Social media platforms offer governments and the many offices and entities they include unprecedented opportunities to engage their communities, build trust, and highlight the vital work they do. But how, exactly? Governments must center their content on stories. Real stories about real people–out in the field making a real impact. If you’re hitting a wall when it comes to coming up with clever content, here are eight ideas to help you tell great stories that engage community members and highlight impact.
1.Impact Stories
Whether it’s a technology upgrade, new or repaired transportation infrastructure, or a city-wide kindness campaign, the work you’re doing is making an impact on real people. Think about how your upcoming projects are impacting or will impact business owners, students, and families. Where your field teams connect with those people, look for opportunities to share their perspectives. Coordinate a quick interview, collect a quote, or snap a photo. These types of stories help community members understand the importance of the work you do and see its value.
2.Facts, Stats & Data
Data can be especially powerful when it comes to educating the community on your work–especially if your office operates in a highly technical or misunderstood area of government. Be sure to present stats within context where needed, and translate them into impact measures people can understand. Take a page from nonprofits’ playbook here. Instead of conveying that a fundraising initiative raised $500, translate that into something tangible by explaining the outcome of that $500. For example, We raised $500, which is enough money to feed five food-insecure families for two weeks. This provides a level of relatability and understanding that community members are more apt to engage with.
3.Highlight Heartwarming Moments
There’s no substitute for an awe-moment. Look for those opportunities and empower your field teams to do the same. Whether its a police officer playing a game of pickup basketball or a couple firefighters visiting a local daycare, these moments don’t necessarily need to be posed or coordinated. In fact, it’s often better to capture a genuine, in-action photo of a great moment–giving community members insights into what a day in the life of your field teams is like.
4.Recap Community Events
Community events are a great way to reinforce your involvement in many areas of civic life and also engage community members. A quick recap post reminds folks that you were there, that you support the organization(s) behind the event, and helps raise awareness for the event itself. Consider things like Halloween events, pet adoption efforts, food drives, Christmas galas, auction events and fundraisers, golf tournaments, pitch competitions, holiday lighting events and celebrations, and others. After the event, gather up a handful of photos of the action and create posts on major social platforms about the event’s happenings and the people involved. Be sure to tag other organizations and entities where possible to further the reach of your posts.
5.Project Updates
Working on a long-term project over multiple months or even years? While it may be top of mind for your teams, community members may be unaware or foget over time. Periodic updates remind community members that the work is ongoing and important. Provide an interesting fact or piece of technical information about an infrastructure upgrade; show a timelapse or series of progress photos; or do a quick before and after post. Be sure to use engaging (read: interesting) photos with real people and projects that community members will engage with.
6.Then & Now
Speaking of before-and-after posts: throwbacks are a great way to get people talking. Dig into the archives for historic photos, records, and other documents that you can share periodically. This helps strengthen the narrative surrounding the longevity of your work and the growth it has undoubtedly fostered within your community. Plus, everyone loves a throwback post. They get people talking about the good ol’ days and sharing their own memories and experiences–deepening connections and helping your content reach further.
Source Content by Surfacing Stories
Great stories are out there–the challenge is often surfacing them. And communications teams simply can’t be everywhere at once, making the ability to capture and curate content across teams crucial. Social Assurance for Government can help with super slick, user-friendly technology that makes it easy to empower your team to capture content that can be curated and shared across channels. Simple workflows, controlled access permissions, and automatic archival means you have everything you need to tell great stories. Interested in learning more? Follow the link below to schedule a demo and we’ll walk you through how it works.
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