Social media are an indispensable part of our current society. The younger generations grow up with it and the older generations are also active. And more and more municipalities are increasing their online visibility among residents.
Social media is changing the mayoralty
20 years ago, a resident knew the mayor mainly by name and now and then from a statement in the newspaper. The mayor was the figurehead of the municipality and was seen by residents mainly as an official and mainly formal function.
But this has changed in recent years. With the advent of social media , it has become easier to show yourself as a mayor from multiple sides. Visually oriented channels such as Facebook and Instagram, which together account for almost 15 million users , have numerous possibilities to profile yourself.
Social media make it possible to connect with your own residents in an accessible way. This is causing a shift in how a mayor is experienced. From a formal function to part of the (online) belgium telegram data community as mayor and person.
Perhaps you wonder whether people are waiting for you (or is it one of your objections not to be active on these channels)? From our experience with the mayors we help with their profiling via social media, we see that people are waiting for this. This is evident from the involvement in the reporting of various mayors. In fact, we see that residents are often very enthusiastic about the online presence of a mayor.
Sample video
This can also be seen in a Facebook video by mayor Marja van Bijsterveldt, in which she gives a tour of the city hall. She also invites her residents to have a chance to win this tour by responding with a message. This video ensures a high level of involvement. These types of video messages to involve residents often have a high reach and are received positively.
In this way, you are in direct contact with residents from yourself, as a person. This creates more connection than if you do this from the 'municipal title'. By showing yourself here from a personal angle as a (future) mayor, you get more sympathy. The threshold to get to know a mayor well has disappeared.