The British Monarchy’s Foray into Social Networking

Social media is everywhere these days and regularly proves itself one of the best ways to share and build communities; even British royalty is trying a little harder to connect with their loyal subjects and other interested people through tools like Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr.  While these efforts are undoubtedly run by a PR team, their continued efforts show that the royal family as a whole really wants to connect and inform the public about their role in the current world and their efforts to make life that much better.

This is especially important in an age where Britons are increasingly questioning the purpose of the monarchy.  Each taxpayer contributes a small amount to support them, but it’s easy to wonder what other purpose that money could be put towards.  I personally am quite fond of royalty, as they represent an exciting, living part of history, but I can at the same time understand their need to become relevant and connected in the digital age. To that end, social media marketing is definitely a requirement.

The royal family currently maintain three social networking profiles; they have a Flickr account, a YouTube channel, and a Twitter account.

On YouTube

The royal family’s YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/theroyalchannel) features videos from public appearances, interviews, and history.  The channel incorporates plenty of links for those users eager to find out more information on their lives and charity work.  With several hundred videos uploaded, there is plenty to watch, including days in the life of figures such as Prince Charles.  A personal favourite of mine is the wedding of the Duke of York, later King George VI, and the Queen Mother Elizabeth, from 1923.

The administrators of the channel also favourite relevant videos from other official channels, making it the perfect one-stop site for royal videos.  There is little interaction with other YouTube channels, but at present the channel is certainly getting enough views to indicate lasting interest in the family’s activities.

On Flickr

Flickr is the family’s newest initiative (http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishmonarchy/) and they’ve started off strong, with hundreds of pictures already uploaded for viewing.  There are a mix of older and recent photos available, with different sets sorted according to family member and event.  You can see adorable pictures of the queen as a chubby-cheeked little girl and select snaps of Queen Victoria and her family as well as modern shots from ongoing events and charity balls.

While these photos are apparently meant to be shared on blogs and twitter, they are also visibly copyrighted.  This means that users who haven’t already heard about the photos and that they’re available to share will probably hesitate to use them, severely limiting the channel’s potential to spark interest in the royal family and their doings.

In addition, comments are restricted, so potential for engagement and conversation about the family on Flickr is limited.  Given comments on news about the royal family elsewhere, however, including on the Yahoo news article about this very topic, this is undoubtedly a wise decision.  It’s clear that rather than using Flickr as a social media channel in truth, they have chosen to make it a place to more easily organise and share pictures of the family.

On Twitter

The royal family’s Twitter account (http://twitter.com/BRITISHMONARCHY) is mainly a news feed of events and links, with announcements of various appearances.  The Twitter account is probably the least currently useful of these three tools, simply because there is absolutely no interaction going on and current tweets aren’t designed at all to spark real interest in the average Briton.  As a result, they’ve received some criticism.

Saying that, however, I doubt anyone expects the Queen – or any member of the entire royal family – to spend time sat on Twitter conversing with the public.  I can’t deny that it would be particularly exciting if they did, but public political figures rarely tweet themselves, instead hiring social media experts to manage their visibility and provide a more comprehensive, complete personal marketing campaign.  Their current measured strategy is perfectly in line with their decorous, historically conscious stance.

Regardless, the royal family is clearly making efforts to step up their relevance and reputation in the digital age.  They’ve long been a target of tabloids and negativity, which makes it the perfect time to turn it around and remind all of us of the good work the royal family does, not to mention their historic and cultural importance for not just England, but the entire Commonwealth.  While more personal interaction and conversations with the members of the Royal Family may do more to boost their reputation, current efforts are certainly headed in the right direction.