Bluepost Digital

It seems that everyone has felt the need to embrace social media, even the Queen has caved in and joined Facebook, but is it really for everyone? It’s bad enough having your parents befriend (or stalk) you on Facebook, giving them yet another arena to embarrass their poor offspring. Saying that, it is clear that social media enables people to connect in a way that wasn’t possible before the advent of these platforms. This is an incredible development for businesses who can give an insight into the essence of their brand values and engage with customers. The British Monarchy haven’t entirely embraced engagement, so aren’t fully embracing social media and exploiting its potential.

I think if you’re not particularly committed to social media, it will eventually prove useless. Time and time again I’ve seen the half-hearted attempts of many brands, with their last tweet or post gathering virtual dust. If a brand’s value comes from its exclusivity, there are fears that it could dilute their brand cachet through making it too accessible. But you’d think they’d know that social media is all about sharing, and if you’re not willing to do this, you lose the fundamental value of these channels.

Although the Queen is being hailed for embracing social media, being on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Flickr, it’s a rather distant embrace. There is no conversation, no breaking news exclusively for fans, no comments permitted and no insights into the Royal Family – essentially little engagement. This means that the Royal Family aren’t really reversing negative perceptions, reaching out or providing any tangible value for fans. I wasn’t particularly surprised to see that the British Monarchy use a fairly stoic tone across all their social media channels. Look on any of these sites and you’ll see that it’s mainly a publishing platform for links to updates and news stories on the website. Direct comments aren’t permitted, so that decorum of distance that the Monarchy are so well known for, is extended into the digital arena.

If the British Monarchy are seeking to reach out to a wider audience by using social media, I think they’re missing the point. I applaud them for adopting it, but I can’t help but feel disappointed by the lifeless Facebook and Twitter pages. If your business wants to be relevant and reach out to customers and fans then learn from the mistakes of the Queen and engage with your subjects!