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…

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…

Higher education marketers are busy, so finding the time to keep up with the latest industry developments can be challenging. Have you missed an important update to a key tool? Is there a high-performing tactic, channel, or platform you’re not currently using? How are external trends and events going to affect your broader marketing strategy?…

Crisis management is a fact of life for social media marketing teams. But that doesn’t make it any easier to handle. To help you out, we hosted a panel session on handling crises, navigating customer dissatisfaction, and responding to negative sentiment on social platforms, featuring insights from: Rachel Karten, Social Media Consultant Katie Yun, Director…

Learn how to grow your audience and showcase your agency’s goals, values, and achievements by creating your own LinkedIn Page. LinkedIn is a winner when it comes to marketing on social media for government agencies. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up LinkedIn Page best practices for government agencies and picked out real-world examples of…

For most brands, content marketing eventually starts to feel like a treadmill. You’re putting out posts, tracking engagement, tweaking SEO, yet somehow… it all starts to look the same. We’ve all been there – trying to keep up with algorithms, sticking with what’s “proven,” and playing it safe because it has worked well enough. But…

From a brand awareness and community engagement perspective, jumping on social media trends can be rewarding for higher education institutions. However, there are risks attached if you leverage the wrong trends incorrectly. To help you get it right, we’ve rounded up all the key takeaways from our recent panel session on social media trends, featuring…

Ever feel like social media used to be somehow better? In that case, you’re already familiar with the power of nostalgia to influence how we feel about products and services. In this article, we’ll explain what nostalgia in marketing is all about and why it’s so effective. Plus we’ll share real-world examples of brands using…

Want to cut through the noise with your next campaign? Experiential marketing could be the solution. As the name suggests, experiential marketing is all about creating unique, branded experiences for the customer. Get it right and you’ll enjoy increased brand awareness, word of mouth, and sales. But what does effective experiential marketing actually look like?…

No longer the bright new thing of the social media world, TikTok is now firmly established as a key element in many higher ed institutions’ marketing toolkits. Marketers love the short-form video platform because it generates far higher organic engagement than other platforms. That’s a huge advantage in higher education marketing, where budgets are often…

The days of relying on a single social network to reach and engage your audience are long gone. Today, many government agencies are active across half a dozen or more platforms, each with its own unique algorithm and audience. Coming up with compelling content across all those different channels can be a real headache for…

Social media is a cut-throat world. The almighty algorithm makes it challenging to reach your followers — let alone get in front of new audiences. And even if you manage to figure that out, you’re still fighting for attention with other brands in your niche. But it’s not all bad news because those same rivals…

Short-form video is the hottest trend in social media marketing right now. Indeed, research shows that: 💰 Short-form video has the highest ROI of any current marketing trend (as defined by HubSpot) 📈 67% of social media marketers plan to invest more in short-form video than any other format in 2024 💸 91% of those…

It’s hard to overstate the benefits of user-generated content (UGC). Per Entribe, 83% of consumers are likelier to buy from brands that share content from real customers. Image source In the context of higher ed marketing, those “real customers” are your current students. Get them to create their own content (and share it with you),…

As a government agency social media marketer, you have a lot of demands on your time — and limited resources to deal with them. So, it’s essential you focus on the social channels that deliver the biggest impact for your organization. But this is easier said than done, with platforms regularly popping up and dying…

Generative AI usage has fast become commonplace in the social media marketing world. Indeed, 73% of marketing professionals say their organizations are using gen AI tools like ChatGPT, with social media copy and social media imagery named as the second and third most popular use cases — only behind email copy. Image source But with…

Social media isn’t just a current trend – it’s been a goldmine for millions of brands for over a decade. With 27% of all internet users actively searching for products to buy while scrolling through their favorite social media feeds, it’s a massive opportunity you can’t afford to miss. But getting started can feel quite…