Posted by: Some thought space was the final frontier. For many government agencies, it’s social media that looks like a dark expanse of unexplored galaxies.
Fittingly, NASA has decided to boldly go where few Federal agencies have gone before by really leveraging Web 2.0 tools to generate interest—and achieve some amazing results. Stephanie Schierholtz, a Public Affairs Specialist at NASA, shared her agency’s success at Monster Government Solutions’ recent Unleash the Monster Social Media 101 event.
NASA secured a place in social media history with the first tweet from space. Twitter—which has 16 astronauts actively tweeting—is just one platform NASA is using to connect and collaborate with fans and potential employees. They’re also utilizing Tweetups, in-person meetings for Twitter fans that allow the agency to interact face-to-face with the public. NASA recently led a select group of online followers on a tour of the Johnson Space Center, generating a buzz that transforms Twitter followers into NASA Ambassadors eager to blog about their experiences.
Sure, there’s the potential for sticky social media situations that could challenge even the savviest of PR pros, like comedian Stephen Colbert’s write-in campaign to have an International Space Station room named after him. NASA’s clever compromise with the Comedy Central star created positive media coverage for both NASA and Colbert.
Schierholz says NASA’s presence on Twitter has exploded in a short time and reached close to 290,000 followers by the beginning of March. That’s more than a quarter million people interested in NASA’s mission—but keeping followers posted on the latest news requires resources. Schierholz says that her agency decided to focus social media efforts on Twitter and they’ve planned their staff efforts accordingly. 15 people help manage the NASA Twitter account, proving that a group effort is needed to get social media off the ground and maintain it.
True, not every agency can count space travel and astronauts in its arsenal of PR tools, but there are resources, like the upcoming Partnership for Public Service webinar on How to Brand Your Public Service Campaign, to help you develop your message. Then social media tools can help generate awareness and interest to build recruiting connections that go beyond just posting jobs online.
By: Gail Ballantyne, Product Manager at Monster Government Solutions
Tue, Mar 16, 2010
Featured, Federal