2010 Federal Community Social Media Study Overview. Market Connections, Inc. May, 2010

Transcription

1 2010 Federal Community Social Media Study Overview Market Connections, Inc. May, 2010

2 Introduction This is an overview of the Market Connections 2010 Federal Community Social Media Study, which explores the perceptions and use of social media in the federal market. The full report combines the findings of two surveys one targeting federal employees, the other federal contractors which examine how individuals and organizations within these communities are using social media, the perceived benefits and risks, and barriers to adoption. The study is intended to serve as a baseline for ongoing research into the evolution of social media in the federal market. The surveys were conducted prior to the release of the administration s new guidelines on the use of social media by federal agencies. Though only the first step in the development of a government-wide policy on social media, the guidelines assert that social media will play a critical role in helping the administration achieve its goals related to increasing transparency and accessibility, lowering costs, increasing civic engagement, and spurring innovation. Market Connections will, over the coming years, continue to track how the tools are being integrated, and explore innovative ways in which organizations in the federal community are using the tools to achieve their strategic objectives. The full report is available for purchase at 2

3 Objectives Determine the usage of social media tools among the federal employee and government contractor communities. Establish the nature of the organizations policies regarding the use of social media by employees. Identify the types of tools used and the nature within which the community is using the tools. Determine which departments and personnel within contractor organizations manage the company s social media activities. Assess the changes in investments in social media and anticipated adoption rates. 3

4 Summary Findings - Sample Only 29% of federal employees worked in agencies that use social media, and 66% of those using the tools began doing so less than 12 months ago. Comparatively, 55% of contractors use social media either formally or informally to communicate with their government audiences. Fifty-nine percent of contractors began using the tools within the past 12 months. Both agencies and contractors are using social media primarily to build engagement with their target audiences. For the agencies, this takes the form of educating the public on the agency s mission and using the tools to improve the public s access to information about the agency. For contractors, social media offers a new channel through which they can communicate with and market to their customers. Thirty-four percent of agencies allow their employees to use social media as representatives of their organizations. However, only 9% allow employees to do so without restriction. 4

5 Summary Findings - Sample Fifty-five percent of agencies ban access to some or all social media sites, while only 26% of contractors restrict access. Notably, larger contractors were significantly more likely to ban access than smaller companies. Security is the single largest concern about social media among federal employees, with 73% citing it as the biggest challenge to their agency adopting social media. Internal governance (62%) and legal issues (61%) were also top concerns. Comparatively, 63% of contractors mentioned that the biggest challenge to social media adoption was how to measure return on investment and develop metrics that effectively track the company s performance. Half (50%) of the contractors were concerned about maintaining the resources required to sustain their social media presence. Only 46% mentioned security as one of their top concerns with social media. 5

6 Participant Profile: Overview Federal Employees Agency Type: 41% Defense 47% Civilian 12% Judicial/ Legislature Participant Job Function: 17% Executive management 15% Program management 6% Accounting 6% IT and Telecommunications 6% Procurement Age: 40% 55+ years old 34% years old 26% < 45 years old Contractors Businesses Sectors Represented: 28% Professional services 13% Manufacturers 13% System integrators 12% Defense/ Aerospace Company Size: 50% < 500 employees 32% 5,000+ employees Participant Title/ Role: 42% Senior executives 26% Marketing, Advertising, PR Age: 25% 55+ years old 35% years old 40% < 45 years old 6 Source: 2010 Government Contractor Social Media Survey

7 SECTION I Federal Government Employees: Current Social Media Usage and Practices 7

8 Agency and Personal Social Media Use Nearly half (48%) of the agency respondents reported that their agency does not use social media, and one-quarter (23%) do not know if their agency uses social media. Two-thirds (66%) use social media at either at home or at work. Does your organization/agency use online social media? *How do you use online social media? Yes 29% No 48% 33% 4% 23% Don't know 23% 5% 36% I use it at home I use it at work I use it both at home & work I don't use it either at home or work I don't know what online social media is Q. Does your organization/agency use online social media? 8 Source: 2010 Federal Government Employee Social Media Survey

9 Agency and Personal Social Media Use Four in ten (42%) began using social media in the past 6 months. Two-thirds (66%) expect their use of social media to increase, with nearly one-quarter (22%) expecting a significant increase. When did your organization start using social media? Expected Change in Next Months More than 24 months ago months ago 4% 2% 22% 44% months ago 7-12 months ago 1-6 months ago 12% 24% 36% 13% 20% Within the past month 6% 1% Don't know 16% Increase significantly Increase slightly Remain Unchanged Decrease slightly Don't Know Q. Does your organization/agency use online social media? 9 Source: 2010 Federal Government Employee Social Media Survey

10 What it Will Take for Agencies to Fully Embrace Social Media? REQUIREMENT FOR INCREASED ADOPTION SAMPLE RESPONDENT COMMENTS An influential internal champion Clear security protocols A strong business case Staff education/clear usage guidelines Increased resources A powerful external champion Other Nothing Quantum movement in senior decision maker thinking toward acceptance. Direction from leadership. It's a new concept that many older employees are not familiar with. A champion in senior management and a strong business case. An ability to conquer the security concerns. This will be quite hard. An ability to rapidly mitigate security risks without reducing the immediacy of the social networking channel. All security concerns must be fully addressed and plans for handling security breaches must be made. Better understanding of how social media will accomplish more effective communication on key issues at critical times and with substantive suggestions. Cost saving measures and metrics from successful usage from other organizations. A positive demonstration that such social networking has been successful both in cost and performance with a low percentage of risk. Education regarding the benefits and pitfalls of the Social Media sites. A standard understanding of what is allowed and not authorized. Putting in place appropriate guidance and monitoring the sites for content. I think there is enthusiasm but we need more resources to be successful. We just need more time and resources. An OPM or Department directive mandating usage with a due by date. A formal statute or OMB requirements. It will take a mandate from the White House. Legal would have to give their approval. More transparency and access on the job site. It would take a completely different organizational culture. Nothing, because it is a serious security risk and it s not necessary to our operations. It s not going to happen any time soon. I don t think we will ever embrace social media. Q. What will it take for your organization to more fully embrace and really leverage online social media tools as a means to communicate? 10 Source: 2010 Federal Government Employee Social Media Survey

11 Usage Overall Current Use of Social Media Sites Within the Agency Non-government-specific social networks are the most popular social media sites, followed by Wikis and content aggregators. Notably, governmentspecific social networks are only used by 14% of federal employees. Social bookmarks, peer-topeer networking, and online games are only used by a small minority. Non-gov't specific social networks Wikis Content aggregators Online video Agency blogs Podcasts Monitoring/commenting on other blogs Government-specific social networks RSS feeds Collaborative documents 8% 16% 15% 15% 14% 13% 26% 23% 22% 21% Social bookmarks P2P networking MMORPG* 1% 4% 4% *MMORPG: Massive Multi-player Online Role Playing Games such as World of Warcraft, Second Life, EverQuest Q. Are the following online social media tools used in your organization? 11 Source: 2010 Federal Government Employee Social Media Survey

12 SECTION II Federal Government Contractors: Current Social Media Usage and Practices 12

13 Social Media Plans Nearly 60% began using the tools in the past 12 months. Only one-fifth (19%), have a formal social media strategy or plan, with 36% using the tools to communicate informally with their government audience. Started using social media to communicate or market to the federal government Social Media Strategy Within the past month 1-6 months ago 8% 30% We have a formal SM strategy or plan 19% 7-12 months ago months ago 21% 18% We use SM to communicate/ market informally 36% months ago 5% We do not use SM to communicate/market to the government 37% More than 24 months ago Don't know 12% 7% Don't know 8% Q. When do you anticipate beginning using social media tools to communicate and/or market to the federal government? Q. When did you start using social media to communicate or market to the federal government? 13 Source: 2010 Government Contractor Social Media Survey

14 Uses of Social Media The tools are primarily being used to drive customer engagement and as a part of the organization s marketing campaigns. Only 13% of contractors do not use social media either at work or at home. Corporate Uses of Social Media Customer Engagement/ Communication 59% Respondent Use of Social Media Marketing Campaigns 59% 28% 13% Generating Leads 48% 19% Recruiting/Retaining Employees Collaboration with Partners/ Vendors 42% 41% 40% Customer Service/ Support 27% Product Development 14% I don't use social media at work or home Other Don't Know 7% 4% Other includes: Increasing general market awareness I use social media more at work than home I use social media more at home than work I use social media equally at work and home Q. Are your social media activities used primarily as? Q. For what activities does your organization use online social media? 14 Source: 2010 Government Contractor Social Media Survey

15 Current and Future Use of Social Media Tools Wikis are the most popular social media tool, likely because they greatly simplify the collaborative process by which most organizations create, compile, share and review information. Currently Using Plan to Use in the Next 12 Months Wikis Non-Government Specific Social Networks Corporate Blogs 25% 39% 72% 10% 17% 28% 1 st 2 nd Monitoring/Commenting on Other Blogs 28% 11% Government-Specific Social Networks RSS Feeds Online Video, Pictures Content Aggregator Podcasts 20% 23% 20% 20% 17% 15% 10% 13% 8% 12% Collaborative Document Editors Social Bookmarking Sites 14% 14% 8% 8% Peer to Peer Networking Massive Multiplayer Online Games 6% 10% 6% 8% Q. Which of the following social media tools is your organization currently using as part of its social media activities or considering adopting in the next 12 months? 15 Source: 2010 Government Contractor Social Media Survey

16 APPENDIX I: Sample Federal Agency Social Media Profiles The following slides provide samples of ways in which agencies are using social media to achieve or support their mission. The full report contains eight profiles of agencies selected to illustrate the diversity of ways in which federal agencies are deploying social media. 16

17 National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) At A Glance Overview The NASA website is a leader among government agencies for its integration of social and multimedia. The award-winning site features space imagery, audio and video podcasts, interactive games, and a NASA TV channel featuring agency-produced content. Additionally, site visitors can customize the information displayed on the homepage according to their interests. NASA has also created opennasa.com, a collaborative blog written by agency employees and invited guests. Social Media Applications and Opportunities The Hubble Telescope has its own social media accounts, where users can access information from the Last Mission and view the satellite s spectacular images of space. Social Media has generated an surge of public interest in space, and has proven an effective platform to educate the public about the agency s mission. Social Media at NASA: NASA s website and its social media activities act as important educational tools for the public, and a key channel through which to feed the public s interest in space. Social Networking Sites Used by NASA NASA News and information NASA_Astronauts Maintained by the astronauts IDs Followers Tweets 390,166 8,446 46,918 1,844 Hubble Telescope Images directly from Hubble 3, NASA Television News and information NASA Explorer Research documents Reel NASA Clips from missions, etc. Channels Videos Subscribers , , ,260 Views: Channel/ Videos 3,469,311/ 12,494, ,275/ 6,093, ,681/ 4,060,653 *Channel Views= Number of times the agency s channel has been viewed Video Views= Number of times the uploaded videos have been viewed NASA: 2Explore Agency wide news Last Mission to Hubble Updates from Hubble Groups NASA Students Astronauts & Scientists discuss their work Fans 46,300 4,326 5,451 Number counts taken on May 17,

18 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) At A Glance Overview The Centers for Disease Control adopted social media early in order to better engage the public. The CDC s ehealth Marketing team began tracking inbound traffic from social networks in early This led to eventual partnerships with MySpace, Facebook, and Daily Strength, an online support group site for individuals coping with health issues. Social Media at the CDC: Provides a platform for individuals to ask health questions of the experts. Large number of followers maximizes audience reach when disseminating health messages and campaigns. Social Networking Sites Used by CDC IDs Followers Tweets Social Media Applications and Opportunities In 2009, CDC teamed up with Google s Flu Trends Tracker to improve the agency s ability to predict where the next major flu outbreak will occur by monitoring searches of flu-related terms on Google. This partnership allowed CDC to utilize a more accurate, real-time flu model while also enabling citizens to learn about the current flu status of their home state. CDCemergency Emergency preparedness CDCflu H1N1 and seasonal flu CDC_ehealth ehealth Marketing and interactive media projects 1,243, , , Social Media Used Bloginars Image Share Podcasts Notes Hosts bloginars on important/ timely topics Information about outbreaks/ public health events Presentations by experts, and allows attendees to ask questions Public Health Image Library (PHIL) offers organized electronic gateway to CDC s pictures Photostream on Flickr Can be listened to or viewed from CDC web page or copy files to a computer or mobile device Group Name: CDC Daily health information CDCstreaminghealth Hosts online videos on various health topics Groups Channels Videos Subscribers 98 4,984 Fans 55,825 Views*: Channel/ Videos 240,090/ 3,486,762 *Channel Views= Number of times the agency s channel has been viewed Video Views= Number of times the uploaded videos have been viewed Number counts taken on May 17,

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