Maybe* recently profiled Doncaster Council’s refreshingly entertaining approach to social media, they're doing a fab job, but it’s not always easy to create show-stopping content when you’re following strict content guidelines. That being said, if councils want to see increased engagement and improved sentiment then they need to apply a human approach. To help councils use Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to connect with residents more effectively, we’ve rounded up the top 10 UK councils based on their social media performance to see which is giving their channels their all, and show what you can learn from social media with just a little insight. Hundred of the UK’s BIDs are already onboard the social media train.
Which of the UK’s councils is winning on social media?
by Amy Rountree| Organisation | Follow-ers | Posts | Engage-ments | Avg posts per day | Avg engage-ment per post | Avg engage-ments per day | Best posts |
| Ashfield District | 14K | 136 | 10.4K | 2.62 | 76.21 | 199.31 | View |
| Armagh City Council | 29.6K | 260 | 9.2K | 5.00 | 35.25 | 176.27 | View |
| Argyll and Bute | 19.8K | 311 | 7.8K | 5.98 | 25.14 | 150.35 | View |
| Isle of Anglesey County | 18.7K | 520 | 7.3K | 10.00 | 13.98 | 139.75 | View |
| Ashford Borough | 16.4K | 290 | 6.4K | 5.58 | 21.96 | 122.44 | View |
| Adur & Worthing Council | 18.6K | 474 | 6.2K | 9.12 | 12.97 | 118.27 | View |
| Amber Valley Borough | 7.4K | 163 | 2.5K | 3.13 | 15.50 | 48.60 | View |
| Babergh District | 9.8K | 190 | 801 | 3.65 | 4.22 | 15.40 | View |
| Aylesbury Vale District | 13.3K | 4 | 19 | 0.08 | 4.75 | 0.37 | View |
| Wycombe District | 10.3K | 1 | 1 | 0.02 | 1.00 | 0.02 | View |
Crime updates keep local residents informed
Ashfield District Council came out top in our top 10 list of councils’ based upon their social media performance The council posted 136 times and on average earned 199 engagements per day. The council uses social media to keep the community up to date with local goings on, both good and bad. A local crime update was the council’s best performing post for the period. And while it may not be the best of news, it demonstrates the importance that law and order has to local residents.
The best performing post was factual, directional and informative. *Top tip - when sharing uncomfortable news, councils should keep their posts to the point and demonstrate that they are taking or are planning to take clear action to remedy concerns and crime.
Finding your own best performing post
To find your own best performing post, use the Maybe* Report Builder tool. Our report builder is packed full of insights. If you want to see your results quickly and concisely, the report builder comprises all your social media metrics and your key business data all in one place.
To find the best performing post you just need to select your date range and add the best performing post filter from the left hand menu. You can also add other Maybe* insights such as a See what works report so you can see how much you’ve posted and on what days the spikes in engagement occur.
What do Councils’ best performing posts have in common?
Second in our top 10 was Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council. Similarly this was also a public order update explaining the accessibility of public walkways during lockdown. Again, clear, concise information proved to be the most engaging tactic.
How to replicate this technique
If you want to see what councils’ best performing posts all have in common, you can use the Maybe* report builder to add in the posts of anyone else you’ve compared yourself to or are listening to and identify patterns and similarities. By spotting what the best posts have in common, you can mimic this approach for yourself.
As we recently highlighted Doncaster Council does a great job of injecting some humour into their content.
Key takeaway
Councils have an important job to do keeping residents informed. Taking action of keeping the community safe, clean and crime free works well for councils to engage the community. While it may not always be positive news, demonstrate you are aware of issues, and clearly communicate the solution you are implementing for an engagement win.
Now more than ever you should support local businesses and content demonstrating this should be woven into your content strategy.
Learn more
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