How do Swiss cities use social media?
The article by social media consultant Jürg Kobel focuses on the use of social media in public administration. His online research from late January 2014 highlights how Swiss cities are currently using various social networks.
The authorities of Switzerland’s eight largest cities have a presence on social media. Of the 100 most populous cities, about one-third are officially active on social media. Facebook is the most popular platform, ahead of Twitter and YouTube. However, social media is also of interest to smaller cities. These are the findings of an online survey conducted in late January 2014.
Facebook before Twitter
Facebook is not only the most widely used social network among private individuals, but also among city governments. Twenty-three municipal authorities in Switzerland’s 100 largest cities have an official Facebook page. The city of Zug tops the list of cities with the most fans. Cities such as Bern, Thun, Chur, and Aarau do not operate an official Facebook page, but some of their departments do attempt to engage with their users on Facebook.
So far, 15 of the cities surveyed have taken the plunge on Twitter. The city of St. Gallen is the most active, with over 3,300 tweets. These tweets are also followed by over 3,100 users. The city of Basel has the highest number of followers, although it shares its Twitter account with the canton of Basel-Stadt.
YouTube and Google+
Twelve city governments have set up a presence on YouTube. Here, politicians share their views, construction projects are presented, and general profile and promotional videos of the cities are shown.
The number of Google+ pages—ten—may come as a surprise, but this is because setting up your own YouTube channel requires a Google account, which automatically leads to a Google+ account. A closer look at the Google+ pages reveals that only the cities of St. Gallen, Lucerne, and Horw post regularly.
Flickr, Instagram, Foursquare and Xing
During the online search, other social networks were discovered at a few authorities. St. Gallen, Gossau and Pully show photos on Flickr, Zug square pictures on Instagram. St. Gallen runs the location-based network Foursquare and the city of Kloten publishes its job advertisements on Xing.
Active and passive cities
St. Gallen actively maintains six social media channels. The cities of Lucerne, Zug, Köniz, and Horw share news on four networks. However, the number of social media platforms is only of limited significance for a successful social media strategy. After all, simply creating accounts is not enough. What matters is how they are managed afterward.
The need to communicate with citizens is not limited to large cities. The towns of Gossau, Pully, Horw, and Amriswil also serve as role models for modern dialogue.
Resources are likely the main reason why city administrations are often absent from social media. The City of Zurich states that, due to resource constraints, its Twitter account is used only in emergencies. However, inquiries via Twitter are answered. Olten does not operate a social media channel at all and explains this as follows: «As far as social media is concerned, our current staffing levels in the communications department do not allow us to professionally manage a Facebook page for the entire city administration.»
Outlook
Some cities have only recently become active on social media. In the future, the number will increase, because social media undoubtedly belongs in a communication concept of a city administration. The effort required to operate social media must be properly assessed. There will be additional work, especially initially, when the social media strategy and guidelines are being drawn up. However, social media should become more and more a matter of course in the public relations of a city.
You can find the table as a PDF here.
Author: Jürg Kobel
Jürg Kobel is a freelance social media consultant and runs a Blog.
