I work with a lot of small programs in state government. They almost all tell me the same things: they have a small staff, a small budget, and a very small Web presence.
They’d like to do more, but they’re hamstrung by security restrictions from the IT department. They can’t access Facebook or Twitter or YouTube in the office. And they’ve been shot down so many times, they’re tired of trying.
But you know what? Even though my government clients face many of the same hurdles as you, I have never had to shut down a project idea because of those issues. Why? Because our conversation is always about content.
We don’t worry about the tools up front. We first decide who a state program needs to reach, and what kind of information they need to provide. We decide what format that information should take (online text? print newsletter? audio interview? videos?). Only then do we decide whether social media is a fit.
When social networks are a part of the answer, we make it work. We often assign one of our writer/editors to create much of the content and post it to the appropriate places online. We work closely with program managers to make sure the content is what the core audience wants and needs. Once the content is approved, we take care of distributing it in all the right places — whether it’s a blog, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, or somewhere else.
And here’s the thing I’ve discovered: everyone loves this solution. Bosses love it because it means better communication with the public. IT loves it because it ends the struggle over security issues and constant page updates. And program managers love it because they finally have a real home of their own on the Web, to communicate about the good work they’re doing.
If you have questions about how it might fit into your state program, email me, or find me on Twitter or Facebook. I’d love to help you reach the people who need to know about your program.
