Day in and day out the BBC are broadcasting to a number of different audiences in different mediums at different times of the day and through a variety of different presenters and professionals who each have their own nuances and personas.

That is…quite frankly a huge task to transfer successfully to social media in way that does not miss the mark completely and confuse the 60+ years of work in creating engaging content and building a reputation that has lasted the test of time – even if it is tested (quite brutally) at times.

Here are some of the bits I LOVE about their strategy and implementation:

1. News Broadcasts (TV)

They always mention Twitter and Facebook as part of how you can contact the studio to ask a question you would like to be heard or read out. Any topical discussions also have any relevant Tweets from watchers moving across the bottom of the screen.

2. Radio Shows

I know that (for example) Steve Wright (BBC Radio 2 – 2pm to 5pm) makes a point of letting you know what is trending at that particular time on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook that day. Every presenter (regardless of age) speaks about Twitter and how they use it (even if not so frequent). This helps people like me spread the practical word about social media and how it is reaching into everyone’s homes and its a very engaging medium for the masses.

Each station has individual shows themselves – they manage this either through hashtags or through the presenters having their own Twitter ID’s (those that are up for it) – this makes it easy to speak directly to the presenter/show that you want to as a Tweeter.

3. Presenters Have Their Own Brands and Following

We all know that some of the people who appear on the BBC shows (tv or otherwise) generally are experts in their fields and to be honest I find myself preferring some presenters over others – because they are pretty knowledgeable and are brilliant at snapshotting the information for us watchers/listeners.

Pictured left is the beautiful and eloquent Carol Kirkwood. I still remember someone writing in to say that their little baby (6 months) giggled and cooed everytime she came on. I then noticed that my little one did the same. She has a wonderful professional presence and engages her audience (however big or small). You can follow her on Twitter here: @carolkirkwood

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As a whole every day, I hear or see something that the BBC does in absorbing social media into their communication and engagement strategy and I think: Well Done.

While other businesses in the UK are grappling with social media – the BBC have put their heads together – pulled in a strategy and rolled it out…very successfully at that. I dare any other business the size and complexity of the BBC, to craft a socila media strategy that truly engages every single individual regardless of demographic…and still maintain the integrity of the business message. (Yes – they will have a 120 page social media policy to do a lot of governing….but that’s not the point, that’s an operational necessity).

I hope to find more examples of big businesses doing it right….because to be honest, they are few and far between. A little too much one-way broadcasting is going on for my liking!

Have you seen any great social media examples in your daily live? Share them with me – I would love to hear about them!