What if we speak your language?
The smartphone revolutionised our relationship with the world, giving each of us the power to choose what we watch, listen to and read.
At the Banco de España, we want people to know who we are and what we do, but how can we compete for attention in such a crowded marketplace? The first step is to speak the same language as our audience: society at large.
Inés Calderón, who leads communications at the Banco de España, sat down with us to talk shop. Join us.
“There's no reason we can't be rigorous and appealing. The reality is this: if no one sees us, follows us or visits our website; if we fail to reach people, then our content won’t matter because no one will see it.”
We want to connect with you, yet sometimes it feels like we’re speaking a different language... But what if we could change that?
Communication is vital for public institutions. It’s how we connect with our key audience: society at large. Unlike firms, whose aim is to generate value for shareholders, public institutions must demonstrate their value to the public. As Inés Calderón, Associate Director General of Institutional and European Relations and Transparency, explains, the Banco de España is a case in point: it ensures the public can access their money and make transactions without difficulty, but very few people are aware of the supervisory work – overseeing the financial system and payment infrastructure – that makes it all possible. Perhaps we’re speaking the wrong language?
Several decades ago, public institutions relied heavily on the media to get their messages out to the public. In today's world, dominated by social media, what should they do? Inés firmly believes that they must adapt and harness social media to communicate directly with the public – with you.
While traditional media are still important, social media provide a more direct connection to people. Take the Banco de España, for instance. It has launched an Instagram account to get through to women and young people, both audiences that weren't being reached by the Bank's traditional channels. It’s crucial to speak each social media platform’s “language” and view them as opportunities to share key messages.
Creativity plays a vital role too; there’s no reason we can’t be rigorous and appealing. We must present information in a way that encourages people to keep coming back to the Bank for both news and education.
Moreover, we employees also have a significant outreach role to play. That’s why internal communication is key if our staff are to be ambassadors to the general public.
Notes
The interview was recorded in the library at our Alcalá 48 headquarters in Madrid. It is open to visitors and offers a wide range of services. Why don’t you drop by sometime?
