Government Gets Social

Social media management platform, Hootsuite, recently released "The Social Government Benchmark Report 2018" that looked at how agencies are using and viewing social media use in connection with their mission. The report examined the value of social media for government organizations as well as explored best practices for enterprise-level social media management for government.

The survey of public sector employees found that about half of respondents rated their agency's use of social media as good or excellent. The top use cases for social media cited were:

• Citizen engagement (77%) - social media allows for a better understanding of citizen needs and they've seen an increase in positive sentiment.
• Customer care/service delivery (48%) - teams are able to have faster response times.
• Critical response communications (47%) - agencies found that citizens are better informed about critical issues and rumors are quickly addressed via social channels.
• Employer branding and recruitment (45%) - respondents say they are getting a higher volume of candidates as a result of social outreach.

Based on these successes, it's no surprise public servants want to do more with social. 87% of respondents said there is room for improvement. Luckily, there are several events in the coming months that can provide guidance on how public sector organizations can better use social media.

• X4 Experience Management Summit (March 5-8, 2019; Salt Lake City, UT) - Discover how the visionaries and leaders behind the world's most iconic organizations design and deliver breakthrough customer, employee, product, and brand experiences and how that can be applied in any organization.
• SXSW (March 8-17, 2018; Austin, TX) - Once an independent film festival, South by Southwest has blossomed into an event that highlights innovation and independent thinking across all industries (including the public sector). The event includes specific tracks for government attendees, providing an opportunity for innovative technology providers and practitioners to come together and collaborate.
• Government Social Media Conference (April 2-4, 2019; Nashville, TN) -- GSMCON is designed to educate local, regional, state and federal agencies on social media best practices. Attendees can collaborate with peers and learn strategy and techniques from social media industry experts to maximize the value of social media programs.
• AFCEA DC Innovative Technologies Summit (June 4, 2019; Washington, DC) - This event discusses the accelerating pace of technology innovation and its potential to reap benefits for federal agencies. Sessions will focus on how agencies can adopt these technologies within the parameters set by existing policies, processes, and
• Understand the Citizen Journey and Deliver the Best Experiences (on-demand webcast) -- Today, government agencies are seamlessly integrating easy-to-use enterprise forms into web or mobile experiences and automating related workflows - simultaneously reducing costs and driving citizen satisfaction. Learn how to leverage existing technology to meet your agency's needs, understand analytics and personalization to help modernize how you engage with citizens.
• LinkedIn for GovCon - Social Selling (on-demand webcast) -- There are over 2 million feds on LinkedIn. It is now an entrenched part of the GovCon ecosystem. This course walks through the basics of social selling, from setting your goals, building your profile, connection strategies, group selection, and

We'd love to hear where you're getting your social media education. Share your tips in the comments.