Online Marketing Blog from metrocafe311

Yes, for those of you who were not aware Buckingham Palace ‘likes’ the internet and even better the social web! The British Monarchy (BM) joined Facebook in mid September 2010 and but have been active on Twitter for much longer. Last week’s announcement of Prince William’s engagement sparked my interest in their profiles again as the web was buzzing with the news. So I had another look through their profiles to see what they were up to.

I was delighted to see a well used YouTube channel (The Royal Channel, of course) with over 200 uploads. Unfortunately the possibility of adding comments to a video are removed but it does have over 33,000 subscribers. The BM’s Facebook community page has over 263,000 ‘likes’ and they have over 79,000 followers on Twitter. Direct engagement is minimal on these profiles but their fans don’t seem to mind, their Flickr account is another social profile that allows fans a little more access to the royal family. However, does this add up to a whole lot of love for the British Royal Family?

After last week’s announcement there was huge feedback across the web with plenty of photos and official announcements from the profiles. According to Mashable the reaction to Prince William’s engagement on Twitter was 43% positive, 41% neutral and 16% negative. On reading the comments and feedback on the Facebook page I can say that this reaction appears to be much more positive when directed at the BM. An interesting aspect to note was that a large amount of the feedback was coming from overseas users not just those in the UK.

So it appears that interest in the BM is still burning bright or perhaps it was their approach into social media that has been its saving grace? Over here in Ireland we may not have the same affection for the BM but could the openness of social media help invigorate our interest in some of the non-governmental state offices in Ireland or at least improve our understanding of them. Would you follow Áras an Uachtaráin if they were on Twitter? Would you comment on photos of Mary McAleese at a ceremony in Cork?

Overall the use of social media in this way adds a more human face to a brand that is immersed in years of history. The BM like many brands has an abundance of older followers so the addition of social media to their communication channels can hopefully only serve to heighten their profile and affection among the British public. Here’s hoping for a live streaming of the wedding from Westminster Abbey on YouTube!