Lessons Learned from Florida Governor’s Twitter Town Hall
Yesterday, Florida Governor Rick Scott who tweets as @flgovscott held a Twitter Town Hall. For 30 minutes, the governor answered as many questions as he could from people across the state in 140 characters or less.
As far as I know this is the first time an acting governor has held a Twitter Town Hall. Twitter is widely used by political leaders across the country include the president’s Press Secretary Robert Gibbs who takes questions from time to time (in fact he did so yesterday as well). Mayor Corey Booker and Governor Bobby Jindal are also avid Twitter users.
Let’s take a closer look at Governor Scott’s Twitter Town Hall and the lessons companies can learn from it.
Increase following
Before the announcement was made about Governor Scott’s Twitter Town Hall, Governor Scott had about 3,500 people following him on Twitter. As the day progressed and word spread about the Twitter Town Hall his followers increased throughout the day to more than 6,000 people. As of this morning he had about 6,400 followers. Companies using social media that are looking for ways to build their following could use a special event or promotion to do so. Keep in mind that an increase in followers doesn’t equate to an increase in customers. The key to realizing success will be how you engage with your community, which brings me to the next lesson learned.
Value of engagement
Companies are learning the value of engaging their target audiences by joining the conversation in the social media space. By using social media, companies build a relationship with their customers and establish a loyal following. Many companies using social media don’t realize that it is a two-way communication vehicle. Its purpose is not to push out messages, but rather to engage in conversation. Governor Scott sat behind the computer and directly answered questions. During that time his community had his full attention and he had theirs.
Ignore impostors
Twitter has paved the way for many parody enthusiasts. Everyone from BP to Steve Jobs has an impersonator on Twitter. These fake Twitter accounts are set up people who intend to poke fun at who they are impersonating and can potentially further a potential crisis situation for some. In Governor Scott’s case an impersonator by the Twitter handle of @FLGovRickScott began answering questions during his Twitter Town Hall. Governor Scott rightly ignored it and continued to stay on track with answering questions. You may have noticed that some political leaders have a blue and white check mark on their Twitter account that establishes it as a verified account. Last year, Twitter stopped its verified account program and is not issuing the check marks to anyone anymore. To establish your Twitter account as credible and legitimate, one of the things you can do is make sure that you include your official website in your profile and that your website links to the correct Twitter account.
Using all the tools in the toolbox
Governor Scott said he held the Twitter Town Hall because he thinks it is important to find a way to communicate with everybody. This means he understands that Twitter is just one communications tool in his toolbox that he can use to reach his constituents. Companies can also benefit from using social media as a tool that is part of a larger marketing and communications plan. Social media is just one tool in the toolbox that should complement a company’s marketing and communications goals.
Informal research
Governor Scott and his team could learn a lot from the questions that were posed during the Twitter Town Hall. If a majority of the questions were about property taxes or off shore drilling they could assume that those topics are at the top of mind for most Floridians. Smaller companies with smaller budgets have a difficult time investing in market research. Social media presents an opportunity to collect informal qualitative data, which could help paint a picture of what their customers are thinking, feeling and doing.
Publicity
Governor Scott’s Twitter Town Hall was widely covered in newspapers and on television news throughout the State of Florida. Though only a small percentage of Americans use Twitter (8% according to Pew Internet & American Life Project), the news coverage included the questions posed to Governor Scott and his answers. Companies that use social media for creative campaigns or events can also benefit from the publicity of widespread media coverage.
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Via Twitter the whole world could see what the governor was being asked and what he was choosing to respond to – or choosing not to answer. …………………………………………………. Technology has transformed the way people communicate said Scott spokesman Brian Hughes prior to the Twitter town hall. ………………………………..The use of Twitter and Facebook isn t new to politicians with political candidates over the last several years setting up Facebook accounts particularly in an effort to attract younger voters.