A practical guide for diplomats on twitter marketing strategy
In the framework of Grassroot Diplomat
Diplomacy has traditionally been depicted in literature and movies as intrinsically secret and full of intrigue, carried out by few actors, with public opinion playing a passive role, if any. This description was quite true in the Talleyrand and Metternich era and partly throughout the twentieth century. Over the last decade, the widespread use of the Internet, and particularly social media, ushered in a new era for diplomats. Twitter has proven to be a soft power tool by providing a direct channel between diplomats and citizens, which has become an indispensable arrow in the quiver of diplomacy.
In 2020, 187 countries were represented through an official presence on Twitter, either by personal or institutional accounts run by heads of state, government, and foreign ministers who utilize Twitter to expand their online presence and digital diplomatic networks while government officials are encouraged to interact with the public. The most conversational world leader on Twitter is the Dutch Government, with 97 percent of their tweets being @ replies to other Twitter users. Another more subtle layer of Twitter diplomacy is the mutual following of peers between official heads of state, minister and other government accounts - as of January 2019, the EU External Action Service (@eu_eeas) was ranked first, having 148 mutual connections with other world leaders and foreign ministries on Twitter.
Twiplomacy, or Twitter Diplomacy, is the coming together of traditional and digital diplomacy, and Twitter. When a world leader tweets about a world event or a new policy framework, other politicians turn to the mainstream media to either reply to the tweet or defend it, or to simply give their opinion on the issue concerned. These replies, in turn, add to the online discussion that consequently shape public opinion. Traditional diplomacy is generally bound by decorum and formality; twitter diplomacy is not. Twitter and other social media platforms allow government officials to broadcast their views on pertinent issues and developments in the public domain without the need for formal diplomatic channels or jargon. It also allows people to reach out to government officials more easily. Furthermore, interactions among diplomats from different countries act as a precursor to official negotiations, thereby helping build bilateral and multilateral relations. Twiplomacy offers a platform for dialogue, which challenges traditional conceptions of communication between diplomats through formal channels. Therefore, this medium of dialogue has increased online engagement with their counterparts in front of a global audience, which helps in mending relations and developing interpersonal trust between counterparts.
The concept of Twiplomacy has enhanced a nation’s ability to conduct diplomacy via social media. If there were a country that has benefited tremendously from utilizing Twitter, it would be Taiwan. Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China, has been diplomatically isolated since in the early seventies. Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu has also been one of the driving forces behind revamping Taiwan’s diplomatic outreach. He believes Twitter is an ideal platform for keeping the global community more informed about the latest developments pertaining to Taiwanese foreign affairs. The MOFA has employed rather unique mechanisms to communicate with the world. Twitter has been instrumental for Taiwan digging out of the tunnels of diplomatic isolation becoming equivalent to an online megaphone for the international community to hear what the Taiwanese people have to express.
One hundred and forty characters have changed the way we see the world. They have changed how foreign policy shapes itself and how it responds to new international challenges. But, how to use these tools to have a maximum effect and not a minimum outcome? First of all, let’s know:
1. Why use Twitter? Objectives:
- Monitor mentions on Twitter of brand Ministers and flagship policy initiatives, engaging with critics and key influencers to resolve problems/dissatisfaction and correct factual inaccuracies, and with satisfied customers;
- Extend the reach of existing corporate messages online (e.g. news, speeches, web updates, YouTube videos) by building relationships with relevant audiences including intermediaries, stakeholders, and key influencers such as journalists and bloggers;
- Provide an informal, ‘human’ voice of the mission to promote comprehension of and engagement with our corporate messages;
- Provide ways for our audiences to subscribe to updates (by RSS, email, and SMS);
- Provide live coverage of events (such as policy launches, summits, or promotions) for those who cannot attend.
2. How we gather information?
- Web analytics - to track referrals from Twitter to our web pages;
- Twitter surveys - regular ‘straw poll’ surveys on Twitter to ask for feedback;
- Twitter data - the follower/following data presented in our Twitter account;
- Third-party tools - analytics tools including measures based on re-tweeting;
(Retweet Radar; Twist); online reputation (Monitter, Twitter Grader); impact and
influence (Twinfluence, Twittersheep); unfollowers (Qwitter);
- Alert services - tweetbeep.com and other methods for tracking mentions of our stuff;
- Real-time observation - http://twitterfall.com/ and similar tools;
- Analysis of our followers using http://tweepler.com/ and similar tools.
3. What risks can we confront and how to abstain?
· Risk: Criticism arising from an inability to meet the demands of Twitter users to join conversations/answer inquiries, due to resource and clearance issues.
· Mitigation: Reduce by managing expectations with clear, published Twitter policy; use holding replies where the answer will need research; (only if swamped) respond to ‘themes’ not individual replies.
· Risk: Inappropriate content being published in error, such as News releases under embargo; Information about Ministerial whereabouts that could risk security; Protectively marked, commercially or politically sensitive information;
· Mitigation: Establish ‘light’ but effective procedural controls and guidelines for Twitter users; require clearance of all tweets through nominated people in the digital media team.
· Risk: Technical security of the Twitter account and potential for hacking and vandalism of content.
· Mitigation: Change Twitter password frequently using strong passwords; only 2 members of the digital media team to have access to pw; use cotweet.com to devolve access securely; avoid using unknown 3rd party tools that require the account password;
· Risk: Lack of availability due to Twitter being over capacity.
· Mitigation: Accept (affects all Twitter users, occurs rarely and is brief). Take backup using tweetake.com and upload to Matrix every month.
4. What to post?
· News releases, speeches and statements published on the web - the headlines of news releases, speeches and statements. Depending on subject matter and length these may be paraphrased to fit within 140 characters and lighten/humanize the tone.
· All press releases, speeches and statements will be mentioned on Twitter unless there is a reason not to. A procedure will be established to identify which of these are not for release on Twitter. If the digital media team paraphrases the headline, the paraphrased wording will be cleared with the originating press desk/speechwriter.
· Marketing campaign messages - information about events we are running or attending, campaign materials we want to disseminate online.
· Videos on Youtube and photos on Flickr – alerting our Twitter followers to new rich media content on our other digital outposts. Where possible, embedding photos into our tweets with twitpic.com or via our Flickr channel.
· Blog posts - any blogs run by the Department can be configured to automatically post an update and short URL on Twitter, announcing the new content.
· Other website updates - new publications, or website user surveys and online interactive consultations where we are inviting participation.
5. TOP tips for using Twitter effectively:
· Timing matters: Twitter is what is happening. If something happens in the world, you will see it on Twitter. This makes timing one of the most important elements when using the platform. Engage in real-time, don’t wait until the moment has passed.
· Be authentic: Be clear and address messages precisely. Twitter gives you the platform to show who you are, as well as what you think.
· Engage: Twitter is a digital public square. It can be a great place to speak to your audience, to learn from them, and to gain insights from them. Engaging with your followers in conversation is one of the most rewarding aspects of Twitter.
· Schedule Tweets: Some of your content can be pre-prepared and set to publish at a specific time. You can schedule Tweets in advance using TweetDeck or Media Studio, freeing you up to engage in real-time.
· Get creative and tap into conversation: Twitter has a variety of options for you to engage with your followers. Get creative and use a mix of media - text, photo, video, live, polls, emoji, and Twitter Cards - to find novel ways of getting your message across and being part of the conversation. Using rich media content is proven to drive higher engagement.
Sources
- THE 50 MOST FOLLOWED WORLD LEADERS https://twiplomacy.com/ranking/the-50-most-followed-world-leaders/
- Twitter Has Changed How World Leaders Can Communicate And May Have Stopped A War forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2020/01/09/twitter-has-changed-how-world-leaders-can-communicate-and-may-have-stopped-a-war/#2c5d25fc8391
- World leaders with the most Twitter followers as of April 2020 https://www.statista.com/statistics/281375/heads-of-state-with-the-most-twitter-followers/
- From Trump to Netanyahu to Modi’s MEA, Twiplomacy is the new diplomacy. And it’s working https://theprint.in/opinion/from-trump-to-netanyahu-to-modis-mea-twiplomacy-is-the-new-diplomacy-and-its-working/354061/
- TAIWAN AND TWIPLOMACY https://taiwaninsight.org/2020/03/24/taiwan-and-twiplomacy/
- Twitter for Diplomats https://issuu.com/diplo/docs/twitter_for_diplomats
- Campaigning on Twitter The Handbook for NGOs, Politics & Public Service https://about.twitter.com/content/dam/about-twitter/company/twitter-for-good/en/campaigning-on-twitter-handbook-2019.pdf
- Template Twitter strategy for Government Departments http://www.mikekujawski.ca/ftp/Twitter&Government_UK.pdf
- Twitter Manual for Governments https://onthinktanks.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Twitter-Manual-for-Governments.pdf