Why might the people whom you serve see your agency – and government agencies as a whole – as distant, impersonal entities? While your agency must adhere to strict rules, it can help the public’s perception if you feature the people behind the desk in your social media posts. Government agencies humanizing employees puts a…

Higher ed admissions teams rely on social media campaigns to connect with prospective students. In 2025, their target market is mainly Gen Z. As a recent Forbes article points out, 46% of that generation even uses social media platforms as their primary search engines. Chief among these social media platforms are those that engage audiences with “visual storytelling,”…

Content marketing is still one of the most reliable ways to get people to your site. Done right, it not only creates awareness but drives measurable results as well. On average, businesses that invest in content marketing bring in about eight times more traffic than those that don’t. That’s not a small edge. It’s a…

B2B social media marketing used to be all about LinkedIn, but a growing number of brands are experimenting with platforms previously reserved for consumer-focused content. Take TikTok. Not so long ago, B2B brands wouldn’t be seen dead on an app full of dance routines and makeup tutorials. But today, three in five B2B marketers say…

Educational content is in high demand, with the average American spends 5+ hours per week learning on social media. But at the same time, if your message is going to hit home, your posts need to catch people’s eye and hold their attention – all of which explains why edutainment has become one of the…

Commencement isn’t just about honoring the achievements of graduating students – it’s also a fantastic opportunity to capture engaging social media content. If you’re looking for inspiration for your next commencement campaign, you’re in the right place, because we’ve rounded up 10 recent standout examples. Let’s get into it. 1. Harvard University: Tease Commencement Ahead…

The social media platform formerly known as Twitter has had a dramatic couple of years, but it still has a key role to play in public communication and brand-building. In a recent session for our Social Media Strategies Summit for First Responders, Jessie Santero and Autumn King – Public Information Officers at Lee County Sheriff’s…

The widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools by marketers wasn’t always a foregone conclusion. As recently as January 2020, half of the respondents to an Advertiser Perceptions survey said they had no plans to use AI to support their marketing efforts. Fast-forward to today and opinions have shifted dramatically, with McKinsey research revealing that…

Data is the driving force behind every major marketing decision. As pro social media marketers, it’s your job to bring meaning to the numbers and turn them into something useful. To help you get it right, we gathered a panel of leading communicators, hosted by Katelyn Brower – Director of Public Relations, Social Media, and…

Crisis management is one of the biggest challenges for social media for government agencies. A fast-evolving situation can cause panic and confusion in your community, requiring you to communicate the latest information calmly and clearly to the public, stakeholders, and media. Get it wrong, and you risk undermining confidence in your agency; get it right,…

Influencer marketing shows no sign of losing appeal, with over four-fifths of marketers describing it as a highly effective strategy. Traditionally, it’s been most popular in B2C e-commerce, where brands can leverage influencers to recommend apparel, beauty products, tech, and more. Things become a lot more complex when the “product” being promoted is a school…

Workplace change is a fact of life: new colleagues, leadership, and ideas. Sometimes, change can be stressful – but it doesn’t have to be like that. Andrew Palczewski, social team lead at the US Department of Education (USDE), has gone through numerous administration changes at the federal level, and he’s picked up some helpful tips…

Remember when Cinnabon posted that insane tribute to Carrie Fisher? Or when Burger King UK tweeted, “Women belong in the kitchen”? The internet is littered with examples of brands receiving backlash after failing to read the room. But for every high-profile failure, there are countless instances where brands got it exactly right when hopping on…

It’s hard to understate the importance of social media in higher education marketing. Why? Because teens—in other words, the ideal target audience for most higher education marketing campaigns—use social media a lot. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, half of 12 to 17-year-olds in the US spend 4+ hours a day watching some…

Social media marketing is tough. There are plenty of roadblocks that could stop you delivering the results you want to see. Some of the biggest challenges are related to the seemingly simple process of planning and posting content. Indeed, one in eight social media marketers at small businesses say they struggle to post content consistently,…

Instagram has evolved from a photo-sharing site into a powerful social and commerce network with two billion monthly active users. While Instagram is no longer the new kid on the block, it’s still extremely popular. Instagram users spend an average of over 33 minutes daily on the platform – more than on Facebook and Reddit….

User-generated content (UGC) is an invaluable tool for higher ed social media marketers, helping them level up their content creation capabilities while building brand trust. Indeed, research shows that: 81% of consumers trust user-generated content more than professionally created brand content or influencer marketing 85% rely on UGC videos before making a purchase What is…

YouTube’s vast reach and credibility make it a valuable resource in the world of government social media. The video platform has over two billion monthly active users, and it’s America’s most popular social media site, with 85% of US adults using it. Image source There’s just one small problem: creating video content for YouTube requires…

People don’t move through the buying process in a straight line. One day they’re curious, another day they’re comparing. Eventually, they decide to buy (if you’ve given them a reason to). That’s where content comes in. Not the kind that just fills a page, but the kind that actually supports decisions. Blog posts are essential…

For higher education institutions, social media marketing was about sharing key information and communicating with their target audiences. However, two other elements are becoming increasingly important in today’s hyper-competitive higher education landscape: brand amplification and differentiation. Speaking at our Higher Ed Virtual Conference, Carrie Mills – Social Media Manager at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville…

What’s the best way to guarantee that you’ll never create a viral post? Easy – try to go viral. Where e-commerce brands are concerned, virality can often come from unexpected places. A simple explainer video can clock up millions of views, whereas a creative take on a viral trend can fall flat. But, as we’ll…

Social media has become a key tool for public safety agencies to foster transparency, share critical information, showcase their vital work, and build a connection with their audience. But what does high-quality social media marketing look like for public safety agencies? To answer that question, we asked Lisa Herndon, Public Information Officer at Herndon Police…

Measuring social media ROI is notoriously tricky. Indeed, just 8% of marketers say they’re “not at all concerned” about the return generated by their social media activities, according to research from Hootsuite: Image source And it becomes even more difficult when we move away from paid strategies and focus on organic social media measurement (let…

Did you know that, in 2024, adults in the US spent an average of 52 minutes per day watching social media video content? Or that this number is set to reach 57 minutes by 2028? All of which means video should be a key element in any higher ed institution’s social media strategy. To help…

Once upon a time, you could feel confident that when you posted something on social media, a decent chunk of your audience would see it. Sadly, that’s no longer the case. Organic reach on major platforms has been shrinking for years – for instance, it dropped 18% on Instagram from January 2023 to August 2024….

Social media has always been a fast-moving channel, with no guarantees that what works today will still work tomorrow. But what are the biggest opportunities in social media right now – AI? Personalization? Something else? To help answer that question (and lots more), we gathered a panel of social media marketing experts, hosted by Nick…

Want to know why employee-generated content is such a powerful marketing tool? Because, on average, employee networks have approximately 10X as many connections as companies. And even though just 3% of employees share content about their employer, those posts boost their companies’ total engagement by an impressive 30%. If you’re ready to start leveraging these…

As a higher ed social media marketer, your school’s athletics program can be one of your most powerful promotional tools, helping you: Sell your institution to prospective students Engage existing students Generate donations from alumni So, if you’re fortunate enough to work for a school with a proud heritage of athletic achievement, it makes sense…

If I asked you to tell me about social media marketing, you’d probably describe an e-commerce brand promoting its products. Or maybe a B2B company using social platforms to generate leads. But those aren’t the only use cases for social – far from it. Social media for government agencies can be a key tool for…

Nothing stays the same for long in the world of social media. Content formats, strategies, and even entire platforms come and go – remember when Clubhouse was the next big thing? And if you don’t keep up to date, you’ll fall behind fast. Fortunately, we’ve made your lives a little easier by rounding up eight…

Producing high-quality social media content that helps your brand stand out can feel like a never-ending job. Yes, consumers are spending increasing amounts of time on social networks. And in theory, this should make capturing their attention easier for your business. Nevertheless, they’re also interacting with more and more brands. Plus, they’re actively using these…

Every brand dreams of going viral on social media (provided it happens for positive reasons). But, with competition increasing and attention spans dwindling, only a small proportion will turn that dream into a reality. So what does it take to go viral in 2025 (and beyond)? To help you figure it out, we’ve rounded up…

Want two big reasons why higher ed institutions should have an active presence on LinkedIn? First, the platform has approximately 230 million users in the US. So, while it might be smaller than Instagram and TikTok, it’s still a big deal. What’s more, one-quarter of all LinkedIn members are aged 18 – 24, so it’s…

Let’s be honest – government social media isn’t always rainbows and butterflies. But there are steps you can take to create a more healthy social presence for your agency. Jessie Brown, Social Media Specialist at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), shared her top best practices as part of our latest Social Media Strategies…

As a social media marketer, color is one of the most powerful tools at your disposal. Use it wisely and you can inspire audiences to view your brand more positively and take action. But how, exactly, does color psychology work? What do the different colors “mean” in a marketing context? And which colors are the…

Despite many organizations having to work with tight budgets and limited resources, there’s no shortage of innovation in the world of social media marketing for non-profits. To help inspire your next ideation session, we’ve rounded up some of the most impactful non-profit social media campaigns of the past 12 months from the likes of Doctors…

Higher ed institutions have often struggled to incorporate heritage moments into their social content strategies for various reasons. But recent cultural shifts mean it’s no longer an option to simply ignore these occasions. Today, it’s up to universities to ensure their communications center diverse stories (and storytellers). Karla Fung, Director of Social Media at UC…

Following government marketers on social media can help you stay current with industry trends, identify new tools and tactics, and find campaign inspiration. But who, exactly, should you be following? To help you, we’ve rounded up 10 of the best government marketers to follow on social media. 1. Amanda Dolasinski Who is she? Amanda Dolasinski…

Social media for government agencies is all about demonstrating your expertise, building trust and credibility, and providing audiences with fast, reliable, unambiguous information. It’s been a game-changer for the sector, transforming previously faceless organizations into teams of real people doing valuable work. Lots of agencies are doing an amazing job at showcasing what they do…