Embassy aims to reach more Pinoys in Japan with catchy, colorful FB posts

In order to reach more Filipinos in Japan, the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo has come up with a project to use colorful graphics and videos, coupled with catchy text, in its social media posts.

The embassy said an informal study it conducted revealed that regular “text-based” Facebook announcements receive an average of 40 “likes” and 5,000 “people reached” over a two-month period. 

However, infographic and video announcements had garnered an average of 90 “likes” and 10,000 “people reached” in a span of only two days.

"We have a community of over 280,000 Filipinos in Japan and it is essential that the Embassy is able to effectively reach out to as many of our kababayan as social media will allow," Ambassador Jose C. Laurel V said in his report on the project to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Consul General Robespierre Bolivar, who initiated and supervises the project, cites improved information dissemination as a key factor in improving consular services.

"We noted that many issues brought to the Embassy’s attention can be addressed through effective information dissemination about our consular policies and requirements," he said.

"In the age of social media, we have to ensure that our communication strategies are responsive to the public’s needs."

Under the propject, the embassy created a number of infographic series with catchy Filipino titles, including “Kita-kits” (“See You”) to announce outreach missions and Filipino community events, “Alam Nyo Ba?” (“Do You Know?”) to remind Filipinos of important consular regulations, and “Mag-Ingat Po Kayo” (“Please Take Care of Yourselves”), which features advisories during natural disasters and warnings against scams.

Meanwhile, its infographic advisory reminding Filipinos to renew their passports at least six months before the end of its validity date reached more than 20,000 people since it was posted on August 2.

On the other hand, its infographic advisory on August 9 typhoon which was expected to hit the Tokyo Metropolitan Area reached almost 77,000 people since its posting.  —KBK, GMA News