was Friends Reunited. As it fades there’s no need to feel sad that it no longer has all the answers. As I said, its good for journalists and breaking news.

As Socrates said, the secret of change is not to be concerned with fighting the old but building the new.

What your new looks like all depends on you being able to understand the changes and react.

Picture credit: Flickr / Documerica.

MORE COMMUNITY: What the big changes to Facebook groups mean for the public sector

There has been a big round of changes announced for the way Facebook groups operate if you’re interested in communicating with people you need to know what they mean.

Changes to the algorithm and extra tools for groups to make them work better are on the horizon.

The big changes were announced during the Facebook Communities keynote streamed live on the platform. As I’m fascinated with this stuff and I love you very much I’ve blogged them for you.

The TLDR summary: Facebook are putting more emphasis on groups and you’ll see changes in the coming months. If groups aren’t part of your Facebook strategy it even more needs to be.

“For many of us, Facebook groups have been an important place to find support share information or just be entertained. Last year, I talked about community as central to the Facebook experience as friends and family. I’m excited to share the new tools that will make groups even better.”

Mark Zuckerburg, facebook ceo, september 2020

The data says groups are flying

Data around groups is hard to get hold of so it’s fascinating to hear there are 1.8 billion Facebook users who use groups at least once a month. That’s 66 per cent of all users.

Overall, there are nine billion Facebook group memberships – that’s five each on average for everyone who uses groups.

Of these there are 70 million group admins and moderators. As a wild guess, I’d estimate there are around 30 million groups globally.

Facebook’s algorithm is going to reward public groups

The algorithm is the all powerful all-seeing eye that governs the direction Facebook takes so when Facebook give an insight into how they’re changing it it’s worth listening.

Content from public groups will be placed into your news feed if its relevant to things you are interested in. That’s a huge, huge game changing step. It turns public groups from niche areas to places where you can reach far wider than its audience.

For the public sector, it makes creating public groups around communities or topics more of interest. So, a public health page encouraging healthier living could reach a wider audience.

It’s clear that particular sunshine will be shone on public-facing groups. Facebook are going to actively allow sponsorships as way of making them generate cash for admins. That’s interesting. But it does raise the prospect that money will change things.

They’re also going allow collaboration with brand managers. I’m not sure what that looks like but this may have a bigger impact to private sector people than public sector.

New tool: Chats

This will be a tool where users can talk about a particular topic on an individual thread more easily.

New tool: Q&A

An admin can add a post that invites more discussion and a Q&A on a topic.

New tool: Admin

Extra tools for admins are going to be introduced to allow admins to run their groups. Applications to join public groups will become automatic but a limit can also be put on posting. So you can join. But there’s the option that you may not be able to post for a month. This will limit spam, potentially.

There’s also the option to limit the type of post. So, maybe during election time community groups that don’t want election rows can ban them altogether.

New tools: customise profiles in groups

As part of this, John Smith can join a Facebook group for gamers and change his profile pic to his gamer image and add his gamer tag to the group. He’ll still be identified as John Smith but he’ll also have a tag and a different pic.

This could work both ways in some community groups by encouraging the feeling of anonymity.

More policing of groups

The algorithm will be tightened up to clamp-down more on hate speech and individuals who consistently break rules won’t be able to set-up new groups.

Interestingly, a million groups have been taken down for violating community standards.

The bottom line

I’ve long argued that the data p[oimnts to Facebook pages on their own being of limited value. However, a page that takes its content to Facebook groups is hugely powerful.

Nothing in these changes has changed my mind about this.

Picture credit: Flickr / Documerica.

EVER CHANGING: Everything the public sector needs to know about the Ofcom communications market report of 2020

Was it not the Bard of Frodsham himself Gary Barlow who wrote the enlightened observation ‘everything changes but you?’

Change is the theme that runs between the lines of Ofcom’s Communications Market Report for 2020.

A long goodbye, Twitter.

Hello WhatsApp.

Hey now, TikTok.

What’s that you’re doing NextDoor?

But it would be a mistake to say the world has shifted. The word ‘shifted’ gives the illusion of permanence when the truth is that the world is ever shifting. We all know this deep down but the fear is that we don’t have the evidence.

With Ofcom’s data we have the hard evidence. So you don’t have to, I’ve read Media Nations, Online Nations and Connected Nations that form the backbone of the Communications Market report for 2020.

I’ve boiled it down into 15 soundbites back-up by data.

No, the internet still isn’t evenly distributed

A hard-to-shift 13 per cent refuse to use the internet a figure that hasn’t changed for three years.

While 97 per cent of the UK’s properties are covered by 4G only 67 per cent of its geography is. In Scotland and Wales that’s especially patchy.

But those that do use the internet do so extensively. We’re now at three hours 29 minutes use a day on average.

When people do use the internet they connect in a big way

You may know that 18 to 24-year-olds were going to be leading the way online. They’re connected just over five hours daily. But 25 to 34-year-olds and 35 to 44-year-olds both spend more than four hours and even 45 to 54-year-olds are on for three and three quarter hours daily.

More surprisingly, connected over 55-year-olds are no slouches online spending just short of three hours a day online.

Yes, we’re social

For over 18s 72 per cent use social media with 70 per cent of 12 to 15-year-olds having an account.

Goodbye, Twitter. You were fun

We need to talk about Twitter. I’ve loved the platform and got so much out of it and there’s still a community of PR people on it. Journalists are also all over it which in itself is a reason to maintain a corporate account but outside of that the platform has been fading for some time and the data again confirms this.

It’s unlikely to vanish overnight but any communicator needs to know that they’re unlikely to be speaking directly to big numbers of their residents by using it. Journalists and other PR people? Absolutely.

UK social media users 2020

Facebook 43.9 million

YouTube 43.4 million

Messenger 43.4 million

WhatsApp 30.2 million

Instagram 28.2 million

Twitter 25.1 million

Zoom 13.0 million

TikTok 12.9 million

NextDoor 4.0 million

HouseParty 4.0 million

Source: comscore / TikTik / Ofcom, 2020

Yes, there’s one account UK people can’t do without its Facebook if you’re old and Snapchat if you’re young

What’s the one account people won’t do without?

For over 16s it is Facebook.

For under 16s its Snapchat.

No, radio hasn’t gone away

Since The Buggles sank ‘Video Killed the Radio Star in 1979 there’s a feeling radio has been the poor relation. But RAJAR figures quoted in the report shows that 89.8 per cent of adults are reached weekly. That’s a pretty flat but impressive figure.

No, wearable tech hasn’t taken over

Clothes and jewellery with access to the internet has dropped five per cent to 18 per cent of adultsusing them in the past 12-months.

Yes, we’re watching more video and less telly

There’s no question the pandemic led to more time in front of screens watching things but how we do it continues to change.

We now spend on average three hours three minutes watching TV programmes. That’s about 10 minutes less than last year.

Where under 15s are watching video online

For eight to 15-year-olds, 89 per cent of them watch YouTube every week then TikTok (48 per cent), Instagram (40 per cent) Snapchat (41 per cent) Facebook (29 per cent) with YouTube Kids 25 per cent and Twitter on 16 per cent.

Where 16 to 24-year-olds are watching video online

Being told that this demographic are watching video is no great shock.

Overall, 90 per cent of this age group use video.

Whats extra surprising is the amount of time they spend.

A cracking 65 minutes a day is spent on YouTube by 16 to 24-year-olds watching video. That beats Snapchat by a third.

Perhaps also surprising is the 18-minutes spent by Facebook users in the demographic watching video.

A slight note of caution. The data dates from the end of 2019 but strong trends shows this group are hungry for video content.

Where adults watch video online

It’s not just kids.

The headline figures are that 90 per cent of over 18s use video sharing sites on average they spend 29 minutes a day with 40 per cent uploading content.

For younger people, it’s wall-to-wall with 98 per cent of eight to 15-year-olds using video sharing sites and spending 65 minutes a day on them.

The same number of adults as children watch YouTube weekly – that’s 89 per cent. Then Instagram came second on 36 per cent, Twitter 30 per cent and Facebook 29 per cent.

What’s also surprising is the demographics of video watchers. Starting at a peak of 90 per cent of 16 to 24s the 25 to 34-year-olds are close behind with 88 per cent.

People aged 35 to 44 are 80 per cent while 75 per cent of 45 to 54-year-olds and 63 per cent of 55 to 64-year-olds are online watching.

Older people are also watching with 53 per cent of 65 to 74-year-olds and a quarter of over 75s also watching video online.

Yes, we’re interested in news more than gov.uk sites

We use news sites and unique users of the UK-based sites:

The Sun 75.4 million

The Mirror 58.5 million

The Guardian 53.1 million

BBC 52.9 million

Daily Mail 52.4 million

Reach (combined) 41.5 million

Daily Express 27 million

Microsoft News 17.1 million

News sites attracts more visitors even in a pandemic than Government websites.

Health 32.6 million

Government websites 30.7 million

Education websites 27.7 million

What does that tell us? It tells us: ‘hello, media relations. Where’ve you been?’ and it tells us that the strategy of sidestepping the media entirely is flawed.

Yes, younger people visit news sites they just do it far less

The idea that news sites alone are the answer isn’t the case. We can’t wind thwe clock back to a time when news was the only show in town.

Minutes spent on news sites per day:

Aged 18 to 24 12.9 minutes

Aged 25 to 34 15.4 minutes

Aged 35 to 44 22.4 minutes

Aged 44 to 55 25.5 minutes

Aged 55+ 25.9 minutes

Yes, WhatsApp is absolutely a thing

We’ve seen from the data that more than 30 million people use WhatsApp in the UK.

Of them, 40 per cent use it on a daily basis and 71 per cent of the population have used it in the last 12-months.

Almost a quarter of aduklts say that WhatsApp is their favourite platform.

The public sector are lagging behind political campaigns and others for a pro-active use of it but this will change.

Yes, NextDoor is a thing

The figures say that 4 million people use NextDoor which is a hyperlocal site for nextdoor neighbours to connect on a street-by-street level.

But don’t expect to find everyone.

Fifty per cent of users are over 50 with just 0.8 per cent aged 18 to 24.

Yes, we think the internet is a force for good but we’ve had bad experiences

For over 18s, 66 per cent believe it is a positive thing with 86 per cent having a negative experience.

For 12 to 15-year-olds 57 per cent think its positive with 89 per cent.

Picture credit: Flickr / Documerica.

DISINFORMATION: Yet again, the Royal British Legion nail it

A quick post about online rumour.

Every year, conspiracy theorists darkly allege that poppiers won’t be sold in your town because of them Muslims.

Every year a few days ahead of them the Royal British Legion put out a post that shoots it down.

Quite brilliantly, they add the take-down as text in an image but they also repeat it in body text.

Cunningly, this allows for people to download the image and post it as a meme response on Facebook threads the Royal British Legion will never see.

You can also see the admin for the RBL engage with people in the comments section which is brilliant.

COVID COMMS #29: People are getting bored of repeated messages… so how do we now communicate them?

I’ve been feeling for a while that regular COVID-19 messaging has been failing so I’ve analysed more than Facebook 450 posts to see what the answer is.

Back in March 2020, sharing Government-approved content was the best way.

Stay home, save lives, protect the NHS worked. But they’ve been changed.

But six months on with a second wave upon us, the world has changed, trust has changed and how people are consuming content has changed.

So, how the public sector responds needs to change too.

Think of it like the Michael Caine film ‘Zulu’. Surrounded by the enemy they battled at Rorke’s Drift against a first wave. For the second wave, they knew they had to adapt. So they used nightfall to pull off a cunning plan with mealie bags and hidden firing steps.

Now, of course, a pandemic is not a film. But the idea of being adaptable is a sign of good leadership that works well.

So, I’ve looked at the data

To test this thesis I looked at how COVID-19 comms was performing on Facebook in the Black Country in the West Midlands where I live. I looked at 20 of the most recent posts in 22 Facebook groups to see what was cutting through. That’s more than 400 seperate posts.

Why Facebook? Because, in the UK, 43 million people use it and the battle will be won or lost on Facebook.

Why Facebook groups? Because it’s how people in the community are using the platform and how Facebook itself encourages you to use it.

I also looked at Facebook pages in the four Black Country boroughs that belonged to councils and hospital trusts. That includes Dudley, Sandwell, Wolverehampton and Walsall.

TLDR, what did I find?

Bad news.

  • Tried and tested in-house designed content is no longer cutting through.
  • Views are getting more polarised. Mask wearers are either doing the right thing or sheeple whop can’t think for themselves. People who won’t comply are either lazy Karens or freethinking citizens and there’s not that much middle ground.

Here’s the good news.

  • What is cutting through is content from local media and video with local health people delivering a local version of the national message. Pat on the back for media relations.
  • And memes. They’re cutting through, too.

In a nutshell, if the public sector does what it did in March when the crisis first emerged it will fail.

Disclaimer

Facebook is one of many channels but it is the largest in the UK. You can lose the war on Facebook but you won’t win it on Facebook alone. But I’m confidant there may be transferable lessons.

Good news: for the big announcement people will look to the council Facebook page

When extra measures were introduced in Wolverhampton, people went to the Wolverhampton Council page to find out the detail. Using the metric of sharing, 1,600 shared the council post that spelt out what that meant for the city.

That was the most shared content across the region.

Bad news: routine calls to action artwork are failing to cut through

We’ve all seen the content.

Six months ago it was Government, stay alert messaging and now its more likely to be in-house designed versions of the same messages. Handy assets created centrally to work from Lands End to Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Six months on and that style of content is no longer cutting through. Indeed, by posting it it dangerously gives the impression of effective communication.

Across the four Black Country council and NHS pages there were 16 COVID-19 posts across a 48-hour period. Fourteen of them were shared a combined 19 times. That’s not a good return on more than 166,000 page likes.

A locally-made video of medics cut through

The only content that cut through in the snapshot I looked at was an impressive video of three local voices talking about the continuing dangers of COVID-19.

The three consultants were clear of the dangers it posed.

This was pro-actively shared by the Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust comms team onto their page and then into community Facebook groups. This helped clock-up an impressive 109 shares when posted direct to the NHS page and an additional 595 when shared directly by Sandwell Council.

That’s a stand-out example.

However, points off for not adding subtitles. It means that you miss out on the 80 per cent who watch video without sound.

Yes, COVID-19 is being talked about in groups

Analysis of the Facebook groups showed 63 per cent of them were talking about COVID-19.

Of those conversations, almost half were sparked by links to mainstream news sites includiong Birmingham Live, Express & Star and BBC. That’s 44 per cent.

Once again, traditional media at a time of crisis is where people are heading for corroborated information.

Almost 20 per cent of Facebook group COVID-19 posts were debate started by people writing their own content. Fourteen per cent were video and 14 per cent were memes.

Just eight per cent were links to public sector pages.

The only conclusion of this is that corporate Facebook pages on their own are not reaching people in the busy Parish pumps that are community Facebook groups.

Fig 1: Types of COVID-19 content in community Facebook groups

Memes substitute debate

Surprisingly, memes were a significant part of the landscape.

Rather than type out a reasoned argument, people are turning to memes they most identify with. That’s good news and bad news. Bad news, anti-vaxxers are finding this as a way of landing their message and they don’t care so much about accessibility guidelines.

Memes are often witty takes on popular culture. They take elements of what we know and then subvert them.

The public sector hasn’t even got out of the starting blocks on creating content that will work here.

On the one hand with memes, the canny use of NHS branding and colours.

There’s a part of me that would dearly love to see an NHS Trust post this meme as is. Honestly. I’d love it. But this may be a step too far. But I think we should all start thinking of more direct language instead of the passive. The time for a Dad’s Army Sergeant Wilson approach of ‘I say, would you mind awfully?’ feels as though its past.

But on the other hand, some people are trying to play down the pandemic.

The sharing of anti-mask, anti-vaxx material is loud and widespread. It taps into general dissatisfaction and tries to exploit it.

So what can you do?

Get your own stats

Take a quick look at your Facebook insights to see what’s working and what isn’t. Remember, its not an admission of failure. It’s a sign of success that you want to refine what you are doing. Keep that insight cloe. It’ll be your weapon as you explain your shift in approach.

Human stories on video

Yes, I know its more faff but time spent on telling a local human story is time well spent. The Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Hospital Trust video with medical experts is great. The gold standard that everyomne should aim at is St Helens Council’s video of a man who has lost his Dad asking people to just play their part.

In the film, Paddy, who looks in his late 30s, talks about losing his Dad Bernard. He gives a St Helens context by introducing the fact he is from Thatto Heath, his Dad worked at Pilks for 36-years and was a member of Thatto Heath Crusaders.

Backed by cutaways of Bernard with his family and friends the film really works.

Now THIS is the kind of thing that works. Huge props to Bernard’s family and to the St Helens Council commas team. The 185 shares on the council site comfortably beats the next most popular COVID-19 content.

Why does it work?

It’s not Boris telling you, someone in London or even someone from public health at the council. It’s Paddy who you may know from school or work.

It’s also the right side of Facebook’s algorithm. It’s video. It’s likely to be liked by friends and family and it tells a story.

Counter anti-vaxx discussion on your thread

Facebook is a pretty toxic place to go right now. But you need to point people away from Karen on Facebook towards public health and NHS.

More media relations

Talk to the journalists who are left to see what content works for them.

Create memes that fight fire with fire

I absolutely approve of Birmingham City Council’s more direct approach which uses Birmingham’s bull emblem.

It’s time to be bold. Bolder than this, even.

Take your content to where the eyeballs are

As Sandwell’s NHS shows, pro-actively placing content in community groups where people can see it is a good idea. It means people will see it. That means investing in relationships with Facebook group admins and yes, that will take time, no there’s no shortcuts and yes, it will bring dividends.

I’ve said this so often.

But there is the evidence.

Don’t just look at Facebook

Human stories, firm rebuttals and a change of approach is what’s needed on Facebook. But if 20 to 29 year olds are the demographic who is seeing the biggest rise in COVID-19 then go chase them where they hang out. That’s instagram, YouTube and maybe some Snapchat.

30 days of human comms #71: Harper’s drawing on the side of the NHS Logistics lorry

If you are looking to thank NHS staff of course a child’s drawing does it.

Well done NHS Supply Chain and young Harper.

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LONG READ: Celebrating the Public Sector Comms Headspace Facebook group and its 5,000 amazing members

Of all the things I’ve helped build online the one that has given me most joy is this… a walled garden for public sector comms people.

It’s called the Public Sector Comms Headspace and it’s a Facebook group that’s reached its 5,000th member.

Built through word-of-mouth it makes me smile and teaches me something new daily

There’s no membership fee, no charges and no adverts to watch. Its value is the generosity of those who contribute to it

On the one level, the group can be judged by statistics but it’s more than that.

What the numbers say

The Headspace group insights over the past 28 days show an incredible 400 posts in the last 28 days, an astounding 4,785 comments and a staggering 17,648 interactions.

On any given day over the past 28 days, a minimum of 3,000 people directly engage with it rising to 4,400 on a busy day. That’s 88 per cent.

I’m going to push the boat out and say this is the most engaging and engaged corner of the internet concerned with PR and communications public sector or otherwise.

Group insights are handy

One good thing about Facebook is the piles of insights.

As an admin, I can tell you that Thursday 7pm is the busiest time of the week.

All this points to why we’ve run Zoom chats with topics around that time over the summer. Promote within the group and chat across on the video conferencing platform,.

What the group posts

When I first set-up the group, I thought shared links would work best. Actually that’s not been the case. Navigating across to the group writing this, I can see the topics.

Anybody here from the North East to share lockdown comms assets?

I’m just looking to pick peoples brains about social media scheduling services.

Another accessibility question: footnotes in accessible PDF documents for web. How are you fixing these please?

Hello everyone, seeking some info from anyone who is using WhatsApp groups.

It’s a typical spread and it makes me think of when I first started using social media and found fellow-travellers.

Social PR has changed

The social web of today is a different place to when I started in 2008. Then, Twitter connected PR people to share ideas. That’s evolved. There’s still a PR community there but people are far more guarded, there’s more selling and there’s a lack of new voices.

The drift from public spaces to private isn’t something new. The Headspace group and other Facebook groups are absolutely an example of this shift. Where do I get most value? From closed Facebook and WhatsApp groups.

It would not be an overstatement to say this group makes me a better communicator. And on days when I think I hate my job, this group makes me realise that I don’t, I love it… people in this group just get it.

Sara Hamilton, Headspace member.

Why a Facebook group?

Four years ago, I set the group up as an experiment to learn how groups work. It took two minutes to set up. At first, it was bringing people I liked from Twitter to a safer space. But it quickly became a space for others.

If you want an online community to grow you need to wake up in the morning wondering how you can make it grow that day. Encouraging others and encouraging discussion. This isn’t about the you, it’s about the us.

Have some ground rules. Nothing too overbearing. Chatham House rule. Don’t share outside the group without permission and not to poke fun at the bad because tomorrow it might be you. That’s actually been quite handy. If people are feeling bad because something they’ve been involved with has gone wrong, the last thing you need are your peers mocking you.

Support is the key.

So to is a range of job titles. If you work in the public sector you can come in. So, we have a range from marketing, IT, consultation assistants, officers, managers ands heads of comms.

Not being alone

When I started out in comms I was in a team of one with major imposter syndrome and no time to get formal training. The Headspace group was a lifesaver, allowing me to test ideas and ask questions, borrow concepts, and through that learn the language and develop myself.

In addition it was – and still is – a place where I know I am not alone.

Will Lodge, Public Sector Comms Headspace member

The enduring value has been for people after a bad day or when they’re struggling to come and realise there’s other people.

One early example stays with me.

Without naming names, a member had had a bad day and had been told by someone senior that what was wanted was a logo and not just any old logo. They weanted a logo of a butterfly made with human ears.

Like some Vietnam-era war crime the proposed logo was shared to a gasp of astonishment. But where the value came was in the replies. A set of suggested strategies emerged to deal with the problem without resorting to hard liquor or a handgun. The advice was made. The ear logo was averted.

I knew the group would work.

On adding dog and cat pictures

Style points have evolved. It’s okay to ask a fairly run-of-the-mill question so long as you add a picture of an animal.

Like this pic of Christina Staniforth’s dog Alfie.

Would you just look at that doggo.

‘A professional lifeline’

I love headspace because it’s a truly welcoming, non judgemental space. Very practical, genuinely supportive and a professional lifeline for me, as a sole comms worker in a multi disciplinary team. Seek and you shall find.

– Leanne Hughes, Public Sector Comms Headspace member.

A lot of the questions posed in the group are routine. That’s fine. Asking where the artwork can be found for a national campaign is may not move the innovation dial but if it means saving half an hour of faff then its worthwhile.

In an era of lockdown, remote working being alone together has value and I’m glad that the regular questions get asked as well as the big picture ones.

As an admin get help

As an admin, you’re a gatekeeper. It’s up to you who to let into the group. You set the rules and you have to allow each one in.

Because we limit the group to in-house public sector people we check everyone’s credentials online. A quarter of those who ask don’t get in.

At the height of Cummings going to Barnard Castle things got quite tense. We switched to a process where we had to approve posts. This had the added benefit of allowing us to weed out the duplicate posts.

David Grindlay is also an admin. His enthusiasm and energy has played a massive role.

Over the past three years I am gobsmacked at how helpful, friendly and downright lovely a Facebook group can be (based on the usual mix you get). Now at 5000 connected folk, we are the equivalent of a small town – and the best thing is, you all made it the success it is. Thanks for that (and please use the files section and the search function X.)

David Grindlay, Public Sector Comms Headspace co-admin

In the four years of the group, I can count on the fingers of one hand we’ve had to make decisive. Bear in mind the tens of thousands of posts that’s not such a bad return.

Share the disasters

Years ago, someone bold at a conference presented all that went wrong with her project rather than the glossy version. It was bold, fun and the audience learned lots. I’ve never seen that approach again in public.

The walled garden of the Headspace group has encouraged people to open up in a more trusting environment.

I really like the way the people generously share good practice, as well as triumphs and disasters. It’s a great space to get advice, support, acknowledgment and a have a wee rant in a safe supportive space. It’s a home of best practice and best pals…Life without Headspace would be a dull, less informed and a more frustrated place.

Jane Stork, Public Sector Comms Headspace member

Get different perspectives

The strength of a team can be people pulling together but its weakness can be everyone does things the same way.

The value of a broad group has been to get diofferent perspectives whether that be from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Australia, the USA or New Zealand.

Or from people who don’t work directly in comms.

What I get from being a member of Headspace? Context and perspective and lots of funny jokes, and grammar pedantry. My role is a strange one, for someone mostly in IT, and it is good to be among people who also have a corporate-wide ambit, an ambition to be recognised as “professional”, but who have to battle to have their contributions valued, accepted and NOT undermined (deliberately or otherwise.

Sweyn Hunter, Public Sector Comms Headspace member

Share to save time

Back when social media was knew there’s a perception that it is a one-way street of timewasting. Sometimes that view persists. But by asking a question of a group it is possible to get an answer that will trim hours and days off your to-do list.

I’ve found it hugely helpful to have access to Devon’s accessibility content, which has saved us a massive amount of work. We’ve been able to re-purpose the content to fit and haven’t needed to re-invent the wheel. It’s helped us come on leaps and bounds with our guidance for staff, which we were struggling to find time for.

John Day, Public Sector Comms Headspace member

The group is one of my go-to places online when I need advice, information and support from fellow public sector comms pros. Whether I’m just looking for sympathy or a fully-fledged strategic response, there’s usually someone in the community of brilliant, dedicated, underappreciated and often very funny people who is more than willing to help.

Mark Roberts, Public Sector Comms Headspace member

Understanding, camaraderie, friendship and excellent advice and information. Feeling good or bad – the group is there for you.

Kate Pratt, Public Sector Comms Headspace member

Thank you to everyone who has posted, shared and liked anything in the group over the last five years. My self and David Grindlay think you are brilliant.