Agenda at a Glance

Coming up with fresh content ideas regularly can be a huge challenge for social media managers. This panel will share their processes for keeping content relevant and interesting without draining their resources. 

Discussion topics include:

• How to change up outdated posts for new and fresh ones
• Getting both sworn and professional staff to weigh in on content ideas (when you don’t have a social media team)
• What to do if gathering content and information is difficult (because of limited infrastructure or large coverage areas)
• How to make boring topics more interesting
• Creating topics in bunches to save for days you aren’t feeling inspired
• Approaching new marketing channels and fresh content that’s needed for them

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When the Sacramento Fire Department opened up its lateral firefighter position, its communication team turned to social media to create engaging content to promote the job! 

They created several social media post with engaging photos, video, and music that was then shared to all social media platforms, including Instagram and TikTok. The lateral firefighter job post reached a combined audience of more than 250,000 social media users. Not only did they receive a significantly higher number of applicants for the job, but they also increased the number of followers. 

Since then, they have been focusing on creating more Instagram Reels and TikTok videos and have seen significant growth. Join Sacramento Fire's Media and Communications Specialist Wendy Aguilar and Public Information Officer Keith Wade to learn all the latest tricks and tips for creating engaging and informative Instagram Reels and TikTok videos. 

Key takeaways:

• Learn the basic rules for shooting quick videos that transition smoothly 
• Learn how to come up with content ideas to help you engage and grow your audience 
• Learn how to get buy-in from leadership as well as members of your department/agency

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For many government professionals, managing social media is just one small part of the many media and communications duties they’re responsible for. With social media becoming an increasingly essential platform for sharing information, how can PIOs and other comms professionals prioritize it with an already-full plate?

Discussion topics include:

• Specific strategies for balancing the demands of your primary role with your social media role
• Examples of how PIOs break up their days and the time they spend on social media and creating content
• Set yourself up for success on social by creating templates that you can repurpose for common cases and news information
• How to collaborate with leadership to prioritize social media and leverage its reach and shareability
• How to successfully integrate social media with your overall comms strategy to ensure social has a seat at the table
• Blocking time for social media during a critical incident or disaster, along with examples from our panelists

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Between digital clutter and ever-changing algorithms, creating engaging content can be challenging on social media. This session will help raise your reach and enhance engagement, share foundational concepts that invite interaction, provide insight into elements that negatively impact impressions, and share some platform-specific tips to incorporate into your content strategy. 

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Public safety agencies worldwide actively use social media to promote and increase the public’s awareness of their daily operations and programs. However, the more advanced agencies are not just using social media but understanding how effective they are on them (or not) and what works to best reach their target audience(s).

This workshop will take attendees through understanding what metrics are most important, how an agency can separate itself from other organizations by prioritizing measurement, and what analytics tools are available to gauge performance.

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Discussion topics include:

• When negative comments constitute a crisis
• Understanding the difference between a true troll and a concerned citizen
• How to build a strong mental foundation against negativity
• PIO mental health during a negative incident
• Examples of how agencies have handled negativity and lessons they’ve learned about engaging with their communities

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Establishing community trust before an emergency or critical incident is paramount to maintaining trust with the citizens you serve. 

During a three-year period, Harford County Sheriff's Office responded to three active shooter incidents, including one that took the lives of two Deputies. Additionally, we have faced public relations challenges with 1st Amendment Auditors and agency members charged with crimes. While each situation has been unique, maintaining trust with our community and agency members has remained the same - be open and honest. 

We train and plan tactical operations scenarios all the time – but do we include our PIO in those trainings? How will you communicate during an incident? These incidents are critical for building and maintaining trust and transparency in our workforce and those we are sworn to protect. 

In her session, I will walk through the lessons I've learned in emergency management, the role of building trust, and best practices other agencies can incorporate into their social strategies to prepare themselves for a crisis. 

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What's worse than a stand-up comedian's punch line being met with live audience silence? A government agency sharing an offensive or cringe-worthy post meant to be funny. Your organization's reputation is no laughing matter, but humor can coexist with professionalism. In fact, there are countless positive examples of public safety agencies scoring giggles, shares, and new followers.

The South Metro content creation strategy focuses on three primary factors to consider before an idea becomes public record with the click of a mouse. Additionally, determining which platforms and their respective online communities will appreciate your creativity is vital to success. Eric will share some chuckles and highlight South Metro's balance of fun and professionalism. 

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First responder agencies nationwide are facing a recruitment crisis, with qualified applicants harder to find and hire for these critical positions. According to the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), 78% of law enforcement agencies reported having difficulty recruiting qualified candidates in a recent study. Learn how the Alaska State Troopers use organic and paid social media to attract top-quality law enforcement applicants across Alaska and the country.

Alaska State Troopers Communications Director Austin McDaniel will give an overview of creative ways to work recruiting messaging into everyday social media content, unique recruitment and hiring process content ideas, and discuss the paid social media advertising that the Alaska State Troopers use to lure quality State Troopers to The Last Frontier.

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