Presentation by Hanneke Verhelst, public affairs consultant at Fleishman-Hillard on Digital Public Affairs at the Hanze University in Groningen (April 2012).

1. Digital, digital, digital*
Groningen, 23 April 2012
*Making it work for you in Public Affairs

2. Introducing myself
Master International Relations Public Affairs Consultant
& Board Member BVPA

3. What is Public Affairs?

4. Program today
1. Starting point
2. Supporting your traditional activities
3. Towards a new Public Affairs model
4. Where to start?

5. 1. Starting point

6. What type of issue?
“We’ve only got an audience of 1,000”
“Only some policy-makers and a few of
other stakeholders care about this issue”
“This issue isn’t on the public radar and
frankly we don’t want it to get there”

8. MEP survey 2011
www.epdigitaltrends.eu
80% of MEPs visit
YOUR CONTENT 92% of MEPs use a
interest group sites search engine every
every week day

9. 2. Supporting your
traditional activities

10. Scope of traditional advocacy
ii. Establishing
i. Communicating
relationships with
message to policy
policy makers +
makers and
influencers and
influencers
building alliances
iii. Monitoring to
identify engagement
opportunities & keep
track of debate

11. 1

12. i. Communicating message to
policy makers and influencers

13. MEP survey 2011
80%www.epdigitaltrends.eu
of MEPs 63% of MEPs 78% of MEPs
YOUR CONTENT
visit interest read blogs visit Wikipedia
group sites every week every week
every week

14. MEP survey 2011
www.epdigitaltrends.eu
YOUR CONTENT
92% of MEPs use a
search engine every day

15. CONTENT**Presenting your positions online
DRIVING TRAFFIC*
*Ensuring that target audiences view your positions

17. Online advertising
Legislative Office, Work in the European Anyone in Brussels and major
International Affairs, Commission, European capitals who search for:
Government Administration, Parliament and Council of Energy efficiency, eu energy
Executive Office, Political Ministers OR live in Brussels policy, renovate europe,
Organization, Government are above the age of 22 and guenter oettinger, hedegaard
Relations, Public Policy, have interests in the European
Non-Profit Organization Union, politics and energy Total clicks: 515
Management Total cost: 393 Euro
Total clicks: 234
Total clicks: 199 Total cost: 23 Euro
Total cost: 248 Euro

18. ii. Establishing relationships with
policy makers + influencers
and building alliances

19. MEP survey 2011
www.epdigitaltrends.eu
69% of MEPs use social 34% of MEPs are on
ENGAGEMENT
networks (primarily Twitter (15% growth
Facebook) per year)
www.epdigitaltrends.eu

20. Who does Neelie talk to?

21. LinkedIn community

22. Dedicated online communities for key stakeholders

23. iii. Monitoring to identify engagement
opportunities & keep track of debate

24. M(E)Ps tweeting

25. Tracking blogs and sites

26. Monitoring keyword activity

27. 3. Towards a new public
affairs model

28. The constituent consumer
1. What’s in it for me?
2. What matches my values?

29. More political actors:
a pressure group upsurge

30. A new model of influence
Centralised power
Few political actors
Technical arguments
Rational Emotional
Many political actors
Value-based arguments
Diffuse power
Source: Simon Titley

31. Heard at the EP:
“I’m on your side, but
my constituents are not”
(nor are the papers and blogs they read)

32. The disciplines…
Reputation
Government management
relations
Marketing

33. … are converging
Reputation
Government management
relations
Marketing

34. A broadening scope of Public Affairs
Communications
Public Affairs
Government
relations

35. Bid adieu to your
comfort zone

36. Meaning what?

37. Think (and act)
like campaigners

38. Narrative:
be a storyteller

39. Where does
digital fit in?

40. Digital allows “Every company is now a media company”

41. How?
Intelligence
gathering & Delivery
analysis

42. Intelligence Intelligence
gathering & → Delivery
analysis narrative
Insights
CONTENT
STRATEGY

43. 4. Where to start?
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44. Digital checklist
 Where do you appear in Google (you and your issue(s))
 To what key-words is your issue linked to?
 Is your company/issue(s) Wikipedia page appropriate?
 How many people are visiting your issue Wikipedia page
 Do you appear elsewhere i.e. 3rd party content?
 Are people tweeting about you/your issue?
 For your issue, do you know the top 5 best blogs & Twitter feeds

45. Thanks
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46. Contact
@hannekeverhelst
linkedin.com/in/heverhelst
Digitalpublicaffairs.nl
Publicaffairs2point0.eu
hanneke.verhelst@fleishman.com
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